Grrrr—!!
My stomach growled vehemently with hunger as I arrived at the snowy meadow where we were staying.
"You're back," Leo remarked, his voice calm and nonchalant.
He sat on a stool with a crackling campfire in front of him, relishing a steaming bowl of chicken soup clasped in his hands.
…This guy!
Here I am, on the verge of starvation, and he's eating chicken soup! Huh?!
Gaah! I swear to god— No, not god... I swear to myself that I will kill him one day!
Leo rose from his seat, extinguished the fire, and quickly finished the soup before stowing away the empty bowl in his dimensional ring.
Then he summoned the black spear into his grasp and he turned to face me.
"Today, we will spar again," declared Leo.
"Again?" I frowned in displeasure.
We have been engaging in sparring sessions almost every single day since we came to this place.
Though I learn so many things from sparring against him, his skills are on a completely different level than mine.
Fighting him feels like trying to climb a wall that I know I can't ever climb in a lifetime.
Going against him, I couldn't help but feel inferior. And I'm not good at dealing with inferiority complexes since I don't feel it much.
Maybe Leo noticed my thoughts as he let out a sigh and said, "I can see you don't like losing much, but as I've said before, martial arts can only be honed in combat."
…I guess he has a point.
"Alright," I relented. "Let's get started then."
"Good," Leo nodded. "And don't worry, I will go easy on you this time."
†
15 minutes later…
Thwack—!!
A forceful kick slammed into my chest, propelling me back in the air until I collided with the ground, tumbling and rolling before coming to a halt.
"F-Freaking hell," I stammered, cursing softly under my breath.
I gathered myself and rose to my feet, directing my gaze towards Leo. "I will go easy on you this time, my ass!"
Leo stifled a chuckle, his tone filled with amusement. "Believe me, this is me going easy."
I rolled my eyes, frustration building within me.
Gathering my strength, I charged forward with my spear poised for an attack.
As soon as I closed the distance between us, with swift precision, I thrust my spear towards Leo.
Cling—!!
However, Leo effortlessly deflected my assault with his own spear, skillfully pushing me onto my back foot.
"Arghh!"
Gritting my teeth, without missing a beat, I launched a rapid succession of spear thrusts at Leo.
Cling, Cling, Cling—!!
But once again, Leo deftly parried each and every one of my strikes, relentlessly forcing me backwards.
"Spear has a good range," Leo said while casually parrying my attacks. "It's a low-risk, high-reward weapon. Keep yourself out of my reach and aim for my head or heart. Even if you miss, you will have the time to jump back to safety before I could punish you for missing. Come, I won't parry your next attack."
I tried doing as he said and aimed my next thrust at his heart. True to his words, Leo didn't parry my attack with his spear.
Swish—!!
But instead, he just swirled his body to the side and let my spear meet nothing but air.
Following up on it, he quickly tried to step in and probably land another kick on me.
"Tsk!" Frustrated, I clicked my tongue.
Fwoosh—!
To make some breathing space, I hopped a few steps back to safety. I refused to get kicked by him again.
And I can't keep on attacking him blindly.
I need to devise a strategy to gain an advantage, even if victory against him seems to be elusive– far from my reach.
I have to find a way to seize the upper hand.
Alright, let's calm down and think. After all, my intellect is my greatest weapon.
Leo is approximately 10 meters away from me.
If I were to charge forward now, faking a reckless attempt to close the distance, he would likely respond with a forward spear thrust.
At that moment, I will crouch and let his spear pass over my head. From that low position, I could surge forward, launching my own counterattack.
That's the general plan. Yes, this should work!
After coming to that conclusion in my head, I nodded and slightly bent my knees, tunneling my vision at Leo who was a few steps away—!
Swoosh—!!
"...?!"
Yet, before I could put my plan into action, Leo appeared before me out of thin air!
My eyes widened in disbelief as he unleashed a powerful horizontal slash with his spear, aimed directly at me.
Thwoosh—!!!
Reacting quickly, I raised my own spear to block his attack, but the sheer force behind his strike flung me in the air, tumbling to the side.
Performing a mid-air backflip, I managed to land on my feet, stumbling a few steps before regaining my stance.
I looked back at Leo in front of me, my eyes still widened in shock.
How did he manage to appear in front of me so suddenly?
Was I zoning out? No, that couldn't be right! I am fairly certain that my gaze never wavered from him.
Then how?
When did he close the distance? He didn't use any mana, I'm certain of it! So was it purely his physical speed?
But that's impossible!
No human can move at such speed without using mana, relying solely on his physical prowess. Even if that human happens to be none other than Leo Kurogami!
Shaking my head, I cleared my mind of the thoughts and focused up front. I couldn't afford to lose sight of him again—
Swish—!!
But in an instant, Leo appeared before me once again, his presence both startling and disorienting.
"You think too much," he stated plainly.
"...?!"
Before I could even react, he thrashed his knee into my abdomen, causing me to crumple to my knees.
Consumed by intense pain, I started to cough fitfully.
"Khuuk! Khuaaaak!!"
Observing my agonized state, Leo tossed a healing potion in my direction and took a step back.
As he moved away, he began to speak.
"Your mind is cluttered with strategies, endless possibilities, and countless doubts." He explained. "You calculate every potential outcome– which is a good trait to have for a strategist, but not for a warrior."
Circling around me, he continued, "In the midst of battle, you mustn't burden yourself with overthinking. Each passing second should be dedicated to either hurting your opponent or ensuring your own survival."
After consuming the healing potion, I gritted my teeth and pushed myself back onto my feet, the pain still coursing through my body.
"So, you're saying I shouldn't strategize anymore?" I asked.
Leo's response was swift and clear. "No, strategizing is your greatest asset. Don't abandon it," he emphasized. "However, cease the habit of endlessly calculating every possible outcome. Envision a single future, and make it a reality."
Coming to a halt before me, he continued, "How can you expect to find a clear path to defeating your opponent if you can't conquer your own thoughts?"
Raising his spear and assuming his stance, he urged me to do the same.
"Your focus should be on the present moment—not on your day before, not on what lies ahead. All that matters is the form, the technique! Master your mind, perfect your technique, and your opponent shall be vanquished!"
