Chapter 30: 5 vs 5 (1)
Dean Duke Valendo and Cadet Jack Reed.
They were like a towering tree and a sprout, starkly contrasting.
To anyone, they seemed destined for entirely different lives.
Yet, the Dean was determined to guide Jack down his path.
“Haha! I’ll train you.”
“But I already have an assigned instructor…”
“No problem. I’m the Dean. I can change instructors.”
As the Dean pushed forward, Jack tried to stop him.
“Wait! Can I really do well? Compared to you, I’m far behind.”
“I know. That’s why I want to train you even more.”
Duke, blessed with a heaven-sent physique.
Even a Weapon Master like me and other continental powerhouses praised him, but he had one weakness.
His Qi, a vital ability for anyone wielding weapons or mastering combat, was only average.
Of course, his Qi wasn’t below average.
But his exceptional physique made his average Qi feel lacking.
“This kid is strong enough.”
In contrast, as I had already sensed, Jack’s talent for Qi was exceptional.
Compared to his peers, his aura was immeasurably deep.
To Duke’s eyes, Jack’s aura was formidable.
It almost felt like facing an equal.
“Even if his body is frail, with such exceptional Qi, what would happen if he trained like me?”
Duke wanted to resolve his curiosity by training Jack, who stood at his opposite.
Perhaps Jack’s use of martial arts fueled this further.
“You have talent. With my training, you’ll quickly reach higher realms.”
“Aren’t you expecting too much of me…?”
Unlike Duke’s thoughts, Jack lacked confidence.
Even the encouraging pats felt painful.
“You’re not curious? About how far you can grow?”
“What?”
“Words won’t do. Let me show you.”
Seeing Jack’s lack of confidence, Duke took action.
He slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist.
Crunch.
With his other hand, he gently wrapped around Jack’s neck.
As Jack wondered why, Duke threw a punch.
Whoosh!
It was a calm evening with no breeze.
Yet, a fierce gust strong enough to blow Jack away swept through the training ground.
If Duke hadn’t held him, Jack would’ve flown.
“Ugh!”
The gust from the punch swept over Jack.
That alone left him speechless, but a more astonishing sight awaited.
“Look behind you.”
At Duke’s words, Jack turned.
“Gasp!”
He was stunned.
Far away, a crack had formed in the training ground’s sturdy wall.
Crack.
The wall was dented in the shape of the punch thrown into the air.
It was Duke’s power, the pinnacle of fist techniques, achieved with mere wind pressure.
And it was the realm Jack needed to reach.
“With my training, you can become like me. How’s that? Tempting, right?”
“…Really?”
“Of course! If you follow me.”
“…”
Duke’s strength.
Witnessing it with his own eyes, not just words, was overwhelmingly powerful.
“I could become like that? If I do, maybe I could surpass Young Master?”
Since the Alraune incident, Jack felt his limits.
No matter how hard he tried, surpassing or even catching up to me seemed impossible.
So, he planned to live within his means.
But now, the Dean shook Jack’s heart fiercely.
“Can I really reach even your toes?”
“Toes? You’ll be my successor.”
“Then I, Jack Reed, will accept your training.”
Finally resolved, Jack knelt to receive the Dean’s guidance.
“Haha, no need for that. Fine, we’ll start personal training tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
“Come to my office, not the training ground, after breakfast tomorrow.”
Thus, Jack secured personal training from the Dean.
Naturally, I didn’t know this.
“By the way, keep this a secret from Evan. It’ll be more fun that way, right?”
“Oh… Yes!”
“Hahaha!!! This spar will be truly entertaining.”
***
Jack was truly obedient.
Though I was his master, he kept the Dean’s personal training a secret.
Even during meals together, he never mentioned it.
But I quickly sensed something off.
I noticed it during lunch, after Jack’s first session.
“Strange. Why’s he so exhausted? Is his training that intense? The others aren’t reacting like this.”
Jack wasn’t lacking in mental fortitude compared to others.
Yet, unlike Jaina and the other cadets, his hollow eyes were odd.
And though he must’ve trained at the training ground, a faint grassy scent lingered.
“They wouldn’t single him out. What is it? This subtle unease.”
I grew suspicious of why only Jack was like this.
I briefly considered sneaking to the training ground to observe.
But I couldn’t.
Spying on the opponent’s training broke an unspoken rule.
Having fought more in the mud than clean battles, I still respected what deserved respect.
And above all, my pride wouldn’t allow spying when I was confident in the spar.
“Fine, if they’re hiding training, go all out. It’ll make it fun for me.”
After the meal, I parted with the slouched Jack.
“Young Master, I’ll head out.”
“Alright.”
Heading to the training hall, I encountered the Dean approaching.
“Evan! Coming from a meal?”
“Yes. You too, Dean…”
As the Dean neared, my nose twitched.
“Grass scent…”
A familiar smell entered my nostrils.
“No way!”
A thought struck me like lightning.
“Duke, you’re finally challenging me, huh?”
The same grassy scent as Jack,
Jack’s extreme exhaustion unlike other cadets,
and Jack’s current training in martial arts like Duke.
Putting it all together, Jack was being personally trained by Duke.
“Why’d you stop talking?”
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Hmm? Why? You got something to say?”
The Dean played ignorant.
But this only solidified my suspicions.
“No, sir. Have you eaten?”
“About to.”
“Understood. I’ll take my leave, Dean.”
Leaving the smiling Dean behind, I grimaced.
“So that’s how you’re playing? Fine, I’ve got tricks too.”
The Dean’s intervention was an unexpected variable.
To counter it, I resolved to prepare a trump card to rattle them, even if it meant pushing the cadets to their limits.
With that mindset, I reached the training hall, where someone was already inside.
“Haa!”
It was Princess Anna.
“Hm?”
Before entering,
I stood still, observing Anna.
Unaware of my gaze, Anna was diligently practicing alone.
Holding a wooden sword in one hand.
“…”
As I watched quietly, Anton approached.
The moment he arrived, I asked.
“Has the Princess ever trained in swordsmanship at the palace?”
“No. That’s purely self-taught from watching. Our swordsmanship.”
“Oh?”
She assumed a stance and swung her sword.
Initially clumsy, her swordsmanship gained a certain flow once it hit its stride.
Mimicking the Royal Guard Knights’ swords she’d seen at the palace,
especially Anton’s.
“She knows when to advance and retreat, as if facing a real enemy.”
I inwardly admired the domineering strikes from her light movements.
“Now that I think about it, the old Royal Guard Knights used similar swordsmanship. But it’s slightly different. Did the Princess tweak it?”
Panting, she bent over.
“What do you think?”
“Impressive.”
“Right? Then the Princess should join the spar.”
“Of cour— What?”
Anton looked alarmed.
“Didn’t you say the Princess wouldn’t participate?”
“I did. I meant to keep it that way. But seeing such skill, how can I leave her out?”
In truth, I had treated Anna as a non-combatant.
But seeing her skill was better than expected, I changed my mind.
“Imitating that level of swordsmanship just by observing? She might be like me.”
However, she was all theory with no practical experience.
Panting after brief movement proved it.
If she was this winded with a wooden sword, a real one was obvious.
“Of course, her stamina’s lacking, but her eye is good, so with a different weapon…”
“Wait! The Princess can’t. Spar with the other cadets only.”
“Why? It’s not impossible, but it sounds like you’re telling me to avoid the surest path.”
Unlike me, aiming for the best method,
Anton opposed involving the Princess in a dangerous spar.
“Dare you use the Princess as a chess piece?”
“Yes. Would you use a pawn when you have a queen?”
“…You really rate her that highly?”
“I do. Trust me on this.”
I spoke with conviction, but Anton wasn’t pleased.
“If the Princess gets hurt…”
“But if that happens, shouldn’t you blame the opponent, not me?”
“Uh…”
As Anton pondered my plausible words, I rushed past the door to the Princess.
“Hey, hey!”
Before Anton could react, I shouted.
“Princess! You must join the spar! Train with me from now on!”
“Really?!”
Anton tried to stop me, but seeing the Princess’ joy, he lowered his hand.
“What’s so fun about fighting…”
Briefly swayed by her smile, Anton stood firm this time.
“Princess! I have something to say.”
“Anton?”
He aimed to set a minimum safety measure
and absolutely prevent her from joining the spar.
“No matter how I think, joining the spar is dangerous. I won’t stop you, but I’d like you to pass my test first.”
“You’re not saying I have to beat you, are you?”
“No. Just a simple test: launch ten attacks at me.”
Anton wanted to know why I was so confident.
What about Anna’s skills made me want her in the spar?
“I’ll judge if the Princess is qualified after those ten attacks.”
“Hm…”
Even if the Princess refused, Anton wouldn’t back down.
“Alright! Evan, is it possible?”
“No need to go to ten. I accept. Shall we do the test the day before the spar?”
“Yes.”
“But I have a condition. I don’t want to reveal her weapon beforehand. Please stay out of the training hall during our training.”
“I’ll accept that.”
With the pre-test agreed, Anton withdrew cleanly.
“I’ll leave now. Don’t do anything reckless with the Princess. If you do…”
“No chance of that, even if I die.”
“Understood.”
With Anton gone, only Anna and I remained.
Anna expressed concern.
“Can I satisfy Anton?”
“We’ll have to try. And you can do it. Trust me.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
“Put the sword down for now.”
“Will I use a different weapon like the others?”
“Exactly. If we had more time, you’d have more weapon options and stamina training. But we don’t have that now.”
To find a weapon suited to her level, I headed to the rack.
I picked up the weapon.
“The weapon you need to master isn’t a sword but this.”
Seeing the weapon, Anna tilted her head.
“Can I break Anton’s defense with that?”
She looked slightly disappointed.
But I said with conviction.
“Yes, I’m certain.”
***
After the selection ceremony,
time flew, and the promised spar day arrived.