I fell backward onto the ground, my entire body drenched in sweat. I couldn't feel any strength left in my arms, and I huffed desperately, trying to catch my breath.
"You did fine for your first time. Rest for a bit before we move to the spar," Nymeria said as she stood by my head, leaning closer, her hair cascading down and brushing against my face.
"Thanks... huff... huff... for your consideration," I muttered, closing my eyes to relax.
After resting for a few minutes, I grabbed the sword again and said, "I'm ready."
"Alright then, come at me with all you've got," she said, stepping forward and drawing her sword.
I sprinted toward her and swung the sword in a diagonal slash.
*Clang!*
Steel screamed against steel, and sparks burst at the point where our blades met.
I pulled my sword back and came in with a vertical slash, putting greater force behind it.
She raised her hand upward, her sword held horizontal, and lightly touched the blade descending toward her head, deflecting it to the ground.
The moment my sword began to descend, she swung her own in a horizontal arc, aimed at my throat.
I instantly snapped my head back, letting the blade shear off a few strands of hair that drifted down to my nose.
She didn't slow. She took one step forward in a fluid, elegant motion and thrust her sword at my heart.
I parried the attack, sweeping my sword upward, and countered with a stab aimed at her neck.
She tilted her head, and my blade whistled past her ear.
I began throwing one attack after another, targeting her neck, ribs, and thighs.
She parried the lighter strikes and drove me backward, dodged the heavier ones, and countered with just enough speed that I could barely block them.
But whenever my footwork faltered or the angle of my blade diverged from the direction of applied force, her attacks would turn fierce, landing light cuts on whichever part of my body had failed.
Countless nights came and went as this grueling training wore on.
My swings grew more precise, and I was rarely struck by the practice stick.
Our spars grew more intense as well, and she would not stop until I collapsed from exhaustion.
At first, I wasn't sure whether this punishing routine was even beneficial. I was skeptical. What if the sheer intensity of it broke my body? I continued only for the sake of the Quest; otherwise, I would have sought another path to strength.
But all my doubts faded as the results of my training began to show.
My stats climbed sharply after each sparring session, and on the eighth night, we held our final spar.
This time, unlike before, Nymeria held her sword with both hands, the blade pointing toward the sky.
She stood perfectly still, yet there was not a single opening in her stance.
"How long do you intend to stand there? Why are you not attacking?" she asked.
"You look even more terrifying than usual, Master," I muttered, my voice edged with genuine unease.
"If you will not move, then I will," she said, and in the blink of an eye, her sword was at my eyes.
I bent my spine backward, arching my body into a semicircle as I planted a hand on the ground. Then, from a one-handed handstand, I drove my leg upward, knocking her sword aside with my foot, and swung my own sword with my free hand, slashing at her legs.
She leaped, clearing the blade, and I set my feet back on the ground and rose.
"Now that is what I expect from my student," she said, a quiet smile crossing her face as she unleashed a barrage of sword strikes.
I had seen this pattern before. Not exactly, but it closely resembled the claw attack Jambavan had used against her.
"So you've copied his technique and made it your own. Let me surprise you as well, then," I murmured as I began deflecting her strikes, barely grazing each blade to distort its angle. The fiercer her attacks became, the more sharply I redirected them, carving out a subtle opening.
I did not let it pass. I thrust my sword forward, aimed at her belly.
Ding...
"Congratulations! Beginner Sword Skill upgraded to Intermediate Sword Skill."
As the tip of my blade was about to pierce her, a sharp clang rang out through the forest.
A sword slipped from someone's grip, spun upward into the sky, and came back down, piercing the earth beside the pond.
It was Vajra.
"Huh? What was that last move?" I gasped in disbelief.
She stood before me, pinching the flat of her blade between two fingers, its hilt facing toward me.
It had happened in a flash. My eyes had barely followed it, but I pieced together what she had done.
The moment my blade reached her belly, she had twisted her sword between her index finger and thumb, spinning it vertically with intense torque. The hilt struck my hand, forcing me to drop my weapon, and before her sword could fall, she caught it by the other end.
"That last move of yours was absolutely phenomenal, Master. Let me retrieve my sword so we can continue," I said, sprinting toward Vajra.
"There is no need to continue," she said, sitting down and drawing a slow, deep breath.
"What? But why? Are you disappointed in me?" I asked, pulling the sword free from the ground. "I will do better, Master. Please don't abandon me."
"How can you say something so shameless with a straight face? Sigh. I am not disappointed. It is simply that I have nothing left to teach you," she replied in an unhurried voice.
"But I haven't beaten you even once. There is still so much I could learn from you," I blurted, taking her hands and dropping to my knees before her.
"You insolent fool! You're a hundred years from defeating me in a sword fight," she said in a low voice, flicking my forehead hard, then added, "But it is true that I can no longer teach you. The only thing that can sharpen your swordsmanship from here is experience."
"Congratulations, you have completed Side Quest 2.
All-Devouring Breathing Technique leveled up."
"Fantastic," I shouted inside my mind, and in a burst of excitement, I looked up at Nymeria.
"Then I pay my respects to my Master, for all that she has taught me," I said, and pressed my lips to her hand.
"Y-you insolent.." she snapped, snatching her hand away, her pale, moonlit face flushing a deep crimson.