The next morning, at dawn.
As the sunlight pierced the darkness, painting the horizon red bit by bit and gradually illuminating the earth, the Labyrinth City of Orario awoke like a roused giant, becoming bustling once more.
The towers of Twilight Manor were bathed in sunlight one after another, gradually dispelling the chill of the night. A warm sensation enveloped everyone waking from their dreams, drawing many to the sky corridors to bask in the sun.
Of course, sunbathing was merely secondary; most people were actually focused on the courtyard below. There, two figures were engaged in a fierce exchange—
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal echoed, causing slight ripples of air to disperse. A sharp, small straight sword sliced through the air, heading straight for a blonde, golden-eyed girl, only to be easily parried by the scabbard held firmly in her hand.
The owner of the small straight sword was, naturally, Leon.
Today, Leon carried neither a shield nor his usual assortment of various pouches. Armed only with the small straight sword, he was launching a fierce assault against Ais, who held only her scabbard. He was fully focused, his gaze sharp. Looking at the seemingly delicate girl before him, he showed no intention of holding back. He circled her rapidly, thrusting and slashing toward her vital points—neck, heart, back, and abdomen—making onlookers wonder if he actually intended to kill her on the spot.
However, faced with this lethal offensive, Ais's expression never flickered. She didn't even move from her spot; simply by casually swinging her scabbard, she parried the incoming sword again and again.
A strike toward the neck—parried.
A thrust toward the heart—parried.
A slash toward the abdomen—parried.
Even for an attack from behind, Ais merely flipped her scabbard and swung it backward without even turning her head. It was as if she had eyes in the back of her head, neutralizing the strike with ease.
Furthermore, Ais wasn't just defending passively. Whenever she saw an opening, she would immediately strike back, hitting Leon with her scabbard. Leon tried to parry her attacks just as she did his, but every time he reacted, his sword couldn't move fast enough. Ais's scabbard would land on his body, making him hiss in pain from the sting.
At this moment, Ais was undoubtedly a stern teacher.
"Your movements are too easy to read."
While trading blows with Leon, Ais provided a commentary in her characteristic monotone.
"It's as if every move has a tell... this won't do." Ais parried another of Leon's slashes and said expressionlessly, "When your opponent is a monster, they won't read your movements. But when your opponent is an adventurer, you'll be seen through instantly."
"You must learn to launch an attack immediately from any posture."
"Also, keep your eyes on your opponent, but keep your peripheral vision wide."
"Do not hesitate when attacking, do not overthink. Be precise when defending. Do not rely solely on your five senses; you must cultivate your combat intuition."
Ais was not a person naturally gifted at teaching others, but she was very good at addressing specific issues. If she had to come up with a curriculum for Leon on her own, she wouldn't be able to do it even if she racked her brain, and she might even lose sleep over the stress. But as soon as she crossed blades with someone, she could immediately spot their flaws and tell them how to fix them.
Therefore, scenes like this had occurred frequently over the past year. Leon's process of learning swordsmanship from Ais was essentially a continuous cycle of being corrected, advised, and conditioned during sparring. Through this, he slowly grew accustomed to combat, to swinging a blade, and to thinking in the split-seconds of a life-or-death gap.
As an ordinary person from the Blue Star who once had to flee pathetically from a chasing dog, the reason Leon dared to enter the Dungeon alone to fight monsters could be attributed entirely to this. It was precisely because he had spent the past year constantly sparring with Ais that he had grown used to fighting and the mindset of the people in this world. Otherwise, he likely wouldn't have even found the courage to step into the Dungeon.
Leon felt this deeply himself. So, even though he was struck repeatedly by Ais's scabbard—and occasionally sent flying—he never uttered a single complaint. He remained humble, constantly seeking her guidance... or rather, seeking a beating, as he strove to adapt to her combat rhythm.
However, that goal was undoubtedly a tall order.
Thump!
In another exchange, Ais's scabbard struck Leon's chest with a speed he couldn't even register, sending him flying.
"Cough, cough—"
Leon rolled across the ground pathetically before clutching his chest and struggling back to his feet.
"Are you alright?" Ais looked at him and asked, "Do you want to continue?"
Leon rubbed his chest, took a deep breath, and nodded.
"Of course!"
The more he sparred with Ais, the more Leon realized how much he still had to learn. Although Ais didn't say it explicitly, judging by the speed of her strikes, Leon was certain she was suppressing her abilities to a level comparable to his own. Since this was a teaching session, even Ais knew that crushing Leon with a level advantage would do him no good.
So, when sparring with Leon, Ais generally didn't use her full strength. But why was she still able to hit him at speeds he couldn't react to?
It was simple: Ais always found Leon's blind spots and weaknesses in his reactions. By striking decisively, she could hit him before he even realized a move was being made. This was a gap in both experience and technique.
"The Strongest Swordswoman in Orario"—this title was definitely not unearned; it was backed by genuine skill. The prestige of this title was incredibly high. After all, Orario housed Level 6 and even Level 7 adventurers. Although most of them were not swordsmen and were male, the fact that Ais earned this title at Level 5 proved her prowess was far beyond ordinary imagination.
The gods granted her the title [Sword Princess], while the people called her the [War Princess]. Both indicated that her swordsmanship was on a level far exceeding common sense. And Leon, knowing the original story, knew that the lineage of Ais's swordsmanship was extraordinary, inherited directly from a Great Hero of a thousand years ago. It wasn't necessarily complex, but it was undeniably powerful.
Because of this, Leon was never reluctant to seek Ais's tutelage.
Clang!
As the small straight sword clashed with the silver scabbard once more, Leon and Ais's practice continued. The fight wasn't world-shaking, but it was undeniably intense.
"I'm impressed that kid can keep going like that..."
"If it were me, I don't know if I could endure it."
"He just keeps getting sent flying."
"That's what impresses you? Don't forget, he's the only one who gets personal tutoring from Miss Ais. If I had that honor, I wouldn't give up easily either."
"True. I don't know whether to be jealous or full of respect."
The Familia members watching the duel chatted in small groups along the sky corridors, some sighing, some expressing admiration or envy. Initially, they only felt jealousy and disdain, wondering what right an unknown human had to be favored by their "Princess." But after watching the same scene for an entire year, their opinions of Leon had gradually changed. At the very least, they respected his persistence.
Though, a bit of bitterness was still unavoidable.
"Those two sure have a lot of energy, fighting like that first thing in the morning. It makes my own body feel an itch for a fight," Tiona muttered to herself while yawning, hiding in the corridor like the others.
"Don't sell him short; Leon has some talent. Even though he's always taking a beating, he corrects himself quickly once Ais points something out. It's just that as soon as he fixes one thing, he forgets the next. It's typical of someone who learns with their head but hasn't ingrained it into their body yet," Tione commented calmly with her arms crossed, causing several veterans nearby to nod in agreement.
They had noticed it too. It was a clear sign of lack of experience; he couldn't use the techniques fluidly and relied on rote memorization. Rote memorization required repeated practice to become muscle memory, which led to Leon's current state of focusing on one thing while neglecting another.
"Can't be helped, he's a rookie after all."
"He's been learning from Miss Ais for a year, but how much can one really learn in a year?"
"He's been an adventurer for less than half a month. It's normal to lack experience."
"Once he hones himself in the Dungeon for a while and gets fully used to combat, he should be able to apply everything Miss Ais taught him."
"The disciple of the [Sword Princess]..."
"I hope he doesn't tarnish Miss Ais's reputation."
The surrounding crowd chatted back and forth, save for one person who seemed completely out of place.
"That guy... why is he always so thick-skinned as to pester Miss Ais?" Lefiya gripped the railing, a dark aura practically radiating from her as she cursed through gritted teeth. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were actually watery. "Waaa... I want personal guidance from Miss Ais too..."
That was likely the girl's greatest wish and source of resentment.
No one noticed that in the north tower, the window to Finn's office was open. The three leaders of the Familia were also watching Leon and Ais, sharing their thoughts.
"From the looks of it, Leon isn't using his updated stats at all. He's deliberately fighting Ais in his previous state," Finn said with a faint smile, causing Riveria and Gareth to look at each other.
"The kid is doing it on purpose, isn't he?" Gareth asked suspiciously.
"He's probably being considerate of Ais," Riveria said, closing one eye. "He's afraid that if his strength grows too fast, it will provoke her."
The three looked at one another and fell into a brief silence.
"It seems having our rookie rise too fast isn't entirely a good thing," Finn shrugged. "Forget Ais; if the others found out about Leon's growth rate, every single one of them would likely be shaken."
"Well, the youngsters in our Familia are all so competitive," Gareth chuckled. "Especially Bete. If he found out that the 'small fry' he's always looked down on was rising this fast, he'd be heavily affected."
"Lefiya might be quite shocked too," Riveria added, glancing at the distant Lefiya who was still glaring at Leon. "According to Loki, Leon has great potential in magic. His best stat, 'Magic,' is already at A. If he follows the path of a mage, he won't lose to Lefiya in the future."
He might not even lose to me... or might even surpass me, Riveria added silently in her heart.
"A little stimulation is a good thing; it promotes faster growth among the members. Unfortunately, the youths in our Familia love to act recklessly. If they're over-stimulated, it might do more harm than good," Finn said, licking his thumb with a wry smile.
"But we can't keep it a secret forever," Gareth stated bluntly. "We can manage for now, but once Leon reaches Level 2 or higher, even if we don't announce it to the Guild, we can't leave a promising new generation behind during an expedition."
"When the time comes for everyone to fight side-by-side, how could we possibly keep it hidden?"
Gareth's words made both Finn and Riveria frown.
"If he's a dragon, he's destined to be unrestrainable," Finn finally concluded with a meaningful remark. "We old folks can only keep a closer eye on them."
With that, Finn returned to his desk, no longer watching the sparring.
"I suppose we can only take it one step at a time," Riveria sighed and also stepped back inside.
"I guess this is what you call a happy problem," Gareth laughed heartily. "But first, let's handle the matter concerning that boy."
Recalling what Loki had reported to them last night, Gareth issued an order.
"Tell Leon to come to us once he and Ais finish their practice."
That kid was now a treasure of the Familia; they had to look after him properly.
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