Lukas rolled his shoulders back, unsheathing his new sword from his back.
He held the sword before him, studying it. He had to admit that he liked the way the metal rippled as it caught the light that streamed down into the clearing, reflecting it around them.
"Ready?" Melody asked.
"Ready." He nodded.
Then he activated [Cursed Blade].
Immediately, a dark, mist-like energy began flowing out the blade and wrapping around it.
He knew immediately that this was cursed energy. The same energy utilized by [Hexblades] to cause great damage to their opponents.
Then, dark ink appeared on the blade, emerging from the hilt and flowing in branching lines, spreading across its surface like ice until it covered the whole blade.
Finally, the inky darkness sank into the blade, turning its surface dark.
The transformation was complete.
Lukas held his sword up to the light, turning it slowly in hisbhand.
Thankfully, the metal had retained its rippling effect, but unlike before, it seemed to suck in the light instead of reflecting it.
He could feel a portion of his mana, an almost negligible amount, locked away permanently. That was the part of his mana that was keeping the cursed energy locked in the sword.
The cursed energy would strengthen the sword, increase its sharpness, and even allow him to mend any cracks in the steel that resulted from heavy combat.
And when he finally landed a hit on an opponent and injured them, the sword would draw from his reserves to fuel the cursed energy's health drain.
This was the universal truth that all skills, regardless of if they were magical or not in nature, used mana. Even the skills given to a [Cook] by the system.
"Okay, that is genuinely cool." Lukas couldn't help but laugh as he swung the sword through the air, eliciting a slight whistling sound.
"Of course it is." Melody said as she stepped closer. "We [Hexblades] are built different."
In one smooth motion, she reached over her shoulder and unsheathed her sword.
Lukas went quiet. Of course he'd seen the sword on her back right from the moment she'd stepped out of the portal, but this was the first time he was seeing it properly.
The sword was a claymore, a two-handed weapon longer and wider than his own, with crossguards that sloped downwards towards the blade.
And just like his, its blade was the same dark steel as his own, a common sign that it was filled with cursed energy.
"Come on," she said, tilting her head towards the space between them. "Let's see what you can do with that sword."
He didn't need to be told twice. He lunged forward, trying to catch her off guard, but she simply parried his strike without any visible effort, stepping neatly to the side.
"That was actually a good opening." She smiled. "Ypu attacked me directly and committed to the attack. I sensed no hesitation at all and that leads me to my first lesson."
She blurred, and in an instant, her sword was at his throat.
"Always be alert."
Lukas stumbled backwards, eyes wide. He'd thought that since their stats were roughly the same, he would have been able to keep up with her, but she'd just shown him the difference between an E-rank and B-rank adventurer.
He had the same stats, but she had the mental capacity to wield those stats. By leveling up, her body had been granted the necessary reaction times and reflexes to keep up with her stats.
"Your enemies will not announce to you when they will strike, so the only thing you can do is be alert. That or strike first." She lectured, stepping back.
"But in cases where you cannot be the first to attack, you can only rely on your attention and your instincts. The good news is that both can be trained."
She paused.
"Attack me again."
This time, Lukas was more cautious. He circled her, taking in her casual stance, before attacking again, this time faking a thrust, then turning it into a slash.
Melody blocked the strike, sparks flying in the air from the contact.
With their swords locked together, she tried pushing him off, but he dug in his heels, this time, his strength holding him in place.
He grinned and she returned the grin, acknowledging that they were at an impasse.
"Lesson number two," she continued, "there's no point in competing with your opponent with strength."
"Strength is not a reliable constant, regardless of rank. You're an example of this."
"Some of your opponents will be weaker than you. You'll handle those easily. But some will hit hard enough that meeting force with force will only hurt you."
"One swing from a high-rank monster, taken straight on a block, can send you off your feet even if your strength is technically higher. Having high strength doesn't mean you get to ignore physics all the time."
"And then, there are the Awakeners whose strikes could fold you in half from the strength they put into it."
She held his gaze, still trying to push him back. "This means if you have the chance to dodge the attack, take it. Even if they're not as strong as you are, they might be more clever."
She suddenly disengaged, twisting to the side. Lukas stumbled forward, surprised by the lack of resistance, and by the time he regained his balance, there was a sword at his throat.
Melody made sure he got the message before stepping back.
"This leads me to lesson three."
She blurred, appearing before Lukas. Lukas' eyes widened as he brought his sword up to intercept the blow.
"If you ever meet someone you can't defeat, run."
Her speed was different this time. She moved with the kind of pressure that gave him no time to attack, only react.
He could follow her, just barely, and he could tell that it was intentional. She wanted him to see the attacks. To work for every block and to feel how close the margins were, constantly putting him off balance.
Her swords kept flashing towards his vital points and he moved as fast as he could, blocking them all.
He gritted his teeth, his heart pounding as adrenaline flooded his system. He knew how close to death he was. If he made a single mistake, it would be over.
His mind kept searching for a way out, and he finally realized what she was trying to tell him.
So, as he blocked one blow, he threw himself to the side, rolling and bringing a cluster of bamboo trees between him and her, but she didn't follow.
Instead, she lowered her sword and turned away.
"Good. You understand what I'm talking about." He could hear the satisfaction in her tone. "There is a time to fight and a time to run. Learn to recognize when it's time to run."
That was when he realized how hard he was breathing. He sat there for a moment, catching his breath.
Melody had pushed him harder than he'd ever been pushed in his life. He clenched his fist, excitement running through his veins.
This was the same kind of lessons others pay gold coins to learn, or in the case of the less fortunate, blood.
"There's nothing wrong with running away, Lukas. Some would say it is a shameful thing to run away, but most people like that end up dead, and those who ran away survived to surpass them."
"It is better to be called a coward and be alive than to be called brave and be dead." She gave him a sad smile. "Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."
Lukas nodded firmly, engraving her lessons in his mind. He wasn't ashamed to have lost so badly to Melody. In fact, he was proud and grateful.
Proud that he'd been able to last against a B-rank Awakener, and grateful that she was teaching him.
"Alright. I've made my assessment." She announced. "Your fundamentals are pretty solid, you keep up with whatever is thrown your way, and you don't panic when you're losing."
"You're ready to fight monsters." she grinned, turning to the bamboo forest. "Now, let's go find some for you to kill."