New Objectives

By now, Leus' attacks have improved tremendously ...

The power behind the attacks didn't increase by much, but the efficiency and the speed did, and because of that, the strength of all his attacks increased ...

'He turned from a clueless kid who throws random attacks into someone who's able to think and decide which attack to execute in what situation and how'

That's how Blaze thought of Leus' progress so far ...

'On top of that, he has also improved with the sword and is now able to dodge, block, and parry incoming attacks, albeit only if it's at a (reasonable) speed ...'

'Which means that he shouldn't lose to someone on the same level, that's if they manage to get close to him'

Regardless, there was something more important ...

'Blocking his Magic Attacks is no longer as easy'

'Mock battles have made him able to strategize his attacks and adjust their speed according to the situation'

'I can still block all his attacks, but I have to put in some effort'

Blaze was genuinely pleased with everything so far ...

Over the past few weeks, all of Leus' attacks were altered to suit his new standards ...

Boost became stronger, Hydraulic and Spear/Daggers became faster, Fireballs became slightly bigger and faster, and Shield is now strategically used to put distance between him and his opponent or to stand on it and get in a better position to shoot a magic attack.

Leus has also mastered using all the elements on the sword and has become better at judging when to use which ...

He, as well, was pleased with the results

'It's all small changes, more like improving the quality of everything, but the difference is huge'

'I've been very ignorant regarding the powers of the people around me; I simply thought that if I attacked with Hydraulic or Dagger then no one would be able to dodge it'

'But when I actually tried it, I realized how pitiful the (perfect) version that I had in mind was'

Because of his training, Leus came to realize that

'The difference between theory and practice is huge, I really needed this experience'

Still, despite all the progress, Blaze stood as a mountain in front of him

'Even with all the new techniques, I still can't land a hit on Father ...'

'Although he complements me, he's so far better that sometimes I feel like I'm standing against a huge wall that I'll never surpass'

'He's able to block countless magical and physical attacks at the same time with ease, and I can't even see how he moves'

'It's so funny that even if I deplete my entire mana pool, not a single hit actually lands ...'

Blaze interrupted Leus' thoughts

"Leus"

"Uh? Yes?"

Blaze's eyes were narrowed and his voice was serious

"Your aura has intensified"

Leus had no idea what Blaze meant by that

"Is that good or bad?"

"It means that you've become stronger, it also means that you're likely to evolve soon and become a Knight .... or a Mage?

Well, it's up to you whether you consider yourself a Mage who's good with swords or a Knight who's good with magic.

In any case, you will evolve and become a Third Level Being soon"

When Leus heard that, he became excited; he definitely wanted to evolve

'At the very least it'll make me both stronger and faster'

Which is something he desperately wanted ...

He asked with enthusiasm

"What should I do?"

"You should just continue training ... -"

He paused for a moment then added

"I have something in mind, wait"

After saying that, Blaze went inside the house ...

He came back out after a couple of minutes with a black piece of cloth

"I'll blindfold you"

Leus was confused

"Why?"

"I have an idea. Remember when I explained to you how Elite Knights have a domain? I want you to gain something similar.

If you gain it, you'll have a weaker version of a Domain, and that's quite powerful; it's like enhancing your senses, also, you'll instantly evolve, it's an amazing Abstract"

Leus was a bit reluctant, but he nodded nonetheless

'I just want more details'

"But why blindfolding me?"

Blaze elaborated

"It's the most effective way to do it. Depriving you of your eyesight forces you to depend solely on your other senses"

He lightly tapped on his wooden sword as he resumed

"You'll actually get hit now, but don't worry, I brought the wooden sword so you don't get hurt much.

The attacks will be slow and silent, don't try to think or predict where I'm hitting you, just feel it"

Blaze blindfolded Leus, then he moved his sword forward very slowly ...

For a moment, Leus thought that Blaze had gone away; he couldn't even hear him breathing ...

However, he quickly got a hit that proved him wrong

"Awwww"

"Stop thinking. Focus on your senses and about how you feel.

Focus on the mana around you, feel its vibrations, feel the mana itself, feel how I'm moving through it, sense it and feel it, then only you'll be able to defend yourself"

In all honesty, Leus had absolutely no idea regarding how to do that

'But I don't think I can say that ...'

So he only replied with

" ... Yes"

He focused on his surroundings, and instantly, he was able to sense the Mana around him, but that's it; he wasn't able to feel anything else.

For a couple of seconds, Leus concentrated on the Mana and how it moved around him

'Hmmm ...'

He started feeling its flow

'As if -'

But suddenly

"Ahhh"

He got hit on his head

"Focus"

He screamed internally

'WELL MAYBE IF YOU LET ME!!!'

"Ughhhh"

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then he concentrated harder ...

This time, instead of focusing on all the Mana around him, he put all his focus on the Mana directly in front of him ...

'He's in front of me, if there's something to sense then it should be right here'

After some seconds, Leus got hit by the wooden sword again.

But this time, instead of wasting time groaning, Leus tried to track the sword back to its location, and he never gave up ...

They continued like this for a while, but sadly, Leus didn't succeed ...

'It's okay, it's not like I expected him to make it from the first try anyway'

Thinking that, Blaze decided on a new training schedule

"From now on, you'll blindfold yourself and try to attack me magically or physically for half the day, and the other half you'd spend blindfolded too, but trying to defend from my attacks"

Blaze was confident

'Leus is very smart, he should be able to unlock it'

' ... Eventually'

And like that, Leus spent most of the day blindfolded and running around with his sword in the garden under Blaze's supervision.

Although he was accustomed to the garden, he still occasionally crashed into the fence.

He also bumped into Blaze many times, especially because Blaze kept moving around after each round

'How can one move so quickly so quietly ...' Leus wondered

So for the next days, Leus spent almost the entire time focusing on his surroundings and the Mana around him ...

According to Blaze, that'd sharpen all his senses

' ... Except sight, hehe'

As time passed, Leus got used to being blindfolded, and when that happened, he understood something

'Not only attacking is difficult, but also using buffs like Boost is difficult'

'But that's not because I can't see, it's because I can't properly move ...'

'To be able to sense my surroundings, I've to first be able to properly control my body'

When he came to that realization, he completely changed the goal of his training

'First, I'll learn how to properly control my body while blindfolded'

'After that, I will train on accurately using Magical attacks'

' ... But to be able to do that, I've to first sense my opponent'

Leus sighed

'Alright, step by step'

And so, he continued training, trying to achieve all his new objectives ...