Chapter 116: Sparring

The doors of Velcrest Academy's training hall creaked open, as the group of students stepped inside.

The hall was massive, vaulted ceilings arched overhead, embedded with runes. The walls were made of magic-reinforced stone, their dark surface etched with spell-absorbing glyphs. The ground beneath their feet was equally tough, a matte-gray arena floor that looked as if it had tanked more explosions than a battlefield. Scorch marks from previous duels marred the edges, but the structure held steady, clearly designed to withstand the wrath of teenage mages trying to outdo each other.

On one side, enchanted training dummies were placed in a row, waiting to be used. Weapon racks lined another wall, filled with practice swords, staves, spears and all kinds of weapons.

"Damn," Leon said, letting out a low whistle. "This place never ceases to amaze me everytime I come here."

Finn grinned. "I heard they reinforced this place after someone accidentally brought down a wall last year."

Arthur wandered in further, taking it all in.

The atmosphere inside the training hall was charged. Students trained in clusters, casting spells, dueling with blades, shouting out techniques.

As Arthur was taking in the view of the hall he saw two familiar faces approaching him.

He turned just as Eva and Natalya walked up to him.

Eva didn't waste time. She looked him dead in the eye and said, "Fight me."

Arthur blinked, surprised by her straightforwardness, as he looked at her determined face. 

Eva didn't even flinch. Her eyes were sharp, and intense, burning with determination.

From beside her, Natalya shifted slightly, her voice barely above a whisper. "M…me too. I want to spar too."

Arthur smiled faintly. "Alright. Let's do it."

He walked over to the rack and grabbed a training sword, one of the heavier ones. Weighted to mimic real steel, it had just enough bite to leave bruises but wouldn't cause permanent damage. He gave it a few testing swings, then turned to face them.

Leon and Finn had already backed off to the side, settling onto a bench.

"I'm betting ten mana crystals Eva lands a hit," Finn whispered.

Leon scoffed, as he took out ten low grade mana stones. "You're on. Arthur's gonna win for sure without a scratch."

Eva stepped forward, taking a position opposite Arthur. Natalya would wait her turn. For now, this was between two fighters.

Eva had an affinity for both earth and life magic which combined and allowed her to have plant magic affinity, though here she might not be able to utilize plant magic in the training hall so she only used earth magic. 

Arthur also felt she was at the peak of 1st Circle mage and nearing another breakthrough to 2nd Circle.

He and Eva locked eyes.

Then, in an instant, they moved.

Both vanished from sight in a blur of movement. Their feet hit the stone floor a heartbeat later, swords clashing in a burst of kinetic force. The sound echoed through the chamber, drawing attention from nearby students.

Arthur immediately noticed it, Eva's speed had increased. Her movements were sharper than before, and her stance more refined. She wasn't the same girl he faced during Instructor Garrick's class.

Arthur matched her blow for blow, his blade dancing around hers with minimal effort. Still, he didn't overpower her. He adjusted his speed, and strength, lowering it to just match hers.

Eva gritted her teeth as they broke apart and from the first clash she understood that she was no match for Arthur in strength. Eva has been putting in extra effort ever since she fought Arthur while in Instructor Garrick's class to bridge the gap between them, but after the first clash between her and Arthur she felt the gap between them only widened. Still, she would not give up the fight so easily.

She didn't retreat. She lunged back in, sword swinging low, feinting right before twisting upward with a spinning arc of mana-infused training sword.

Arthur parried, leaning just enough to avoid the tip. The movement was clean, practiced, like his body had been doing this for years without needing thought.

'She's definitely improved', he thought.

Their blades clashed again.

Eva tried to use her earth affinity next. Her foot slammed into the ground and short stone spikes erupted beneath Arthur's feet, trying to knock him off balance.

He jumped just before it hit, flipping over her and tapping the back of her shoulder with the flat of his blade as he landed behind her.

Eva stumbled forward and whipped around.

Her eyes burned. But not with frustration, more like frustration wrapped around stubborn pride.

They clashed again, this time she led with a shoulder feint, then dipped low to sweep his leg. Arthur sidestepped with ease and caught her wrist mid-swing, redirecting her momentum and spinning her away.

Eva landed in a crouch, sliding to a stop.

Arthur didn't press.

Eva stood up slowly, breathing hard. Sweat clung to her brow, and her shoulders sagged just a bit.

"I lost," she said.

Arthur gave a small nod, "You have improved though."

"It's still not enough." Eva replied with a lost expression.

Arthur gave a helpless chuckle as the tension broke between them. Students who'd paused to watch began clapping, some out of respect, others out of sheer entertainment. The duel between Arthur and Eva had captured the attention of almost every student present.

"That guy… who is he?" a second-year student murmured, nudging her friend.

"I heard he's the student with blank affinity." her friend replied.

"No way. And he won a match against a student with White talent."

"Well…You saw that for yourself."

"Both of their movements are too clean," a third year senior student whispered. "Like they have been practicing for years."

"I can understand the girl's strength, she is from the Rosewood noble family. But who is the guy?" muttered another student gripping the handle of his sword a little tighter.

…

Natalya stepped forward next, eyes flicking between the two with quiet nervousness.

Arthur turned to her and offered a reassuring smile. "Ready?"

She nodded. "P-Please go easy on me."

And just like that, another match began.

Up on a viewing platform, a pair of instructors leaned against the railing, silently observing the match. One of them, Instructor Saria Voss, a veteran battle mage with long silver hair, narrowed her eyes.

"That boy," she said to her colleague, "Isn't he the one with a blank affinity we tested this year? What was his name?"

The other instructor, a younger man named Elias, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Arthur. He's at Second Circle already. But his technique… it's beyond most Fourth Circle mages I've seen. The way he limits his strength to match his opponent, that takes extreme control."

Saria folded her arms. "And he's holding back. Even now, he's adjusting himself so she can learn from this. Not just beat her."

Below, as Arthur parried Natalya's final strike and ended the spar with a light tap, a wave of murmurs broke out across the training hall.

"Ha!...I told you so, Arthur would win. Now give me those sweet mana stones." Leon snickered as Finn grumbled and gave him the mana stones. 

Then Leon stood up and said, "Well, let's see how I fare against Arthur." and picked up a training spear.

As Arthur reset his stance opposite Leon, a small crowd now circled the edge of the dueling floor, careful not to get too close, but unwilling to look away. Some were excited, some confused, others jealous.

But one thing was certain, Arthur had everyone's attention now.

…

After wrapping up the sparring matches with Leon and Finn, both of whom had shown remarkable growth, Arthur left the training hall with a light nod to the instructors still observing from above.

'They're getting stronger,' he thought, casting a brief glance back at the group still buzzing from the matches. 'At this rate, they'll be able to break through to 2nd Circle in about a week, especially Eva and Leon.'

He exited through the tall stone doors and made his way toward the outskirts of Velcrest.

The cobbled path wound through the academy's outer gardens, eventually leading down to the city. The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees at the side of the road, casting warm gold across the rooftops.

The orphanage stood just as he remembered it. A familiar warmth bloomed in his chest as he stepped through the gates.

Inside, the children were gathered around low tables, their tiny heads bent over books. A few were drawing something on a white paper. Others practiced their letters. And at one end of the room, little Lisa was scribbling furiously with a crayon twice the size of her hand, her tongue poking out in concentration.

Arthur smiled softly seeing the scene.

It was moments like this that provided peace to his otherwise eventful life.

Just then, a voice broke his reverie.

"Sir Arthur."

He turned to see Butler Hudson approaching, immaculate as always, with his hands folded behind his back.

Arthur gave him a nod. "Hudson, is Master Kai around?"

The butler shook his head. "Master Kai left early this morning. He didn't mention where he was going, only that he had something to take care of and would return in a few days."

Arthur exhaled. "Oh…Alright. And I was hoping for another round of him smacking me into the dirt today."

Hudson allowed himself a small smile. "It does seem to be a frequent training method, yes."

Arthur glanced past the butler to the children again. "They're doing well."

"They are," Hudson replied. "Lisa's been trying very hard to keep up with the older kids lately."

Arthur chuckled. "Of course she is. Probably trying to be the queen of the classroom."

He paused, then asked, "And the treasury? Are the funds holding up?"

Hudson nodded promptly. "Quite well, in fact. The last donation you made will cover all operational costs for at least six more months. Possibly longer, if we continue to receive discounts from the local vendors."

"Good," Arthur said. "Let me know if you ever need more."

Hudson bowed his head slightly. "Understood, Sir Arthur. Thank you."

With that, Arthur stepped outside once more, the door closing behind him with a gentle thud. He glanced up at the sky, the clouds covering the afternoon sun.

'No Kai today. Guess it's back to solo work.'

He exited the city and turned toward the nearby forest. A place he had come to know well during the past few months.

'I've been neglecting my mana manipulation training,' he mused. 'I've been so caught up in Chi training that I didn't even touch mana manipulation training. Time to fix that.'

His footsteps were light against the dirt path as he walked into the treeline. The forest greeted him like an old friend, thick with the scent of moss and fresh air.

As the canopy thickened above, Arthur found his usual clearing and sat cross-legged at its center, placing both hands on his knees.

He closed his eyes. The wind shifted through the trees. And beneath the surface of his skin, his mana stirred.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let's get back to basics."

And with that, he began to train.

***

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