Chapter 75: Spar

Rewen looked at the dining table, finding Denny missing. "Where is Denny?" 

"She is in her room." Cal turned to Rewen and stared at him for a while.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Cal shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking how tall you have grown."

Rewen let out a smile taking a seat opposite to him. "Of course, I have grown. However, it doesn't sound quite right because you are still taller than me."

"In time, you will get taller than me." Cal sounded very confident and certain. "How did you get the cut?" As he was close to Rewen, he was bound to notice the cut Rewen while he was trying out the Starting Sequence.

"This… I was coming out of my room in a hurry to go to the Club and my arm brushed past a pointy thing. I can't recall what it was and didn't notice the cut until I was halfway into the Club." Rewen had no problems with letting Cal know that he was training but he couldn't really say that he got this cut by falling down, can he?

"Did it bleed too much? The cut isn't small by any means."

"Nah, nothing much. It bled a bit but after washing my arm, it looked as good as ever."

Cal gave a nod, then changed the topic. "How is the Academy?"

"It's fun," Rewen answered honestly. "It's just a single class every day and there's something weirdly satisfying about raising my MP every day. The atmosphere isn't too toxic."

"Good. Are you personally having any problems?"

"For the time being, no."

Cal didn't speak anymore while Rewen gulped down the food in front of him.

A few minutes later, Rewen got up and went back to his room.

Looking at the back, Cal sighed. 'Rewen… you are getting increasingly difficult to understand.'

***

Rewen wore only loose trousers, leaving his upper body bare. He was feeling excessively hot. Adding on to that, the air conditioner isn't working for the past two months.

Sitting in front of his PC, he was thinking about what he should do. After a while, he sent a video chat request to his father. He felt that his little brother that he got to know yesterday was very cute.

A minute later, his father's face came into view. "Rewen? How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Where is Ron?"

"Wait a minute, I'm showing him." His father took the laptop to the living room.

The living room was wide. With a room-sized TV and transparent glasses allowing the light to come. On the sofa, Viviana was sitting with a little guy who was jumping with his legs. "Ron? Look who it is. It's your Big Brother." Rewen's father kept the laptop on the table making it possible for Rewen to see Viviana and the little guy closely.

The little guy made some noises and jumped even more. 

Rewen simply watched the little guy without saying anything.

"Do you not know how to talk?" Viviana was as strict as usual.

Rewen couldn't deny that he was indeed awkward at conversations that aren't face-to-face. "Um, how was your day?"

"It was okay. What about yours?"

"Not bad."

"I see that you have gotten plenty well. How about you put some effort into your academics for a change? Simply being strong is not enough to become an Official. The first thing after you are chosen to become an Official Candidate the higher-ups would do is check your academics. I'll keep it that way, lest my mind turns spinning remembering your grades." 

"..."

Viviana turned to the little guy and said in a strict tone. "Don't be like your Big Brother."

"Aaaaaa…." The little guy made a noise.

Rewen's eyes twitched. He didn't bring up interference because he knew that his mother was not completely serious about what she said.

"Speaking of which, I could send a letter of recommendation to the Club that you are in." Rewen's father suddenly interjected into the conversation.

"What would the letter of recommendation do?"

"It could help you become an Official once you become one of the top-ranking members of the Club."

"Not needed." Rewen declined the offer. In the beginning, he joined the Club with the motive to get the political benefits but later, his mind changed. Political benefits are just one of the reasons. 'I want to become a person of high standing.' All his life, he rarely felt the feeling of wanting to become someone. Even as a kid, he only admired the heroes in the fairy tales. Never wanted to become one.

'I have always prided myself as an ambitionless person. What a load of nonsense. The only reason I kept telling myself that is because I don't want to give up trying to make me look pathetic. I kept lying to myself to feel better. No more, though. I will try to reach the stars. If I can't, that's just my destiny… as if! If I fall, I'll get up again.' Rewen couldn't hold back his laughter seeing his hot-blooded nature which is probably short-lived.

"Why are you laughing? Did he say anything funny?" Both Viviana and Rewen's father looked at each other.

"Nothing. Nothing's funny. To be honest, a lot is going in my life that I can't share at the moment. I'll try to call from time to time if I get the time." Rewen ended the video chat abruptly.

"This brat… he has grown bold." Viviana had a complicated tone.

Rewen's father gave a meaningful smile.

"Aaaaa…" The little guy started crying.

***

Rewen knocked on Denny's door.

"What?"

"Hm? Why are your eyes red? Did you cry? Did something happen?"

"Just tell me why you came here."

"You want to play?"

"Not now."

"Figured as much." Rewen was about to leave when he suddenly said. "You know, there isn't much difference between yourself and Zelic right now," Rewen remembered. When they were kids, she hated being compared with Zelic because the latter was incredibly childish.

Contrary to what Rewen had expected, Denny lightly laughed, then waved her hands. "Shoo shoo."

A bit disappointed, Rewen went back to his room and logged in.

***

Darkhood City.

It was early morning. 

Rewen was in a cheerful mood. He got up from the bed and went out of his room. 

"Seems like everyone's still sleeping." It was just six in the morning. His mother usually gets up at seven.

On Earth, he trained in his garden. Coincidentally, in this world too, he had a large garden. He had seen it but never got the opportunity to practice there. "I should check it out."

With that in mind, he walked towards the garden and saw a familiar figure. 

Vinia was diligently swinging a stick when she heard footsteps. Turning back, she saw a red-haired tall young man with a bare upper body walking towards her. "Rewen?" She felt a bit uncomfortable because of his bare upper body but obviously didn't want to make it awkward.

Rewen smiled. "What style are you practicing? Ah, sorry if I happen to appear like a pervert." Seeing her fidgeting eyes, he realized that he wasn't in the most presentable condition.

Vinia shook her head and changed the subject. "I'm practicing my family's style - [Lascivious Art of Three Swords]. Have you heard of it?"

"I did. I have never seen the style in person. I just know that it's quick."

"Quick is an oversimplified way of describing it. Although I won't deny it, it is indeed quick."

Rewen bent down and took an uneven stick that was in the ground. "How about we spar?"

Vinia nodded vigorously without a shred of hesitation. "Allowed to use only weapons?"

"Yes. No brawling." Rewen was confident that he wouldn't take three seconds to defeat her if he went all-out with brawling but since it was to compare sword styles, he wasn't confident. On one side was a few generations-long sword style. On the other side was a self-made sword style created by an eighteen-year-old.

Both of them came close and took a basic stance.

"When the leaf falls, the spar will begin." Rewen pointed at a free-falling leaf.

Two seconds later, the leaf fell on the ground.

Vinia was the first one to make a move. She took a step almost closing the distance and swung her stick on her opponent's neck. Unfortunately for her, almost as if her opponent predicted the move, it was parried by the other stick.

'It's bad. His sword is coming closer. Should I step back? No, he will probably catch up to me.' Vinia was someone who had trained since a young age and knows how to think rationally. She flipped her body and again tried to strike her opponent. This time, on the face.

'He couldn't dodge it! To avoid getting hurt, he would have to use his sword, which is from his face.' Vinia saw victory.

However, just as the stick was about her opponent's face, her stick changed its trajectory colliding with a stick missing the target. 'How? He threw the sword?'

The next moment, Rewen grabbed the stick again and swung it at her neck lightly.