"A Spar?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow as she looked at Sophie. "Why?"
"Nothing really. I just wanted a training partner and you seem perfect for that. It would help us both, no?" She said with a small smile. "I just want to test and see how strong you are."
In reality, Sophie was already aware of how powerful Hyun-Jae was. She had seen a glimpse of that power when they fought those rats and she could only feel impressed. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Hyun-Jae was perhaps the second strongest person she had met so far after Talon.
She had the speed, the technique, and the destructive power to face anything and win. She was not a rival to be messed with.
"Hmm..." Humming thoughtfully, Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "I guess that's fine. I don't mind. But, let's not use our full powers in this since it could leave behind a lot of damage." She said.
"Of course, the moment someone ends up in a defeated position, the fight ends immediately."
The two knew that going overboard with a spar would injure one or the other and would hinder their plans for the future. It would be a really foolish mistake. So, the two were going to be careful about it.
"Ok, let's start then." With that, Sophie stepped a few dozen feet away from Hyun-Jae and channeled her Aetheris.
"So, you don't really use a weapon, huh?" Hyun-Jae asked as she brandished her sword and got ready for the fight.
"No, I'm not that good with weapons and my ability has been my weapon so far." She replied.
"Relying too much on your ability alone without a weapon is bad." Hyun-Jae retorted.
"... But, it's versatile enough not to require a weapon, you know? Look." Saying that, Sophie lifted her hand and white strings immediately formed around it.
Those strings stretched far and wide as they coiled around each other in a complicated dance. Knots were tied and turned, slowly forming an image of something. Hyun-Jae watched the show silently.
A few seconds later, Sophie slowly moved her hand down and grabbed the floating object before she aimed it at Hyun-Jae. "See? If I need a weapon, I can make it out of strings."
In her hand, a long sword with a sharp edge had been created out of thin air. Even though it was made out of strings, it still looked really sturdy and sharp like a real weapon would. In fact, it looked way sharper than a normal weapon since Sophie's strings were very resilient and strong.
Hyun-Jae's eyes flashed with a weird glint before she closed them for a moment. "Ok, are you ready?" She asked as she slowly rotated her sword around.
"Any time." Sophie took a fighting stance too.
With that said, the two stared at each other for a second. Neither moved immediately as if they were trying to figure out their opponent. Eventually, a gush of wind blew across the entire park as it brought along with it a tree leaf. The small leaf floated around, swaying in the air as it slowly descended to the ground right in between the two girls.
The moment it touched the ground, the two dashed forward at an explosive speed, clashing with their swords violently. Then, Hyun-Jae pushed Sophie away and jumped back swiftly before dashing forward again and slashing at her.
Sophie clenched her teeth as she felt the overwhelming power of Hyun-Jae's sword. The girl started attacking her ruthlessly from all angles and she found herself in an increasingly defensive state.
*CLING* *CLING* *CLING*
The sound of two swords clashing echoed in the vicinity. The two were moving all around the place nimbly.
"You aren't bad for someone who doesn't use a sword," Hyun-Jae commented as she continued her endless assault on Sophie.
"Thank... you..." With a difficult look, Sophie dodged and deflected all the attacks to the best of her ability.
'Ugh, she's so fast... My eyes can barely follow her. I can't even find a moment to counter-attack. She doesn't give me a room for any of that.' She thought to herself.
"Thank you," Hyun-Jae replied casually as she extended her hand forward to help her opponent stand up.
"I thought I had you for a second, haha. But, I guess you proved your point that I need a sword. I should probably start looking for one."
"There are many you can choose from. When you do, come look for me."
Hyun-Jae turned around and started walking before she stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"... Why?" Sophie asked.
"I will help you practice."
***
Meanwhile, far away from there.
*Swish* *Swish*
Deep into the forest, the painful cries of monsters could be heard. A silhouette was moving through the place like a gush of wind, slicing through their bodies with ease.
In a matter of moments, ten fell dead to the ground.
"That's another 500 dead," Talon murmured as he stopped and looked around him.
A very long trial of monsters could be seen stretching as far as the eye could see. The corpses were all the result of his work as he covered a massive area of the forest. It had been a few hours since he defeated those 2000 monsters and he was now well into the forest.
[Ding!]
[You have killed 10 enemies. +2 Health.]
Nodding his head with satisfaction, Talon opened his status window to see the progress he made today.
[Talon Everhart-
Level: 25
Dimension: Low-D (Access to another dimension has been unlocked.)
Class: Dimension Manipulator/ Sea Hunter/ Limitless Breaker
Strength: 145 (+4)- Agility: 134 (+4)- Stamina: 133 (+4)- Health: 125(+2)- Aetheris: 215(+10)]
Free Points:16]
"Nice." He smiled to himself.
Even though his stats didn't increase explosively, he was still happy with what he got so far.
A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!