"Here to receive a beating again, Kid?"
Cedric smiled wryly upon hearing this. He has heard these exact same words hundreds of times now, at least, and they still sound as offensive as the first time.
But he didn't dare to be negligent or impolite. He never did and never could. Cedric was familiar with experts like this man having some strange and/or unique attitude.
"I'll trouble you again, Master Ye." Cedric politely replied with a curt bow.
"Tch, how boring."
Master Ye, the man Cedric has to face in the second stage of the Trial of the Body, clicked his tongue. His gruff appearance, stocky body, and rough voice sure made him seem intimidating.
This Master Ye isn't human, but he does resemble one very closely. Cedric guessed that he's from the Dwarven Race, who, just like the Forest Pixie Race, are born from worlds that have abundant life and spirituality.
The surface of the dwarf's body looked like dry soil, filled with cracks that left trails of dust whenever he moved. The most defining trait of dwarves was this, along with their pointy ears and the absurd amount of body hair they have.
Master Ye groaned as he stood up from his seat. He then stomped his feet, and almost immediately, the dojo they're at exploded into bits, revealing the strange situation outside.
Sigh...
The sight of the endless velvet blanket of outer space is something that Cedric just can't get used to.
It's so pretentious too, because who would've guessed that the dojo earlier turned out to be floating somewhere in outer space? The fact that Master Ye most likely set this up himself just bolstered the idea that experts truly have weird tastes when it comes to having fun.
"Whenever you're ready, kid," Master Ye gruffly stated.
Cedric nodded solemnly. He then took out his sword case and slapped it.
It vomitted 99 swords that flashed with colorful lights, arranged in a neat formation around Cedric. The 100th sword was firmly grasped in his hand. As for Master Ye, he's holding a solitary greatsword that's almost as tall and wide as he was.
They measured each other with a strict gaze, and without any prior warning, they clashed.
Boom!!
A fight at this level was disastrous. This much was obvious just from their initial clash alone. The very fabric of space was torn asunder, the elements howled, and a great turbulence that could ruin worlds appeared, yet none of them were affected.
Cedric's flying swords turned into streaks of light. Each one contained his insights about planar laws and is very dangerous on its own, even more so when used in conjunction with the rest.
But Master Ye isn't some random pushover either. One would get that impression with his physical appearance, but that couldn't be any farther from the truth.
"Hmph!"
From there on, the devasting fight between them continued.
**
[Trial of the Body: 2nd Stage]
▪︎ Instructions
: Face the examiner (Master Ye) in a hearty battle.
: Defeat or last for at least 24 hours straight again the examiner to pass this trial.
: Trial points rewarded will be based on the examiner's analysis and judgment of the challenger's performance during the trial.
: You have 150 years to complete this trial.
** Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr
Around 12 hours after the start of the fight, Cedric finds himself dying.
Master Ye's greatsword was deeply embedded in his body as the strange old dwarf unceremoniously sat beside him, huffing and puffing clouds of smoke.
Aside from the obvious injury that's causing his life to gradually ebb away, Cedric was also missing an arm, a leg, and an eye. His body was riddled with gaping wounds from the battle, and his flying swords have long turned into stardust.
Master Ye wasn't unscathed. Both of his arms were gone, but that sure didn't stop him from swinging his gigantic sword around. He used his mouth to do so. His body was also riddled with scars that just refused to heal, even with his powerful physique.
However, it's plainly obvious that he still has some fight left in him and that he won this fight. He wouldn't be having his cigar of victory if that weren't the case.
"Is this really necessary?" Cedric asked faintly. His voice was hoarse, sounding so casual despite his dying breath.
"No. But it's fun this way." Master Ye responded rudely by blowing a smoke on his face. "Anyway, you did good this time, Kid. But you have to work on your stamina. You can't make any woman happy with that."
Cedric cursed the obsessive dwarf inwardly. Master Ye sent him away with a kick, causing his consciousness to fade.
After an unknown period of time, Cedric woke up again. This time, he found himself right outside of the trial doors. He got up and released a semi-frustrated sigh.
'That rude old dwarf sure is fierce.' Cedric muttered inwardly after stading up and dusting himself.
Despite feeling exhausted, Cedric was relaxed because, at the very least, he could annoy the old thing again and again to home his combat capabilities.
This kind of growth made his suffering worthwhile. But even with this, he'd only go there once every three months. He needs time for other things, after all.