Chapter 36: Linwood

The girl hurriedly nodded her head as she followed William around, resembling a jumping frog. She was like a little child who got its first treat.

"What a peculiar girl," William mused to himself, genuinely intrigued.

Little did he know, concealed at the back of her, was a hidden weapon so meticulously tucked away that not even a tier two mage could detect it.

Her eyes flickered with a momentary glint of murderous intent before returning to her usual cheerfully melancholic state.

Finally, William entered the room, where he saw everyone engaged in training. There stood a muscular man with a towering 7-foot (213 cm) frame, resembling a solid mountain.

"Young master, here are your training clothes," she said as she handed the garments to him.

"By the way, what is your name?" William inquired.

"Young master, I don't have a name at the moment. Please give me one," she replied, her face filled with sadness as if she were reminiscing about her past.

"In that case, I shall name you Angel from now on," William said, scratching his blond hair.

"Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, young master. What a wonderful name you have given me," Angel responded, smiling with genuine happiness in excitement.

"I'm glad you like it," William nodded with a smile as he patted her, causing a small blush to form on the angel's face.

Seeing this William coughed.

"You should take care of yourself..." he said before William proceeded to the training session.

A strange glint flashed in Angel's eyes as she looked at William's back.

"Do I really have to kill such a kind person?" she muttered to herself.

Angel touched her weapon at the back with gritted teeth as her grip on the knife tightened causing her to bleed her hands.

William was completely unknown to these.

He casually greeted the imposing man and began his own training.

The teacher wore an expressionless face, merely nodding in acknowledgement.

However, beneath his stoic exterior, disappointment lingered.

"For someone to achieve greatness, discipline is crucial. Unfortunately, William is quite disappointing in this regard. Were it not for his exceptional talent, his attitude alone would have led to his demise. Then again, he is still a child with much to learn," the man pondered silently, observing the students diligently training.

Yet, his eyes widened instantly when he caught sight of a white-haired man training silently.

"This form..." the man rubbed his eyes and looked again, disbelief clouding his thoughts.

"Yes, I am," Aur nodded.

"Then I'll be fighting you," Linwood smirked.

"I can tell," Aur replied dryly.

Rolling his eyes, Aur briefly observed William's fight first. William was facing a petite girl, who skillfully utilized her small build to dodge and counter his moves.

"That girl won't last long," Aur thought to himself, before focusing on his own battle.

"Aur, I know about your background. Although you've only barely achieved middle-grade talent, you're still one of us. Why don't you step down while you can? I'll help you in the future," Linwood taunted, his smirk widening.

"There's no need, Linwood. I don't deserve your praises. Besides, the outcome of the fight isn't decided so easily," Aur responded, a friendly smile appearing on his face.

"Well, if you say so, Brother Aur," Linwood shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were Aur's loss for not giving up.

"Okay," Aur suddenly became expressionless.

"I mean, you're not going to defeat me either way, no matter how you look at it..."

Boom!

Aur lunged at Linwood, his right hook connecting with the man's face.

A shiver ran down Linwood's spine as his vision filled with Aur's powerful punch.

Reacting swiftly, he crouched down, narrowly avoiding Aur's fist, and rolled to the side before standing up again, glaring at Aur with hatred.

"You sneaked attacked me!" Linwood exclaimed angrily.

"Brother, you were talking too much. I hope you don't mind a few sneak attacks from your little brother, considering how powerful you are. My only chance was to catch you off guard, but unfortunately, it didn't work," Aur smiled innocently while rubbing his nose.

"You... you..." Linwood struggled to come up with a retort, but his mind failed to form any coherent words. Whatever he said would only make him appear more pitiful.

"Hahaha, alright, I accept your challenge, Brother Aur. Let's fight to our heart's content," Linwood declared, casually drawing his sword and taking a deep breath.

However, Aur remained motionless.

"Haven't you taken out your weapon?" Linwood asked.

"I mostly fight barehanded," Aur replied, a friendly smile still adorning his face.

Linwood's smile brightened, genuinely pleased.

"Alright, then."

He made the first move, swiftly advancing towards Aur and slashing at him with his sword.