Chapter 26 Ch. 26: Martial Arts [2]

A/N:

Sorry guys, a long chapter again.

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The giant door swung open and rack upon rack of weapons and armor of all shapes and sizes came into view.

Thick scents of musky leather, metal, and oil wafted into their nostrils the moment they took steps inside.

"Whoa!"

The kids couldn't hide their amazement as they scanned the surroundings.

The room was impeccably organized with each section carefully arranged.

Before the duel started, Walter instructed them to pick their weapons in the armory storage.

Wasting no more time, they scattered into the room to select their needs.

Adrian moved his feet and began browsing the shelves.

His eyes skimmed over shields, armor, and eventually stopped at the swords section.

He picked up a longsword and his reflection was mirrored on its blade, staring back at him.

He tried on several swords for minutes and after finding one that suited him, Adrian exited the room.

He approached the Instructor and stood beside him.

Together, they gazed at the clouds drifting in the faraway distance.

The sound of rustling leaves and the chirping birds in the background create a soothing atmosphere.

The scenery was serene and peaceful.

"It seems you're not very close with your classmates."

Walter broke the silence and Adrian shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's not 'seems', it's a fact."

He rectified him.

"So, why is that?"

"It's…"

His voice trailed off, he struggled to find the right words.

'Why is that?'

Adrian repeated Walter's question silently.

To be honest, he had never thought about it and didn't have an answer to that question either.

But one thing was for sure.

In pursuit of his goal—for two whole years; for the sake of his survival, he was completely oblivious to the world around him.

He was consumed by his fear of failure and the consequences that would follow.

And that was what held him back from truly living.

Walter peeked sideways.

Minutes passed, yet nothing came out of the boy's mouth.

He sighed and spat his mind.

"I know your dedication in your training to become a strong Monarch is commendable."

'Huh?'

Adrian veered around, only to find Walter staring at him warmly.

'What is he talking about?'

Wait.

Did this old man assume that all of his rigorous training was just solely to become the Emperor of this land?

That was ridiculous!

"I think—"

Adrian's tongue halted.

He couldn't bring words out of his mouth when Walter's hand stroked his head gently.

"You're still young, try to enjoy your life to the fullest."

"I…"

Confusion swirled within him, he didn't know how to respond.

The old man's brown eyes switched elsewhere and Adrian followed it; four youths were seen coming out of the armory storage.

Walter returned his sight to him, and—

"Argh!"

Adrian stumbled forward; he was smacked on the back.

"You better listen to me, you little brat!"

"?"

Adrian was bewildered, somehow he couldn't comprehend his Instructor's way of thinking.

First, he treated him with compassion, and out of the blue, he turned violent.

But then again, he should have known that there was no way that old man would treat him kindly.

Upon their arrival, Walter examined his student one by one.

Ralph held a giant shield and broadsword, Rhea chose chakram, Sylvina had a bow and quiver on her back, and Péréz carried a spear.

Without beating around the bush, he gave them orders.

"You two get on the arena and the rest can watch from the side."

"Yes, Sir!"

The training ground featured five mini-arena sections specifically designed for dueling.

Situated in the middle of the ground, it provided enough space for students to engage in one-on-one combat.

Soon, Adrian, Péréz, and Walter entered the stage while his classmates sat on the grass, a few meters away from them.

The wheat-haired boy looked at Adrian condescendingly and let out a scornful smile.

"There is only one rule, you are prohibited from using magic!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Walter eyed the boys in turn and shouted.

"En garde!"

Adrian took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

Aside from those three, Péréz had the most balanced physical and magical stats.

Although Adrian had a slight edge in terms of physical stats, he should not underestimate Péréz.

He tightened his grip on the hilt and stood on guard stance.

"Prêts?"

Péréz spun the spear in his hand vigorously with great speed and force.

—Whuush! —Whuush! —Whuush!

He swirled the spear to the right, to the front, to the left, upward, behind him and the sight of him stopping was nowhere to be found.

—Slap!

Rhea facepalmed and for some reason, she felt a secondhand embarrassment.

Her hand slid down and her contorted face was revealed.

Not only she but Ralph and Sylvina also shared the same expression, their faces were crooked beyond compare.

"What the hell is he doing?"

Rhea spoke exasperatedly.

Recovering from his astonishment, Ralph responded.

"Uh, maybe he's trying to intimidate Adrian?"

"Intimidate?"

Rhea scoffed in disbelief and she continued.

"Does Adrian look like someone who is being threatened?"

Ralph and Sylvina fixated their eyes on Adrian.

However, the boy's face remained the same, indifferent just like the first time they saw him.

"Umm, maybe Péréz uses this opportunity just trying to show off his skills."

Sylvina chimed in and the two fell silent before nodding their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, that's probably it."

—Whuush! —Whuush! —Whuush!

Péréz persisted in twirling his spear and now his movements became more erratic and exaggerated.

"Allez!"

The moment Walter's word fell, Péréz thrust his spear forward and Adrian deflected it downward.

—Bang!

To his surprise, Péréz rotated his weapon; bringing forth its rear point and forcing Adrian to jump backward.

It turned out, he was not just flaunting.

Péréz was indeed a skilled spearman.

And right after Adrian landed, he was greeted by a horizontal attack on his right side.

—Bang!

Adrian parried it and just like before, Péréz swiveled his weapon once again, making its rear point strike Adrian's left flank.

—Bang!

He blocked it, but the spearhead was coming back on his right side.

—Bang!

Adrian swiftly thwarted it and Péréz relentlessly delivered more blows on each of the boy's wings in turns.

—Bang! —Bang! —Bang!

Sparks of metal burst between the colliding blades and Adrain was seen being pushed.

"Tsk."

Rhea clucked her tongue in amazement.

"Who would have thought that DOLT could actually fight?"

Of course, the snide remark was directed at none other, but Péréz.

"I concurred."

Sylvina nodded her head in agreement.

It seemed they were prejudiced toward Péréz's goofy moves at the beginning.

"But I was surprised by Adrian. Despite being an Elementalist, he was able to defend himself quite well."

Ralph joined the conversation and Rhea agreed.

"Now that you mentioned it, I forgot that Adrian was an Elementalist."

Fighting a spearman was always a challenge, especially for short-range combatants.

It required a strategic approach to close the distance and avoid getting impaled by the spear.

—Bang!

Adrian shoved his weapon away and Péréz chuckled amidst his attacks.

"Why don't you attack, huh?"

—Bang!

Ignoring his taunt, Adrian peeked behind his shoulder and the edge of the arena grew closer.

When his spearhead point approached, instead of deflecting it sideways, this time Adrian struck it down.

He quickly stepped on the shaft and did a backflip toward the wheat-haired boy's back.

Upon descending, Adrian hastily spun around along his sword.

—Bang!

Spark flew as their blades clashed.

Just like he had expected, Péréz's spear was already waiting for him.

—Bang!

Their weapon bounced and Adrian raised his sword.

—Bang!

Wrinkles formed on Péréz's forehead.

'Huh?'

—Bang!

Sharp pain kicked on his hands.

—Bang!

It continued to spread and numbness overwhelmed his arms.

—Bang!

Puzzlement painted Péréz's face.

'What is happening?'

—Bang!

Panic crept in and his heart beat fast.

—Bang!

The situation reversed; Adrian was now attacking and Péréz was defending.

—Bang!

"Urg!"

Péréz stumbled backward but briskly regained his footing and returned to his defensive stance.

—Bang!

His trembling hands grew more potent every time he took Adrian's blows.

He lifted his head and met a pair of cold cerulean eyes looking down on him.

—Bang!

"Agh!"

He staggered once again and Péréz gritted his teeth; his anger intensified.

—Bang!

'Defeated by an Elementalist? Are you kidding me?'

He still had pride!

—Bang!

He clutched the spears tightly and swung his spear with all of his might.

"YOU'RE JUST AN ELEMENT—"

—Crack!

His eyes widened; he couldn't resume his word.

And as if the world had slowed down, he could see how the white-haired boy's sword cut through the shaft of his spear.

"What…?"

Péréz was beyond shocked by the scene.

Not only he but others also wore the same expression—except for the boy who stood in front of him and the Instructor.

Spear shafts were created with durability in mind; meant to be used repeatedly.

Despite their lightweight design, they were constructed to be incredibly strong, and capable of withstanding the force of impact.

It was never easy to break it, then how could Adrian do that?

Recovering from his disbelievement, Péréz didn't give up.

"DON'T JOKE WITH ME!"

He rotated his weapon and executed a thrust.

Adrian gazed at him insouciantly and swung his sword casually.

—Crack!

And Péréz's rear spear shaft ended in the same fate.

"Huh…?"

Surprise struck everyone a second time.

They realized that what Adrian did was not just mere luck.

Péréz stood there, frozen; staring at the broken spear in his hands with a blank head.

He looked up and a sword was placed a few centimeters from his neck.

"Ah…"

He lost…

"The winner is Adrian!"

Walter announced the victor.

Coming to his senses, Péréz's face turned feral, and swatted away Adrian's sword before leaping off the stage.

Péréz clenched his fists as he strode towards his classmates.

Noticing the boy's fury, Walter commented.

"It seems he can't accept his defeat."

Adrian shrugged whilst sheathing his sword, he had nothing to say.

"As clever as ever, huh?"

His blue eyes darted at the old man and he sighed.

"It's not me, he's just way too stupid."

Judging from Péréz's first attack, Adrian recognized his skill and thought he would have a hard time.

As he contemplated how to defeat him, who would have thought that Péréz would pave the way for his own downfall?

Adrian just baited him and Péréz swallowed it whole.

He was acting like he was being pushed and as he expected, Péréz who was drowning in the delusion, continued to engage him.

And unknown to him, Adrian not simply deflected his attacks but also landed multiple blows in the same spot on his spear shaft continuously.

Usually, a swordsman would use the flat side of his blade to parry, but on this occasion, Adrian used the edge.

And that was how he was able to break his spear shafts.

If the boy suppressed his ego a little bit, it might lead to another story.

…

Péréz sat next to Ralph, his sour face was palpable.

"Aw, poor Péréz, defeated by an Elementalist."

A familiar mocking voice pricked his ears and he instantly snapped at Rhea.

"Why do you always butt in when it comes to Adrian?! Are you in love with him or something?!"

He wasn't in the mood to joke around right now.

"Pfft, hahaha!!"

Yet, that bitch was just guffawing which grates his nerves even more.

"Why would I invest my love in someone who isn't interested in girls?"

Rhea spoke whilst wiping her tears.

Why would she fall in love with Adrian?

She read Adrian through the stars, it said that he was too busy achieving his goals that he didn't even have time for chasing girls.

Even though she had no idea what his goal was, still—what a funny joke.

However, something strange happened.

Rhea stopped laughing and shut her mouth upon witnessing how her friends gaped at her.

She couldn't help but wonder.

"Uh, did I… miss something?"

"So—"

She turned to the voice—it was Sylvina.

"—Adrian is… a gay?"

"Huh?"

The tomboy was stupefied.

"Wait, guys. I—I… I think you all misunderstood!"

And Rhea needed more than five minutes to explain what she truly meant.

—Clap —Clap —Clap

Walter clapped and after he gained their attention, the Instructor shouted.

"Who's next?"

Soon, Rhea and Sylvina marched toward the arena.

"Hey, nice fight, buddy!"

"It's an interesting match."

The girls expressed their minds as they passed by Adrian.

"Thanks?"

Their step came to an abrupt halt the moment they heard his voice.

They were dazed, Rhea and Sylvina never thought that he would answer them.

The two veered around and a white-haired boy was seen standing, facing them.

"Good luck."

With that, Adrian turned and resumed his step.

Regardless, the girls smiled and continued their way.

He approached the boys and Ralph waved his hand, Adrian nodded in response

"Tsk."

Péréz clucked his tongue, expressing his annoyance at Adrian's arrival.

Ignoring him, he sat next to Ralph.

"It's a good fight."

"Thanks."

Suddenly, an unexpected person jumped into the conversation.

"Just to let you know—I will beat you in the next duel!"

It was Péréz and he just couldn't seem to get over his defeat.

Adrian tried to answer but Ralph was faster.

"No, you can't."

"Huh? Why?"

Péréz looked at the giant boy in perplexity, he didn't understand why Ralph meddled in.

"Adrian will be my next opponent."

"Ha!"

Péréz sneered.

"Yeah, let's see who raises his hand faster!"

"Sure, why not?"

Unbeknownst to them, the corners of the white-haired boy's lips curved upward.

And turned out, it was not bad…

.

.

.

—Ring —Ring —Ring

It was late at night and Adrian was awakened by the sound of an incoming call.

He begrudgingly opened his eyelids and grabbed his Telesphere.

After recognizing the caller, he received it.

// IAN! PEOPLE SAY YOU'RE A GAY— //

Without much thought, Adrian cut off the call and went back to sleep.

Although he had no idea where those baseless rumors had come from.

At this point, Adrian didn't care.

He didn't care.

He just wanted a peaceful night.