章 21: Flying like putting out a fire
"Clang!"
The sharp sword blade collided with the silver scabbard mid-air, sparking a sound of metal clashing against metal.
In the somewhat narrow courtyard, two figures enveloped in wind clashed into each other, causing the surrounding airflow to become chaotic under the friction of the force.
Reiger charged at Ais without hesitation, his rapier unleashing, lifting arcs of light, slashing at the girl.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...
One after another, the sounds of their exchange resonated throughout the entire courtyard.
Facing Reiger's unyielding charge and merciless cuts, Ais danced her sword sheath with effortless ease, deflecting all the incoming flashes of silver light.
The wind collided, and so did their swords.
The duel between the two swordsmen continued, appearing equal on the surface, yet in reality, one side relentlessly attacked while the other did not even take a single step back.
Any astute observer could tell which of the two was superior in this battle.
Anyway, to Reiger, it seemed not a person stood before him, but an immovable giant mountain; no matter how he charged or swung his sword, he could not make her waver in the slightest.
However, faced with such an unshakable foe, Reiger felt not an ounce of cowardice, but instead, his blood boiled hotter and his eyes grew brighter.
That's right.
He was enjoying himself.
Enjoying the battle with a formidable opponent.
Enjoying this fight where every second counted, where not a single mistake was allowed, where he could be crushed and defeated at any moment.
Driven by such a mindset, Reiger fully erupted with all his might.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...
The clamor of their strikes seemed to grow even more intense and ceaseless.
Reiger began to weave around Ais, launching a variety of attacks at her slender form, enveloping her in a storm of blade reflections, slashing at her from every direction.
Some aimed at chopping down at her back.
Some targeting her ankles with a Vertical Slash.
Some lunging at her shoulders.
Some cutting straight towards her abdomen.
Reiger did not hold back his force or miss the vitals; each slash seemed earnestly to disembowel Ais, so powerful and lethal they were.
Without pulling out all the stops, he simply couldn't pose any threat to the swordswoman before him.
Acknowledging the gap between them, Reiger believed that Ais wouldn't fall to such a level of offense and attacked with all his heart.
In response, Ais did not disappoint Reiger, standing immobile as ever, simply swinging her sword sheath to parry all incoming cuts.
The girl didn't merely block with her scabbard; she deflected Reiger's assaults with the simplest, most direct methods.
Facing the chop aimed at her back, she countered from the side with her scabbard, using the least effort to divert the heavy blow.
Facing the Vertical Slash targeting her ankles, the girl didn't dodge, but instead lifted her foot, kicking Reiger's sword-wielding hand to rob it of its power.
The lunge at her shoulder was deflected by her scabbard; though high in surprise factor, the attack with less focus on force was easily parried.
The cut aimed at her abdomen didn't even make a dent; it was simply repelled back by the girl's rotating wrist and downward swinging scabbard, making Reiger step back uncontrollably.
Eventually, the girl went beyond defense to counterattack, using her harmless-looking scabbard to leave marks on Reiger's body.
Her scabbard moved so swiftly, its strikes were so fierce that even without adding wind force, each strike would whistle through the air and hit Reiger hard.
Reiger could not discern the trajectory of the scabbard; he abandoned defense altogether, focusing all his attention on attacking, making his arc-light slashes faster, fiercer, and more deadly.
Seeing Reiger, who looked like a ruthless sword demon, relentlessly assaulting Ais, the people in the mansion who were peeking through the windows could no longer remain calm.
"...It can't be?"
Theona muttered incredulously.
"Isn't he a newcomer who just received Megumi recently?"
Theone's face was filled with amazement, as if she couldn't believe it.
"Hey! Dammit, Loki!"
Even Bert, who didn't know when he had made his way back to the window, watching the fierce battle below and as if struck by some provocation, roared at Loki: "Are you sure that kid was an ordinary person without Megumi just a few days ago? There's a limit to jokes, you know!"
Not just Bert, but Finn, Revilia, and Grace all became speechless, turning their gaze toward Loki.
"A newcomer?" Grace voiced her doubt: "With that skill, that ability, even among Lv.1, he could be considered a master already."
And there it was.
The level of skill demonstrated by Reiger had far exceeded everyone's expectations, taking aback those first-tier adventurers who were originally only interested in gauging a newcomer's potential.
"Oh dear." Loki scratched his head and said, "So it's come to this, has it?"
Clearly, the reactions of the family members were all within Loki's expectations.
"That damned rate of growth, not surprising these kids who grew up step by step would be shocked," he said.
Loki recalled what happened the previous night.
Last night, after Ais agreed to Reiger's request to teach him magic, Reiger did not leave immediately but asked Loki to help update his ability values for the third time.
...
Reiger Brillhaut
Lv.1
Strength: F385 → D555
```
Endurance: F380 → D548
Agility: E431 → C623
Quickness: E449 → C637
Magic Power: I0
...
Total proficiency increase in all abilities exceeds 700!
With the third update of his abilities, Reiger's growth rate remains shockingly swift!
Especially his "Agility" and "Quickness," both of which have already entered the C stage!
This is an achievement that even adventurers who have struggled for years at Lv.1 cannot reach.
As mentioned before, those who can raise their basic abilities to the S stage can truly be called rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and those reaching the A stage are even fewer, while becoming a genius at the B stage is already remarkable, with only a handful present in Orario.
Yet Reiger has only taken three days to possess basic abilities that have reached the C stage, and not just in one aspect.
Because of this fact, Loki agonized over it all last night, not to mention others.
And if others reacted this way, it is needless to speak of Ais who faced Reiger in person.
"Him...?"
Ais's clear golden eyes stared directly at Reiger as he kept attacking, her pupils slightly contracting.
In Reiger's perception, Ais was an immovable mountain, but in Ais's perception, Reiger too seemed like a pupa undergoing constant transformation; seemingly insignificant, yet gradually growing wings, becoming a moth, now flying towards the flames.
Solely in terms of basic abilities, Reiger has already surpassed more than ninety percent of Lv.1 adventurers, strikingly becoming one of the top masters at Lv.1.
In addition, with the boost in abilities brought on by "Wind Spirit Swift Walk," Reiger has gained comprehensive improvements in attack, defense, speed, and various other areas. Now, as long as he doesn't encounter a Lv.2 opponent, he can hold his ground in a battle.
Of course, in Ais's eyes, this level of strength was still nearly negligible.
As the strongest Swordswoman widely acknowledged by the world, with the strength of a tier-one adventurer, no matter how much stronger Reiger got, he would still be unimpressive in front of Ais, not to mention that it had been three years since Ais reached Lv.5, far from being a newcomer at tier one.
However, Ais also knew from Loki that Reiger was just an ordinary person who had received Megumi three days ago, having never been endowed with it before.
Strength comparable to high-ranking Lv.1 adventurers in just three days?
This fact struck Ais to her core, leaving her astonished.
What surprised Ais even more was that, in the midst of their battle, Reiger continued to evolve.
Concretely, it seemed that Reiger was gradually mastering how to control "Wind Spirit Swift Walk," beginning to enhance his sword with the force of the wind, or exploding it directly beneath his feet to increase his attack and movement speed, truly becoming a whirlwind, attacking with incredible swiftness.
And as time passed, Reiger's swordplay became sharper and less random and started to feel somewhat familiar to Ais.
"Is he learning my swordsmanship?"
An uncontrollable surge rose within Ais's heart.
She was right.
Reiger was indeed learning her swordplay, or more precisely, her swordsmanship.
"So, this is how to wield a sword?"
In the midst of repeated assaults, Reiger found himself having epiphanies, and his sword movements changed.
They became simpler!
They became faster!
With his extraordinary memory, Reiger observed Ais's every move, noted down every technique she used, and with his non-human growth rate, he began to replicate and grasp them.
This was an unexpected gain.
Initially, Reiger intended to learn magic from Ais, but it wasn't until this moment that he realized.
"I should not only be learning magic."
"My growth shouldn't be limited to ability values alone."
"My combat skills, my fighting techniques, also need to be learned and developed."
In his past life, Reiger had only learned self-defense martial arts, never the combat arts for battling.
Especially swordsmanship, which Reiger had never studied.
Now, he had an opportunity to learn.
Such a Reiger, in Ais's eyes, was undergoing changes and transformations without any difference.
"Too fast..."
Ais inwardly screamed.
"He's growing far too rapidly!"
This discovery caused even Ais's seemingly flawless movements to reveal a slight opening.
"This is my chance!"
A glint of sharp light erupted in Reiger's eyes as he caught this barely perceptible lapse.
"Clang!"
With a strike that was both light and forceful, Ais stepped back.
"Opportunity!"
Reiger subconsciously realized that this was the only chance he would have to pose a threat to Ais in this battle.
Without a second thought, Reiger aimed directly for Ais's wide-open chest and thrust forth.
```
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