Chương 25: The First Step Forward
"Huff"
"Huff"
Caspian was running in the morning.
'System, point number,' Caspian thought.
_____________
[14,460 points]
Nearby rank → Rank D (40,000)
_____________
System, I want to ask—when I advance to D Rank, will my points reset to 0, or do I continue from 40,000 onward for the next rank?
_____________
[Points number will not go to zero.]
_____________
'Oh, that's great,' Caspian thought as he stopped after running 10 kilometers.
"14,460 points," he muttered, "Only 25,540 more to hit D rank."
He wiped his brow, grinning faintly.
'At least the points don't reset when I advance,' he thought.
"Hey, Cas!" a voice called out.
Caspian froze.
He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
"Sister," he said, as he turned to face his eldest sister.
"Want to duel?" Eirlys asked casually, her hands resting on her hips.
"What?" Caspian blinked.
"I said, do you want to duel?" Eirlys repeated, a faint smirk on her lips.
Her crystalline blue eyes glinted with amusement.
The telltale frost of her Frostborne Empress Bloodline swirling faintly around her.
"You... do realize you're an S ranker, right?" Caspian said.
Eirlys shrugged.
"And you're my brother. I just want to see how far you've come."
{Child, this is an excellent opportunity. Do it.}
'Shut up, you ancient sword,' Caspian shot back mentally.
"Ok," Caspian finally said, gripping his basic training sword.
Eirlys raised her hands, empty of any weapon.
"I'll use my hands. No magic, no frost. Just me."
'How humiliating,' Caspian thought.
---
The Duel Began
Caspian lunged first, his sword arcing toward Eirlys.
She sidestepped effortlessly, her movements fluid as if she were dancing on air.
"Too slow," she said, flicking his wrist with two fingers, nearly making him drop his weapon.
He gritted his teeth and adjusted his grip.
Focus, Caspian. Don't let her distract you.
He went in again, feinting left before sweeping his blade low toward her legs.
This time, Eirlys jumped, landing lightly on her feet.
She gave him an approving nod.
"Better," she said, before stepping forward and flicking him on the forehead.
"Ouch!" Caspian stumbled back, glaring at her.
For ten minutes, the duel continued.
Eirlys didn't attack outright; instead, she deflected, dodged, and occasionally flicked or tapped Caspian as if to point out his weaknesses.
Finally, she stepped back, raising a hand.
"That's enough." Eirlys said.
"Huff,"
Caspian panted.
Eirlys crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful.
"You've improved," she said, "But there are things you need to work on. Here's what I noticed:"
"Firstly You're too heavy on your feet. It makes you predictable. Work on keeping your movements light and unpredictable. Agility is key, especially for someone your size."
"And You hold the sword too tight. That's going to tire you out quickly. Relax your grip a little—enough to control the blade but not enough to strain your muscles."
"Thirdly —Ten minutes, and you're already panting? That's unacceptable. Build your endurance. Run more, train harder, and push yourself past your limits."
"And at last that You hesitate too much. Trust your instincts. Even a flawed decision is better than freezing up."
She gave him a once-over, her smirk returning.
"Oh, and eat more. You're too scrawny."
Caspian nodded, swallowing his frustration.
"Got it," he said firmly.
"Good," Eirlys said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"I'll check on your progress next time, little brother."
She turned to leave.
Caspian watched her go, his grip tightening on his sword.
---
Six days had passed.
Every morning, Eirlys came to duel with Caspian.
Her movements were sharp yet graceful, and despite her overwhelming strength, she never dealt a blow that could seriously harm him.
Caspian had begun to notice the subtle changes in himself.
His endurance improved, his strikes carried more precision.
Improvement was one thing, but true growth required something more—
{Hey, child, I think you should try to kill some monsters. That's the way to grow faster, especially given your Bloodline and blessing,} Bloodmoon's voice echoed in his mind.
"Hmm, I was also thinking that... but where am I going to find such monsters?" Caspian mused aloud.
The thought lingered in his mind as he began pacing.
Should he ask Eirlys?
She was strong, far stronger.
And she had access to places he could only dream of exploring.
"Maybe I can convince her to take me to an E-rank portal," he thought.
The idea sparked hope in his heart.
In this world, the Guild System was a cornerstone of power.
Guilds were organizations formed by alliances of noble houses, ranging from seven to ten families, depending on their size and influence.
Together, these noble houses built powerful guilds that acted as economic, political, and martial powerhouses.
Above them all sat the Royal Guild, a monolithic institution overseeing the activities of all guilds within the human nation.
It acted as both regulator and benefactor, ensuring the balance of power between the various factions and mediating conflicts when necessary.
Caspian's family, the Arcwrights, were one of the wealthiest and most influential houses in the nation.
Their guild, Silver Spire, was a titan among guilds, consistently ranking in the top five of all human guilds.
At its helm was Caspian's father, Alaric Arcwright, a man of unmatched charisma and strength.
Alaric wasn't just a guildmaster—he was a symbol of power and authority, respected and feared in equal measure.
But while Alaric stood at the pinnacle of the Arcwright family's achievements, Eirlys was its rising star.
As the eldest child, she had inherited not only her father's strength but also his unyielding ambition.
At the age of 23, she had already earned her rank as an S-ranker, and her exploits had garnered her the title of Frostborne Empress, a name that came from her legendary Bloodline.
'As the heir to the guildmaster, Eirlys had privileges that most could only dream of.' Caspian thought.
In this world, monster hunting and resource gathering were conducted through dimensional portals, known as "Windows."
These portals, scattered across the land, were ranked based on the strength of the monsters within them, from F-rank—the weakest—to the near-mythical SSS-rank portals that only the most powerful dared enter.
Guild members could request temporary permits to access these portals, but permanent access was reserved for higher-ranking members.
However, Eirlys, being the eldest daughter of Alaric and an S-ranker, had unparalleled access.
She could venture into portals as high as B-rank without the need for additional authorization.
"If I could convince her to take me to an E-rank portal, it would be a game-changer," Caspian thought.
"That's where I can truly test myself—where I can push my limits and grow stronger."
But doubt crept into his mind.
What if she refused?
What if she deemed him unworthy of ignored like she always do.
Caspian clenched his fists, determination flickering in his red eyes.
"I'll ask her. I have to. If I keep waiting for opportunities, they'll never come."
With that resolve, Caspian made his way toward Eirlys.
His steps were hesitant at first, but as he walked, his pace quickened, fueled by the thought of what he might achieve if she said yes.
He could almost hear Bloodmoon chuckling in approval.
{Now you're starting to sound like someone worth wielding me, child.}
_____________
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