章節 8: The Number One pt. 1
"Nothing is more lethal than ignorance. If you must do something, you have to make sure you know what you're fighting for. Now, leave dear."
"No, Mom. I don't want to go."
"You must. This is what I trained you for."
"But Mom, I can help! I—"
"NO! This is not your fight, Nora. I didn't teach you just so you can fight my battle. I taught you, so that when the time comes, you'll be able to fight in your own battles. Do not be a fool, and listen to me. Understand?"
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I woke up with tears running down my cheeks. But, similar to all of my dreams, I couldn't remember anything from my dream, nor the reason why I'm crying. Tears simply dripped down from my eyes, and my chest felt tight.
You would think having nightmares that you can't even remember after waking up would put your mind to ease. But, I found the residual feelings from each nightmare to be a much worse experience.
"Today, I want you guys to finish this training regime before 7 AM rolls in." I handed them the list of exercises I arranged.
"Then, we're going out for field study. Both of you are coming with me to watch my matches this morning. Then, in the afternoon, you guys will be having your first individual match up. I want you guys to develop a good grasp on how things work here in the Tower by the end of the day. Is that clear?"
"Yes, master!" Both of them replied.
Well, at least Alva seemed to have toned down the attitude. But, his apathy was another thing. While they did the regime, I watched them, careful to consider any discrepancies from my initial evaluation of their strength and made sure to take it down.
Surprisingly, both Dustan and Alva were able to complete the regime much sooner than I calculated. It's a good sign, if anything. I guess I'll have to reconsider the parameters of their morning workout.
We had breakfast together at the all-you-can-eat (meat) buffet. Surprisingly, Alva was also quite disgusted by the chef's offers. He kept asking if the food was clean.
Pfft. Nobles, such fussy creatures. Dustan, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. Although he did eat sparingly. After breakfast, I had my official match with today's challengers at 8 AM. On the way to the stage, I decided to give a pop quiz to my new disciples.
"Are you guys familiar with how ranks work in this Tower?"
"Yes, Master." Dustan replied. "The one with the most earnings are ranked first and is regarded as the strongest."
"Here's a quick question. What's my rank in this Tower?"
Alva and Dustan shared a look of confusion. "... The number one, Master." They both replied.
I smirked. "Good. Be sure to watch this Master of yours wipe the floor with those second-rate fighters."
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The crowds cheered when the referee announced my name. As I sauntered to the arena, I pumped my fist in the air to get the crowd howling in excitement. My opponents, the challengers to my rank, stood in the middle of the arena with grim expressions.
"It's been so long, Don."
"Kari Faust." Don's deep baritone voice growled.
"Try to make this match interesting, will you? As the permanent number two, I have high expectations for you." I taunted.
Don's expressions remained like a slab of carved stone. He grunted, mobilizing his large sword. Wearing full armor over his hypertrophied muscles, he looked like a tank.
But, size had always been irrelevant to me.
As soon as the referee signaled the start of the match, Don charged at me. I unsheathed two of my sabers strapped on my body and took a defensive stance. I stopped the man's attack by crossing my sabers over his sword.
Pushing on his blade, he recoiled from the impact. I smirked at him. As he regained his footing, he braced himself for an attack. However, I surprised him by going against his expectations. I stood my ground.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm giving you a handicap."
"A handicap? You dare to tarnish my honor by holding back?" Don growled.
"What honor?" I taunted. "Honor only belongs to those who win. Now, why don't you entertain my crowd more, Don."
I could see a small lines forming on his forehead as he frowned. His emotionless face was replaced by a mask of fury.
"Kari!" He bellowed in rage, entering his berserk mode. I smiled in anticipation as he charged once more.
His sword felt heavier when I clashed my sabers against it. Nevertheless, I stopped him once again and redirected his own force towards himself. To my surprise, Don handled the exchange quite well and opted to turn his giant sword into a dagger.
His sword technique changed.
Using his sword like a dagger, he began to jab at my critical points. I recognized his technique as something almost akin to Adelredus' own dagger play. Normally, one would think using a gigantic sword like Don's to jab would be impossible. But his bulky muscles and good proprioception allowed him to wield it with precision and strength.
I have to applaud the man. He really did his best in trying to overpower me. It is a well-known fact that I work mostly with speed. And, parrying my speed, he turned his sword that should've been his weakness to his most powerful weapon.
I couldn't help but smile in excitement.
This is what I wanted in a match—the undeniable development of one's talent to conquer a greater power. Don kept up his barrage of attacks, pushing his muscles to their limit. Me? I continued to dodge.
It's true that Don had somehow managed to use his sword like a dagger. And, his precision is second to none. However, that much isn't enough to overpower me.
"You technique is quite something to applaud." I commented. Don only grunted in effort as he sustained his attacks. I smirked.
"But, it's not perfect." At my words, Don looked like he wanted to refute. However, my predictions served to be correct when he suddenly halted his movements. And I stepped back to give him room.
The crowd buzzed, whispers being said as they tried to figure out what happened.
"You lose."
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