The situation unfolding before Kevin’s eyes was just as bewildering for him as it was for anyone else.
Caught in the atmosphere of a proxy sparring match he hadn’t intended to participate in, Kevin’s face turned pale as he spoke.
“Are you saying I should spar with Sir Chris? That’s absurd. I’ve only been practicing swordsmanship for a week. I’m just a beginner, while Sir Chris is a master who can wield a two-star aura. Isn’t that right?”
It was a natural reaction.
Chris.
Who was he?
He was the disciple of Jonathan, the leader of the Dmitri Knights, and a genius swordsman recognized by Dmitri itself.
He was no ordinary opponent.
Moreover, Kevin had never been particularly talented in combat.
He was just a teenager, barely in his mid-teens.
While it’s true that one only learns through experience, there are fights in life where the outcome is all too predictable.
Roman spoke up.
“I know. I know you’re at a disadvantage. But what do you have to lose if you’re defeated in this spar?”
“……Nothing.”
“There’s something you need to remember from now on. There are countless people in this world stronger than you. Blood Pang, who oppressed your family and used violence, was one of them. And now, Chris, who’s glaring at you like he wants to devour you, is no different. Will you back down every time just because your opponent is stronger? If not, then you need to approach this situation differently.”
A boy in his mid-teens.
Kevin was young.
He was still at an age where he needed mental nurturing, but if he had chosen the path of the sword, he would have to live differently from now on.
“A spar isn’t a real battle. The only things you’ll lose from this are the frustration of defeat and some physical pain. Doesn’t that sound like a great opportunity? A chance to clash with an opponent far stronger than yourself. Even if it comes with physical pain, I don’t think it will break your will to pursue strength, even if it means cutting off your own arm.”
There are boundaries in life.
The life of a commoner.
The life of a noble.
And the life of a swordsman, who must risk his life to grow stronger.
Roman looked at Kevin, who was still just a teenager, and told him to completely break through those boundaries.
Just as he had cut off his own arm.
To face Chris, his enemy.
Even if this were a real battle, he should show the determination to swing his sword against Chris with all his might.
“What exactly are you afraid of?”
Gulp.
Kevin swallowed hard.
His relationship with Roman had been a series of choices.
There was no force, only guidance on how to walk the path if he chose to follow.
His throat felt dry.
Chris.
He had to fight someone he had only ever looked up to from afar among the ranks of knights.
It was a reality he couldn’t have imagined before, but from the moment he cut off his arm, Kevin had become a different person.
“……I’ll give it a try.”
A poisonous aura emanated from him.
As Kevin tightly gripped his sword, Roman gave a faint smile.
Kevin and Chris.
The two men faced each other.
The situation itself proved how disadvantageous the fight was for Kevin, given the difference in their physiques.
Chris felt as if his blood was boiling.
‘To think I have to compete with a beginner.’
It was a miserable feeling.
Look at his opponent.
Kevin’s stance was a mess.
Still, Chris thought there must be a reason Roman had proposed this proxy spar.
But the way Kevin held his sword while staring at him was truly pitiful.
There was no sign of any swordsmanship experience.
At a glance, his stance was full of holes, and his unbalanced lower body made it doubtful he could even defend properly.
The past week.
It hadn’t been enough time to fully absorb the teachings.
As Chris thought, Kevin was no genius.
He wasn’t even qualified to call himself a swordsman yet.
And so.
‘Pathetic.’
A sense of self-loathing rose within him.
Chris, at 25 years old.
He had trained in swordsmanship under Jonathan since childhood, and the time he had spent sweating as a swordsman far outweighed the time he had lived as an ordinary commoner.
The sword was his pride.
With his natural talent and relentless effort to improve, he had achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the two-star level in his mid-twenties.
If he could ascend to the three-star level before turning 30.
The talent once dismissed as provincial could, in an instant, rise to become a sacred figure in the Kingdom of Cairo.
That was Chris.
Even if he was rotting away in Dmitri, he was no talent to be underestimated.
‘I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this time you’re wrong.
Even variables have their limits.
If I lose to Kevin, I’ll completely give up my life as a swordsman after this match.’
It was a desperate resolve.
He didn’t even want to spar.
But.
The reason he stood there, sword in hand, with such determination, was because of the look in Kevin’s eyes as he stared at him.
“Everything about this is just so irritating.”
A gaze filled with venom.
Kevin was serious.
He genuinely intended to engage in this spar, as if he truly believed he could defeat Chris.
And that only made Chris angrier.
His opponent didn’t know his place.
Unaware of how pitiful and insignificant he was, Kevin was trying to face someone who had dedicated over a decade to the sword, even without much experience in wielding it.
Roman had acknowledged him.
Roman, who had crossed swords with him, was a man worthy of respect.
But Kevin, with just that look in his eyes, deserved punishment.
‘I’ll finish this in under a minute.’
Clench.
He gripped his sword tightly.
That’s when it happened.
“Begin.”
Roman’s signal.
As soon as the spar began, Chris immediately stomped the ground.
This spar.
There was no reason to drag it out.
In an instant, Chris closed the distance and targeted the gaps in Kevin’s defense before he could even react.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed.
Whether it was intentional or coincidental, Kevin barely managed to block Chris’s attack.
But that was all.
The difference in strength sent Kevin’s arms flying back.
Panicked, Kevin tried to cover his exposed chest, but Chris’s kick had already landed squarely on his abdomen.
Thwack!
“Gah!”
Kevin screamed.
The impact was so intense it made his head spin, and with just one kick, Kevin was sent sprawling to the ground.
The match was effectively over after a single attack.
Instead of pressing further, Chris glanced at Roman to see how he was judging the situation.
‘He definitely wants me to finish this.’
Roman remained calm.
Without words, he conveyed the rules of the match, and Chris turned his gaze back to Kevin.
‘Let’s end this in one go.’
His sword aimed for Kevin’s arm.
Kevin, who had been groaning in pain just moments ago, suddenly sprang to his feet and dodged.
The sound of the sword cutting through the air rang in Kevin’s ears.
If it had hit, his arm would have been broken.
A chill ran down Kevin’s spine.
The difference in skill.
It was clear.
Chris was an insurmountable mountain, but Kevin, after dodging the attack, swung his sword in what he thought was a counterattack.
Swish.
The sound of the sword was different.
Slow and light.
Chris effortlessly deflected the attack and once again aimed a kick at Kevin’s abdomen.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Kevin stifled a groan.
Even after enduring the pain of cutting off his own arm, Kevin’s face twisted as if he might burst, and he staggered.
Despite the powerful impact, he didn’t fall.
He managed to take a shaky step and avoided the follow-up attack, but it was clear that Kevin was utterly outmatched.
A one-sided match.
It was strange.
Roman had proposed the spar as if he had some plan, but Kevin showed no sign of being a worthy opponent.
‘What’s the point of this?’
Ten steps away.
Roman watched the situation unfold.
The meaning of the proxy spar was to use Kevin as an avatar, but Roman didn’t even offer any verbal guidance.
In the end, it played out as expected.
Even if Roman had revealed some secret technique, the situation wouldn’t have changed.
The sheer futility of the match only fueled Chris’s anger.
Thwack! Thwack!
A series of attacks.
Kevin’s arms trembled.
Willpower alone couldn’t withstand Chris’s onslaught, and as his stance faltered, Chris’s strikes landed all over Kevin’s body.
It was Chris’s way of showing mercy.
Even though it was a spar with wooden swords, Chris deliberately avoided using his sword in perfect opportunities, not wanting Kevin to suffer fatal injuries.
Even so.
The difference in skill was evident.
No matter how much Kevin struggled, he couldn’t overcome the wall that Chris had built over a decade of training.
Finally.
Thud!
“……Gurgle.”
A punch to the abdomen made Kevin cough up blood.
Kevin staggered as if he might kneel, and Chris, looking at him, spoke with anger in his voice.
“Just give up.”
The match was over.
There had been multiple chances to end it, but Chris had held back out of consideration.
But.
Kevin stubbornly held on.
Forcing his trembling legs to move, he pointed his sword at Chris as if to block the next attack.
‘Why is he pushing himself like this?’
Kevin’s condition was pitiful.
He had rolled on the ground multiple times, his clothes now in tatters.
His torn shirt revealed his bloodied abdomen, and he spat out blood from his mouth.
It seemed his internal organs had taken a heavy blow.
The thick blood that came out chilled Chris to the core.
This was the limit.
If this continued, it could become truly dangerous.
Even though the outcome was clear, Kevin’s determination to keep fighting was something Chris couldn’t comprehend.
“Don’t mistake yourself for being great just because you’ve taken a few hits. From the beginning, and throughout this entire spar, I haven’t used my full strength even once. I could have smashed your head like a melon from the very first exchange, but since this is a spar, I held back. That’s the difference between you and me. I don’t know what you were thinking when you agreed to this, but for a normal person who can’t even use mana to last this long, you’ve done well.”
Chris spoke the truth.
His match with Roman.
It had been different.
Even at full strength, Chris couldn’t defeat Roman, but with Kevin, he didn’t even need to try.
A fraction of his power.
That was all it took to reduce Kevin to this state.
And this was the limit of Chris’s patience.
“I’ll say this one last time. If you show any more determination to fight, be prepared to lose a limb.”
A final warning.
And a final act of mercy.
Kevin was nothing more than a puppet.
There was no reason to vent his anger on him.
As Chris told him to accept reality, Kevin’s face, absurdly, broke into a smile.
“Heh, heh.”
He laughed.
As if he couldn’t hold it in, Kevin didn’t bother to hide the laughter bubbling up from within.
Then.
Grin.
“Let’s finish this.”
He gripped his sword properly.
He knew Chris wasn’t wrong.
But.
This seemingly one-sided spar was completely different in Kevin’s world.
From beginning to end.
Kevin had followed Roman’s instructions, and so, without Roman’s command, he had no intention of giving up.