Swordsmanship Master

"I've already rested enough. It was a little stuffy in the room, so I came out for a walk."

The woman named Draelsra raised a pale arm, looped it around Roger's neck, and leaned close to whisper in his ear.

Roger wrapped an arm around her waist as well, their bodies pressed tightly together like lovers deep in the throes of passion.

Shameless pair!

Rayne cursed inwardly and turned his gaze away.

They had only met last night, yet they were already acting all lovey-dovey, flaunting their affection right in front of him in broad daylight. He had no idea whether they were putting on an act or had truly fallen for each other.

He had once thought Master Roger was cold and aloof. So it had all been an act.

Rayne was also rather curious. Draelsra was clearly a Transcendent, and most likely a powerful one. Otherwise, she would not have been able to tell that he was a Combat Wizard.

Instinctively, he wanted to activate Soul Eye and secretly inspect Draelsra.

But he hesitated.

The last time he had rashly peeked into Roger's soul, Roger's legendary strength and overwhelmingly powerful soul had caused a backlash. The agony was still fresh in his memory.

Draelsra was so mysterious, and she was entangled with Roger. Perhaps she was also a legendary powerhouse.

After some thought, he did not look directly at Draelsra's soul. Instead, he slowly shifted his peripheral vision toward her, catching only the faintest edge of her outline.

Before he even saw her soul, Rayne felt an indescribable pressure!

He had a premonition that if he kept looking, nothing good would come of it.

It felt much like when he had observed Roger last time, as though he was about to see something he should not see. The reaction was even stronger than it had been with Roger.

That meant Draelsra was at least a legendary powerhouse. Her class level might even be higher than Roger's!

She really is legendary. Otherwise, Master Roger wouldn't be involved with her. But what class is she? A Wizard, perhaps?

Rayne shut off Soul Eye in time.

At that moment, the two loosened their embrace slightly. Roger finally remembered that someone else was present. With one arm still around Draelsra's waist, he looked at Rayne and introduced them. "Rayne, this is Draelsra. She's my... well, friend."

"Draelsra, this is Rayne, a young man with great potential."

Draelsra nodded lightly and looked at Rayne. Her gaze traveled over him as she studied him carefully, then she smiled. "He does have great potential. His soul is still unstable, yet it is already so powerful. I didn't expect Longshande to have such an outstanding young Wizard."

Rayne found her gaze a little hard to bear, as though she were teasing him.

Draelsra seemed to possess an extraordinarily subtle body language. Her tone, movements, and posture—every gesture she made was brimming with charm and inviting imagination.

He became wary. Was this some kind of ability?

Had Master Roger noticed this unusual influence? Or had he noticed and simply enjoyed it...

Moreover, she could actually tell the strength of his soul. How had she done it? Was it a unique elemental ability, or did all Transcendents above legendary rank possess similar insight?

Rayne's thoughts raced, but his expression remained humble. "I was merely lucky."

"Luck alone won't get you a Soul Merging Seed. That medium isn't expensive, but it is quite rare. If you became a Combat Wizard, you must have something exceptional about you." Draelsra was clearly very familiar with Wizards. Then she suddenly asked, "Which academy are you from?"

"Crayden Academy."

Rayne answered truthfully. It was easy enough to find out anyway. He was now certain that this mysterious woman was also a Wizard.

Draelsra seemed somewhat puzzled by his answer, but she did not ask any further questions.

"A Combat Wizard?" Hearing their conversation, Roger still sounded doubtful. "I don't know much about that school. I've met two or three Combat Wizards before, and they were all quite capable, but none of them was anywhere near as strong as you at level one."

"Unless you fused with a very rare Demon Soul..." He had guessed the truth, and he could not hide his curiosity.

Rayne said nothing, which was as good as admitting it.

What Demon Soul a Transcendent had fused with was highly confidential. They generally would not tell others, not even close friends.

Seeing that Rayne did not wish to talk about it, Roger did not press further. He merely sighed. "Since you've already become a Wizard, it is a bit of a shame. Our Wolf School has lost a promising junior. Still, this is not bad. Wizards are stronger than Demon Hunters—at least, most of the time—and they won't suffer prejudice in the Empire."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master Roger," Rayne said sincerely.

"It's nothing. You made the right choice." Roger spread his hands. The Demon Hunter School did not find it easy to recruit people, but it believed in fate and never forced anyone.

When he had invited Rayne, it was because he had seen Rayne's talent and strong initiative, which had given him the thought of taking him as a student. But the desire had not been especially strong. Since the opportunity had passed, so be it.

Roger glanced at Rayne's build again and laughed. "A Wizard... Heh, looking at you, I doubt many people would believe you if you told them you were a Wizard."

He suddenly became interested. "Combat Wizards are good at close combat. How about it? Let me see what you can do."

"Alright." Rayne also wanted to exchange blows with a legendary powerhouse.

"Do you know swordsmanship?" Roger asked. After Rayne nodded, he went into the room and brought out his two Cross Swords. He tossed one to Rayne and said, "You use the steel sword, and I'll use the Silver Sword. You won't use spells, and neither will I. We'll compare swordsmanship alone."

Rayne caught the longsword. The instant his hand closed around its hilt, a strange sensation traveled up from his palm.

Metal Touch had taken effect.

He drew the sword. Its weight, shape, center of gravity, and internal structure all surfaced in his mind. The longsword seemed to become part of his body, an extension of his arm. There was not the slightest hint of unfamiliarity; it felt as though he had wielded it for years.

This steel sword was a common Cross Swords design, but it was clearly no ordinary weapon. It weighed over thirty pounds, and runes were carved into its blade—the mark of an Enchanted Weapon.

Roger said, "The steel sword in your hand is called Wolf's Fang. It's a Top-tier Weapon. Its enchantment is Wolf Strike. During battle, it absorbs your Soul Power and converts it into Fire Element energy, heating the blade and increasing its power. It can also release Wolf Strike."

"A Top-tier Weapon!"

Rayne exclaimed as he stroked the steel sword in his hand.

Weapons and equipment in Aerenus came in an enormous variety, though the overwhelming majority were ordinary. Only after an Alchemist enchanted them would weapons and equipment gain additional effects and be called Enchanted Weapons.

Enchanted Weapons were far more powerful than ordinary weapons, but their prices were equally astonishing. The starting price was at least several hundred Gold Shields.

Most Transcendents owned one or two ordinary Enchanted Weapons.

If a weapon underwent repeated enchantment and enhancement to raise its power further, or if it was crafted from special materials and infused with a Demon Soul, it became a top-tier Enchanted Weapon. Such weapons were commonly called Top-tier Weapons. They were astonishingly valuable, hundreds of times more expensive than ordinary Enchanted Weapons, and exceedingly rare. Even Transcendents found them difficult to obtain.

Better than Top-tier Weapons were Epic Weapons, which were no longer limited to enchantments.

Epic Weapons not only possessed formidable power, but had also left stories behind throughout history. Every one was unique and difficult to replicate.

As for even more powerful Legendary Weapon/Equipment, those truly existed only in legend. They were usually found only in tales of heroes. They were no longer merely weapons or equipment; they represented astonishing stories or had shaped the history of the past.

It was Rayne's first time seeing such a fine weapon. No wonder it felt so different in his hand.

He was not particularly surprised. As a Legendary Demon Hunter, Roger was too strong for ordinary Enchanted Weapons to suit him.

Roger did not introduce the silver longsword in his own hand, but it was presumably also a Top-tier Weapon.

The two walked into the courtyard and stopped ten paces apart.

Rayne had already activated his phone's gyroscope. He spread his feet one before the other, lowered his stance slightly, and assumed the Plough Stance he knew best. He held the sword with both hands before him, its tip pointed upward. He did not take the initiative to attack, adopting a defensive posture.

"Imperial Military Swordsmanship?"

Roger recognized Rayne's stance at a glance, and a faint smile rose on his lips. He was clearly very relaxed.

The moment his words fell, his entire body seemed to merge with the Silver Sword in his hand. Wrapped in silver light, he flashed before Rayne at an unbelievable speed.

Rayne's heart tightened. He knew Roger would be fast, but he had not expected him to be this fast!

Yet he still caught the trajectory of the Silver Sword.

Without hesitation, he swung the steel sword to his side to block it. At the same time, he took half a step back to make room, drove force through his legs, and transmitted the strength of every muscle in his body into the sword in his hand.

Clang!

The runes on Wolf's Fang lit up, turning the whole blade red as though it had been heated through. Sparks flew where it collided with the Silver Sword.

A tremendous force traveled through the sword, numbing Rayne's palm, but it was still within his limits.

He moved again, turning slightly to adjust his posture. The steel sword swept sideways, as though the move had been rehearsed beforehand, and blocked Roger's second strike exactly.

Another clang rang out. Rayne blocked the second strike without pausing, swiftly turned to face Roger, and swung his sword to parry, guarding his centerline.

This was the essence of Imperial Military Swordsmanship: using footwork within a small area to control the centerline in front of oneself with a longsword, defend steadily, and seek opportunities to counterattack.

The sound of colliding longswords rang continuously through the courtyard, almost blending into one.

Silver and red sword lights flashed without cease. Roger's Silver Sword moved like a storm, circling Rayne as he tried to find a suitable opening to break through Rayne's defenses.

Yet Rayne wielded the steel sword so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Under Roger's assault, he was like a reef amidst raging waves—seemingly on the verge of being swallowed at every moment, yet always standing firm, tenacious and unyielding.

His footwork never strayed more than three steps away. He merely turned and exerted force within that small area. The steel sword in his hand used no flashy techniques at all; it only kept blocking.

But blocking was all he could do.

Roger was a Demon Hunter and did not specialize in strength, but as a legend who had fused with more than ten Demon Souls, his strength was absolutely greater than Rayne's at level one. Even with the enhanced Strength Element, Rayne was no match for him.

Not to mention that the Demon Hunter's speed had not been fully unleashed. Roger might not even have been using half of it.

Even so, Rayne found it extremely difficult to hold on.

He did his best to use the strong part of his own blade—the half closer to the guard—to collide with the weak part of Roger's blade, reducing the recoil traveling through the sword. Then he used his footwork for Force Dispersion and maintained his balance. He barely managed to remain undefeated and had no chance at all to counterattack. From beginning to end, he had been completely suppressed.

Wolf's Fang's enchantment had been of no use in the face of such an overwhelming difference in strength.

This continued for nearly a minute.

The pressure abruptly vanished. Roger suddenly retreated several steps and stopped attacking.

"Why did you stop?" Rayne asked, breathing lightly.

Although this swordsmanship match had been difficult, he felt he was still far from his limit. If they continued, he might find an opportunity to counterattack.

Roger shook his head, his face full of disbelief.

"There's no point in continuing to compare swordsmanship. Without using spells or limiting my speed, if we rely on swordsmanship alone, it would be difficult for me to defeat you." He looked at Rayne as though he were looking at a monster, his gaze dropping to Rayne's feet. "Your footwork is too good, and your control of strength is incredibly steady. The key to Imperial Military Swordsmanship is 'stability.' I attacked dozens of times and still couldn't disrupt your rhythm. That's truly impressive."

As he spoke, Roger sincerely gave him a thumbs-up, his eyes filled with admiration.

"You flatter me, Master Roger." Even with Rayne's thick skin, he felt somewhat embarrassed by the praise.

In truth, since crossing over, he had not practiced much swordsmanship at all. He had only relied on his previous foundation in swordsmanship, his phone's gyroscope giving him fine control over his body, and Metal Touch making him extraordinarily familiar with the steel sword in his hand, allowing him to wield it as naturally as an arm. That was how he had performed as he did just now.

If he did not use a sword and switched to another weapon, he would not perform much worse.

Roger did not know what Rayne was thinking. He snorted dismissively. "No need to be modest. I know my own swordsmanship well. In the Empire, there are only a few people I can find who are better than me with a sword."

"Do you really think Zoltan calls me Master just because I know how to play cards?"

"I'm starting to regret it. With your talent for swordsmanship, becoming a Wizard is such a waste. If I'd known, I should have forced you to join the Wolf School."

His expression turned unpleasant.

It was not entirely because the Wolf School's Demon Hunters had missed out on a member of boundless potential. He also regretted Rayne's choice, for the world had lost a master of swordsmanship.

Combat Wizards could fight at close range and use swordsmanship as well, but they still focused primarily on casting spells. Spells were the source of their strength; otherwise, how could they be a school of Wizards?

As a top-tier master of swordsmanship, Roger's love for the blade ran deep in his bones.

He could tell that Rayne's love of swordsmanship was not particularly strong. Rayne merely treated a sword as an ordinary weapon, and now that he had become a Wizard, he likely would not be willing to devote himself to swordsmanship in the future.

Rayne said nothing more. He sheathed Wolf's Fang and silently returned it to Roger.

"What a wonderful swordsmanship match!"

Draelsra broke the silence in the courtyard. Wearing a Black Robe, she walked over and gently leaned against Roger's side. Smiling, she said, "Rayne, you did well. Don't listen to Roger's nonsense. Wizards definitely have a brighter future than Demon Hunters. Becoming a Combat Wizard was absolutely the best choice you could have made."