Master Swordsman

"I've rested enough. The room was a little stuffy, so I came out for a walk."

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

Roger also put an arm around her waist. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, like a pair of lovers in the throes of passion.

What a pair of shameless adulterers!

Rayne spat inwardly and turned his head away.

The two had clearly only met last night, yet they were acting like passionate lovers. In broad daylight, they were even flaunting their affection in front of him. Who knew whether this was an act that had become real, or whether they had truly fallen in love.

He had once thought Master Roger was cold by nature. It turned out that had all been an act.

Rayne was also somewhat curious. This Draelsra was clearly a Transcendent, and quite possibly a powerful one. Otherwise, she would not have been able to tell that he was a Combat Wizard.

He instinctively wanted to open his Soul Eye and secretly investigate Draelsra, but hesitated.

Last time, he had rashly peeked into Roger's soul. Because Roger was a legendary figure whose soul was far too powerful, Rayne had suffered backlash. That terrible sensation was still etched vividly in his memory.

This Draelsra was so mysterious, and she was involved with Roger. She might even be a legendary powerhouse.

After thinking it over, he did not look directly at Draelsra's soul. Instead, he slowly shifted his gaze toward her from the corner of his eye, catching only a sliver of her outline.

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

He had a premonition that if he continued looking, the outcome would definitely be bad.

The feeling was very similar to when he had observed Roger last time, as if he were about to see something he shouldn't. The reaction was even more intense than it had been with Roger.

This meant that Draelsra was at least a legendary powerhouse, and her professional level might even be higher than Roger's!

As expected, she's a legendary figure. Otherwise, Master Roger wouldn't be involved with her. I just don't know what her profession is. A Wizard, perhaps?

Rayne speculated inwardly and promptly shut down his Soul Eye.

At that moment, the two separated slightly. Roger finally remembered that someone else was present. With one hand around Draelsra's waist, he looked at Rayne and introduced them to each other. "Rayne, this is Draelsra. She's my... ahem, friend."

"Draelsra, this is Rayne, a promising young man."

Draelsra nodded lightly. Her eyes turned toward Rayne and traveled up and down his body, examining him carefully. She smiled and said, "He really is promising. His soul is still unstable, yet so powerful. I never knew Longshande had such an outstanding young Wizard."

Rayne felt a little overwhelmed by her gaze, as if she were flirting with him.

Draelsra seemed to possess incredibly refined body language. Her tone, movements, posture, and every gesture were filled with charm, making people's imaginations run wild.

He grew wary. Could this be some kind of ability?

Had Master Roger noticed this abnormality? Or had he noticed, yet enjoyed it...

Moreover, she could actually see the strength of his soul. He had no idea how she had managed it. Was it a unique elemental ability, or did all Transcendents above the legendary level possess similar insight?

Rayne's thoughts raced, but his face remained modest. "I was just lucky."

"Luck alone wouldn't get you a Soul Merging Seed. This medium isn't expensive, but it isn't common either. You must have something exceptional to become a Combat Wizard." Draelsra was clearly very familiar with the Wizard profession. She suddenly asked, "Which Academy did you attend?"

"Crayden Academy."

Rayne answered honestly. It was easy enough to investigate anyway. He was now quite certain that this mysterious woman was also a Wizard.

Draelsra seemed slightly puzzled by his answer, but did not question him further.

"Combat Wizard?" Roger, who was standing nearby, still sounded doubtful after hearing their conversation. "I don't know much about this School. I've met two or three Combat Wizards before. They were all quite capable, but when they were at level one, they were nowhere near as strong as you."

"Unless you fused with an extremely rare Demon Soul..." He had guessed the truth, and could barely conceal his curiosity.

Rayne said nothing, which amounted to an admission.

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

Seeing that Rayne did not wish to speak, Roger did not continue asking. He merely sighed. "Since you've already become a Wizard, it's a little regrettable that our Wolf School has lost a promising junior, but it's not a bad thing. Wizards are stronger than Demon Hunters—at least, most of them are—and they won't face prejudice in the Empire either."

"Thank you for your consideration, Master Roger." Rayne spoke with sincere gratitude.

"It's fine. You made the right choice." Roger spread his hands. The Wolf School had difficulty recruiting people, but it also believed in letting fate take its course and never forced anyone.

When he had invited Rayne back then, it had been because of Rayne's talent and strong initiative, which had made Roger consider taking him as a disciple. But the desire had never been particularly strong. Since the opportunity had been missed, so be it.

Roger looked Rayne over again and laughed. "A Wizard... Heh, with the way you look, hardly anyone would believe you if you told them you were one."

He suddenly became interested. "Combat Wizards excel in close combat. How about letting me see what you can do?"

"Sure." Rayne also wanted to cross swords with a legendary powerhouse.

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

Rayne caught the longsword. The instant his hand closed around the hilt, a strange sensation spread through his hand.

Metal Touch was taking effect.

He drew the sword from its sheath. The weapon's weight, shape, center of gravity, and entire structure all surfaced in his mind. The longsword seemed to become a part of his body, or an extension of his arm. There was not the slightest awkwardness, and it felt as familiar as if he had used it for years.

The steel sword was an ordinary Cross Swords design, but it was clearly no common weapon. It weighed more than thirty pounds, and runes were carved along the blade—a sign that it had been enchanted.

Roger said, "The steel sword in your hand is called Wolf's Fang. It's a Top-tier Weapon. Its enchantment is Wolf Strike. In battle, it absorbs your Soul Power and converts it into the power of the fire element, heating the blade and increasing the sword's might. It can also unleash Wolf Strike."

"A Top-tier Weapon!"

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

Aerenus's weapons and equipment were extremely varied, but the vast majority were ordinary. Only after an alchemist enchanted them would weapons and equipment gain additional effects, at which point they were called Enchanted Weapons.

Enchanted Weapons were far more powerful than ordinary weapons, but their prices were astonishing as well, starting at no less than a hundred Gold Shields.

Most Transcendents possessed one or two ordinary Enchanted Weapons, to a greater or lesser degree.

If a weapon underwent multiple rounds of enchantment and reinforcement to further increase its power, or if it was made from special materials and had a Demon Soul fused into it, it would become the highest-grade Enchanted Weapon. These top-tier weapons were commonly called Top-tier Weapons. Their value was astonishing, hundreds of times greater than that of ordinary Enchanted Weapons, and they were exceedingly rare. Even Transcendents found them difficult to obtain.

Above Top-tier Weapons were Epic Weapons. These weapons were no longer limited to enchantments.

Epic Weapons not only possessed tremendous power, but had also left behind stories throughout history. Every one of them was unique and nearly impossible to replicate.

As for even more powerful Legendary Weapons/Equipment, they truly existed only in legend. They were usually passed down through various heroic tales. They were no longer simply weapons or equipment, but represented astonishing stories or influenced the course of history.

This was the first time Rayne had seen such a fine weapon. No wonder it felt so different in his hand.

He was not surprised. As a Legendary Demon Hunter, ordinary Enchanted Weapons would not be worthy of Roger's strength.

Roger did not introduce the Silver Sword in his own hand, but it was presumably a Top-tier Weapon as well.

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

Rayne had already activated his phone's gyroscope. He spread his feet apart, one in front of the other, sank slightly, and assumed his most familiar Plough Stance. Holding the sword with both hands in front of him, he pointed the tip upward but did not attack first, adopting a defensive posture.

"Imperial Military Swordsmanship?"

Roger recognized Rayne's stance at a glance. The corners of his lips lifted into a smile, and he looked completely at ease.

The moment his voice fell, his entire body seemed to merge with the Silver Sword in his hand. Wrapped in silver light, he flashed in front of Rayne with incredible 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 raised the steel sword to block at his side while retreating half a step to create space. He put force into his feet, transferring 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 entire blade red as if it had been heated through. Sparks flew where it struck the Silver Sword.

A tremendous force traveled through the sword, numbing Rayne's palm, but it was still within what he could endure.

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

Another clang rang out. Rayne blocked the second strike without pausing, quickly turning to face Roger before swinging his sword to parry and guarding his centerline.

This was the essence of Imperial Military Swordsmanship: moving one's feet within a small area, using a longsword to control the centerline in front of the body, defending steadily, and searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

The sounds of clashing swords rang out continuously in the courtyard, nearly blending into one.

Two streaks of sword light, one silver and one red, flashed without pause. The Silver Sword in Roger's hand was as fast as wind and rain, circling Rayne as it tried to find an opening and break through his defenses.

Rayne, however, wielded the steel sword in a seamless web.

Under Roger's assault, he was like a reef amid raging waves, tottering as if he might be submerged at any moment, yet standing firm through it all, tenacious and steady.

His feet never took more than three steps in any direction. He only turned and exerted force within a small area, and the steel sword in his hand had no flashy techniques. He did nothing but block.

But that was all he could do.

Roger was a Demon Hunter, not known for strength. Yet as a legendary figure who had fused with more than ten Demon Souls, he was unquestionably stronger than level-one Rayne. Even Rayne's enhanced Strength Element could not make up the difference.

Not to mention that the Demon Hunter's speed had not been fully unleashed—perhaps not even half of it.

Even so, Rayne was struggling immensely to hold his ground.

He did his best to use the strong section of his sword—the front half of the blade near the guard—to collide with the weak section of Roger's blade, reducing the recoil traveling through his weapon. He then used his footwork for Force Dispersion to maintain his balance and barely remain undefeated. He had no chance to counterattack and was suppressed from beginning to end.

Under such a vast disparity in strength, the enchantment of Wolf's Fang had little effect.

This continued for nearly a minute.

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

"Why did you stop?" Rayne asked, breathing slightly heavily.

Although the swordsmanship contest had been extremely difficult, he felt that he was still far from his limit. If they continued, he might even find an opportunity to counterattack.

Roger shook his head, his face filled with disbelief.

"There's no point in continuing the swordsmanship match. Without spells, and without restricting my speed, it would be difficult for me to defeat you through swordsmanship alone." He looked at Rayne as if he were looking at a monster, then lowered his gaze to Rayne's feet. "Your footwork is too good, and your control of force is incredibly steady. The key to Imperial Military Swordsmanship is the word 'steady.' I attacked dozens of times, yet I couldn't disrupt your rhythm. That's truly impressive."

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

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

In truth, since transmigrating, he had never practiced any real swordsmanship. He had merely relied on his previous swordsmanship foundation, the phone's gyroscope for precise control of his body, and Metal Touch's ability to make him exceptionally familiar with the steel sword in his hand, wielding it like an extension of his arm. That was how he had performed just now.

If he had used another weapon instead of a sword, he would not have performed much worse.

Roger did not know what Rayne was thinking and snorted dismissively. "You don't need to be modest. I know my own swordsmanship well. In the Empire, you could count on one hand the people who are better than me."

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

"I'm beginning 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 rather unpleasant.

This was not entirely because the Wolf School's Demon Hunters had missed out on a member with limitless potential, nor was it only regret over Rayne's choice. It was also because the world had lost a swordsmanship master.

Combat Wizards could fight in close quarters and use swordsmanship as well, but they ultimately focused on casting spells. Spells were the source of their strength. Otherwise, how could they become a Wizard School?

As a top-tier swordsmanship master, Roger's love of swordsmanship ran bone-deep.

He could tell that Rayne did not have a particularly strong passion for swordsmanship. Rayne merely treated the sword as an ordinary weapon. Now that he had also become a Wizard, he likely would not be willing to devote himself to swordsmanship in the future.

Rayne said nothing else. He sheathed the steel sword, Wolf's Fang, and silently handed it back to Roger.

"That was a splendid swordsmanship match!"

Draelsra broke the silence in the courtyard. Draped in 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. Wizards definitely have more potential than Demon Hunters. Becoming a Combat Wizard was absolutely the best choice for you."