Uninvited Guest

"I admit I underestimated you. Your talent for swordsmanship has truly surprised me."

Kraun was in high spirits and said, "Father, again! I feel like I've become even stronger."

During their sparring session just now, his skill proficiency had been climbing rapidly. He realized that real combat was the best way to grind his swordsmanship proficiency.

He was thrilled to have found such an efficient way to grind.

"I admit you've improved quickly, but that doesn't mean your swordsmanship is already strong. It's time to show you some real technique."

Nick bent down to pick up his weapon and beckoned to Kraun with his finger.

The young man had a solid grasp of swordsmanship, and Nick decided to bring out his own true skills to properly dampen the other's arrogance.

Otherwise, this Acolyte might become too difficult to manage once he advanced to the transcendent level!

The two began to spar again, and the moment they clashed, Nick felt a sense of unease.

It was as if he were facing a different person; the moves were no longer standard yet stiff and rigid, but instead possessed a fluid, rhythmic quality.

The obvious signs of the opponent's attacks were becoming fewer, and once they engaged in close quarters, the transitions between moves became faster, flowing like clouds and water without a trace.

The difficulty of knocking the weapon from his opponent's hand was increasing.

Kraun was in a peak state at this moment.

As he continued to attack, profound insights kept rising in his heart.

So it can be done this way. He sighed with such realization more than once, and at the same time, his swordsmanship was growing by leaps and bounds.

Nick's experience was quite the opposite. When they first started sparring, he had been at ease; later, he was slightly less composed.

Now, he felt he could only barely suppress his opponent.

Sweat beads streamed down Nick's forehead. He was currently maintaining his physical fitness at a level similar to his opponent's, and he felt that before long, he might no longer be a match for Kraun.

Unless he stopped holding back and crushed the other with his transcendent Priest physical stats, but doing that wouldn't be practicing swordsmanship—it would be bullying a child.

What a freak. He seems born for the sword!

As time passed, half an hour went by.

Kraun feinted with an upward slash, and just as the Priest made a reflexive block, he stepped forward, changing the slash into a crushing blow that knocked Nick's weapon away in one go.

The setting sun slanted, casting an orange-red glow over the entire training ground and staining the two men in mottled light.

The Priest stared blankly at his empty hands, feeling a sense of frustration, but even more so, relief and joy.

His own swordsmanship could only be described as average among the Exorcist Priests, but he had still undergone long and rigorous training.

What did it mean that someone who had only been in contact with a one-handed sword for five or six days had defeated him?

It meant that the Zack Town church was about to produce a genius Crusader Order warrior!

<strong>[Basic Swordsmanship: 592/2000; Second Tier]</strong>

In less than three hours, his proficiency had increased by more than a quarter!

The golden light that only Kraun could see flickered incessantly in his eyes, and an excited flush rose to his face.

At this rate, reaching Third Tier swordsmanship was just around the corner.

"Today's training ends here. Your basic swordsmanship is already very solid. Tomorrow, I will teach you the Cross Sword, a technique for slaying evil. This is the prerequisite for the church's transcendent swordsmanship, the Flame Cross. You must learn it with focus."

"Ah," Kraun had only had eyes for the blade in his hand just now and had long since lost track of time.

He looked up in astonishment, just in time to see the red sun sinking and the sky filled with crimson clouds.

The bright moon poked its head out from the treetops, shining on Kraun's cheeks.

He held the Moonlight Seal with both hands, bathing in the clear radiance.

The moonlight shifted, and the hour of the Rooster passed quickly.

He exhaled gently, the breath like a wisp of white smoke dissipating into the air.

The wonders of the Golden Light Incantation were increasing; when meditating during the hour of the Rooster, his breath was like white frost. Yet when he visualized under the morning sun, his whole body felt like a steaming furnace, radiating light and heat to his surroundings.

He stood up and sat on a chair to rest.

Busy with Acolyte training these days, he hadn't found the time to draw talismans, and not a single Heart-Clearing Talisman or Golden Light Talisman had been produced.

However, he had experimented with quite a few of the Time Sandglass's functions.

The range of the time-stop ability was small; it extended only twenty centimeters from his body.

Beyond this distance, the effect of the ability was greatly diminished. A little further, and it lost its effect entirely.

The best use of this ability was against small, powerful attacks, such as a bullet strike.

Facing the impact of a large target consumed a great deal of Time Sand.

The last time he faced the Werewolf, he used the time-stop ability once, and the Time Sand was completely exhausted.

He had a vague suspicion that the consumption of Time Sand was calculated based on the kinetic energy of the target he wished to freeze.

This hypothesis required further verification.

By now, the Time Sand in the Time Hourglass had accumulated to one-third of the conical flask.

According to the knowledge Kraun had learned from Geralt, as the power of the Evil Spirit symbiotic with a Spirit Controller grew, the Spirit Controller would constantly hear whispers of evil temptation in their mind.

He had never felt any such whispering temptations, nor had he ever dreamt of them.

There was only one explanation for this: the Golden Light Incantation was capable of eliminating such adverse effects.

In truth, his conjecture was close to the reality.

The function of the Golden Light Incantation was divided into two aspects; one was to calm the mind.

With a calm mind came wisdom, and he felt his state remained at a relatively efficient peak, rarely experiencing any dips or fluctuations in his condition.

The second aspect was the purging of evil; the malevolent thoughts of an Evil Spirit were a form of inner demon, which were heavily suppressed by the Golden Light Incantation.

Kraun persisted in practicing the Golden Light Incantation every day, so the malevolent thoughts accumulated in the Time Hourglass were burned away before they could amount to much.

As a result, the tiny spark of true spirit within the Evil Spirit was perpetually suppressed, never once gaining an opportunity to grow.

Feeling that he had rested enough, Kraun picked up the sword leaning against the wall and walked toward the door leading to the backyard.

Under the veil of night and bathed in moonlight, a black monster sprinted through the streets, moving with agility as it darted through the shadows.

When it arrived at a courtyard, the monster leaped up, vaulted over the wall, and landed steadily in the yard.

Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air, then it crouched by the stove to rummage around, but there was nothing else on the stove, and the monster found nothing.

A low growl escaped its throat, but the sound had barely begun before it came to an abrupt halt.

This was a Werewolf, and its primary purpose in coming to this residence now was to swallow the fellow who had injured its forehead, so as to soothe its enraged heart.

The Werewolf covered its mouth to stifle its growl, cautiously approaching the door.

It was extremely cunning, wanting to hide in the shadows to deliver a fatal blow.

Upon reaching the door, the Werewolf tilted its head and pressed it against the door panel, listening for any movement inside.

The person inside happened to be walking toward the door, and the Werewolf was ecstatic. It maintained its stealthy listening posture, its right claw raised high.

The moment someone stepped out, they would be greeted by a massive claw.