Kraun had no idea his opponent had put everything into that last attack. Keeping to the rhythm he'd used earlier, he swung his sword upward to buy himself time to dodge to the side.
When the two swords clashed, he realized he'd misjudged the situation, but it was already too late.
The Witcher's sword was already coming down with tremendous force, its icy chill raising goosebumps on Kraun's skin.
If the blow landed, he'd have to say goodbye to the arm gripping his sword.
Without hesitation, he used the Time Hourglass's power to slow his opponent's movement by 0.01 seconds, shifting his body into a safe position.
He watched the Witcher's sword stop firmly in midair and realized he'd been fine even without using his Spirit Controller powers.
The Witcher tilted his head, pondering what had gone wrong with his movement, then asked in a low voice, "What was that power that slowed my movements? Did it come from your Spirit Familiar?"
Geralt, who prided himself on his exceptional control, was baffled by what had just happened and wanted to understand the reason.
"Yes, it came from my Spirit Familiar. It can slow an opponent's attacks," Kraun said vaguely.
The white-haired man didn't press him further. He nodded and said, "That's a very useful ability. Your Spirit Familiar's potential is well worth exploring. I don't know if you have enough energy for it, but let me give you some advice."
The Witcher sheathed his sword and continued in a serious tone, "At the beginning of your Transcendence, it's perfectly reasonable to cultivate another extraordinary ability as well. But later, advancement requires focus and mastery. A person's energy is limited, so you should make your decision early and settle on the direction you ultimately want to pursue."
Only kids had to choose. He had a cheat, so of course he'd take everything.
Though that was what he thought, Kraun still bowed with a hand over his chest to show his gratitude. "Thank you for the advice. I'll make the choice that suits me best."
He added another request. "Please keep the fact that I'm also a Spirit Controller a secret."
The Witcher nodded to show he understood. Little Alan also nodded vigorously. "I'll definitely keep it secret. Big Brother wants to keep a trump card up his sleeve. Teacher says that's called being an old fox! If you want to live a long time, you have to be an old fox and have plenty of trump cards."
The logic was sound, so why did it sound so wrong?
"Uh..." Kraun parted his lips, unsure how to respond.
Geralt looked a little embarrassed, his face faintly red. He had indeed said that, but having his own student blurt it out like this made it obvious that he was an old... something.
"Shall we keep practicing? That fight just now took a lot out of us, too. Maybe we should call it a day?"
The Witcher changed the subject, hoping to leave. This was too embarrassing.
Noticing his awkwardness, Kraun readily nodded. "Let's call it a day. That'll give me more time to study the potion formula you gave me."
His main goal had been to assess his current strength, and he now had a fairly clear answer. He no longer felt such an urgent need to train.
During their fight, the pace had been so fast that he couldn't find a suitable opening to use the Breathing Technique to strengthen his attacks. In future training, he planned to use it more often, until the skill became instinctive.
Only then would he have truly turned his abilities into strength.
"Catch, Alan." Kraun tossed him a Gold Shield. Friends were friends, business was business, and he couldn't muddle the two.
The boy caught the coin and instinctively bit it. Then he asked pitifully, "Can I come over for dinner again tonight?"
He'd gotten used to good food, and the meals at the Goat Inn no longer satisfied him. He'd be miserable if he couldn't eat Big Brother's delicious cooking.
"If you're willing to bring the ingredients, I don't mind."
"Yay! Teacher, are you coming too?"
"Yeah. I'm worried about you walking home alone at night, so I'll come with you."
"Pfft." The boy rolled his eyes at his teacher.
After they happily settled things, the Witcher and his student took their leave, walking away with light steps.
Kraun watched their two shadows stretch beneath the moon and chuckled. Maybe they like me more as a good cook.
When he looked up again, they were gone, and the long street was cold and quiet.
He gently closed the door, gathered the tools and materials for Talisman Drawing, connected to the Crystal Ball in his Sea of Consciousness, and poured out half a small bowl of Moon Dew.
Time to get to work!
He cheered silently, and the talisman maker got to work.
An hour later, Kraun sat in his chair, delighted, shaking a stack of Heart-Clearing Talismans that rustled. He held them between the index and middle fingers of his right hand and happily counted them.
"One, two, three..."
He'd used eighty sheets of Talisman Paper and made sixty-four talismans. His success rate had improved again.
[Talisman Drawing: 220/2000; Tier One]
He now had seventy-two Heart-Clearing Talismans, but still hadn't tested their effects. He was something else.
Kraun found a large bowl, poured in half a cup of clean water, and, following the instructions for the skill, lit a talisman over the bowl.
A faint, pleasant fragrance spread through the air, like the scent of osmanthus—light but not bland, fragrant but not overpowering.
After the talisman burned, it left no black ash, only pale white residue with tiny grains of silver visible inside.
The ashes fell into the water like snowflakes into a pond, dissolving instantly.
The clear water began to shimmer with tiny points of light, like stars fallen from the sky.
A faint white mist seemed to rise from the surface.
The skill description said he only had to drink it. The "clear soup" looked quite appetizing, so Kraun lifted the bowl and took a small sip.
A sweet, cool sensation spread across his taste buds. He didn't even need to swallow; the Talisman Water slid naturally down his throat.
A faint sense of calm welled up inside him. His state felt similar to when he practiced Visualization during You Hour: his heart was peaceful, and his thoughts were as still as an ancient well.
The difference was that this feeling wasn't as strong as the one he experienced during Visualization.
It tasted wonderful. After giving it a fair assessment, he drained the bowl of Talisman Water.
He now understood what the Talisman Water did: it put people in a calm, clear-headed state.
He'd find a chance to try it on people suffering from agitation and see if it could calm them down.
His Golden Light Incantation only worked on himself. The appearance of talismans meant he could use this ability on others, greatly expanding the skill's applications.
He'd run out of the Talisman Paper used to make Heart-Clearing Talismans, so he began studying how to draw Golden Light Talismans.
First, he cut some rough paper to the right size. Then, imitating the example, he copied the Golden Light Talisman.
Perhaps because he'd already mastered the basics of Talisman Drawing, it didn't take him long to draw a very convincing Golden Light Talisman in a single stroke.
He kept at it, stopping only after his Talisman Drawing proficiency had increased a little.
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