"Of course!"
At Arthur's words, Amy nodded immediately.
Her face brightened further, and her smile grew even more radiant.
Wanting to get a real feel for an instructor's abilities was hardly a bad thing.
It proved that Arthur genuinely needed their services, bringing them one step closer to closing the deal.
Customers who asked nothing and remained noncommittal, on the other hand, usually meant the sale would fall through.
Of course, even they were much better than the men who made outrageous demands.
Amy had encountered those more than once.
Every time, she politely refused.
And if she really couldn't get them to take no for an answer, then...
A kick to the groin!
That was how she had lost her last job. This one was more respectable and paid better, and Amy had no desire to lose it too.
If she lost this job as well, she would have no choice but to leave the Shire District and try her luck in the other districts.
But she absolutely would not go anywhere frequented by truly wealthy merchants or nobles.
Her groin kicks were fine against ordinary people, even the middle class, but if she ever kicked someone important, she would be finished.
Amy, who came from the countryside around South Los, had her own little store of street smarts.
Not much, but enough for now.
After seating Arthur in the reception area and bringing him a cup of black tea, Amy hurried toward the back.
Callused palms, clearly defined muscles in her arms and shoulders. She's done farmwork. She speaks tactfully but has little formal etiquette, yet she's full of energy... Hmm, a girl from the countryside around South Los?
Arthur habitually guessed at strangers' backgrounds, ignoring the black tea on the table.
He had already detected the scent of sweet ginger beneath the tea.
He wasn't particularly fond of black tea with things added to it.
He preferred his tea pure and simple.
It certainly wasn't because some fresh new tea had arrived.
About two minutes later, a tall, burly man followed Amy into the reception area.
"This is Instructor Byrne. He'll take you through a practice session-and this one is completely free!"
Amy introduced the man, emphasizing that it was free.
"Thank you very much."
Arthur thanked them, his gaze already sizing up Instructor Byrne.
The man was extremely powerfully built, his entire upper body forming an inverted triangle. His exposed forearms were almost as thick as an ordinary person's upper arms, and his hands were broad, with prominent calluses between his thumbs and forefingers.
A swordsman who relies on strength?
As Arthur made his assessment, Instructor Byrne held out his hand.
"Welcome to the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club!"
Arthur shook his hand, then let go.
There was no contest of strength, no clash-just a simple first exchange between a prospective student and an instructor.
Instructor Byrne had a good sense of boundaries.
As he led Arthur farther inside, he talked about the club's history and made a point of highlighting its outstanding instructors.
"Ritter is our club's finest instructor. He also placed third in the last Swordsmanship Tournament. His swordsmanship is excellent."
Byrne's face filled with admiration as he spoke of the club's finest instructor.
"Is Instructor Ritter here?"
Arthur asked with keen interest.
Anyone capable of taking third place in the Swordsmanship Tournament clearly had considerable skill. Perhaps Ritter could solve his problem of finding advanced swordsmanship.
At the same time, it would give him a rough sense of the actual level of competition in the Swordsmanship Tournament.
The body's previous owner had yearned to attend the Swordsmanship Tournament, but the last tournament had coincided with Uncle Winters's disappearance, and he had been ordered to stay home.
For the two tournaments before that, he had been away exorcising spirits as part of the family business.
Earlier than that?
He had needed to study at home and hadn't been allowed out.
So despite his intense curiosity about the Swordsmanship Tournament, the previous owner had only heard about it and never witnessed it himself.
"You want Ritter as your instructor?"
"Then you'd better be prepared to pay a hefty price!"
"Ever since Ritter took third place in the last Swordsmanship Tournament, his schedule has been fully booked, even with the extra fees."
Instructor Byrne had clearly encountered students hoping to train under Ritter before, and he immediately chuckled.
"How much are the extra fees?"
"About ten Sol per lesson-that was the rate a month ago. With another Swordsmanship Tournament coming up, the price might rise again!"
Byrne quoted a price that made Arthur frown.
A single lesson cost nearly five days' income for an ordinary family in the Old District. The price was well beyond Arthur's expectations, but he immediately felt pleased.
Because the prestige of the Swordsmanship Tournament had also exceeded his expectations.
The Swordsmanship Tournament has even more influence than I imagined!
That means I can earn more XP!
At that thought, Arthur broke into a broad smile.
He was almost impatient to test Ritter's abilities.
Of course, that would come later.
For now?
Naturally, he would spar with Instructor Byrne first.
Taking the wooden sword Byrne offered, Arthur glanced at the dozen or so students practicing swordsmanship under an instructor nearby, then looked at this corner well away from them. He couldn't help warming a little to Byrne.
Clearly, the man was worried Arthur might be nervous on his first visit.
He was also worried Arthur might become discouraged after losing.
Even though the students had begun noticing them, the location still left both sides some room to maneuver.
After all, in the adult world, even people who truly saw something could choose to turn a blind eye.
"Shall we begin?"
As Instructor Byrne asked, he held his sword in one hand, his arm raised horizontally and the wooden blade's tip pointing straight at Arthur. It was a standard attacking stance.
Arthur frowned inwardly.
Instructor Byrne was a decent man, but his swordsmanship was mediocre.
Not only was an attacking stance that should have been fluid painfully stiff, but his heels, which should have been raised, seemed nailed to the floor.
Once Arthur nodded, Byrne lunged forward with a thrust. It looked imposing, but he failed to draw on the strength of his legs or waist, and the movement committed him completely, leaving no room for follow-up variations.
Somewhere between Lv1 and Lv2!
Arthur assessed him inwardly.
But that didn't mean Byrne lacked ability. On the contrary, despite his low swordsmanship level, his powerful physique still made him formidable.
At least, that was true for ordinary people.
Facing Byrne's aggressive charge, an ordinary person would either dodge or block. Dodging would draw them into Byrne's rhythm until they were forced into a corner.
Blocking would mean an even quicker defeat!
Byrne's strength was nothing to scoff at!
But that applied to other people. Against Arthur, Byrne simply wasn't enough.
Byrne was strong, but Arthur was stronger.
Byrne's speed was average, while Arthur was blindingly fast.
Byrne's swordsmanship was mediocre, while Arthur's Basic Swordsmanship was at its pinnacle.
The outcome had therefore been decided from the start.
Smack!
Before Byrne could even see what happened, the spine of Arthur's sword struck his hand. The instant his wooden sword slipped from his grasp, Arthur's wooden blade pressed against his throat.
Byrne's eyes widened.
The students practicing nearby and the instructor teaching them wore equally incredulous expressions.
Although Byrne had chosen a corner, the students had noticed the pair as soon as they entered. Those who had been through something similar naturally knew what they were about to do.
How could monotonous drills compare with watching a sword fight?
Even Instructor Desi hadn't stopped them, choosing instead to fold their arms and watch.
Every student was therefore paying attention, and quite a few had even quietly bet on how many exchanges Arthur would last.
Most thought two or three.
After all, Byrne usually spared students' pride and didn't let them lose too badly.
But who could have expected such a completely different result?
Byrne had actually lost!
"That man is really strong!"
"He must be good enough to enter the Swordsmanship Tournament, right?"
"More than that!"
"Anyone who can beat Instructor Byrne has to be at least a seeded contender!"
As the students discussed it, a figure appeared behind them. Soon, one student noticed something was wrong, turned around, and spotted the newcomer. He immediately fell silent and quietly tugged at his companion.
Word passed from one to the next, and soon all the students stopped talking.
Not only did they fall silent, they also opened a path for the newcomer.
Instructor Desi retreated far away. After sweeping a glance over them, the newcomer gave a cold snort and strode arrogantly through the parted crowd to stand before Arthur and Instructor Byrne.
"Ritter..."
"Shut up, you useless fool!"
Byrne had barely spoken before the Swordsmanship Tournament's third-place finisher barked him down, giving him no chance to speak. The burly Byrne lowered his head dejectedly and said nothing more.
Ritter ignored Byrne and turned his gaze on Arthur.
"The next Swordsmanship Tournament is about to begin. Which club are you from? How dare you come here to probe our abilities like this!"
"I..."
"Enough. Draw your sword!"
Ritter had clearly misunderstood something, and he gave Arthur no chance to explain, simply picking up a practice wooden sword from nearby.
Arthur frowned, then his brow relaxed.
Because he no longer intended to choose the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club.
It wasn't just Ritter's overbearing arrogance that made him uncomfortable. Ritter's swordsmanship was also [Basic Swordsmanship].
Although he had only assumed a stance, Arthur, whose [Basic Swordsmanship] had reached its pinnacle, could tell at a glance that Ritter's [Basic Swordsmanship] was around Lv3.
Clearly, there was nothing worth learning here.
This is the level of the Swordsmanship Tournament's third-place finisher?
Arthur wondered inwardly, but he didn't dare grow careless and tightened his grip on his sword.
He had seen plenty of people come to grief through carelessness.
He had no desire to experience it himself.
Seeing Arthur tighten his grip, Ritter didn't attack immediately. Instead, as though performing a ritual, he first transferred the practice wooden sword to his left hand, stuck out his tongue, and licked his right hand. Only once his palm was wet with saliva did he switch hands again.
Arthur frowned once more.
This time, it was out of disgust.
He had only known of a certain basketball player with that nasty habit. He hadn't expected to find it in swordsmanship too.
"I'm telling you, you've come to the wrong place-take this!"
With a low growl, Ritter charged at Arthur, drawing back his practice wooden sword to build power. He intended to finish Arthur with a straight thrust, just as he had done in the last Swordsmanship Tournament.
But at that very moment, Ritter's entire body convulsed several times. Then he fell flat on his back, white foam spilling from his mouth.
A moment later, all signs of life vanished.
Ritter was dead.
Before you continue