Arwen leaned forward, his feet striking the wooden posts as he raced toward the windmill dummy.
With the enhancement from [Dual Souls], all his senses worked to their limits.
In his field of vision, three pendulums whipped through the air with sharp, urgent whistles.
Arwen raised his sword to block, knocking aside the first pendulum swinging in from the side.
He turned forward, twisting his wrist.
Faster, a little faster!
[Drowner Mutagen] gave him a boost in speed.
His training sword swept horizontally, knocking aside the second pendulum swinging in from the side.
The third pendulum hurtling straight toward him quickly filled his open field of vision.
Arwen swiftly ducked low. The pendulum whistled over his head, whipping his hair into a frenzy.
He was only one step away from striking the windmill dummy.
Arwen's heartbeat quickened, but he did not lift his head.
His ears twitched slightly. He picked out the sound of the windmill dummy's wooden rods cutting through the air, coming closer and moving farther away, with a rhythm amid the disorder.
Arwen concentrated intensely, simulating the windmill dummy's attack trajectories in his mind.
The gaps between the wooden rods grew clearer and clearer.
His gray catlike eyes suddenly flared, and the muscles in his arms bunched.
Now.
He thrust his sword with all his strength!
Clang!
The longsword pierced the air, its blade driving hard into the magic stone on the windmill dummy's neck.
Crack!
Under that powerful blow, cracks began spreading across the magic stone's smooth surface.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The windmill dummy stopped swinging and kept buzzing.
The chains extending from the tower abruptly pulled taut, swiftly hauling the swinging pendulums high into the air.
Silence fell over the scene.
"Hah... hah..."
Arwen could hear only his own breathing.
[School of the Wolf Witcher Swordsmanship experience +20!]
The system notification sounded.
Arwen tightened his grip on his sword and puffed out his chest, almost letting out a long howl.
Twenty experience points in one go. That felt amazing.
This visible growth in strength was like poison, constantly spurring and tempting him.
"He did it..."
Geralt murmured, his eyes full of disbelief, his hand loosening slightly on his sword hilt.
He looked toward Vesemir, whose catlike eyes were filled with the same delighted surprise.
"Oh! Three pendulums! Arwen did it!"
"Did you see that? Arwen did it!"
As Arwen's close friend, Paul waved his sword and shouted.
The other apprentices' mouths were already hanging open.
"I saw, Paul. Put your sword away. You nearly hit me."
Horton complained, and Paul laughed.
Behind the apprentices, Aiken pressed his lips together. After his extreme astonishment, his catlike eyes began to dim.
His shoulders gradually slumped, leaving him looking somewhat despondent.
He was a proud person who had always touted himself as the strongest witcher apprentice of their intake.
But after witnessing this,
he knew he had lost.
Arwen jumped down from the "comb," his steps somewhat unsteady.
Vesemir was generous with his praise. "Well done, child."
Geralt nodded in satisfaction as well.
Arwen put away his training sword and gave an apprentice's salute.
The apprentices quickly crowded around him, and Paul immediately pulled Arwen into a bear hug.
"Hiss!"
Arwen sucked in a sharp breath. Paul had pressed squarely against his wounds.
Paul hurriedly let go, looking apologetic. "My brother, I'm so sorry. I got too excited."
Horton said, "You actually made it past those three pendulums and struck that dummy."
Blyde spoke up. "Arwen, you were as fast as the wind!"
The apprentices kept chattering noisily. Arwen could hear that they were genuinely happy for him.
After all, they were companions who had lived together for six years since childhood.
Even Aiken kept his mouth shut now, envy hidden in his eyes.
Arwen said, "Just luck, just luck. Without Master Vesemir's advice, I'd have fallen off long ago."
Vesemir smiled. "Heh, Arwen, you're too modest. This isn't something you can accomplish through luck alone."
"You shattered the magic stone on the dummy. Across all the past intakes of apprentices, no more than five have managed that."
Arwen sniffed sheepishly.
Vesemir changed tack.
"However, don't get too proud. There are nine of these pendulums in the tower."
"If you can break this windmill dummy under the assault of nine pendulums, you'll have achieved some proficiency in School of the Wolf Witcher Swordsmanship."
Nine pendulums!?
Arwen humbly took the instruction to heart. "I'll work hard, Master Vesemir."
"School of the Wolf Witcher Swordsmanship?"
Hearing this exchange, Aiken abruptly raised his head.
Vesemir explained, "School of the Wolf Witcher Swordsmanship, also called the School of the Wolf Sword Dance, is our special sword technique here at Kaer Morhen. It demands extremely precise footwork and was designed specifically for fighting multiple opponents and dealing with monsters."
"You needn't lose heart after watching Arwen. He's merely taken one step ahead of you."
Only after hearing this did the apprentices understand.
Aiken's breathing quickened. "Then, Master Vesemir, how can we learn this swordsmanship?"
Vesemir wore the hint of a smile. "As long as you successfully stop the windmill dummy while on this 'comb,' you'll have proven that you've mastered apprentice swordsmanship and can learn School of the Wolf Witcher Swordsmanship."
"Geralt, once windmill training is over, you'll teach the apprentices who passed."
"Those who fail will continue windmill training until they pass."
Hearing this, confidence rekindled in Aiken's unwilling catlike eyes.
So Arwen had learned more advanced sword techniques ahead of time. That was why he'd become stronger than him.
He believed he could do it too!
Sensing Aiken's fighting spirit, Arwen's lips curled somewhat helplessly.
Although Aiken had provoked him at every turn these past two days, he knew that Aiken was merely conceited and did not harbor any ill intentions.
Just like earlier, Aiken had only silently wished for Arwen to fall into the haystack beneath the inner side of the wall, rather than down the cliff outside it.
"All right, chatting time is over."
"Windmill training continues. Next, Paul. You were the most excited just now, so you're up."
Paul stiffened, a trace of lingering fear on his face.
The other apprentices all cast gloating little looks at him.
Arwen patted his shoulder and encouraged him. "Come on, you can do it."
Paul froze for a moment before slowly nodding.
Vesemir said, "Arwen, since you've passed the training, stop showing off here. Go find some ointment in the castle and apply it. Your back still hurts, doesn't it?"
Arwen smiled sheepishly. "Should I go see Lady Viris?"
"Lady Viris?" Vesemir hesitated.
Geralt stepped forward and added, "Arwen became Viris's alchemy assistant yesterday."
At this, Vesemir's stern expression did not change, but Geralt clearly caught the profound astonishment that flashed through his amber catlike eyes.
Even as a full-fledged witcher, Geralt did not know exactly how old Vesemir was. There were even rumors that he was older than the fortress of Kaer Morhen itself.
That showed how difficult it was for anything to surprise him.
Arwen noticed something amiss as well, but Vesemir quickly recovered.
"Of course, child. Go find her."
"Yes."
Arwen's expression remained unchanged. After saluting, he headed toward the passage leading down to ground level.
Once Arwen was far away, Geralt could not help asking quietly.
"Vesemir, just who is this Viris...?"
Vesemir did not answer. He merely gestured with his catlike eyes toward the wolf-head medallion on Geralt's chest.
Geralt understood instantly, his blood racing.
Magic, a sorceress...