When I woke the next day, my worst fears were confirmed. The town was still locked down despite the many complaints from guild members and other travellers.

Public perception of the guards was in the dirt, but they didn’t seem to care. It couldn’t be possible this was all aimed at me, right? How could Ray have authorised a move this big without actual evidence to back up his claims?

Maybe the bandits really were on the move.

Either way, the reasons didn’t matter. I had to make the most of my time. Luckily for me, Bryan was in the guildhall when I went down in the morning.

“Hey, Rook. You’ve been keeping busy.” He waved at me to sit beside him. “Come on, have a drink with me.”

Bryan was happy despite the lockdown. The lack of work didn’t affect him in the slightest, which proved he at least had enough funds to last through this time.

And that meant he had time to spare…

Bryan shared many traits with Ray. Both of them were adventurers who focused on swordplay, and both used the Focus attribute, though Bryan was obviously weaker than the guard captain from his own words. Even so, he would be a better training partner than the summon enemies in the dungeon.

“Bryan, let’s have a duel.”

Bryan led me to a large, square establishment not too far from the guild. If he hadn’t pointed out the shoddy brick building as we moved closer, it would have been unnoticeable. Its design was dull, but that was by choice rather than necessity.

This was the place people went to settle their business through battle.

Bryan rented a private room for our duel. He explained that you could allow an audience for the fight, set a price for others to watch or even allow others to participate. The town leaders allowed it, but some didn’t agree with its existence.

“So, you want to work out the kinks?” Bryan drew one of his swords after the door had locked behind us. “Anything specific you want to practice?”

“What kind of fighting style does Ray use?” I asked. It would be as good a place to start any, especially as the guard captain was my current goal.

“Well, he uses a single sword. He is of the focus attribute, like me.” Bryan scratched his chin. “Why do you ask? Is something wrong?”

“Focus? I guess I should know about this eventually. There are seven attributes in total, right?” I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. The book had a basic explanation, but I hadn’t put much thought into it. My attribute would be revealed at level ten, but before that point, I was stuck with the basic mana. “So, what’s the fighting style of someone who uses Focus?”

“Well, it’s not that simple. Focus users normally settle into a precise style. They favour speed over strength, and their abilities are mostly used to bypass defences.” Bryan drew one of his swords and settled into a loose stance. “It’s probably better for you to see it. Want me to show you a few moves?”

“No, no.” I pulled out my staff and settled into a defensive position. “Let's have a duel, don’t hold back. I can figure it out as we go.”

Bryan raised his eyebrows at my request, but he didn’t ask any further questions. On his third step, he leapt towards me. A moment later and he was less than a foot from my face.

His first strike was direct and to the point. He swung his sword directly at my head, and it was clear it would slice through my body if it wasn’t blocked. It was close, but my staff caught it mid-flow.

Unfortunately, the power of the blow was far past my expectations.

The razor-sharp blade had been deflected, but in return, my body was sent back into the far wall with a thud. Pain shot down my back but, before I could recover, Bryan ran at me once more.

This time, he would squash me against the wall like a bug.

I had expected a difference in skill, but his speed was far too fast. I didn’t have time to use my buffs as he closed in.

His sword pierced into the wall as I rolled to the side. The thin blade had cut through the tough bricks like butter.

He pulled it out with a gentle tug and turned to face me again. A surge of adrenaline shot through my system, which forced my body to react. I leapt to my feet and swung my staff across to catch his sword.

And failed to block his strike.

His sword had frozen mid-thrust, less than an inch from my face. If he had followed through…

Damn it!

I was too slow. It had only taken him three attacks to take me down.

“You did well, Rook.”

“Right.” I turned away jabbed my staff into the floor. “Thanks.”

“No.” Bryan’s tone turned serious as he grabbed my shoulder. He pulled me around and stared into my eyes as he continued. “You're level six and you just stood up to someone at level fifty. Levels don’t mean everything, but they are a good idea of someone's experience and power. You gain an increase statistically with every level, and even more on an advancement. Be happy with what you have.”

“Are you telling me you didn’t hold back?”

“You asked me not to, so I didn’t” Bryan pushed me away with a grin. “So, want to go again?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and lifted my staff once more. Bryan chuckled as he raised his sword.

“It’s not often someone asks for me to beat them up. Try your best to not get knocked out, Rook.”

His warning was accurate. Over the next few hours, my feeble attempts at defence were rewarded with many cuts and bruises. Whilst Bryan always pulled his blows short, it didn’t stop the injuries from piling up. My combat skill did improve, but I paid for any advancements with blood and tears.

Unlike the created dungeon, there was no automatic healing after our bouts. Any injuries would have to be left to heal, or you could pay a small fee for a standby Holy Practitioner to heal you. This was my first time under the effects of a genuine heal, and it was a bizarre feeling.

It was as though a thousand tiny ants worked their way through my skin. Bruises heated up for a few seconds before they faded away, cuts were pulled together under my gaze. The speed of the heal was linked to the skill of the caster, and the person employed by the duel centre had many patients to practice on each day.

Any serious injuries would still need rest, such as those taken by Susan and Claire. Potions could heal broken bones, but they didn’t work anywhere near as well on internal injuries. At least the damage Bryan did to me was surface level at worst, so a quick heal and we could get back to the one-sided beat down.

It took many fights for me to feel the difference. Over time, I lasted longer, and Bryan had to put more effort in to defeat me. The lengthened duels also increased the injuries per fight as I took more hits, but I still couldn’t keep the smile from my face after each round ended.

“You have a knack for this.” Bryan said after what felt like our fiftieth duel. At that point, I was on the floor, barely able to move. His last blow had been a vicious kick to my chest which had left me breathless.

“…thanks.” I forced out a single word and pushed myself up. After I gathered my wits, we set off into one final fight.

Bryan had said he needed to visit Claire and Susan and wanted me to tag along. This would have to be our last fight, and I was determined to make it a good one. Throughout all our fights, not a single one of my blows had connected. Bryan had easily dodged or deflected every single attack I had made, and usually followed up with a counter that left me unable to react.

He could hold back a bit…

Instead of letting Bryan launch the first attack, I jumped back and yelled a single word.

“Accelerate!”

I held the image of myself in my mind. It would be embarrassing if I accidentally buffed Bryan at the same time as myself. This wasn’t the first time I had used the buffs during out battles, but he normally didn’t let me get the time to feel the effects of it. Bryan ran to catch up to me and reached me as I landed on the floor.

Too quick!

My staff was lifted into the sky during my leap, so I used that momentum and swung it down towards his head. Bryan dodged back, as he had done many times before, but I was ready for that.

As soon as my feet touched the floor, my hands clenched around my staff and I pushed myself towards him. My staff grated on the floor as it approached his feet. Bryan dodged to the side and thrust his sword at my face.

It would end the same as our first duel if I didn’t manage to dodge it.

I leant my body to the side and swept my staff along the floor. He could either correct his thrust or he could avoid my strike. Through our battles, it had become clear that Bryan focused on evasion over offense. If he decided to trade hits, that would be like a loss to him.

And that fact would be my advantage. As he dodged, I yelled out my next buff.

“Strengthen!”

He pulled his sword back and hopped over my strike. My staff swung below his toes as he jumped to the side. It wouldn’t be possible for me to pull the stop my swing, so I followed with the momentum and swung around a full one eighty degrees.

Whilst Bryan was hidden from view, I knew what he would do next.

Without a wasted second, I thrust my staff behind me with all my strength.

“Buffed Strike!”

The several failed attempts at ability usage had taught me a harsh lesson. If it was too clear when you were about to use one, your enemy would either dodge or counter it with ease. This time it had been worked into the middle of a combo, which didn’t give him time to react.

My head had barely twisted enough to catch a glimpse of him as my staff crashed into his chest.

Or at least, it should have.

He had drawn his second sword and blocked the strike. Despite his speedy reaction, my blow still launched him back several feet and left him to skid along the floor. As he regained his footing, I spun around, corrected my grip on the staff and dashed towards him. It was like a spear charge, behind which I had placed all my power.

This is it!

Bryan was about to catch his footing, but I had one final trick. I focused my power and used my Transmutation on the ground by his feet. The floor was covered in a thick layer of sand, both to dampen impacts and to absorb any blood left behind by the battles that took place. Its fine texture let my powers work to their full advantage as it formed a small hole beneath his feet and caught on to the side of his shoes.

It wasn’t a tight grip, but it was a distraction he hadn’t expected. The split second of confusion gave me the time to approach and thrust my staff towards his chest.

He blocked it, but that was expected. If my little trick had been enough to take him down, then all of his experience would be for nought. I stepped forward and put all my strength into my legs as I yelled out the ability one last time.

“Buffed Strike!”

My strength, augmented by the ability plus his lack of solid footing added together as he tipped back. I continued my push into his chest as he fought for balance.

Go down!

But he had one last trick of his own. He pulled one foot free and kicked my staff up into the air. As it rocketed up, he deflected it off to the side with one sword. My staff swept past his head as I lost my balance. It was as if I had taken a step off an unseen ledge at full speed..

My body fell towards him, which gave him the chance to regain his balance and land a solid punch in the centre of my chest. My body fell back to the floor as my strength failed me.

He had won, again.

“Bloody hell, Rook. that was scary.” Bryan took several deep breaths as he looked at me. “You sure you haven’t done this before?”

“I’ve watched a few videos.” I shook my head from the floor. Despite all my efforts, it was currently impossible for me to push myself up.

“Videos, huh?”

Bryan spun around as a new voice echoed out across the arena. I couldn’t see his face, but from his tense stance, it was clear he didn’t like who he saw. Unfortunately, I knew the voice too well to be ignorant of our visitor.

“Hello, Ray.” Bryan spoke through gritted teeth. “What’re you doing here?”