“Do I really have to do this?” I heard Crit mumbling to himself. He didn’t even bother to hide his annoyance from his face, which I found interesting given his usual lack of expression.

I awkwardly stared at him, waiting for him to start our “training”. Just then, he threw a wooden sword towards me. After spinning twice, it perfectly landed and sunk a few feet away from me. It looked like an extra cheap imitation of excalibur.

“Get that,” he said, “try to at least not die on me.”

I looked at him, wide eyed. That last sentence didn’t sound good to me. True enough, Crit launched towards me as soon as my fingers touched the wooden sword’s hilt.

Our eyes met, and there was no sense of hesitation within his. Within a moment, he swung his swords towards me, giving me no more than a moment to draw the wooden sword from the ground and defend from Crit’s attack.

Fortunately, the sword smoothly came out of the ground just in time for me to deflect Crit’s sword. The two wooden swords crashed, and I nearly let go of mine. I could feel my hand going numb from the impact, but Crit wasn’t going to give me any chances to recover.

He sidestepped then followed up with an upward swing. I barely moved my sword, but I wasn’t fast enough to form a solid defense. When Crit’s sword hit mine, I wasn’t able to maintain my grip. My sword flew, and I fell on my butt.

Obviously, I lost. However, Crit wasn’t finished yet. Unlike what I saw on television, Crit didn’t end the match by pointing the tip of his sword on my neck. Instead, he gathered his strength and swung his sword on my side.

The hit knocked the air out of my lungs, and I literally grasped my sides as I desperately gasped for air. I kicked and fluttered in a futile attempt to direct my attention elsewhere. I pathetically remained like that for a few minutes, and when I was able to calm down, the damage Crit did was evident. The place where he hit me was swollen, and it hurt with the slightest movement.

“Stand up,” Crit commanded as he walked away from me. “We’ve only just began.”

I stared at Crit’s back, half-hoping, half begging that he was joking. But by the looks of it, he wasn’t. Left with no choice, I tried to pick myself up, but my knees buckled and I fell on one knee. Just then, Crit had already turned around with the wooden sword taut in his hand.

I swallowed. I could feel my forehead and back being covered in cold sweat.

“Now, let’s get more serious.”

Hearing him say that, my eyes widened. You mean that wasn’t serious just yet.

I could literally feel my sides throbbing from pain.

Before I shat my pants, Crit continues. “Watch carefully.”

The moment he said that, white light gathered around his hand, slowly engulfing the wooden hilt. The light crept towards the blade like a smooth river coursing across the blade. After a while, the entire wooden sword was encased by smooth white light. It seemed like the sword just had its own avatar.

“This is how you reinforce your weapon with mana. Gather it on your hand, then manipulate it to slowly cover your weapon. After that, the only thing you have to do is maintain it.”

Good thing I already had prior knowledge, or else, I would’ve found myself slack jawed like an idiot. With Crit’s character, I doubted he’d be so kind to discuss it further. I immediately gathered mana on my hand, which was a cinch thanks to Search and Wind Blade.

With my eyes closed, I sensed my mana and slowly manipulated it to cover my blade. When my mana completely encased the sword, I opened my eyes. What greeted me was a prompt.

[Congratulations! You’ve learned a new skill(???) Mastery: 1%]

When I looked at my sword, the mana was nowhere near like Crit’s. Mine was coarse and edgy. If Crit’s was comparable to a smooth river, mine was as coarse as a mountainside.

Without a moment’s notice, Crit rushed towards me again. But instead of slashing, he stabbed towards me. I quickly closed the prompt and positioned my sword to block Crit’s attack. However, the mana around Crit’s sword pierced mine like it was jelly.

He didn’t pull out even when my sword was already cut into two. When he did, there was already a hole on my shoulder. Blood gushed as the pain finally registered.

“Ugh!” I groaned, clasping my wounded elbow.

I thought we’re supposed to be training?! I thought.

“This is Mana Blade. Concentrate until you’ve mastered it enough to defend from my attack. Don’t worry, I won’t be holding back.” Crit’s tone was monotonous. He said that as if he was asking me to count from one to ten.

[Skill name registered: Mana Blade (Mastery 1%)]

I winced in pain. My mind was torn between focusing on my wound or wondering if Crit was actually a Demon.

Crit looked back, then added, “You won’t be dying on my watch.”

Cold sweat covered my back. Even though what he said should be comforting, I couldn’t help feeling threatened. Just then, Piram’s sweet voice came from behind me. I looked back and she was holding a tray of bread.

“Oh, you seem to be working hard. I brought some bread.” When she saw my wound, she merely ignored it like it was nothing more than a dirt on my shirt.

She let the tray down, then put her hand on top of my head. Green light enveloped me and the irritating itch made its appearance once again. But what caught my attention was the teal light I saw out of the corner of my eyes. My cut wooden sword was also being enveloped by mana. However, it moved without Piram moving it, then attached both pieces.

Then, the cut slowly mended itself. The moment the itch on my shoulder disappeared, the sword had reconnected.

Without a moment more, Crit said, “One more.”

***

Name: Kite Title: --- Age: 16 Class: -- Level: 16 Race: Human (Demon) MP: 145 Strength: 25+43 Intelligence: 29 + 32 Agility: 21 + 34 Wisdom: 21 + 40

I stared at my character window, wondering if the big leap in levels was actually worth it. I was now certain that Piram and Crit were no ordinary humans. Their training was more demonic than the previous one I had. Crit continued to attack me using Mana Blade, not even bothering to pull back even after piercing holes into my body.

But before my wounds even become fatal, Piram would appear by my side to heal me and repair my sword. She would even do it with a casual smile plastered on her face. However, the healing process was nowhere near relaxing. The more wounds I received, the greater the itch as I feel my torn muscles re-binding itself. Even though I was physically alright, my psychological state was way past its limit. However, this much was still nothing compared to the betrayal I felt from Shiki and Bria.

With Crit adamantly continuing to attack me until I’ve successfully defended, the torture ran like a cycle. After I’d lost count of how many repetitions it had been, I finally barely parried his attack. The sun was already setting, and I finally managed to get a break.

Skills.

[Skills:

Subjugate: Mastery 100%

Wind Cutter: Mastery 100%

Wind Walk: Master 100%

Wind Blade: Mastery 10%

Mana Blade: Mastery 40%

Search: Mastery 80%]

I sighed. Even though I did get stronger from that torture, I was still nowhere near my former strength. What’s more, there’s this unscratchable itch within me urging me to hack something.

Just then, the ground shook and the sound of heavy footsteps echoed outside.