Chapter 51. Spar "So the interesting that we will be doing today is sparring," their eyes sparkled, it was their first fight against another human. Fighting monsters always got bloody. But they misunderstood something, "You won't be fighting each other." "Then who will we fight? Some of the guards?" Lucy asked confused. "The one you will be sparring with is," I paused. "Don't tell me," Looks like Luke had guessed it. "Me." "I will use the same level of strength as my partner, but I won't stop mid-way or give you any free openings. Are you ready Arthur?" Arthur was really sticking with the 'King Arthur' theme, using a long two-handed sword. We were in the forest, surrounded by trees while the other watched from a distance. "Ready." I dashed in right when he responded, Arthur took a step back and brought his sword to meet mine. I was using a normal sword, the same as his, and when the collision happened sparks flew off. Arthur also wasn't holding back, he was fully serious about this. We were at a standstill for seconds when stopped exerting pressure and let the sword push toward me. I stepped aside, now my sword was pressed to the ground by his sword. I let go of my sword and spun around to punch him. His sword wouldn't be fast enough to block that, so Arthur also had to let go of his sword to dodge. From there Arthur wasn't able to do much except much. He had practiced a lot with his sword, but close combat was something he was not used to. He had enough strength, for now, he needed a little more stamina and some more practice. He was heading in the right direction, he just needed to take in some skills. "Stop," I said noticing that he was about to collapse, which he did. "What are the things that you have to improve on?" "Close combat, awareness, expecting the unexpected, and probably more stamina." He did properly understand the areas he was lacking. Arthur just needed an opportunity to grow, which now had. And was making proper use of it. "You should increase your stamina a little, and a little dexterity also. Dexterity will bring fluidity to your motions, connecting different attacks and giving them more flow. The skills that you select are going to be an important aspect. Skills can either complement or hinder each other and choosing the right skills will be very crucial. It's not just for Arthur but you all too, do you hear me?" ""Yes Sir,"" I heard a loud and clear reply. "Luke your turn." He just nodded and walked over with a staff in his hand. From my perspective, the staff was an interesting weapon, a weapon that if you knew how to correctly use could become a short-range or long-ranged according to your wish. Spears were the same, but they had a pointed end to the killing focus. While staffs were blunt and equal all throughout its body, you only required enough force or a proper technique to use that heavy thing. It could block and hit effectively, the only downside was that you wouldn't be able to kill the opponent unless you bash his head to mush. But Luke had found a solution to that. "Ready," he said and rushed in. His staff was covered in a shiny layer, to try what it did I let the staff hit my sword. And the force that hit was impractical. I had to let the staff slide off and jump back because my hand was still shaking, I did not expect that force. Luke once again rushed in but I just avoided him for the next few hits. And not long after he had exhausted all of his mana and couldn't continue using his skill to enhance his strikes. He had invested points in Int and Wis from what I could see. "For now keep adding points in the body-related stats, you have enough mana for now. Dex is one of the most important stats for you, as the staff has to be in constant motion for different combos." "I first expected the skill to be instant activation but it does not work like that. The sheen slowly spreads and takes time to cover it fully." "So practice it, use those skills again and again. Not every skill works how expect them to, even I had those issues. But as they level up, they become more practical to use. During your next skill selection, search for skills that can merge with your main skills. Like an instant cast skill, which will allow you to activate the skill right before you hit. This way you won't waste mana and can confuse your enemy, will he use it this time or not. There are many ways to use a skill, you just need to think how." "Lucy, you ready?" "Always," she bumped her gauntlets together. They weren't exactly gauntlets but leather gloves with metal knuckles on them, custom-made by Garry. She had them order-made after getting her class. But if I had to say, she was the weakest of the three. She ran in with her gauntlet trying to close in but I never gave her an opportunity, every time she tried to close in, I either blocked her with my sword or kicked her away. By the end of it, she wasn't even able to touch me with her fists. "The method of fighting that you have chosen, Lucy, will be harshest of all four of you. The most important stats will be Per, Vit, End, Agi, Str. Perception because you will be too close to the opponent and your body needs to react before you are even able to think about what should I do next. Vit and End so you can take more hits and have more stamina. While Agi and Str will give you the control and strength needed to finish your enemies. Do not even think about magic for now. For the next month, your goal is to get as close as possible and land a hit on me. If you are able to do that I guarantee not even Arthur will be a match for you. But it will be tough. If you have any doubts or want to fight me, I will always be there. Understood?" "Yes Sir!" It was funny because at first, I did not want to teach these three at all, but now, here I was giving them a training schedule, sparring with them, instructing how they will be able to get strong. I also changed a lot. *You're still too harsh with them.* ^You're still too soft with them.^