A low thrust. . ? She's going for my leg. I thought as I quickly repositioned myself and threw a kick, aiming straight for her head. Since my kick was low and she wasn't able to go any lower, the only option she had was to jump in order to avoid it.

And I was right. With wide eyes, she jumped over. I now have her trapped. Since she's in mid-air there is nowhere else she can go. Using the momentum of my previous attack I set another in motion. Spinning around I brought down my leg and threw the other in the air. She had no way around it as my kick aimed straight at her once more.

She put up both her arms in defense and then braced herself for impact. Letting out a pained groan as my kick made contact I managed to push her back. Before her body slammed into the floor she caught herself by placing her hands on the ground behind her head. Using the force of my kick, she pushed her legs back causing her to do a flip and land back on her feet.

Without showing any signs of pain or discomfort she charged at me. She let out a raging battle cry while throwing various attacks at me. Being fully concentrated on the directions of her strikes I was able to predict where they would land and where she would aim for next.

Knowing she wasn't going anywhere with this she took a step back. . . She's throwing a kick! I thought, bringing both my arms up for defense but at the very last second her body shifted, and her stance lowered. Since my body was unprotected she aimed there. Thrusting her first deep into my stomach.

Letting out a groan I disregarded the pain as I caught another one of her first which headed straight for my face. Turning to my side I caught another. Locking her hands tightly together I pushed her back with all my strength.

In turn, she didn't come at me anymore. "At first I thought that teaching you was hopeless. But the more I did the more I found myself wanting to," she spoke, her tone soft. "Too bad our time has to come to an end."

Hearing her words I locked eyes with her feeling confused. "W-What do you mean?" I asked, having a vague idea of where this was going.

"I've taught you all I know and so there's no need to continue this training," she said.

It's only been a season since I started training with her. Time sure does fly. Feeling my body relax I then felt my stomach, where she hit me, begin to ache. "Already, huh?" I said, slowly massaging myself to ease the pain. "You know we can still see each other even if we're not in training."

"I know," she answered. "And I do hope to meet you again but for now I want to work on my own training. So that next time we meet I'll finally beat you," she said with a determined expression.

So this is it then. . . Letting out a sigh I tried to ignore the feeling of sadness. "I'll be waiting, then," I told her then stretched out my hand. "Until our next duel."

Letting out a smile she took my hand. "Until our next duel," she repeated. Shortly after that, we went our separate ways.

The first time I meet her I thought she was a bad-tempered child but the more I got to know her the more I realized that she had some serious skills, that I wanted to learn for myself.

I wasn't all that off Shina did tend to get irritated sometimes. But when we started our combat training she seemed totally into it as if she were a completely different person and even her speech sounded better.

I guess since I've finally finished learning the basics I should start my magic training again. It's been close to a whole season since I haven't used mana.

Shina's Perspective

Why did I agree to teach him? Why, despite my desire to gain strength did I give away my techniques to some boy I had just met? A boy who was surprisingly strong, stronger than me.

Was it because of the stories of his journey through Canavar. . ? No, I knew exactly why. . . The way he acted. . . A mature boy whom I thought was older than me turned out to be a year younger. He resembled him in every way.

The way he spoke, the way he moved, and the way he gave that vibe of being like a caring older brother. My rival, who never wronged me, never made fun of me for being weak but actually inspired me to be better.

The same rival who was at the top of everyone in our village. No one was ever able to beat him. The closest anyone has ever gotten was me.

Despite his superiority, he never showed it off, never bullied the weak, and overall never took advantage of his strength. In a way, Arata resembled him.

Arata's Perspective

Today is the day when Leon's days in the training camp finally come to an end. They're having a graduation ceremony at the training camps to congratulate each new recruit.

We sat down on bleachers overlooking the field. With other families watching around us. Shortly after several men and women started marching to the center of the field all dressed in light brown uniforms.

Oh? There they are. . . I thought as I brought my hand up above my eyes and began scanning the area. Now, where is Leon? He's usually easy to spot.

I know the vests of their uniforms are color-coded. For people who just finished their training, it's brown. Then it moves up to green, followed by blue, and finally black as you move up the ranks. If I remember correctly, the two men who found me in Canavar had blue uniforms.

"There's, father," said Hanna while pointing her finger. Following her line of sight, I spotted him standing in the front. Separately lined up with nine other people.

According to Emma, Leon was among one of the top candidates. Is that why he's standing in a separate group? I'm pretty sure he is in the sword master class. That's pretty high for a trainee.

The person who I assumed is the instructor began to congratulate every trainee. I couldn't hear his words since we were some distance away. But I could see him shaking everyone's hand.

From here on Leon will then choose the type of duty he'll want to do which is either patrol around a sector of the capital, guard the Royal Palace, or do fieldwork.

Knowing him he'll choose the field branch. Once he chooses that he'll have to be in a squad by either having one invite him, creating his own, or being randomly selected into one.

I know that there is an office where people send letters from every city and village requesting help with a specific task. The squads can decide what mission to take by reading over the requirements as well as how much the sender is willing to pay.

For example, if someone wants to experiment on monster carcasses or needs some kind of resource they just pay one of the squads to retrieve it. There are also minor tasks like finding lost animals, helping with cleaning, or just hanging out.

It's basically paid services. But in most cases, there are a number of distress letters asking to find a missing person or catch a criminal. And it's also a great way for a person to make a name for themselves.

If a major problem arises the king will personally choose a squad to take care of it and have them paid accordingly. But if the kingdom happens to go to war every soldier will be called to the field.

"Congratulations, father," I spoke as he walked up to us, looking very professional with that attire on.

"Thank you, Arata," he spoke, showing a small smile as he tousled my hair. "Now to celebrate. Let's go grab some fancy dinner," At his words, Mia and Hanna cheered in excitement.

-----

The following day I stood in the backyard and for the first time in a while, I called forth my mana. In doing so a feeling I had forgotten resurfaced within me. I began launching spells in every direction. "Haha," I let out. I forgot how fun this was.

Then finally, internal mana control. Concentrating on the flow of mana inside me I circled it through every extension of my body. My legs, my arms, and my head. With each rotation, I could feel my body getting lighter as the power of mana infused my muscles.

Having my sword in hand I began swinging it around, performing the Euro's style. With every movement, I could feel myself being able to do more. It worked. My idea worked. I had done it.

I originally stopped training due to my inability to grow further in strength. It was as if there was a giant wall blocking my path. But now. . . I had done it. I had shattered my limits. And now I won't stop training.

I still have lots to do.