TWO SWORDS CLASHED each other, making an echo in the air. The two figures quickly took a short distance back after the clash.
Davin ran in straight with the sword and slashed it towards his left waist, but Wrik blocked it with his sword and then pushed it back with force. Davin stepped back a foot and pulled his muscle force as well, and pushed the sword back.
Wrik took two steps back and slashed towards Davin's left leg, but Davin dodged by leaping. Davin took the initiative to strike next time. This time at his shoulder. Wrik was a little startled by Davin's aggressiveness, took a few steps back.
"You're stepping up your game, Davin. Let's see… On your left knee."
After saying that, Wrik pierced towards Davin's left knee, while Davin placed his sword with a block, but Wrik followed by swinging the sword upward. Davin startled, hurriedly tried to step back, and he fell on his back.
Davin rolled on the surface and stood up. He inhaled a deep breath and looked towards Wrik.
Wrik was similarly looking at Davin, grinning. His legs had healed entirely a couple of days ago, there's nothing to hold him back anymore.
He took the initiative again and swung the sword at his opponent's chest. Davin blocked, as both of them started duelling aggressively.
After a few moves, Davin had a bad hunch and struck aggressively towards Wrik.
Wrik stepped sideways as his left foot backwards, and the approaching sword missed his chest by a few inches, and he slashed the sword towards Davin's underarms. It only stopped before touching the underarm.
And the game was over.
Wrik sheathed his sword, beaming a smile towards his opponent. Everything was coming back to him. Though it's still abstract, he's getting better with the hang of things.
"You know?" Davin gasped for breaths. "Sometimes you go quite wild while battling?"
Wrik raised an eyebrow at that. This was new to him. Calling Anton 'wild' might be right, as he sometimes went on berserk without caring about anything. While Wrik always tries to find an opportunity to make his move, the easiest way is to take advantage of the skirmish. It's not just a sword fight, even in life he always plays by these rules.
"I've seen it," Davin continued, seeing his bewildered appearance. "Even when you're fighting against the goblins a week before, it's like . . . well, I don't know how to describe it. But you were wild."
"Well, I don't know if it's a bad thing?" Wrik was uncertain about this, but didn't deny it. "Probably not, right?"
Davin nodded before taking a seat on the ground to out strap the belts on his leather armour.
The sun rose a few hours ago. It was a week since Phase-I finished. Everyone has been busy these days, resting their fatigue or injuries, training and getting used to combat. Wrik rested a full day before starting the general practice with Anton and Davin while Tanya and Evan started from the very next day.
"By the way, where's Tanya?" Wrik asked. He hadn't seen her today at her usual meditating seat after his meditation.
Davin shook his head in reply.
Anton and Evan should be finishing up their jogging by now. Today was their last day in this region. After finishing up the goblins, there were no more monsters present in this region, so they decided to leave here.
"Well, I need a bath," he said, smelling the sweats on his body. "Are you coming?"
"No, I wanted to practice the Kata more."
"As you wish." Wrik left Davin and walked towards the waterfall. It was quite close by.
As he walked, Wrik lost in thinking, mostly on what to expect in the next phase. He heard that the phase-II would be immensely harder than the first, but he found almost no sign of that in the last week. They all had been training in leisure, growing their stats and abilities with the items they bought from the bald salesman. Particularly the growth-stimulating serum, it works like a charm—with the same amount of training they were growing approximately four times faster. Well, maybe because their physical and mental attributes were still low.
His attributes rose considerably with the help from the growth-stimulating serum, it's even more apparent on his physical body now, though there's no additional weird muscle growth. He's the same old Wrik, tall and skinny. The stat that rose most of his was Vitality and Constitution. While practising swordplay with Davin and Evan each day, his Swordsmanship rose to D- as well. As for Mana manipulation—he was adapting well with that too.
The sounds of water plummeting came to his ears with the cool breeze as he approached his destination. Suddenly, he felt something eerie coming his way. He stepped sideways a few feet. And the next moment, an ice spike hit a few feet in front.
[Agility increased by 1.]
Wrik didn't have time to delight as he unsheathed his sword.
"Do not approach."
He finally calmed down upon hearing a familiar voice. It was from Tanya. He looked around to guess she was bathing, though he didn't see her silhouette, if he saw the ice spike might have been in his gut.
"Alright, alright." He grinned a bit, though it's a hollow laugh. "Just don't shoot any more spells."
"I won't if you stayed right there," Tanya replied, behind the large boulder.
'Who wanted to see you bathing?' Wrik mumbled, shaking his head.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing," Wrik lips tighten as he understood he had said that out loud.
"But I heard something."
"Well," Wrik said hesitantly. "I was quite tired and wanted to take a bath."
"You can come."
Wrik didn't have the time to ponder over what she was suggesting when he heard her saying again:
"If you don't mind a few ice spikes in your body."
"No, thank you. I'm good here."
"And don't you dare open those shiny eyes of yours," she warned again.
Wrik raised an eyebrow. As much as he would've wanted, his [Eye of Insights] won't be able to traverse the enormous boulder. "I won't even dare to breathe if you command, my lady."
A still silence followed for a brief movement, there's only the sound of water hitting rocks and rushing before Tanya opened her mouth again.
"Well, say something."
"Why?"
"If not, how can I tell if you're approaching here?"
'Do you want me to approach?' Wrik exhaled a deep breath but abided. "How's the water?"
"What type of question is that? You don't know how it is?"
"Um, my bad, I thought you only asked me to say something." He then asked something he was considering for a few days. "By any chance are you related to Sophia Syfinn?"
"Yes," a curious voice came this time. "How do you know her?"
"Well, she approached me with the invitations to the tower at first . . ." He told her the truth, there's nothing to hide.
But there's no reply. And the silence continued for a few moments before Wrik could see a slender silhouette approaching from behind the boulder.
Tanya arrived wearing her usual black gown. Her hair was still wet, left over her both shoulders. She didn't wear any ornaments like always apart from the silver bracelet on her left arm. The emerald eyes of her were full of mischievousness—he hadn't seen much during the Trial.
He wetted his lips to say something but didn't. Was he stunned to see her? No. He wouldn't call it stunned. It was just endorsing her elegance.
"Now, it's yours. You can wash now." She left his stunned figure behind before halting in her walk. "Don't worry, I won't peek either."
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