"Here I come, Master." The moment Anna said this, she gathered strength towards her legs and Dash forwards towards Gabriel.
With a burst of speed, Anna charged towards Gabriel, channeling both fierce might and blinding swiftness into her sword, as she aimed a deadly thrust straight for Gabriel's chest. Yet, with the effortless grace, Gabriel deftly manipulated his wrist, diverting the force of the strike and sending it aside.
This redirection threw Anna into turmoil, tilting her balance and nearly sending her sprawling to the ground. Regaining her footing by a hair's breadth, she remained undeterred. With a determined cry, she initiated a ferocious horizontal slash, hoping to catch Gabriel unprepared.
Gabriel, with uncanny poise, parried the swing without so much as a furrowed brow. Capitalizing on his unyielding defense, he launched a counterattack with lightning precision, his own sword darting towards Anna's exposed wrist.
His sword struck and the impact jolted through Anna's arm, prying her fingers open from her weapon. As her sword clattered to the ground, a momentary flash of panic flickered in Anna's eyes. However, it was swiftly quashed by a rising surge of adrenaline. She discarded her reliance on the wooden sword and, with a burst of renewed ferocity, lunged forward towards Gabriel with a barrage of bare-fists attacks.
Gabriel stood his ground, unshaken by the prospect of a fair fight. Honourably, he threw aside his wooden sword, adopting a defensive stance as he anticipated the oncoming brawl. Anna, with determination in her stride, closed the distance between them. Her left hand snapped out in a blur, aiming a two-pronged strike at Gabriel's face and abdomen.
Yet Gabriel was not caught unaware. With instinctive agility, he tilted his head, rendering her assault on his face ineffective. His right arm shot up in a reflexive guard, thwarting the blow that sought his stomach. In the next heartbeat, his left hand sprang into action, transforming into a rigid palm that thrust forward, striking Anna squarely in the chest with unyielding force.
The impact sent Anna reeling back several inches. She arrested her involuntary flight with a nimble shuffle, but not before a sharp tightness seized her chest—a blatant signal of Gabriel's formidable strength.
In the fleeting moments, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a minute, Anna was struck by a revelation. Gabriel was like an unyielding bulwark, a stark reminder of the challenge ahead. A flicker of despair danced in her eyes, yet it was swiftly extinguished by her unyielding spirit.
Emboldened by the thought of facing such a steadfast opponent, Anna's resolve was set ablaze. She understood then that the journey alongside Gabriel would catalyze her growth, propelling her to new pinnacles of ability. Visions of her future self, blooming into one of the most eminent Hunters, began to crystallize in her mind's eye. With this newfound inspiration, she steeled herself for the arduous path to transcendence that lay ahead.
Aware that she had reached her limits, Anna confronted a truth she had never before faced— defeat. Yielding to Gabriel, she conceded with a hint of frustration etched upon her.
"I surrender. You've bested me," she admitted, her words tinged with defeat. Yet, as she spoke, a spark of determination ignited within her, a silent vow to herself that she would never taste defeat again.
In that moment of candid vulnerability, Gabriel observed a pivotal shift in Anna's journey.
Her willingness to accept her shortcomings marked a subtle yet significant transformation in her character.
"Your acknowledgment of defeat, rather than a sign of weakness, is a testament to your growth," Gabriel expressed warmly, his smile conveying a mix of pride and encouragement.
"You've demonstrated the courage to face reality and the resilience to forge ahead. These are the hallmarks of a true warrior, and they will serve you well in the battles to come." Gabriel's words showed profound wisdom.
Gabriel had two purposes when he asked Anna for a bout: the first was to gauge her proficiency in combat, both with and without weapons. This assessment would allow him to determine what aspects of her skills required refinement or enhancement in her training.
The second purpose stemmed from a particular trait in Anna's personality: she lacked the ability to distinguish her moments of weakness from those of strength. This trait contributed to her eventual demise in the future after she awoke as a Hunter.
Gabriel had no intention of allowing her to perish due to this flaw. He aimed to illustrate to her the stark difference between true strength and mere impatience.
"Alright, how about we start your training?" Gabriel proposed, observing Anna's determined expression and a trace of relief that hinted at her growth from the encounter.
Just like that, Gabriel and Anna spent two weeks training rigorously. Their sessions primarily consisted of sparring, with Gabriel occasionally sharing insights to enhance Anna's skills. During this time, he successfully taught her to wield shields, spears, axes, bows, and martial arts. Surprisingly, he even imparted the complex art of Aura Control.
Over the course of the training, Gabriel made several observations regarding his [Level Up] talent. He noticed that using a skill consistently would increment its level after it accrued sufficient experience.
However, he discovered an additional mechanism: Whenever he engaged in a fight or spar and his opponent admitted defeat or could no longer continue the battle, Gabriel experienced a surge of experience points for the skill utilized to secure victory.
This aspect of the talent likely contributed to his rapid skill acquisition—four new skills after a week of battling skeletons—and their subsequent leveling.
Thanks to his proficiency with a variety of weapons, the skills associated with each eventually converged to form a single, new skill named [Martial Arts]. This skill ensured that any fighting technique he learned or devised matched the proficiency level of his [Martial Arts] skill when integrated with it.
Gabriel reviewed his status after noting these advancements:
{ Name: Gabriel Malling
Age: 15
Level: 1
Talents: [Level up] [Magic Seed]
Skills: [Appraisal Lv 2] [Poison resistance Lv 1] [Martial Arts Lv 7]
[Aura Control Lv 1] [Martial Spirit Lv 2]
Stats:
STR:C- END:C+
SPD:C+ INT:D
Equipment: [Simulation Necklace] }
Satisfied with his progress, Gabriel closed his Personal Window to observe Anna's training. In her final week, he introduced her to the skeleton dungeon—the very location where he had previously honed his own combat prowess.
His strategy involved a cycle of fighting and brief rest periods aimed at sharpening her instincts and bolstering her strength to ensure she was as prepared as possible by the time he will leave this simulation.