"I am a dual wielder as well," Linda said, pointing the sword in her right hand at Alden. "Come up. I will teach you."
Down the arena, Alden was dumbfounded. 'What trouble did I just get into?'
He looked at Neo, hoping he would have a solution.
"Go," Neo said. "I know it's hard, and you might be scared to face her. But this is a great opportunity for you."
Alden did not expect this from Neo. He expected Neo to be against him facing the teacher, just like he was against Owen facing Carol.
"It is your first time today to touch a weapon, right?" Neo asked.
Alden nodded hesitantly in reply.
"And you chose the dual-wielding swords." Neo continued. "It is hard to master the dual wielding. Very few actually use dual wielding, and even If you find someone, he would not be willing to teach you, at least not for free.
This is a great opportunity. Go up there and try to learn everything you can from her."
Alden gulped hard. Previously, he did not think things thoroughly, but now that Neo pointed it out, this was indeed a great opportunity.
"Please hold this." Alden passed to Neo the blue cultivation technique he held.
With trembling legs, Alden climbed onto the arena and stood opposite Linda.
"Take your fighting stance," Linda said, her voice commanding.
Alden did not know how to fight, nor did he know of any fighting stance. So he just unsheathed his swords. Holding the long sword in his left hand and the short in his right, he waited for the fight to start.
Just a single glance from Linda was enough to tell that Alden did not know how to fight. "He does not even know how to use the weapon." She muttered, angry because of her wasted time.
'Well, since I came up on the arena. I should still teach him a lesson.' She thought.
"Come, attack me!" She ordered.
"Haaa!" Alden rushed at Linda.
Swoosh!
He swung the short sword in his right hand at Linda.
Clang!
Effortlessly, Linda blocked the attack.
Swoosh!
But Alden was not finished. He thrust the longer sword in his left hand at Linda.
"Slow! Weak!" Linda commented. She got out of the way, dodging the longsword.
As she dodged, with her feet, she tripped Alden.
Thud!
Alden fell forward with his face on the ground.
"Teacher, this is not fair," Alden complained as he raised. "Your realm is higher, while I am just an ordinary human. With your speed, I can not even touch you."
"You think that's the reason you could not hit me?" Linda asked sternly.
Faced with this question, Alden hesitated to reply. "Y-Yes." After a few seconds, he replied, his voice full of uncertainty.
"I only moved at the speed of an ordinary human," Linda revealed. "The reason you could not hit me is totally because of your lack of skill and understanding of your own weapon."
"First lesson. You are holding the swords wrong. The longer sword is heavier than the short sword. Always hold the heavier sword with your dominant hand."
"Come again!" She ordered sternly.
Alden switched the swords between his hands as Linda said. And indeed, he immediately felt the difference. Though the difference in weight between the long and short sword was not much, when he switched the longer sword into his right dominant hand and the short sword into his left hand, he felt like a huge weight had fallen down his shoulders. He felt more stable and could move around easier.
"Haaaa!" He rushed at Linda once again, this time more confident than before.
Swoosh!
He swung the longsword at Linda, but she effortlessly deflected the attack yet again.
But Alden did not give up. He continued attacking her with the long sword and then with the short sword.
"Lesson two," Linda spoke mid-fight as she blocked and deflected Alden's attacks.
"You are attacking like an ordinary swordsman and not a dual wielder. An ordinary swordsman has no choice but to attack the target.
But you have the advantage of two swords. Do not constantly focus on attacking me. When you attack with one sword try to predict where I will move to dodge. And then with the second sword, attack where you predicted I would be after dodging."
Swoosh!
Alden thrust the sort sword at Linda.
With her foot, Linda pushed herself off the ground, backward, dodging the attack.
However, Alden was prepared and waiting for her. He had predicted she would dodge this way.
Swoosh!
His sword was already flying at her.
Linda smiled. 'Not bad. A quick learner.'
Clang!
She blocked the attack.
Thud!
Instantly after blocking the attack, she delivered a kick at Alden's left thigh.
"Aghhh!" Alden groaned in pain as he fell to the ground. He dropped the swords.
"Lesson three. Do not only use your swords. Use your body to attack as well."
Alden stood up. His left leg hurt, and he could not stand on it.
"But this is not enough!" Linda shouted sternly, her expression grim.
Bam!
Alden felt an invisible pressure upon himself.
It crushed him to the ground, his face kissing the floor. He tried to rise, but he could not move a muscle. 'What is happening?' He thought, panicking.
"You are weakling." Linda continued. "You are too weak to be friends with Owen and Neo. You will only hold them back. Sooner or later, they will leave you."
Anger arose in Alden. No, he was frustrated. Frustrated that Linda was right.
Under the pressure, Alden clenched his fists. He was in immense pain, but he endured. "I know that!" He uttered.
"What if the city is attacked by beasts?!" Linda shouted. "What will you say then? When they massacre everyone in the city, your friends and family. Will it bring them back to life if you say you know you are a weakling?"
Tears filled Alden's eyes as he imagined the scenes of a whole city destroyed and his family killed. "What can I do?!" Alden shouted. "You do not understand! You, born with a golden spoon, can not understand the struggles of us ordinary people.
The oppression of the rich and powerful. You have no choice but to sit back and give way to them! If only I had a chance!"
Alden shouted in tears. He let out those words he had in his heart for a long time.
"You want a chance!?" Linda questioned. "Today, I discovered a hidden gem in my class. And the geniuses I discovered before also managed to surpass my expectations. I am in a good mood."
"What is your name!?"
"Alden Garsia!" Alden replied.
"Alden Garsia!" Linda spoke, her voice deadly. As she spoke, the pressure on Alden increased. "Today, I am in a good mood. I will give you the chance you desire so much!"
"Rise!" She shouted. "Rise and show me your determination!"
Alden, using all his strength, tried to rise, but he could not. 'No, no, no!' he screamed internally, knowing he could not afford to lose this chance.
He tried once again, but he felt like his bones would break.
"Is this what your determination amounts to?" The swords in Linda's hands disappeared, and she was about to turn back and go down the arena.
"Wait!" Alden shouted. "It's not over yet!"
With tears filled eyes, he thought of everyone leaving him. Neo and Owen leaving him because of his lack of strength and because he holds them back. He did not want that. The scenes of beasts killing his family replayed in his head. He did not want to lose anyone, he wanted to protect them all.
"Aghhhhhhhhhh!" Using all his might, Alden started slowly rising. He was pushing himself off the ground with his hands.
Crack!
A cracking sound sounded from his palms, but this did not stop Alden. "It's not over!" He continued rising, not caring about the pain. He could not miss this golden opportunity.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The bones in his body started breaking one by one. His hands were completely destroyed, but he continued rising up using his legs.
Finally, he managed to fully raise.
Linda smiled. "Good!"
With a wave of her hand, the pressure upon Alden disappeared.
Alden stood, his hands purple because of the internal injuries his broken bones caused. But he did not feel pain, as he was unconscious. He had fainted from the pain.
His body swayed, and he started falling forward.
Swoosh!
Linda instantly appeared before him and supported his body.
She gently placed his body on the ground.
"Wood Slug!" She called.
The green slug came out of the portal and attached itself for Alden.
As the green slug was healing Alden, Neo came up to the arena and walked up to Linda.
"Don't you think you have gone overboard?" Neo questioned, his fists tightly clenched.
He was holding back the urge to retaliate at her for pushing Alden so far. He was not holding back because he gained respect for her like Carol. He was just grateful for her healing the little stone man, nothing else.
"He wanted a chance, so I gave him one," Linda replied indifferently.
"But almost all of his bones in the arms are broken," Neo said, the pity for Alden obvious in his voice.
"It's not a bad thing," Linda replied. "After he is healed he would be a little more tolerant to pain."
As Neo and Linda finished their talk, the green slug had finished healing Alden.
Alden slowly opened his eyes.
"How do you feel?" Neo asked as he helped Alden get up.
"I don't feel any pain," Alden replied.
"Take this." Out of nowhere, in Linda's hand appeared a brown book. She threw the book at Alden.
Instinctively, out of reflex, Alden caught the book.
On the front cover of the book, it was written: "Dual Wielding."
"That is a martial arts manual for dual wielding," Linda spoke. "This is the chance I am giving you."
A wide smile spread on Alden's face, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Thank you, tea..." He was about to give her a deep bow of gratitude, but Linda stopped him before he could.
"Stop!" She shouted sternly. "Don't feel too happy yet. This is only part 1 of the whole manual for dual-wielding. Prove me that you deserve the other two parts."
"I will not dissa..."
Sob! Sob!
A sound of sobbing interrupted Alden.
They all turned toward the source of the sobbing.