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Chapter 103 - Tree Test [2]

Third POV:

Zack was walking between the trees, looking around for any sign of movement. The sun had already set and it was night time, with only Yggdrasil's light giving them a view.

Svend jumped from the top of one of the trees, both halves of Astrid raised high in the air. Zack turned around and, with a wave of his hand, he sent his student flying away, rolling on the ground.

"Sneak attack was a smart idea, but you were too noisy. It gave away both your position AND your plan of attack," Zack explained as Svend stood back up.

Zack turned to his rock element and raised his hand, ripping off several chunks of the ground and sending them towards Svend, who immediately raised his shields to block.

Once the attack was over, Svend looked at his mentor from between his shields. His breath was heavy and sweat covered his brows. All he can do in his position was defend.

"Alright, I think we can take a break," Zack said, looking up ag the sky. Svend looked at him in surprise as he turned around and created a lounging chair made of stone to lay on. "Go get something to eat and some sleep. I'll be here when you're ready."

"Meistari, I don't understand," Svend just looked him in confusion. "Is the test over?"

"No. The test is gonna keep going until you lay your hand on me. But, you can't fight without getting to sleep or eat at one point. So, every now and then, I'm gonna just stand there. You can attack me, but I won't attack you. I suggest you take those chances to take a rest," Zack explained as he placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"So... I can still attack and you won't attack back?"

Svend asked, raising the two halves of Astrid as he tip toed towards Zack.

When he was right behind the Elemental's chair, Zack raised his hand and snapped his fingers, causing a large pillar of stone to shoot upwards from underneath Svend, sending him screaming to the air.

"Saying that I won't attack doesn't mean I won't defend myself," Zack commented while Svend broke through the branches of a tree before falling to the ground. "Again, you better use those moments to rest rather than try your luck. I'll start attacking as soon as the sun rises."

Svend groaned before getting up and sighing. He walked away towards the place where the shack was to eat some of the food there and get some rest. "What are you doing?" Yggdrasil asked Zack as he lounged.

"What do you mean?"

"We both know he can't hurt you. You have several ways to make sure he CAN'T touch you. So, why did you make a test like that?" Yggdrasil asked. Zack opened his eyes and looked at the World Tree.

"I have my reasons. I'm not stupid enough to believe he'll develop some mysterious power that gives him an advantage. The point of what I'm doing is to teach him something, not just make him stronger."

"You have no intention of letting him win, do you?" Yggdrasil asked but Zack simply closed his eyes without answering. "Zack, I know you don't sleep, answer me!"

(-)

A whole week has passed with Svend tryout and failing to land any strike on Zack.

Svend slid on the ground, holding his shields upwards before parting them to look at his mentor, who was

holding a stone hammer in both hands. The Elemental raised the hammer and swung down, smashing it on the human's shield. Svend blocked the attack with one shield, grunting from the pressure, while his other hand went to the ground and made al series of movements.

When Zack raised the hammer again, Svend jumped back making a distance between himself and his mentor. Runes lit up where Svend was standing before the ground exploded.

When the dust settled, it revealed Zack in his metal form, without a single scratch. "You're getting smarter," he commented looking around for Svend.

"But you made it too obvious that you were preparing Runes. You should try to make a distraction first to draw attention away from-"

"Like this?" Svend asked as he used one of Astrid's halves to cleave a large chunk of a tree's bark.

The tree began falling towards Zack. As it was falling, Runes lit up on the tree and it burst into flames, looking like a wave of fire falling at the Elemental.

Svend smiled, thinking that he finally got his mentor... only for his smile to vanish as the tree stopped falling and the fire was swallowed by spikes of ice.

"You're getting better. You really improved in the last week,"

Zack said before stepping out of the ice spikes. Svend has seen his mentor in many forms, but this one was completely new to him.

Zack's body was now made up entirely of pale-blue ice with the face and claws being dark blue.

"I picked up a little something while I was leaving you the spear at the mountain top," Zack said as he raised his hand and created several frozen spears in the air. "Back to it, Kid. Show me what you got."

Svend just groaned and raised Astrid as the spears shot towards him.

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