With a loud shout from Nal, the two young men picked their weapons, dressed in casual clothes, and moved to the center of the hall. They bowed to each other, moved closer, touched the tips of their wooden swords together, then stepped back to start.
Gaff, a sturdy boy, held a large sword, gripping the hilt with both hands and pointing the blade upwards. Voma wielded a thin sword, gripping it with his right hand in a stabbing stance. Both were intermediate-level knight apprentices.
"Begin!" shouted the judge, Nal, waving his arms to signal the start of the duel.
The boys immediately charged at each other without any flashy moves, their wooden swords clashing with a crisp "bang bang" sound, grabbing everyone's attention. Glancing at their techniques, Ge'an quickly lost interest, feeling that their swordsmanship was simple and lacked any finesse.
"Ge'an, don't underestimate a knight's swordsmanship," said Uncle Lane, chuckling as he approached and began explaining patiently.
"There are many starting stances in knightly swordsmanship. Look at Gaff. With his right hand holding the sword for a direct thrust and left foot forward, this is the 'Ox Stance'—a common stance for thin swords. Voma, on the other hand, holds his sword above his head, left foot forward, relying on arm and waist power. This is the 'High Guard' stance, often used for large swords."
"There are also the 'Feint Stance,' the 'Angry Stance,' and the 'Extended Guard.' And these are just the opening moves—there's also horizontal slashes, vertical chops, diagonal thrusts, direct stabs, and seamless transitions between them, all quite complex."
Ge'an nodded, understanding that Uncle Lane was teaching him, though he remained confident he could defeat both combatants in just a few moves.
Ten minutes later, Voma lunged forward and struck Gaff's wrist, causing him to drop his sword in pain. Voma then held his sword to Gaff's throat.
"Voma wins!" called Nal, as the curly-haired boy cheered in victory.
The matches continued in a ring-style format: the winner stayed on, and the loser stepped down to be replaced by the next challenger, with ten-minute breaks in between.
"Ge'an, are you ready?" Lane asked with a slight smile.
"Uncle Lane, I'm ready," Ge'an replied confidently, resting his sword on the ground.
The baron turned his head slightly, his eyes flashing with mild displeasure but saying nothing. His older brother, Nesser, didn't care at all, considering anyone below a knight not worth his time. His second brother, Yuri, put on a surprised look.
"My dear brother, when we face each other later, please go easy on me," Yuri sneered.
Ge'an frowned in slight annoyance. It didn't matter that his eldest brother ignored him; he held no regard for knights beneath him anyway. His father's inexplicable disdain and hostility puzzled him, but he brushed it off, feeling no real bond with him as a transmigrator. But Yuri's constant snide remarks really grated on his nerves, so Ge'an replied with a light smile, "Of course."
Yuri's smile froze, his narrow eyes filled with rage. "I hope you can still talk like that later."
Ge'an turned away, unwilling to engage further. The baron ignored this petty exchange, tacitly permitting it. Ten minutes later, another knight apprentice took the stage and defeated Voma. Ten minutes after that, Yuri entered the ring.
Yuri, inheriting his mother's fine looks, had a fair face and a gentle smile, with long eyes hinting at malice. Overall, he gave off an air of slyness.
"Master, be careful…" Yuri's opponent bowed slightly, preparing his stance.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, Yuri attacked, striking before his opponent could lift his sword. Like a venomous snake, he slashed diagonally, cutting into his opponent's wrist. Blood poured out, and the opponent dropped his sword in shock. Yuri's strike was so fierce that if he'd used a steel sword, his opponent's hand might have been ruined.
An underhanded attack in what was supposed to be a fair knight apprentice duel? Yet no one seemed bothered…
Ge'an frowned slightly; his caution against Yuri's treachery was well-founded.
Seeing the baron unfazed, Nal, the silver-haired judge, announced loudly, "Yuri Stark, winner!"
The defeated apprentice clutched his injured hand and left, with Yuri sneering, "You really need more practice. Such crude swordsmanship is beneath me."
The boy stumbled, burning with anger but unable to speak up. After all, Yuri was the baron's son and future heir, while he was only a commoner.
Just as Yuri was about to mock him again, a voice interrupted him.
"Enough," said the baron with a slight frown, disapproving of toying with the weak just for amusement.
Startled, Yuri replied, "Yes, Father," and stepped aside to rest, glancing at Ge'an smugly. Ge'an chuckled at his brother's show-off antics, typical for his age.
After resting, Yuri used the same underhanded tactics to defeat all the remaining apprentices, proudly basking in the crowd's praise and applause.
"Well done, son of the baron, strong and skilled! Praise the gods, I would call you the best of all apprentices!"
"Apprentice? Old Bard, you have no idea! Second Young Master will surely become a great knight at least! We're honored to follow him," another added.
"No, no, at the very least, Second Young Master will be a legendary knight."
Listening to the praise, Yuri held his head high, looking down on the crowd with a smug expression, as though their words were absolute truth.
Ge'an couldn't help but smirk. Across the entire continent, there had been fewer than seven legendary knights in hundreds of years...
"Now, only one match remains."
"Ge'an Stark vs. Yuri Stark."
After quieting the crowd, Nal announced the final duel, turning to Yuri, "According to the rules, you're allowed a thirty-minute break."
Still basking in the praise, Yuri waved it off. "No need. I know my brother better than anyone. Let's start now."
Nal nodded and turned to Ge'an. "Young Master Ge'an, are you ready?"
Raising his sword, Ge'an replied calmly, "Ready."
"Begin!"
As soon as Nal spoke, Yuri attacked, lunging with his sword like a snake aimed at Ge'an's groin.
Bang—
Ge'an effortlessly blocked the attack, skillfully twisting his wooden sword to push Yuri several meters back. Yuri steadied himself, his arrogance replaced by shock and confusion. When did Ge'an become so strong?
Seeing Yuri's stats in his mind—Strength: 1.2; Agility: 1.2; Spirit: 0—Ge'an found the fight rather dull.
"You foolish brother, now I'll take this seriously. Give it all you've got," Yuri snarled, eyes narrowing, his blue gaze gleaming with a deadly focus, staring at Ge'an like a venomous snake.