Abel stood, gripping the spear tightly in his hands. His muscles ached from days worth of relentless training, but his stance was firm, his breathing controlled. Today was different. Today, they would fight with real weapons.
Kyle stood across from him, his large axe resting on his shoulder. Unlike Abel, who was tense and focused, Kyle looked completely at ease, as if this was just another casual sparring session.
But Abel knew better. Kyle was leagues ahead of him, and even though he would be holding back, the difference in skill was staggering.
"Last day of training, huh?" Kyle said, rolling his shoulders. "You've improved a lot, Abel. Let's see if you can land a clean hit on me this time."
Abel nodded, gripping his spear tighter. He had spent the past week refining his technique, perfecting his footwork, and ensuring his strikes were precise.
This was his moment to prove he wasn't the same helpless fool who crumbled against that demon.
They told him to use the bow since it was his main weapon of choice, Abel decided to use the spear so he would be in close combat instead of running.
This was training not an actual fight. He needed to take full advantage of it.
Kyle lifted his axe and got into position. "I'll go easy on you. Try not to get hit too much." He smirked.
Abel took a deep breath and lunged forward, thrusting his spear toward Kyle's torso. Kyle sidestepped effortlessly, his axe swinging in a controlled arc.
Abel barely managed to deflect it with his spear, the force sending vibrations up his arms.
He gritted his teeth and retaliated, aiming a quick strike at Kyle's leg, but Kyle hopped back, dodging with ease.
"Faster," Kyle instructed, stepping in and bringing his axe down. Abel instinctively raised his spear to block, but Kyle's raw strength nearly made him buckle.
Abel used the momentum to slide back, putting some distance between them.
He was getting overwhelmed. Kyle wasn't even trying, and Abel already felt like he was barely keeping up.
Kyle suddenly dashed forward, faster than Abel anticipated. He swung his axe diagonally, and Abel reacted a second too late.
A sharp sting ran across his upper arm as the blade grazed him, slicing through his training gear.
Abel stumbled back, his breath catching in his throat.
He looked down and saw a thin line of red forming on his skin.
His heart pounded against his ribs, a rush of fear flooding his mind. He was bleeding.
His grip on the spear loosened for a moment. Memories of the demon flashed through his mind, the feeling of being powerless, of being torn apart.
His breathing became shallow. What if this wasn't training? What if it was a real fight? What if he died?
Kyle's voice cut through his panic. "Don't freeze up now, Abel. If you let fear control you, you already lost."
Abel clenched his jaw. He forced himself to take a deep breath, tightening his grip on the spear.
The pain was minor. The wound was nothing compared to what he had already endured. This is just a cut. It doesn't matter. Keep fighting.
He steadied his stance, pushing through the lingering panic, and met Kyle's gaze with determination. "I'm not done yet," Abel said, rolling his shoulder to ease the sting.
Kyle grinned. "That's more like it." He was proud of Abel for making it this far.
Abel exhaled, focusing solely on Kyle's movements.
This time, when Kyle lunged, Abel sidestepped, swinging his spear in a counterattack aimed at Kyle's ribs.
Kyle barely deflected it with the handle of his axe, but it was the closest Abel had ever gotten to landing a hit.
Kyle let out a small laugh. "Not bad."
The fight continued, Abel moving with more confidence, reacting faster. He still couldn't land a solid hit, but he wasn't completely overpowered this time.
The fear was still there, lingering in the back of his mind, but it no longer controlled him.
By the time they finished, Abel was exhausted, full of cuts but standing tall. He had a long way to go, but today proved something important, he could fight. And one day, he would win.
Abel wielded the axe against Vince, the sword against Valerie, and saved the bow for Jess.
In terms of technique, he had slightly surpassed Jess. But in actual fight? He couldn't keep up with her.
She used her surroundings perfectly, and every arrow she fired wasn't just aimed at him they were carefully planned to control his movements, forcing him into positions were his mobility was restricted.
When their match finally ended, Abel collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
"Good job, Abel," Jess said, extending a hand to help him up.
He took it, shaking his head. "Thanks, but it's not enough. I need to get better especially since I don't have Blessed Energy or an artifact."
Before he could say more, Valerie smacked him on the back of the head.
"Stop thinking like that," she scolded, sounding more like an older sister than a teammate.
She crossed her arms. "I think you forgot that just a few days ago, you couldn't even hold a weapon properly, let alone fight. And now? You've mastered four weapons, learned how to fight, and gained actual combat experience."
Abel stayed quiet, taking in her words.
"Do you know how long it takes most people to master a weapon?" Valerie continued. "Months. Years. But you did it in days. Now you're going to the academy, where your teachers will be even stronger than us. Imagine how much stronger you'll become then."
She smiled, hoping he would finally get just how impressive his progress had been.
Abel thought about it, and she was right. But still, deep down, he couldn't fully accept it.
At the end of the day, without Blessed Energy, he was always going to be limited.
Of course, he would eventually get Blessed Energy it all depended on how fast he could find a powerful artifact. A decent one wouldn't be enough. He needed something strong if he wanted any real chance of changing the future.
He didn't mind waiting too much, but the sooner he got an artifact, the sooner he could start mastering it and earning more rings.
"And stop acting so awkward around us," Valerie added, earning nods from the entire group.
Abel opened his mouth to deny it, but then he thought about it.
When was the last time he had a real conversation with them? Not about training, fighting, or raids just talking like normal people?
He hadn't.
He thought he was getting better at socializing, but in reality, he was still the same as before.
Still scared to have a conversation. Still worried that they'd think he was weird. Still convinced that they wouldn't find him interesting.
Taking a deep breath, Abel gathered his courage and asked, "This might be weird, but… how are you so open with people? You don't seem to care at all about what others think."
Valerie grinned. "Because at the end of the day, no matter how you want people to see you, you'll always be a different image in everyone's head."
Abel frowned. "What do you mean exactly?"
"Me, Kyle, Jess, and Vince, we might see you similarly in some ways, but we all have our own unique idea of who 'you' are. The 'you' that you think you are? That version only exists in your own head."
Abel blinked. He had never thought about it like that before.
"You probably don't want to be seen as weird, so you put on a mask, trying to change how people perceive you," Valerie continued. "But no matter what you do, someone, somewhere, has already decided you're weird."
She leaned back, stretching her arms.
"Just go talk to people. You'd be shocked at how many people are just like you afraid to take the first step. Most of them are just waiting for someone else to do it first."
Abel stayed silent, processing her words.
"It's easier said than done," she admitted. "That anxiety is real. But once you push through it, you'll start to see exactly what I mean."
She made it sound so simple.
But… it did make sense.
All this time, Abel had tried so hard to appear "normal." But that was exactly what was holding him back.
He had to start somewhere.
And at the Divine Academy, he needed to make connections with people he could trust.
Everything he had learned here both in training and in conversation was going to help him.
It had to.