Swordsmanship Sparring (2)
In non-lethal sparring using blunted or wooden swords rather than live blades, the most crucial element was the "match-up battle" intertwined with psychological warfare.
Such bouts aimed to incapacitate the opponent and force acknowledgment of defeat, all within strict rules that pitted raw capabilities against one another in a contest.
Since the goal wasn't mutual slaughter with lives on the line, it carried the spirit of "sportsmanship" or "athlete's mindset."
That made the "match-up battle" paramount.
Assessing one's own strength against the foe's, predicting incoming attacks, blocking them, and countering—this was the core.
What Eunhyeon most wanted to imprint on Erin through their spars was precisely this interplay of techniques and mind games.
Observing the opponent's movements keenly, analyzing their attacks and defenses, then responding accordingly.
Clack!
Eunhyeon and Alex's wooden swords collided, ringing out with a crisp sound.
From that first clash, the exchanges built: two strikes, three, as their blades met in a fierce flurry of offense and defense.
They probed each other's levels through initial collisions, and it was Alex who first pressed the attack.
Until now swinging his wooden sword lightly, Alex drew mana from his core, amplifying his physical enhancement.
Building on his boosted abilities across the board, he accelerated, unleashing a rapid assault on Eunhyeon.
One strike, two—each swing gained momentum, speeding up progressively, but Eunhyeon tracked them calmly with his eyes, parrying every one.
As the attacks piled on, by the sixth strike, the speed was beyond what ordinary eyes could follow.
"Whoa... wow..."
Erin, watching the bout, gaped in awe, unable to tear her eyes away.
'I'll play along with your intent.'
With that thought, Alex fixed his gaze on Eunhyeon, raising the arm gripping his wooden sword high.
"Ah!"
Recognizing the familiar sight, Erin let out a small sigh.
It was exactly like what Eunhyeon had done in her own spar.
But Eunhyeon ignored the elevated sword and arm entirely, sidestepping as Alex's downward overhead chop slammed into the ground.
Alex's blade bit empty air and cratered the floor, leaving a gaping opening after the massive swing—and Eunhyeon's wooden sword flew straight for his throat.
Clack!
A dull thud echoed as Eunhyeon's strike was blocked.
Alex had raised his empty left hand, channeling mana to harden his arm and intercept the blow.
"Ngh!"
His forehead creased in pain from the focused impact piercing his reinforced guard, but Alex gripped Eunhyeon's wooden sword with that same left arm, halting any follow-up.
With his sword seized, Eunhyeon couldn't even assume a defensive stance.
In sync with grabbing the blade, Alex tensed his right arm—sword in hand from the grounded chop—aiming an upward strike at Eunhyeon's jaw.
Clack!
Before he could fully power the uppercut, Alex's sword rebounded off something.
It tumbled across the training ground floor.
Eunhyeon had precisely kicked the flat of the blade with his foot, sending it flying.
Alex's eyes instinctively followed his lost weapon, but a sudden oddity hit him.
The weight of Eunhyeon's wooden sword in his left hand had abruptly grown heavier.
Turning his head, he understood why.
Eunhyeon had simply let go of his sword.
Now bare-handed, Eunhyeon surged into Alex's guard in an instant, dipping low and pulling his left arm back slightly.
"Ah!"
"Wh-what's wrong?"
Elenoa gasped in horrified recognition, prompting a startled Erin beside her to ask.
Elenoa had seen that stance once before.
In the first layer of the Arkys Great Labyrinth, facing a Minotaur by chance—exact same posture.
One arm drawn back, waist twisted, an immense surge of mana coalescing around the clenched fist. Every step identical.
Realizing the incoming attack, she'd cried out in dread.
The Minotaur's gut after taking that hit was still vividly seared in her mind.
Alex sensed the danger too.
Thankfully, without time acceleration boosting his reflexes, he'd caught Eunhyeon's motion—just barely.
Even so, its fluid grace nearly froze him mid-reaction.
In those fleeting seconds, seeing the colossal mana gathering in Eunhyeon's fist sent chills erupting across Alex's skin.
Instinct screamed: he released his full-body reinforcement, pooling all remaining mana into his arms, crossing them in a desperate guard.
Eunhyeon smiled at Alex's survival-driven stance—his best possible defense.
"N-no, stop!"
Elenoa shrieked, watching frantically, but her near-scream didn't reach the two fighters.
[Juhyeonseong Extreme Style]
[Samai Collapsing Fist]
Eunhyeon's fist thrust toward Alex's crossed arms.
Boom!
"Kyaaak!"
A explosive shockwave ripped through the air, filling the training ground with a savage gust.
The mana packed into Eunhyeon's fist detonated, rampaging wildly and churning the space.
Observing Elenoa and Erin faced the onslaught head-on, shielding their faces and barely resisting the blast.
Moments later, as the winds died, Elenoa lowered her arms and urgently scanned for Alex.
"B-brother!"
"......"
The Alex she'd sought stood frozen, arms still locked in guard like stone.
Elenoa sighed in relief at his intact form, but cold sweat beaded as she eyed Eunhyeon's fist—halted just shy of contact.
Alex realized too: Eunhyeon had never intended to land it.
Yet he was certain.
Taking that hit would've killed him, no doubt.
It was an indelible glimpse of Eunhyeon's restrained might—one he could never deny.
"Haaa..."
"Huuu..."
Alex and Elenoa collapsed to the floor together, exhaling in unison.
Hearts still pounding, Elenoa glared daggers at Eunhyeon with furrowed brows.
"Hey! Why do you scare people like that?! I thought my brother was hurt!"
"Quit yapping. He's fine."
"That's not the point!"
"Don't get mad—treat Alex first. His left arm's probably cracked."
"Pardon?"
Elenoa blinked in surprise, hastily rolling up the sleeve on Alex's slumped left arm.
Seeing it swollen red, she realized: the injury from blocking Eunhyeon's sword with his arm.
"Flesh sliced, bone severed... Bold choice in that moment."
Offering his own flesh to cleave the foe's bone.
A testament to Alex's resolve, willing to risk a fracture for a counterstrike.
In a spar testing limits—not a deathmatch—such self-sacrificing aggression was exceedingly rare.
"I wouldn't risk that much in just a spar. But against you, I figured it'd catch you off guard."
"Fair enough. Didn't expect that level."
Eunhyeon nodded calmly.
He'd likely banked on Elenoa's holy magic for recovery.
Turning to Erin, who stared dazedly, Eunhyeon addressed her.
"How was it?"
"Huh? Oh, uh... Amazing."
"You'll do it someday too."
"Really...? Can I get that strong?"
"If you work at it."
Alex and Elenoa knew effort alone didn't guarantee strength in this world, but they held their tongues.
Eunhyeon was giving Erin every environment to thrive through hard work.
Alex chuckled wryly, wondering how far the girl training under him would grow.
"Great experience. Let's do this more often."
"Sure, if you bring your sister around regularly. No reason not to."
"Shut up."
The words could've sparked misunderstanding, but Elenoa knew Eunhyeon just wanted her as a "healing shuttle"—and she scowled, pride wounded.
Lately, a subtle tension hung over Aiter Academy.
Its source: the transformation of a commoner girl they'd dismissed as an outsider.
Erin, recently infamous in the worst way, had changed strikingly in just three months.
Once gaunt from malnutrition—a walking emblem of poverty—she now boasted fuller breasts, slender legs exuding allure, and a delicate waist.
Curves blooming where they should, she shed her "pretty-but-commoner" label, emerging with beauty rivaling any noble lady, drawing every male student's gaze.
Beyond looks, her once listless, cowering demeanor had given way to bright, natural smiles—radiating inner ease.
"Hey, commoner."
"Yes?"
Erin turned reflexively at the now-familiar address.
A male student stood before her, flanked by two attendants.
"Tonight, after classes, follow me. I'm granting you the honor of spending time with me."
"...?"
Erin tilted her head, baffled.
This wasn't isolated.
Lately, more boys approached her, most spouting baffling invitations like this.
She was simply bewildered by the sudden shift.
"S-sorry, I'm busy. I don't know you, but... apologies."
With evening training planned with Eunhyeon, she refused outright.
"Y-you dare reject my invitation?!"
Flustered and flushed, the boy trembled with clenched fists, leaving Erin flustered.
"Um... I really have something important. Sorry..."
"Quiet!"
His piercing shout silenced the bustling classroom into icy stillness.
"You have no choice. My attendant will fetch you after class. Come quietly."
"Ah, w-wait...!"
Unable to stop him as he stormed out, Erin shivered under the spotlight of stares.
"Ugh..."
Still unaccustomed to attention, she sighed softly.
"Tch..."
Among the students eyeing her unkindly, one girl clicked her tongue in distaste.
Marva Berman—the one who'd tried bullying Erin, only to face a chilling intervention by a silver-haired, red-eyed man—gnawed her nails, glaring daggers at her thorn-like rival.