After another day's magic seal training, Link practiced his sword by himself. He quickly felt bored.
"Nana, come practice with me."
"No…Nana only knows fatal techniques." Nana blinked her big eyes and pouted, shaking her head resolutely.
"It's alright. Fatal techniques are fun. Come, you won't hurt me." Link activated a thin layer of the spatial shield.
"Uh…okay!"
As soon as she spoke, Link felt wind before him. He squinted and saw Nana pounce at him. Link instinctively wanted to use magic to counter her.
My magic instincts are deep-rooted, but this is swordsmanship training. I can't use magic.
Link used a basic move to block the attack.
Clang! He surprisingly blocked it, but then Nana changed her tactic. She easily dodged Link's sword and stabbed towards Link's ribs. His heart was there; if stabbed, he would die undoubtedly.
Faced with these extremely sharp moves, Link couldn't think fast enough. His sword couldn't keep up. This was totally different from practicing alone.
Cling! Link's rib was prodded. Nana stepped back and said in her chirpy voice, "Master, you lost."
Link couldn't admit defeat. He waved his Storm Lord sword. "Again!"
Clang! Link blocked the first move again but Nana's second move nicked his neck. She immediately retreated. "Master, you lost again."
Link finally admitted that he was still far from the top fighters. He couldn't help but think, What would I do if a martial arts expert was next to me?
If an Assassin was this close to him and their speed was similar to Nana's, Link wouldn't have the time to cast a spell. He would be killed!
There aren't any Assassins that powerful in Firuman, and even if they exist, it's hard for them to sneak up to me. But if—if—I make a mistake and something so extreme happens, I can't do anything except get killed.
In the game, Magicians were powerful but not undefeatable. Their biggest enemy was the Assassin because they were fast and could silently approach a Magician.
In the real world, Link's life was pretty smooth. Most of the time, he was the one who caused trouble. He was rarely the target of strong Assassins, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen in the future.
There were career restrictions in the game, so Magicians had to suffer under Assassins. This was real life though. As long as you had enough time and energy, you could learn everything.
With an Assassin nearby, there was no time to cast spells. He'd make time for himself with swordsmanship.
With that in mind, Link grew serious and competitive. He waved his sword and said, "Again."
Cling, clang. After two moves, Link was defeated again.
"Again!"
Two moves.
"Again!"
After being defeated 49 successive times, Link finally kind of got the hang of Nana's rhythm. He got the right feeling.
Nana pounced like lightning. Clang! Link blocked the strike. Nana stabbed at Link's abdomen. Sliding his sword down, Link blocked it again. Clang!
The two moves used up one-tenth of a second. It was enough for Link to cast a spell. Basic sword moves were very easy, and Link's mind was relaxed while fighting with a sword. During this time, he could use a spatial sphere to force the opponent aside, putting distance between them.
But because this was training, Link pushed down the urge to use spells. He continued using his sword.
He failed at the third move.
"Again!" Link was in the groove now. He was using basic techniques, but they were effective. On the other hand, Nana used many advanced techniques but vaguely seemed like a beginner swordsman.
As a Magician, Link was skilled in finding the pattern. After practicing together for so long, he could see through to the essence of Nana's techniques. They were only variations of basic techniques. Compared to spells, the pattern was extremely simple. As long as he knew the pattern, he could respond with basic techniques.
After thinking hard, they started fighting again.
Cling, clang! Link returned to losing after two moves.
Nana giggled. "Master, you got worse."
"I haven't matured yet. Just you wait."
Martial arts couldn't be perfected by thinking. His body had to train as well. Otherwise, he couldn't perform his thoughts and would forever be one beat slower than the other. This would kill him in a real fight.
Nana wouldn't get bored. If Link said "again," she would immediately attack. After around 80 times, Link could consistently block five of Nana's moves.
After that, Link would fail because of his endurance rather than his skills.
"Master, do you want to try again?"
"No, it's enough. Let's stop for today. I need to exercise my body."
Other Warriors would be over with one mistake, but Link had a smart and powerful magic puppet. He also had spells for protection. He could continuously learn from his mistakes.
Thus, the experience he gained in this short period had already surpassed most Warriors in the fortress.
When he practiced again, Link didn't feel as mindless as before. Nana's methods appeared in his mind, and he started strengthening himself by targeting those.
He alternated between thinking and practicing; he was completely immersed.
A day passed in a blink. This time, Link trained until he was utterly exhausted. His entire body was sore. This never happened since he received the Dragon Power.
Before sleeping, he didn't want to move at all. He fell asleep as soon as his head touched the bed. After waking up, Link felt full of energy. Touching his muscles, he discovered they bulged and were hard.
Dragon Power is so miraculous!
He checked his stats again.
Link Morani (Noble)
Level-8 Dragon Mage
Flawless Dragon Power: 6800
Recovery Speed: 12-105 Points per second
Current Recovery Speed: 20 Points per second
Main Weapon: Burning Wrath of Heaven
Subordinate Weapon: Abstruse Storm—Lord of Thunder—Silent World
He'd actually reached Level-8, and the upper limit of Dragon Power had increased by 300. This rate was so fast.
It seems that working out my body is a good way to increase my Dragon Power. Link had an idea of the Dragon Power's nature. In three words—use and disuse.
He arose and washed up. After dragging a group of sleepy and dazed Magicians and training them until they went back to sleep, Link started practicing his sword again.
"Nana, come train with me." Link activated a shield.
This time, Nana didn't hesitate. Her sword arrived as soon as Link finished speaking.
Clang, clang, clang, clang… Dense clangs of weaponry sounded continuously. This time, Link performed exceptionally well. His body was stronger than yesterday, and surprisingly, he could keep up with Nana.
After blocking 26 moves, Link failed because he couldn't keep up anymore.
This defeat was no longer due to Link's skills. Instead, it was because of his strength. After each block, his sword would be forced aside by Nana and unavoidable mistakes would appear. Link tried to fix them, but he still failed in the end.
"Master, you're not as strong as me. You're around Level-7, so it's normal to not be able to block me," Nana said.
In martial arts, strength was the biggest advantage. No matter how many tricks you knew, it was no use if you couldn't block the strike.
"I understand." Link seemed to be enlightened.
He was still using basic techniques while fighting with Nana now, but these moves were entirely different from the ones he used while exercising.
After his careful research, Link's moves were filled with a type of spirit. They seemed basic, and each move was clear. But for some reason, he could block Nana's dizzyingly fast moves.
At this point, Link could move as he wished.
My technique is fine, but my strength is lacking. I need to get stronger. Yes, train diligently! Raise the Dragon Power!
After that, Link stopped reading. He started sword training obsessively and using up all his Dragon Power. After that, he would wash up and sleep. The next day, after tiring out the Magicians, he would train again.
This went on for five days. The Magicians could operate the Soul Slalom Magic Seal with ease. To avoid mistakes, Link continued training them and increased the duration to five hours per day.
Every Magician improved greatly under the arduous training. Some at the pinnacle of Level-6 had already entered Level-7.
Of course, Link continued his swordsmanship training.
After another three days, Link's strength finally caught up to his Dragon Power and was at Level-8.
When he fought with Nana now, they could go back and forth. They could exchange more than 300 blows without anyone losing.
Link grew more and more comfortable. His body would make the best move without him even thinking.
As time passed, Link was no longer satisfied with responding to Nana's attacks. He started attacking actively.
Nana's single moves were all perfect. Link couldn't defeat him with only a sword, so he started arranging things.
His every move would lead the opponent to make a small mistake until they failed under the accumulation.
If Kanorse came and saw Link do this, he would definitely be astounded. This was a master-level technique, but Link found it natural.
Swordsmanship arrangements were simple. He even had time to cast spells.
One move, two moves, three moves… After move ten, Link felt a flaw in Nana's move as expected. Yes, she really did make a mistake caused by Link. Each move guided the flaw until move ten where it was big enough for Link to grasp it.
Link focused a bit and stabbed toward the opening.
Cling! He hit Nana's rib. It was just a tap, but Nana was forced back. She didn't regain her balance until dozens of steps back.
"Master, Nana lost." She blinked her big eyes, and her eyebrows moved downward. She looked sad.
Link chuckled. Happy, he said, "Come, let's do it again. I'll help you fix your mistake."
"Okay."
The two fought slowly. Before the flaw appeared, Link pointed out, "Look, if I do this move and you block like this, some small problems will appear afterwards. If I do this next, I'll expand your mistake. After ten moves, your flaw will be big enough to be fatal so you should do this from the start…"
Nana's brain was limited to her experience and wasn't too agile. She liked to rely on speed. This was no problem against regular advanced fighters, but she would definitely lose to a super-powerful opponent skilled in planning.
Link was too smart. Compared to spatial magic, martial arts was practically like kindergarten math. It was as easy as pie.
After focusing on training for half a month, excluding the powerful battle techniques, Link was at an unbelievable level for regular swordsmanship techniques.
As for a Warrior's battle techniques, Link didn't have to learn them. What kind of battle technique was stronger and more flexible than a spell?
In a way, spells were the most powerful battle techniques in the world!
After Link explained patiently, Nana nodded. She understood.
Thus, Link said, "Again."
This time, Link used 50 moves to defeat Nana. His plan had changed, but Nana didn't catch it. She was tricked again. When she realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
"Oh, this is interesting. Continue." Link's interest was growing.
After teaching Nana this new trick, they started fighting again. This time, he defeated Nana with 30 moves. His tactic had changed again, becoming more and more creative. The signs had disappeared too.
"Master, you cheat every time!" Nana had lost badly.
"Come, I'll teach you." Link chuckled.
Nana started learning seriously but Link changed again in the next fight, and she lost again. However, she'd lasted for 80 moves this time. She had improved.
Without speaking, Nana learned the new trick and started fighting again.
This time, it was harder for Link. Nana's mind wasn't flexible, but she learned really quickly. She immediately learned the trick Link had just thought of.
But it was fun this way.
Just as Link was having the time of his life, an officer ran over breathlessly. "Master, the Dark Army has appeared at the border of the Black Forest. The duke wishes to talk with you."
Link grew serious. "I'll go immediately."