Overwhelming Firepower

Alexander was quite confused as to why Lucen suddenly stopped attacking. Still, Alexander did not lower his sword, his guard remaining steady and unshaken.

Even after Lucen spoke in a relaxed tone, Alexander's grip on his sword remained firm, his stance unbroken. His breathing was heavier now, but his eyes stayed locked onto the man in front of him. Even now, he did not allow himself to relax, not even slightly.

"... Why are you stopping?"

"Because I've seen all I needed to see. Also, we have already moved a lot. That was pretty good training, wasn't it?" Lucen replied with a smile full of glee.

The true reason why he stopped the fight and did not continue was that he was afraid. Not of Alexander, but of himself.

The longer the fight went on, the more he felt it, the subtle rise in his excitement, the way his body responded faster, sharper, more instinctively. He did not want to hurt or break his favorite hero.

It would not take much, just a little bit more, and he might forget to hold back. He was not afraid that Alexander Wyrd would break in spirit. That was something he knew would never happen.

Alexander's body, on the other hand, was still fragile at this stage. Too fragile to withstand what Lucen might become if he got carried away.

'Well, from here on out, he'll get a powerful boost. Maybe the next time I see him, he will either be as powerful or even more powerful than I.'

"Are you not going to continue?" Alexander, still holding his sword, asked.

"No, like I said, there's no need."

Hearing Lucen's response, Alexander sighed while looking disappointed as he lowered his weapon.

"So are you going to tell me who you are?"

"Hm, oh right. Sorry about that, I'm Lucen Thornehart. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The moment Alexander heard Lucen's name, he finally noticed Lucen's appearance. Ruby-red eyes, silver hair, and a black trench coat with the emblem of Thornefang.

He could not believe he had not noticed that he was standing in front of a legend of someone he had heard in stories.

Alexander let out a small breath and smiled. He adjusted his grip on his sword before resting it over his shoulder in a more relaxed manner.

"I'm Alexander Wyrd. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

There was no stiffness in his voice; there was no awe. It was just a simple greeting, as if he were speaking to any other person.

Lucen couldn't help but smile. This was the hero he remembered. No matter who you are, whether you are a family member, a friend, a noble, or even an enemy, he would treat you the same way.

The two of them then shook their hands.

"So, Sir Lucen, why did you come here? Surely it's not just to spar with me." Alexander asked.

"Huh? I did come for you, though."

Hearing Lucen's response, Alexander was quite surprised. "Why? Have we ever met each other before?"

"No, I just saw you for the first time during the practical exam in the Royal Academy."

"You were there?"

"Yeah, I came to see how my little brother does in the exam, but I also noticed your performance. It was truly eye-catching. You, who were at the first aura mantle, were able to do something that many deemed almost impossible to do. You had caught my interest."

Alexander listened as Lucen spoke. When he heard those words, a faint hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

"... I think you're giving me too much credit." He scratched his cheek lightly, his gaze shifting away for a brief moment. "It wasn't anything that impressive. I just did the best I could."

"Is that so? Well, I found it quite impressive. Even the sparring match we had, you showed many impressive things. Before this, there were none who were only at the first or second mantle who were able to withstand the pressure I emit. Not only were you able to withstand the pressure, but you were able to fight back as well."

Alexander let out a small, awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "I think anyone would do the same if they were put in that situation."

He spoke honestly, but there was still a hint of embarrassment lingering in his voice. After a brief moment, he lowered his hand and looked back at Lucen; his expression steadied.

"I know I'm still lacking, but I'll do my best to keep moving forward to become better than I was a few seconds ago." There was no doubt in his tone, no hesitation. Only steady determination.

Hearing Alexander's response just made Lucen even more excited, and he could not control himself and started laughing. "Hahaha! Yeah, that would be something you would say."

Alexander was startled by Lucen suddenly laughing out of nowhere. Lucen wiped the corner of his eye as his laughter slowly subsided.

"Man... You really don't disappoint."

Lucen then turned around and spoke to Alexander while his back was facing him. "Thanks for the fun spar. Continue to do your best, Alexander Wyrd. I have a feeling you'll need to get stronger faster. See you next time."

As Alexander was about to ask what Lucen meant, Lucen suddenly jumped to a nearby tree and then disappeared into the dark night.

It was so sudden that for a brief moment, it felt as if he had never been there at all. Only the disturbed leaves on the nearby tree remained as proof.

Alexander stood there in silence, his gaze fixed on where Lucen had disappeared. The night felt quieter than before.

He lowered his sword slowly, letting out a long breath he didn't realize he had been holding. The tension slowly left his body.

"Get stronger faster, was it... I don't know why he would say something like that, but I was already planning on doing that in the first place. Still... That was the ruby-eyed monster, the ever-victorious, Lucen Thornehart."

Alexander let out a small chuckle. "He was an interesting person."

He rolled his shoulder slightly, feeling the lingering soreness from the spar. Even now, his body still remembered the weight behind each of Lucen's attacks. It wasn't overwhelming, but it wasn't something he could ignore either.

Alexander tightened his grip on his sword for a brief moment before relaxing it again. He then closed his eyes and started to do image training, and his opponent was none other than Lucen.

Alexander steadied his breathing as he stood there with his eyes closed. In his mind, Lucen appeared once more.

Right in front of him was the confident man who had the moniker of ever-victorious, the same stance, the same relaxed posture, with the same overwhelming presence.

Alexander then made a move; he took a step forward and swung his sword. In his imagination, Lucen shifted slightly to the side, evading.

Alexander adjusted his stance and attacks, again and again. Each time, his movements became just a little sharper, a little more precise.

"No, the way Lucen moved was way more efficient. He made each strike with the cleanest path towards his target."

Alexander breathed in and out as he adjusted his stance anew. He kept on attacking the imaginary enemy before him, but no matter what he did, he could not even touch the imaginary Lucen.

Still, despite all that, Alexander had a genuine smile of enjoyment on his face. For some time now, his improvement had become rather slow, or you could even say stagnant.

He was hoping that he would be able to gain some sort of enlightenment or inspiration once he entered the Royal Academy.

And as he wanted just from the entrance examination, it already gave him not only great inspiration but motivation as well, when he saw Cael Thornehart make that sword strike.

Now, after that, he immediately met the older brother, Lucen Thornehart, and had a spar with him. Now, while training, he could feel he was once again moving forward like before.

Alexander's aura mantle, which was like a white light, was shining under the moonlight. As he continued fighting the imaginary Lucen, he did not notice that his aura, which was at the first mantle, had progressed into the second mantle and had stabilized.

He was so focused on training and defeating the imaginary Lucen that he simply continued improving his attacks. He was truly enjoying the training right now, feeling himself improving.

Alexander's movements slowly came to a stop. His sword lowered slightly as his breathing steadied.

Only then did he open his eyes; the night was still the same. The quiet village, the gentle wind caressing his face, and the distant sound of insects.

Yet something within him had clearly changed. Alexander looked at his hand for a brief moment, clenching it once before relaxing it again.

"I see..."

A faint smile appeared on his face. Without saying another word, Alexander picked up his sword once more.

His stance settled, as his gaze sharpened, and under the moonlight, he swung again.

***

While Alexander was happily training. Unaware of the true impact he had caused, Lucen, who had already travelled quite a distance from Alexander's house, was grinning.

'Heh, that was a cool exit.'

Lucen chuckled to himself as he moved through the night. 'Yeah, that was awesome. I would have loved to see my character in the game, to see what the other players think of Lucen Thornehart.'

Lucen happily headed to a nearby inn as he imagined the comments of players who first saw his character if he appeared in the game in Alexander's POV.