Noelle stepped aside to avoid a downward thrust aimed at her stomach, rounding up to slash at the short-haired girl with a shout. Her face set into a scowl.
Due to the difference in range between sword and spear, she took too long in closing the distance to make her attack effective. By then, the short-haired girl had pulled her spear back in a spinning arc.
As the weapons met in the middle, Noelle pushing her weapon forward and the spear being pushed upward, it caused the sword swing to go way above the target, missing the girl completely.
“She’s going to lose,” Peter muttered with a grimace. It was pretty clear to everyone. The spear wielder was controlling the flow of battle. He was proven correct immediately.
When the spear pushed Noelle’s sword upwards, it caused her slash to go way beyond the intended range. She stumbled, trying to pull her sword back while leaning forward, her front completely defenceless, with her sword still pointing to one of the moons in the sky.
The short-haired girl didn’t miss the opportunity and pointed the tip of her spear at Noelle’s neck, stopping only an inch away from the soft flesh. They both shared a glance before relaxing and distancing themselves with smiles on their faces.
“Excellent work, Sasha,” the instructor clapped once to get their attention, an approving expression on his face.
“You were too impatient to attack, Noelle,” he sighed, walking to stand in the centre.
“A spear naturally has a greater range than a sword. You should have reduced the distance first, then committed to the attack. Patience is a virtue. Even a single mistake can swing the outcome of the fight,” the man said, looking at everyone when he spoke the last two sentences.
Noelle nodded in understanding and stepped into the group with Sasha.
“It seems that we have a new addition in our evening sessions,” the man said, smirking at Peter. That caused everyone to finally more or less acknowledge Peter’s presence.
Peter nodded back, with a neutral expression on his face among all the gazes.
The man was built stealthily. Muscles packed into his body, strikingly so. His tall stature was daunting. Towering with a height of somewhere close to six feet, he indeed seemed scary. The eye patch that rested over his left eye added to his whole demeanour.
The only thing that gave him away as a man of age was the brilliant streaks of grey in his hair. And his gaze had this wisdom in it that only a seasoned man could have.
“Let’s have another spar, shall we?” He looked around before turning back to Peter.
“They all have higher physical stats than you, you will lose too quickly for me to see your strength and weaknesses. Come, boy. I will try to match your stats.” He waved at Peter, walking toward the middle, borrowing a sword from one of the kids.
Peter followed the man's example and stood opposite him.
“Let’s see how much your father taught you,” the man muttered, lazily swinging his sword at Peter.
Peter blocked it, tilted his wooden sword at an angle, and parried it away.
The man borrowed the push Peter exerted in the parry to pull his sword quickly to the centre of his chest, tip pointed forward, before performing a sharp thrust. “Mhm, you should have counterattacked,” he reminded, smiling casually.
Peter's eyes were too late to notice it. He might have been hit by the fast-approaching thrust if it wasn’t for his Mana Sense. He took two steps back to get out of effective range, his sword coming in a circular swing from below to push the opponent’s sword upward.
He closed the distance, followed the advice, and counterattacked by replicating the move. A shout escaped him as he aimed at the man’s exposed stomach and thrust his sword.
The man grinned, noticing that Peter’s entire focus was on him. Now that his sword was above Peter’s head from the parry, and with no obstacle blocking it, he pushed it in a downward swing.
Even though Peter’s eyes were fully on him, the swing was noticed immediately by Mana Sense. He followed the guidance of his Weapons Mastery to turn the attack into a hasty block over his head.
Instead of retreating, he decided to follow the guidance of his skill and kicked the man. The man stepped back, causing the attack to go empty.
“How did you notice it?” he asked, resting his sword by his side, eye full of curiosity and mischief.
“Mana Sense,” Peter curtly replied, fully focusing on the spar.
“Hoo… Are you able to apply intent yet?” the man asked, rubbing his goatee. Peter nodded back. Meditating for the last year had made sure of that.
“How far?” the man enquired, still standing in his place.
“Just levelled up my weapon skill to 10, so haven’t tried it on the sword, but can do it on the body,” Peter lied without breaking his expression. Even though he had just levelled it up today, Mana Manipulation had helped him figure out how to do it on external objects a few months ago.
“Good. Try reinforcing both of them, and if you succeed, we can continue our spar.” The man nodded, his grin growing wider.
Peter closed his eyes, focusing on himself and the sword. Mana Manipulation and Weapons Mastery guided Peter as he began to circulate his mana throughout his tiny body.
He desired the mana to strengthen him, and a familiar warmth spread through his limbs. His muscles tightened, bones felt denser, and his senses sharpened. A faint shimmer coated his skin under Mana Sense, evidence of reinforcement taking hold.
Next, he turned his attention to the sword held in his palms. Unlike his body, the weapon didn’t naturally absorb mana… it had to be guided. It was a normal wooden sword. Not an enchanted weapon.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He exhaled slowly, envisioning it as part of his body, just as Weapons Mastery encouraged.
‘The sword is a weapon and so is my body, we are the same,’ he thought as he channelled his mana along the blade’s surface, the mana retaining his influence. He visualised the foundational energy sinking into the wood, strengthening it from within, sharpening its edge.
The mana responded to his intention, coating the weapon both inside and out. Once satisfied, Peter glanced at the man standing opposite him. The man’s sharp gaze analysed the weapon, clearly searching for flaws.
He noticed the thin layer of bluish aura flickering over Peter’s sword.
“Not bad for a first try. Though it’s not yet stable,” the man muttered, stepping back. He, of course, was using Mana Sense.
“It will do for now, though.” He remarked, his gaze finally turning a bit serious. His sword gained a thin layer of bluish aura as well…but unlike Peter’s, it was stable, like paint done over the wood.
“Hold that reinforcement. Let’s see your control over it in a confrontation.” He stepped forward, much more agile this time. His sword struck from the top with double the momentum.
Peter swallowed, steadying his stance. Maintaining reinforcement during combat was another challenge entirely. His feet dug into the ground when their swords met in a guard, and they were clashing again.
He followed the ingrained instinct taught to him by his father and perfected by his skill, channelling the force behind the man’s attacks into the soft earth beneath him, maintaining his footing. But that was all he could manage for now, despite feeling much stronger and faster.
Even though the man maintained equal stats to Peter’s, he was still the more skilled between them, due to the age difference. Peter defended again and again against the relentless assault, relying on Mana Sense to guide him where to guard next.
There was a savage brutality in the man’s attacks, a demand to break through Peter’s defence and consume the unguarded. But Peter wasn’t letting him in easily. His bastion of defence stood strong, blow after blow.
He lost his sense of everything but the two of them. Each skill within him worked in harmony. Mana Sense guided him. Mana Manipulation kept both his body and weapon strong under the pressure.
Weapons Mastery inspired him with countless ways to guard, parry, counter, and attack. Undying Vitality fended off fatigue and mental strain. Time itself became meaningless. His being slipped into a trance-like state.
The man was saying something, his lips moving… but Peter couldn’t hear him. His vision had narrowed to the domain of Mana Sense, where paths of possibilities appeared before him…paths that could turn the tide.
And so, he responded.
The transition was subtle, just a heartbeat and a shift in the rhythm of his footwork. Three exchanges later, he was no longer being pushed back. Five more exchanges, and the man repeated the same downward slash…this time tilted slightly to aim for Peter’s neck.
Peter’s sword met the strike in a solid block, and for the first time, he countered. Once he halted the descending blade, he loosened his grip, allowing his sword to spin at a 45-degree angle. He advanced, gliding the edge of his weapon along the opponent’s blade, aiming for his palm. But before the strike could connect, a sudden knee crashed into Peter’s stomach. His body bent forward as he was launched backwards, tumbling three steps before hitting the training ground.
He rolled in pain, half-digested lunch forcing its way from his mouth. Even as he squirmed on the ground, Undying Vitality activated, consuming 100 mana points to relieve him of the pain and nausea.
“Are you out of it now?” the man enquired with concern, pulling him up to stand straight. Peter weakly nodded, finally able to hear him.
“Here, have some water. It will help,” He urged, passing him a cup of cold water that one of the teenagers fetched. Peter took the cup, drinking half and using the rest to rinse his mouth.
“What just happened?” David asked, his face painted with confusion and worry. Peter wanted to ask the same question himself. Only then did he register his surroundings…every face was turned toward him.
Some held wonder. Others, confusion. A few, a quiet respect.
“He just experienced what we call a skill high,” the man explained to the group, though his words were meant for Peter just as much. He crouched slightly to fix Peter’s clothes, displaying gentle care, brushing dust off his shoulders.
“None of you have felt it or seen it yet, so, understandably, you don’t know,” he continued, voice calm and teacher-like.
“Multiple scenarios can cause it, but the most common are skill harmony and skill compatibility. When multiple skills work in tandem, empowering one another with high harmony, it creates an exponential effect. Skill compatibility, on the other hand, refers to when a skill naturally aligns with a person, making it drastically more efficient.” He stood tall again, his expression serious.
“Both situations can lead to a trance-like state where the person becomes a vessel, allowing their skills to fully express themselves.” He finished the explanation with a surprising gesture…a warm pat on Peter’s head.
“That sounds too good to be true,” Noelle muttered, drawing a few nods. Others fell into thoughtful silence.
“It may sound good, and it does have its perks,” the man acknowledged. “But it’s also called a vice for a reason. It can be deadly.
“You might perform at your peak, yes. It may even lead to a sharp boost in skill growth if you survive. But you’re still losing yourself in a trance. You’ll develop tunnel vision, your focus consumed entirely by the task, reduced to a puppet moved by your skills.”
He looked each of them in the eye before finishing, his tone heavier. “Such states, more often than not, kill promising youth in battle. Like candles that burn too bright... before they die.”
Then, turning to Peter, his tone softened. “Don’t worry too much. Your father has the same problem with his subset of skills. Most adventurers who survive past five years do.”
“I’ll inform him about this. He’ll teach you how not to lose yourself in it.” He said, with a reassuring smile.
Peter nodded, grateful. His fingers twitched slightly as he brought up his status screen, curious if the man was right about the improved growth.



Status...


Name:
Peter
Race:
Human


Class:
None




Title:
Trailblazer: Skills, Skill Creator
Age:
6


Health:
80
Mana:
2800


Stats...


Constitution:
8
Spirit:
280


Strength:
7
Agility:
8


Intelligence:
12




Luck:
18
Charisma:
35


Skills:
IDE, Status Camouflage, Mana sense Lv. 22, Mana Manipulation Lv. 11, Weapons Mastery Lv.11, Undying Vitality lv.6



 
Two levels in Mana Manipulation. One more in Weapons Mastery—even though he’d already levelled it up that morning. And three whole levels in Undying Vitality, despite them being early levels.
That was a month’s worth of growth… in a single evening.
Peter couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. The rush of progress, the tangible improvement…it was addictive. He could hardly wait to figure out how to trigger another skill high, to harness it for accelerated growth.
But there were no more fights that day for him. And honestly, he didn’t mind.
He was content simply watching the others spar, soaking in their movements, their mistakes, and their strategies…learning through observation, body resting, mind sharpening.