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nCeleste was troubled by Aren’s sudden proposal for a spar.

nIt was common for the strong to give lessons to the weak at swordsmanship debates.

nEven if it’s a master instructor from another family.

nAnd, saying no is okay, of course.

nShe was the eldest daughter of the Constantini family, and he’s the master instructor of the Okamoto family’s eldest daughter, so it wasn’t common to give lessons, however, in some ways, it would be rude to refuse.

nNo, it’s not disrespectful, and Celeste didn’t really want to accept this fight.

n‘What would father have done?’

nShe briefly thought about it.

nIf her father was D-Rank facing a S-Rank hunter who’s obviously trying to vent his anger by teaching him a lesson.

n‘…He would have accepted it.’

n

n

nIf there’s something you can learn, tough it out and learn.

nThat was Salvatore Constantini’s motto, and he was ostracized by other swordsmen.

nOf course, the reality is that other swordsmen have kept their mouths shut ever since Salvatore became SS-Rank.

nIn any case, it proved that his method was better than anyone else.

nHowever, that’s only possible because it’s her father.

nShe was quite prideful, but she didn’t want to accept this obvious fight, so she was going to refuse.

n“Celeste.”

n“Hm?”

nYoo Seodam had come down from the Costantini’s section and approached her.

n“Go ahead and spar. It’ll be a good learning experience.”

nAfter hesitating for a moment, Celeste nodded.

nEver since she started learning swordsmanship from Yoo Seodam, she has been attentive to his words.

nSmiling at Aren, Seodam spoke.

n‘Well, since she’s my student, I’d like to give her some pointers during the spar. That won’t be a problem, right?”

n“…Do as you please.”

nAren hardened his expression as soon as he saw Seodam, but it was none of Celeste’s concern.

nSeodam beckoned Celeste over, then whispered something in her ear.

nSoon, she tilted her head after hearing his instructions.

n“Is that really possible…?”

n“Mhm. Just trust me and hit.”

nSeodam’s instructions were so simple that it was rather doubtful.

nJust hit when you hear ‘hit!,’ dodge when you hear ‘dodge!,’ and block when you hear ‘block!’

nThe opponent is S-Rank.

nThere’s no way it’s going to be that simple, will it?

nHowever, Celeste still nodded.

n“I’ll try.”

n“Also, give up after an adequate time.”

n“I’m thinking so.”

nCeleste pulled out her sword and stood before Aren.

nBoth are superhumans wearing aether coated uniforms, so there won’t be any major injuries, and actually, it’s because they will be using sparring swords.

n“Oh, what’s this? Aren wants to teach the Constantini’s eldest daughter a lesson?”

n“Hm. Is he really trying to teach her?”

n“Well.”

nIt became a hot topic and drew everyone’s attention because it was Celeste and the S-Rank Aren.

nSo Aren regretted it, albeit late.

n‘Damn it…‘

n‘Why did I ask the Costantini family’s eldest daughter for a spar?’

nHe had lost his reasoning out of anger after Taylor said he was revolting and Sanagi, the one he taught, lost.

nSomething done in a fit of anger.

nAren decided that after a few exchanges he would end the spar.

nHowever, what he did in a fit of anger became an opportunity for Seodam.

n‘I’m going to make use of this opportunity to integrate myself with the ordinary master swordsmen.’

nThinking of the bigger picture, the spar began.

nImmediately, White Witch’s Library was activated.

nIdentifying the types of spells.

nEnhance Strength (B)

/ Guide Aim (B)

/ Enhance Speed (C)

nReduce Friction (C)

/ Air Pocket (D)

nFlame Burst (B)

/ Flame Bullet (C)

nA total of seven types of magic.

nAlthough the Witch Witch’s library has a considerable amount of knowledge on magic, it took some time to fully crack because it’s still low rank.

nCracking progress…17%

n‘Interference’ is now possible.

nTung!!

nCeleste, flustered, raised her sword as Aren lightly kicked off the ground and struck with his sword.

nAlthough she has trained with S-Ranks in the past, she isn’t at the level where she could fight against one.

nTung!

n“Ugh!”

nCeleste was lightly hit in the head, but quickly recovered.

nSince she is wearing an aether uniform, there’s no problem even if she is cut with a real sword.

nStill, she couldn’t stop the shock from the impact.

nChang, Chink! Tung!

nAs Aren’s sword was swinging for her head, in between he would aim for the side of her body, and when she came to her senses, she was hit in the chest.

nAlthough Celeste has managed to block thus far, she was out of breath as she raised her sword again.

n‘Obviously, I don’t think I can stop it, but…!’

nIt was instinct.

nThe instinct of a genius swordsman.

nThe kind of instinct to be able to read the patterns of an overwhelmingly strong sword little by little just from looking at it a few times, and even retaliating.

nIf this was a real battle, Celeste would have been beaten in a single strike, but since it was a spar, she was able to study her opponent’s sword.

nBut, strangely, whenever she tried to block, Aren’s sword kept slipping away.

nLike a mirage, the trajectory would bend.

nIt wasn’t just fast.

nThere was ‘technique’ hidden behind it, and unfathomable to the current Celeste.

n“Oh wow…”

n“It’s indeed mister Aren’s swordsmanship.”

n“I’ve heard even S-Rank hunters can’t imitate it.”

nAs people were bursting with admiration, Seodam managed to identify the true technique behind that strange swordsmanship.

n‘Is it Guide Aim?’

nThe technique of forcefully twisting one’s attack to hit the target.

nAnd like a mirage, it looked as if it was bending.

nAt a glance, it looks like a good technique, however, as a type of magic, using it frequently will strain the body, resulting in your mana quickly depleting.

nSince it was the S-Rank Aren, he had no difficulty using it.

nThen, what if Aren, who has been using it, suddenly lost it?

nAttempting interference on artifact ‘Guide Aim (B)’

nAttempting interference on artifact ‘Enhance Speed (C)’

nJust one second.

nThe amount of time the effects from the artifacts will be deactivated through interference.

nBut that was enough.

n“Block!”

nShouted Seodam, then Celeste instinctively raised her sword.

nChaang!!

n“…!”

nShe had stopped Aren’s sword.

nPerhaps surprised herself, Celeste widened her eyes and took a step back.

nThe surroundings burst out in exclamation as Aren seemed flustered.

n‘What? What happened to my aim guide?’

nAren.

nHis actual ability is B-Rank, and his sword skill was decent enough.

nSo even without Guide Aim or Enhance Speed, he would still be able to strike Celeste.

nThe attack was blocked because he simply relied too much on the artifacts.

n‘…It’s strange. The sword slowed all of a sudden.’

nCeleste had also noticed the strange change in Aren.

nBut, without giving her time to think, Aren rushed at her again, so she had no choice but to lift her sword.

nIt was good that a D-Rank had successfully blocked a S-Rank.

nHowever, it was merely a fluke.

nAren and everyone who was watching thought so.

nBut, the fluke continued.

n“Dodge!”

nLike a miracle, she dodged Aren’s sword.

n“Block!”

nChaang!!

nShe had blocked his sword once again.

nThe invisible technique, it seemed that Celeste was slowly grasping it.

n“W-what?”

n“Is she really D-Rank?”

n“Don’t you see? Every time the Costantini’s master gave an order, she successfully answered.”

nClearly, the sparring would have been a landslide victory for Aren.

nIf he only relied on his B-Rank ability, Celeste would have lost.

nBecause her swordsmanship is yet at the level where she can beat superhumans two ranks above her.

nHowever, this was Aren’s weakness.

n‘Something…Something’s wrong!’

nB and S rank ability, he doesn’t understand why it’s interchanging.

nHis sword kept moving from slow to fast as his strength weakened and grew.

nEven Aren’s unique swordsmanship from the use of Reduce Friction to move around was not working properly.

n‘What the hell!’

nHe kept trying to use his artifacts, but it kept failing, so an opening appeared.

n“Head!”

nShouted Yoo Seodam.

nSchwik!

nCeleste’s sword brushed Aren’s cheek.

n‘Ugh…!’

nVery slightly.

nWith confidence, she, a D-Rank, grazed the cheek of Aren, a S-Rank.

n“Look, I can’t believe it.”

n“What the hell is going on?”

nBreathing heavily, Celeste slowled took a step back.

nShe missed the strike by a hair away.

n‘If I had focused a little more, I might have hit the mark.’

nAren widened his eyes as he rubbed his cheek.

n‘What is this…’

nHe was so surprised that he couldn’t control his expression.

nYoo Seodam was also surprised.

nWas it because Celeste’s swordsmanship is excellent?

nNo, it’s because Aren ‘advantage’ was great.

n‘That’s…quite advantageous, isn’t it?

nIt’s only a second, but after the artifacts were deactivated, Seodam guessed that Aren’s ability is around B to A rank.

nBut it doesn’t matter.

nBecause Aren thinks his ability is higher than it actually is when the artifacts are deactivated.

nAir Pocket, Reduce Friction, and so on were actually very rare magic.

nAir Pocket, which allows someone to shoot a bit of air, is a fairly short range attack magic, and Reduce Friction could hinder a target’s movements.

nBut Aren was using the magic on himself.

nShooting air in the opposite direction to gain momentum, and reducing friction under his feet.

nIt was Aren’s ingenuity to use the artifacts the way he does.

nSeodam admits he has been too complacent with magic.

nMagic isn’t just the art of throwing fireballs or calling down lightning.

nEven low level magic has endless possibilities depending on its utilization.

nSimply igniting a sword and swinging it, or shooting magic missiles with the left hand and wielding a sword in the right.

nWas that a mage?

nNo, it wasn’t.

nIn Seodam’s view, this is the true essence of a mage.

nTo use everything at one’s disposal to push magic to its limit.

nEven though guide aim and body enhancing magics can destroy the body, there were a number of other uses.

nAlso, although it’s not being used currently because it’s a spar, Flame Bullet could make up for the weakness of being close range, and Flame Burst could be used as a long range attack.

nIn other words, Aren has a clear grasp of his weakness and ways to overcome them.

nSo, without knowing how to use magic, Aren was like a ‘magic swordsman.’

nThis fact excited Seodam greatly.

nBecause he thought he had learned a very good thing.

n‘…Apart from this. I’ll have to deactivate all the body enhancing artifacts.’

nFrom a closer look, I was certain.

nAren’s condition was very serious.

nTo be honest, it’s difficult to undo the damage.

nIf he tries to activate any more artifacts, instead of being maimed, he might live a miserable life as a vegetable.

n‘Whose artifacts are these?’

nAll the artifacts used by Aren were the same type of magic.

nThat’s to say, all were created by one person.

nIt can’t be coincidence that as many as seven artifacts are found on Aren, and it all happens to be a perfect match for him.

nSo, there can only be one conclusion.

n‘There could be other mages beside me in this modern world…’

nWhile Yoo Seodam was troubled by the thought, Aren, who was heated, clenched his teeth.

n‘Damn it! Why is there a problem with the talisman all of a sudden?’

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n

nForsaken the talismans altogether, Aren roughly strengthened his body.

nTalisman?

nHe doesn’t need to rely on it.

nWith his sheer talent, he was determined to hit Celeste.

n“I give up.”

n“…Huh?”

nA towering figure.

nThe sword that was aiming for Celeste’s head had stopped.

nSweating profusely and with a big smile on her face, she spoke.

n“Senior, thank you for your great guidance.”

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