The perfect | TBATE X COTE

Chapter 14: Sparring and unexpected news.

The sun was at its zenith, and a cool breeze from the outside air caressed my skin. I walked straight into the garden's center, feeling warm from the sun.

The crowd of onlookers watching the battle to come intently supported me with smiles and comforting glances, or at least the majority of them did. My mother was the only one of the onlookers - the twin horns and the Tabitha family - who looked at me with concern.

"Kiyo, go!" As all eyes turned to her, I heard a cute voice that quickly faded. Lilia cowered behind her mother, embarrassed as the twin horns cast knowing glances her way.

Lilia gave me a sidelong glance, and I returned with a small smile. I could smile a little more freely now, but full smiles were still out of reach; when I tried it and looked in the mirror, I was almost afraid. I still had a lot of practice ahead of me.

"Hoho~" Mrs. Wechenster laughed from across the battlefield. "I see... I see." She said it with a mischievous smile.

"When do we start, Mrs. Wechenster?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

My words made her frown. "That's not going to work, drop the lady thing and call me Ruri, I'm not that old, you know? I'm 30!" she exclaimed.

She didn't look like a woman in her thirties; if I had to guess based on the state of her body, I'd say she was in her twenties, but this world was different, and I hadn't looked into the effects of mana on the human body beyond the basics. And I was certain that the new particle I was missing had something to do with it, but it was just my theory.

But now was not the time for deliberation, so I nodded at her request. "All right, Ruri." I agreed by nodding.

She seemed pleased and smiled at me. "That's great." But we weren't just chatting in the middle of the backyard. Ruri twirled her cane quickly in an impressive display, putting its balance to the test. She came to a halt after a while and measured the distance between us; we were both facing each other, and I was holding my wood sword. Ruri finally said something. "There will be a trial combat, so don't hold back."

I put some space between us, stepping hard on the grass to get used to the texture under my feet, making it crunch slightly. "Sure." When I was ready, I uttered.

Ruri held her staff in one hand, the blue gem at its tip glistening faintly, as if eager to release its power. "When you're ready, attack me." Her battle robe swished in the wind as she spoke.

I took one last look around; the twin horns were silent, Jasmine as stoic as ever, with the only difference being a glimmer of support in her red eyes. Angela and Helen were both smiling and giving thumbs up, as were Adam and Durden. My mother was worriedly holding her hands on her belly, which showed clear signs of pregnancy. Tabitha was holding Lilia, who was looking nervously between Ruri and me, as if she didn't know what was going on.

Vincent had gone to his auction house due to an unforeseen event.

I considered my options and quickly decided to follow Ruri's instructions and not hold back. I wasn't using my wooden daggers, but Jasmine's classes would keep my mind off any questions that might arise. Besides, I was going to start training harder from now on, so starting now wasn't such a bad idea.

I shut my eyes and focused on my mana. A warm, flowing sensation coursed through my body, gathering strength in my core. When enough accumulated, it began to change.

At the bottom of my mana core, small swirls began to form. After a while, I directed them to the key joints where the power was dispersed, leaving some areas stronger than others.

This was a technique that only worked due to my low power level as I was still in the dark red stage.

This technique allowed me to save mana by consciously using my power to rotate the concentration of energy based on the area that required it; obviously, it could only be used by people who could multitask, as it required your mind to be divided between controlling the rotation of mana and fighting.