A Background Character's Fate

33. Talent Of Effort

Masoc, equipped with a formidable iron shield covering a significant portion of his body and a posing war hammer, charges at me. The hammer swings down at my small figure, crushing a blow into gravel. I stand unscathed from the impact.

*BANG!*

One palm strike sends Masoc back. Issac swoops in with a slash from his giant sword, I evade it and Masoc slams his shield on me after quick recovery, taunting my attack on him.

When my focus stays on Masoc and Issac, the lurking Kaden strikes with precision. However, to his surprise, I spin to meet the attack, parrying the dagger with a ringing clash and throwing a kick to his body.

Masoc throws his hammer to distract me as Issac executes a flurry of attacks. My fluid movements seamlessly evade with acrobatic manoeuvre, blurring the line of combat and dance, and pivoting on the balls of my feet. My charging momentum and reaction grab the flying hammer and send it back to Masoc. The deadly speed forces Masoc to absorb the full damage, dragging him across the ground.

"Masoc!" Issac exclaims.

Masoc struggles and groans. The situation tears a hole in their formation. Issac fails to land another strike and immediately sees my palm in his eyes. Fortunately, Aeon fills the gap and my hand collides with a metal sword.

The cycle continues as I assess their strength and one hour quickly passes.

"Huff huff huff..."

All four are breathless on the ground around me with bruises splashed across. Forget defeating me, they failed to touch me. On the other hand, they showed impressive teamwork and fundamentals. Issac, acting as the vanguard, did his best to corner me while Masoc tried to absorb any incoming hits. Kaden utilized his stature for agility and went for any potential openings. The last member Aeon is an all-rounder who covered any holes between their formation.

I hold my hand out to Issac. "Not bad."

Embarrassed, he grabs it and says "Thank you for going easy on us, sir."

-------------
Fate: 390
Role: Background Character

Talent:
-Sword Tier 2
--------------

The holographic screen shows no surprise. Yet despite this, the Issac from the future will grow to be a strong man capable of changing fates.

Issac scratches his hair. "Sorry for this pitiful sight. But I promise sir, I will live up to your expectations! No, even exceed it!"

"...Alright," I reply.

Masoc looks down when I come to him. He seems to have very low self-esteem. Kaden, similarly, avoids establishing eye contact. Aeon stays the same with his emotionless expression.

When Issac sees this, he walks put to each of them and pats them at the back. "Hey don't worry about it. Just try harder, we are slowly getting there together!" He encourages everyone. The atmosphere lights up a little; This is the Issac I remember.

...

I point out each of their mistakes before departing for the day. It wasn't simple being the commander. I had to use future references to plan a training schedule for each of them individually. In addition, I have to find some ways to break their demoralizing mindset. I can't leave everything to Issac.

Speaking of him...

I look out the window to the dark sky. Nestled in the office at the top of the dormitory building, I see some movements in the forest. It is the team training with Issac leading them.

This view throws me back to the memory of the past, a distant blessing.

A weak individual I was, I asked Issac when I could rest. He forces his team to train for as long as possible, stopping only for survival reasons.