The guildhall was unusually empty for the time it was, even when considering how early Leon liked to first appear. It was hardly a surprise, however, as many lower-tier adventures simply did not go out on rainy days. To them, adventuring was more of a part-time deal, a way to supplement their earnings. He had no such qualms, or no such privilege to skip a potential payday.

  The jobs for the day were mediocre to say the very least. Hunting missions would be significantly more difficult in such conditions, and most manual labor jobs took place outside and as such were canceled for the day. Scanning the room, he sighed at the distinct lack of his student’s presence. The only people who seemed to be present were a few well-known bronze- and silver-tier adventuring parties—who were drinking and eating hearty meals despite the early hours of the day—and the Guild administrators, who were taking the lack of flow in the Guild to do odd jobs.

  Approaching the line of desks the clerks worked at, he stood before one he recognized, and politely waited for her to look up from her work and address him.

  “How may I assist you, Leon?” She gave him a bright smile as she looked up at him.

  Mavis was one of the kinder clerks in the Guild; she learned the names of seemingly every bronze-tier adventurer, and was almost never cross when asked questions. The fact that she was young and cute also likely contributed to her popularity within the Guild, though Leon refused to be swayed by such things.

  “If Rayne makes an appearance, can you tell him to meet me in the training yard?”

  She gave him a happy nod in affirmation. “No problem,” she said, quickly returning to her work still with a smile on her face.

  Leon felt himself smile at the display but quickly erased it, refusing to be some goofy boy who would be dumbstruck so easily by a pretty face.

  Giving Mavis a respectful bow, he headed to the training field to train his skills. The rain was an entirely unwelcome companion after enjoying the heat of the guildhall, but the almost empty training field was at least a pleasant sight, even if the ground was muddy and the dummies full of wet hay.

  Wishing to bask in the warmth just a tad longer, he checked his stats before embarking into the rain.

  [Leon]

  Strength - D (72/100)

  Agility - E (40/50)

  Dexterity - E (35/50)

  Constitution - D (62/100)

  Magic Power - E (18/50)

  It had been a couple weeks since his Constitution had risen to the D tier, but it was always pleasing to see nevertheless. Once his Agility similarly reached such a rank, he would officially advance to the silver tier. Still, for the time being, it was better to train his mana control. Becoming a silver adventurer would certainly increase his standing, but proper skill usage would save his life. Besides, his Magic Power stat standing so low was a constant irritant. It had been bad enough that he had been an F-tier upon unlocking it; now weeks later, it was still impossibly smaller than any of his other stats. It mocked him every time he checked.

  Closing the status window, he made his way across the field, raindrops dampening the small amount of hair that had dried in the guildhall. Learning from the mistakes of the prior day, he ensured to stretch before his chosen dummy. Once sufficiently limber, he got into a proper stance, greatsword primed to attack the dummy. Training at the Guild was really so much better than under his bridge. The dummies here could be hacked and slashed fully to one's content, and then once one was satisfied with their attacks, the dummy would just reconstruct itself.

  This regeneration did have limits, of course, something Leon had awkwardly discovered when a dummy he had burnt to ash had failed to reconstitute itself.

  Still, for general training purposes, it saved significant time, and it let the adventurers train at full power. He had heard that the private training rooms offered golems to spar against, from the size of a kobold all the way up to an ogre. Not having the coin to try meant that he never investigated said rumors, but it was still an exciting prospect for once he had enough students to afford it.

  Vigilant of the slippery ground beneath him, Leon lunged at the mannequin, practicing one of the more basic exercises that he had learnt so many years ago, this time with the Strong Arm skill activated. The basics built the foundation of all swordplay. A fighter could pull out every fancy technique or skill in the world, and it would fail utterly should their footwork fail or their opponent moved more efficiently. Still, skills invariably changed how the basics worked. Strong Arm gave a boost in strength; if one was not careful, that would imbalance them when they attacked.

  Leon continued his lunging stab fifty more times before incorporating the next move in the exercise with a sideways slash, adjusting himself so that his form was perfect even with the Strong Arm skill infusing his swordplay.

  Midway through his set on the new movement, he was interrupted as a man approached. Masking his own rising excitement at the prospect of a new student, he calmly stabbed his sword into the ground and turned to the man.

  They were not an impressive sight, clothed in leathers and chainmail with a steel heater shield and a mace strapped to his sides. The fact that Leon could not place the shorter man’s face sadly revealed very little. He could have been someone who had done initiation with himself just as easily as someone who had done it the month prior or after, and he would be unable to tell. What was more noteworthy were the two standing near the edge of the field, watching from under some cover from the rain.

  “I hear yer the guy selling training. Gotta say, yer moves ain’t so inspiring.”

  The insult irked Leon, especially from one with such little presence. “I assure you that it is worthwhile. If you would allow me to guide you through a few sets, I am sure you would notice the improvement.”

  He smiled as he said so. It was the perfect pitch; he promised quality, results, and was friendly. When the man only responded with a sneer, Leon was confused.

  “Please, fighting’s all about the moment. None of those ’fancy moves’ mean nothing in the fire of a real fight.”

  It took what Leon personally considered a monumental effort to not outright insult the man for his factually incorrect opinion. “If you would be willing to test such a theory, we could have a friendly spar.”

  The victorious glint in the man’s eye told Leon that this had been their plan from the very beginning. Why they felt the need to goad him into a spar rather than merely ask was beyond him. So long as he managed to recruit the man and his friends, then such actions could be forgiven.

  Rather than choose to respond, the man just charged forward at Leon. In a real fight, he would never surrender the initiative so foolishly, but beating a potential pupil before they could even display their shortcomings was poor procedure. He could hardly teach if he did not understand their weaknesses.

  The man’s form was all wrong and full of openings. His shield was brought forward to block any frontal attacks while he charged, but it also obstructed his view of his opponent. It was clear that his footwork was floundering on the wet grass, not enough to trip him but certainly enough to slow him down and give him an unsteady base.

  He was not completely hopeless, though. The man was clearly better than Rayne, as low a bar that might have been. A few alterations and the issues of the charge could be easily rectified; it certainly meant that the man had at least a half-way decent foundation.

  Any accolades Leon might have bestowed upon the man died a grisly death as he jumped off the ground to fall upon Leon in the final few feet. To make it even worse, the man decided now was a good time to taunt his opponent.

  “Remember the name Belem, knight. It’s the name of the peasant that struck you down!”

  Leon vaguely wondered if the man had learned fighting from fairy tales. Certainly, jumping during combat had its merits. It allowed one to bring their full weight to bear upon an opponent and made themselves a harder target to casually hit.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  In the current situation, however, it made Leon want to weep. One must probe their opponent before attempting such a gambit, discover if it would even succeed. When airborne, a fighter loses all ability to move around or to change their speed. Utilizing such an attack as an opening move in a fight where you had the initiative was akin to Leon tying an arm behind his back and using his greatsword one-handed!

  Not to mention how the man had no idea if he could overpower Leon! It was utter foolishness. The taunts especially were just plain stupidity—exchanging words should be done after a clash, not mid-swing.

  Sighing, Leon brought his greatsword up in an arc towards the man’s quickly panicking face, ensuring to use the broad side of his sword in order to avoid any injuries. Credit where it was due, the man managed to bring his shield up to block the attack, but the power balance was not in his favor, however.

  A quick tilt of Leon’s weapon allowed him to smash the man into the ground. Being airborne meant that you were significantly more susceptible to attacks to the side of your path through the air, with no leverage meaning your trajectory was easy to change. A second later, Leon had his greatsword tickling the man’s chin.

  Bemel–or whatever his name was–stared up the blade, wide-eyed and seemingly gobsmacked. Further afield, his two friends were laughing, the sound seeming to remind the adventurer of his current situation. After a second to collect himself, he slapped the sword away from his now furious face. He ignored Leon’s outstretched hand, and got off the ground, struggling a bit in his anger on the slippery earth.

  “I have a few notes, but altogether, you have a decent base. Give me a few lessons—” Leon was angrily cut off.

  “I don’t need yer damn help. You obviously pulled some dirty trick to win.”

  Taking a deep breath, Leon soothed the outburst threatening to erupt from his mouth. “I assure you, I did no such thing. I would be happy to fight all three of you to prove my proficiency if you would prefer.”

  His voice came out as calm and encouraging as he could manage. It seemed to accomplish little, other than stop the laughing of the other two and make the one he had fought red in the face.

  “Enough of this. Think yer so much better than us ‘cause of yer fancy gear. Well yer not!” With that final shout, the adventurer stormed off to his friends, the three of them all leaving the training field.

  Leon was merely left to ponder over where he had gone wrong. Should I have thrown the fight a little? No, I simply showed the error in Baelon’s tactics as efficiently as possible.

  A low clapping and laugh broke Leon out of his thoughts.

  Glancing to the side, he dreaded whoever the next unexpected guest might be. It was a pleasant surprise then to see Syra almost bent over watching him. She slowly recovered and walked over to him, a smile still plastered on her face while her eyes scanned him critically.

  “I’ll be honest, I only came to see if your training was any good. Instead, I’m greeted with a show. Might not’ve answered any questions, but it was funny.”

  The way she said it clearly said she was building up to something else, a suspicion confirmed when his silence was met with more words.

  “I suppose I’d be willing to try learning from you… for a small discount, of course.” The smile as she spoke was playful, but her voice was just the tiniest bit firm.

  Taking on two students, and getting paid for less than a single one was not something Leon was overly enthused to try though. “And why, pray tell, should I give you a discount?” he asked.

  Syra considered it for a second before shrugging. “Call it a friends and family discount.”

  Leon perked up at that. “We’re friends?”

  Syra grimaced at the question, while Leon attempted to keep his face still despite the rising excitement he felt.

  She picked her words carefully. “We’re definitely friendly, I think.”

  Clearing his throat, he attempted to keep the disappointment from his expression.

  “Maybe this would be the chance for more than that? The three of us worked pretty well together,” she continued.

  He mulled over her words. Ignoring the parts that felt more like pity, she was essentially offering to bring him aboard on her missions with Rayne. Looking at it from that perspective, he could take the loss of coin for the promise of more frequent, and more rewarding, missions. Syra seemed to relax as he considered the offer.

  “Very well, I suppose I can take you on at half cost. Four silver a week.”

  “Two this week, four later if you’re any good.”

  “Fine.”

  They shook hands quickly before she grabbed her short swords.

  “Great, when do we start then?”

  Just beyond Syra, he could make out an all-too-familiar silhouette entering the training field from the Guild. “I will send Rayne off on some physical conditioning, then you can show me your techniques, and we shall take it from there.”

  Turning around, Syra spotted her companion and jogged over to him. They exchanged a few words as Rayne finished the short distance to where Leon waited.

  “Rayne, we have a new student. You know the exercises, just practice sets three through—” He was cut off as Rayne held up at hand to say something.

  “Actually, I unlocked my mana the other day. I was wondering if you could help me out with skill training.”

  Leon stiffened at the suggestion. Skills were definitely his weak point. It had taken him an embarrassing amount of time to learn Flame Blade, and while Strong Arm had gone much smoother, it had still taken him a few days. Snubbing Rayne seemed like a poor idea, though; he was lucky when Syra interjected.

  “Oh right, I remember you talking about that. Sorta thought that was a concussion dream, honestly. So you unlocked your mana?”

  Rayne sighed. “I did. After I was forced to carry you home, I might add.” His glare was met with a simple shrug from Syra. Rayne sighed again. “I took the Keen Edge skill. I already know how to use it, I was just hoping Leon could help me incorporate it into my fighting style.”

  Those words caused Leon to sag just a little in relief. Sword training was something he could do. “I suppose we could focus on the skill. Syra, why don’t you—”

  Syra cut Leon off before he could finish. “You think I’d miss my partner’s first skill? Whip it out and show us what you got, Rayne.”

  The aforementioned adventurer nodded before turning to a training dummy. Without warning, a small, bluish aura manifested over Rayne’s blade, not even a moment of concentration had been needed to summon it.

  That’s annoying. Took me weeks to get so proficient with Flame Blade. Dispelling any undue jealousy, Leon watched as Rayne slashed at the training dummy. It was pleasing to see the progress he had made under Leon’s tutelage; his stance was sturdier, his slash more fluid, his muscles more developed. Shelving all that, Leon focused purely on the damage inflicted upon the dummy.

  The results spoke for themselves. Rayne had managed to cut significantly deeper into the dummy than last they had practiced. Such a result could easily be replicated with the Strong Arm skill, of course, but gradually the skills would diverge. Strong Arm would be better for blunt attacks and providing leverage for ripping the blade out of an opponent. Keen Edge, meanwhile, would be better for slashing and piercing, alongside helping to keep the blade from deteriorating so rapidly.

  It would be a good next skill for Leon to purchase. Strong Arm and Keen Edge to pierce his opponents, and then Flame Blade while his sword was embedded in them. It would be a lethal combo.

  Realizing that his pupils were waiting for a reaction, he coughed to clear his thoughts. “Impressive. If we work on your aim, then you could practice full dismemberments. A one-armed goblin is little different from a dead one.”

  Rayne beamed at the idea that he might be able to easily kill monsters that he had struggled with just a few days prior. Such was the strength of skills.

  “I was also thinking I could use it on my arrows.”

  The man was more animated than Leon had ever seen him. Typically in their training sessions, Rayne was polite but reserved. Perhaps it was because Syra was present, or perhaps it was simply because he was speaking on a subject he was interested in. Whatever the case was, Leon found himself hoping that the mood remained.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Syra cautioned. “What you’re talking about is a whole other skill—Keen Shot, I think. Holding a skill over a distance takes way more know-how than bringing it up your hand.”

  Rayne contemplated her words, but importantly did not seem dejected by the idea. “How hard would it be to just figure it out?” he asked,

  Leon groaned in response. “Developing skills is an exact science; there is a reason skill books are so expensive. It would be far more efficient to just buy the skill.” His words were met with a glare from the man.

  “Not all of us have the coin to just get whatever skill we wish!”

  He cringed at the outburst. Rayne was right, skills were expensive. He himself could ill afford a skill book on his current earnings. Leon bowed. “Apologies, I only meant that it would be an arduous task.”

  Rayne and Syra seemed taken aback by his action. They exchanged a small glance before Rayne awkwardly spoke.

  “It’s fine.” Only once Leon had risen from his bow did Rayne continue. “It’s not like the skills haven’t been derived before. If I had some sort of base to build off for ranged skills, I bet I could do it.” With those words, he turned to Syra. “You haven’t unlocked your mana yet, right? If you did, and then got the Arcane Bolt skill, we could work together to develop Keen Shot. Obviously, I’d teach you Keen Edge too.”

  Syra replied with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Rayne, I was going to head out of town for the unlock. Get the free skill from another town's Guild.”

  This time, Rayne did deflate a little. It was clear from his eyes, though, that he was still thinking.

  Leon interjected before Rayne might derail them further. “I am confident that you can figure your skills out later; right now, it is time for training. The rain is making me cold, and the best way to heat up is a good run.”

  Rayne groaned, but quickly began chasing after Leon once he had started jogging. His student knew the price for falling too far behind in their runs. Syra also began running after them; she had little trouble keeping pace with Leon as Rayne quickly flagged behind them.

  It would be good to have another student closer to Leon’s own level, although perhaps less beneficial for his first student. Training would need to become more difficult from here on, of that he was certain.

  He could hardly wait.