"Woahh." An older man in his mid thirties exclaimed in shock. "It's been more than twenty years since commander fought here at the training ground. Who's the new kid?"
"New kid?" another commented with a laugh. "That's the young master! He seems to have changed overnight, and finally he's decided to get rid of his laziness and train."
"Hey… I heard he's always wanted to train, however…"
"However, what?" someone questioned. That person just remained silent, feeling as though he was being watched.
"The battle's certainly going to be interesting." A dark skinned man holding a large glaive commented with a smirk.
"Bronson. Even you're interested? Do you think the young master would be able to at most land a blow on commander?"
The question made the dark skinned man chuckle in disdain.
"Land a blow on commander? Even in his dreams he wouldn't dare imagine such!"
He didn't hold any disrespect for Aristarkh. However, he knew how terrifying Rosaline was.
Despite reducing her strength, it was simply impossible to land a blow on her.
Aristarkh wouldn't be the first person she'd be facing. She had even defeated a rank 2 cursed warrior while at rank 1. This went to show just how terrifying her strength was!
…
I noticed the approaching crowd of soldiers and warriors as I lunged towards her, and it made me tense up slightly…
I delivered a downward slash in her direction, but Rosaline just used the bottom tip of her spear to tap my sword away.
I felt my hand quake, and I almost loosened my grip on the longsword.
'The strength of a rank one cursed fighter!'
(Please note that cursed fighter and curse warrior are the same terms and are interchangeable.)
My first fight with a cursed fighter… I had to give it my all.
Noticing the disinterested look on Rosaline's face, I frowned slightly, then swung my sword once more, this time in the direction of her waist.
Swoosh!
My sword streaked through the air at the greatest speed I could muster, only to once again be tapped lightly by her spear.
Still, I didn't pause as I tried to twist my blade midair, piercing in the direction of her midsection.
Rosaline still didn't seem pressured by my attack, as she smoothly used the tip of her spear to slap my sword upwards.
"I gave you three chances to attack… my turn." Rosaline stated coldly.
Instantly, I felt her demeanor change.
'Fuck!' I exclaimed in my heart as I leapt backwards.
Still, Rosaline was already in front of me, and her spear swept towards my right eye with thunderous momentum.
For a moment, I felt I might lose my eye.
In haste, I quickly slashed my longsword upwards, the two weapons colliding with a resounding thud.
"Impressive defense." Rosaline commented, then swept the bottom of her blade towards my chest.
My sword and her spear were still pressed against each other, and only due to the length of her spear was she able to release another attack.
In shock, I quickly distanced myself from her, letting go of my sword in the process.
Rosaline frowned at me, a look of disappointment and dissatisfaction in her eyes.
She picked up my sword and tossed it towards me while stating coldly.
"Never let go of your weapon while on the battlefield, no matter how tough the situation gets. Abandoning one's weapon is akin to abandoning one's companion. Never forget that."
I caught the sword, finally understanding the reason for her disappointment.
"Sorry." I muttered an apology. However, Rosaline didn't seem to mind.
Suddenly… my vision swayed slightly as a mysterious blue panel appeared in front of me.
'Shit… why's the system suddenly showing now?' I muttered aloud as I tried to block the attack while glancing at the system screen.
Due to the obstruction of the luminescent blue panel, I couldn't clearly see which direction her attack was coming from, causing me to be misled and allowing her attack to collide with my chest, ignoring the defense of my blade.
"Huh?" Rosaline exclaimed in surprise as her spear slapped me towards the ground. "Why didn't you defend?" she asked in slight curiosity.
I cursed in my heart.
I wanted to defend, but the system just had to show up at that exact moment…
'What the fuck is it even about?' I cursed once more and glanced at the system panel in my line of sight. Instantly, my mouth fell open.
[Ding! Your bounded target has become a rank 2 cursed fighter.]
[Receiving 2 times reward!]
[Congratulations on entering the first stage of a rank 1 cursed fighter!]
[Ding! Your bounded target has gained slight insight into the Dragon Flame Cursed Art.]
[Receiving 2 times reward!]
[Congratulations on gaining slight mastery into the Dragon Flame Cursed Art!]
[Please increase affection of partner to receive higher multiple rewards!]
[Current affection: 29%]
'This… what the hell?' I gasped in shock, staring at the system screen in disbelief.
The next moment, I felt a mysterious energy flooding through my body, emanating from my heart and pounding into every bone, muscle, and nerve of my body.
It was altering my body in ways I couldn't fathom.
I felt a slight pricking sensation around my heart, as though something mysterious was being formed.
My aura changed subtly, one layer at a time, gradually becoming more terrifying as time passed.
"Huh… you became a cursed warrior already? But I didn't see him absorb curse energy…" Rosaline muttered in shock.
Thinking she must have missed it, she shook her head and instead appreciated Aristarkh from the bottom of her heart.
Such talent… it was the rarest she had ever seen.
In fact, she doubted there was a talent like that in existence again!
'He's a treasure and must be protected at all cost!' Rosaline decided firmly in her heart.
Meanwhile, I stood up gradually, feeling the miraculous changes to my body.
I felt my muscles tighten and become more pronounced, and I felt as though my strength had increased to another level.
It was vastly different from being a 'normal' human.
Strangely though, it also felt as if a gaze was watching me from afar, eying me suspiciously and waiting for… something.
At the same time, my mind expanded, and something appeared in my subconscious thoughts.
A technique… no… an art. A cursed art…
'Interesting…' I commented internally, holding my sword as I finally stood up.
"Time for round two?" I asked Rosaline with a calm smile.
Rosaline grinned at me. "You seem confident…"
"I am confident."