Several days had passed since the local tournament. We had hot food, comfortable beds, extra coins in our pockets. But I was starting to feel restless. Every day I trained hard with the master, in the afternoon I improved my magic with Lilia who taught me new things. While the master observed us both, we kept leveling up more and more. Normal training no longer worked, the beasts roaming the area no longer helped us at all. But whenever that happened the master fought us instead. We could not defeat him, but it was better than facing monsters.
"Very well children, we start now."
We started our fight against the master. The wind shook the forest trees, fallen leaves shifted across the ground, lifted up, then fell again. Everything became silent again.
The master opened his eyes. Only the pressure of his mana made the trees shake violently. He vanished in an instant, appeared in front of us, preparing to attack.
He raised his arm with brutal speed. I pushed myself backward using a burst of wind — the impact of his strike destroyed the ground where I stood, lifting a cloud of dirt and leaves that blinded me for a second.
Lilia, who had also dodged, took the chance to fire a fire orb directly at his chest. The master avoided it with an impossible twist, the fireball hit a nearby tree, igniting it with an explosive crackle that filled the air with the smell of burning wood.
Now we could not hold back like against normal monsters. We had to give it everything.
I rushed toward him, charging the wooden sword with wind mana — the invisible edge whistled as it cut the air. We exchanged blows: my sword clashed against his reinforced stick, mana sparks flew, the impact forced me backward several steps, my arms trembling.
Lilia charged another attack while I kept him busy. If he dodged, I would take the hit instead. But I did not care.
She fired a fire lance. The master took it head on — flames wrapped around him, burning his clothes, burning the stick.
"Hahaha we hit him."
"Mmm, those children. But you Aito were willing to take the attack if I had dodged. I am impressed."
Only his clothes and the stick had burned. The smell of scorched cloth and wood filled the air, leaves burned around him. He stood between us again. The wind roared once more, shaking everything harder than before.
The master leaped, tearing another thick branch from a nearby tree. He reinforced it with mana instantly.
"We start round two."
The second round was different. Now he was taking us seriously.
He went straight for Lilia, who attacked from a distance. I tried to intercept him with a burst of wind that raised a wall of dust and leaves, but he passed through it like nothing, appearing in front of her.
Lilia raised a fire shield — the master shattered it with one clean strike, the explosion pushed both of us backward.
I charged again, sword infused. We clashed hard — his stick blocked my cut, but the wind infusion opened a crack in the ground between us. I retreated, gasping, then used wind impulse to spin and strike from the side.
He parried, countered — the impact threw me against a tree, the trunk cracked, leaves fell like rain. Pain shot through my back, but I got up quickly.
Lilia cast fire chains to restrain him. He cut them with a horizontal slash, but I took the opening: I ran, jumped, sword raised — a downward strike with wind at maximum output.
We clashed. Mana explosion — wind pressure, raw strength pushed both of us away. My sword splintered, but I managed to land a shallow cut on his arm (first time).
The master smiled, lowering the stick.
"Good children. Enough for today."
We collapsed, exhausted. Lilia gasped for air, I trembled with adrenaline.
The master approached, scratching the cut.
"You progress quickly. Soon I will not be able to hold back as much."
That was the end of the training. Stronger than yesterday… but still far from him.