Chương 117: Cheating

"Clang!" The crisp collision of wooden swords echoed across the training ground. Zelier's opening strike carried tremendous force, aimed straight down the centerline, but Grey effortlessly deflected it with a precise angled cut. Grey's wrist flicked, and the edge of his wooden sword shot toward Zelier's side. Thanks to the physical enhancements from Mana Bond, Zelier's agility had increased dramatically.

He twisted his body at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the strike, then immediately countered with a sweeping slash that forced Grey to retreat half a step. The brief exchange was over. The real battle had begun. Zelier's attacks were fierce and aggressive. He combined the newly learned sword techniques with his overwhelming physical strength, unleashing every strike to its fullest potential. Each swing carried a sharp whistle as it tore through the air.

Grey, meanwhile, remained mostly on the defensive. Yet whenever Zelier's assault reached its most dangerous point, he would always neutralize it with a perfectly timed movement before immediately launching a counterattack. For a moment, sword shadows filled the entire arena. Their attacks and defenses shifted at a dizzying pace, while the repeated clashes of wooden blades sounded like rapid drumbeats. Marcus and Vaelis watched with renewed interest.

They had originally assumed this would simply be a one-sided training session. They never expected Zelier to actually have some real skill.

"This has only been a few days, right?" Marcus's voice was filled with disbelief.

"Zelier can already fight Grey like this? Seriously?"

"That's why people call him a genius." Vaelis curled his lips.

"When you first learned swordsmanship, how long did it take you to get started?"

"Probably half a year..." Marcus thought back.

"Most of that time was spent building my physical foundation first. Then every day was just raising a shield, practicing strikes, and charging into targets. It was so boring I thought I was going to die. My instructor used to curse at me every day, saying I was as stupid as a goblin."

"I bet on Zelier winning." Vaelis said.

"Five silver coins."

"Honestly, I wanted to bet on Zelier too, but then there wouldn't be a bet anymore, would there?" Marcus laughed.

"Fine, I'll bet on Grey." Grey's hearing was exceptionally sharp. Every word of their conversation reached his ears without missing a single syllable. His relaxed expression instantly stiffened. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Damn it... Are you two really that confident I'll lose? Grey cursed inwardly. Just wait. I'll show you the difference between a real swordsman and a beginner! After another fierce exchange, the two separated briefly.

Zelier felt a faint numbness spreading through his arms. Even his palms were slightly aching from the repeated impacts. He took a deep breath, gathering all his strength into both arms. Then he stepped forward and unleashed another diagonal slash, bringing the wooden sword crashing down. Grey positioned his wooden sword diagonally in front of him. He found an incredibly precise angle to receive the attack.

The instant Zelier's blade struck his sword, Grey used the incoming force to redirect and bounce the blade away.

"Clang!" Zelier only felt an irresistible force travel through his sword. His wooden blade was knocked aside, leaving his entire centerline exposed. A massive opening appeared.

"It's over..." Grey stepped forward and followed through with a sweeping strike toward Zelier's abdomen. However, the moment Grey's sure-kill attack was about to connect, his sword suddenly slowed. The direction of his strike was forcibly shifted by a strange, gentle force. Mist Veil! Now! Zelier seized the fleeting opportunity. Following the redirected momentum, he spun his body around and delivered a reverse horizontal slash.

"Thud." The wooden sword struck Grey's chest squarely. The dust settled across the training ground. In an unarmored duel, the basic rule was simple. As long as the wooden sword touched the opponent's torso, the victor was decided.

"Hiss..." Grey winced in pain, clutching his reddened chest while grimacing.

"Hey! Using magic counts as cheating!"

"Hehe." Zelier lowered his sword, a smug smile appearing on his face.

"That's called strategy."

"Alright, alright..." Grey waved his hand.

"By my standards, your swordsmanship is still pretty rough... but your improvement is undeniable."

"Combined with that strange magical barrier of yours, you can probably beat the average low-tier class holder without much trouble now."

"I won." Vaelis slapped Marcus on the chest and took the five silver coins from his hand.

"Zelier used magic. How does that not count as Grey winning?" Marcus followed after him helplessly.

"How are you cheating too?"

"Grey was hit directly. That means he lost." Vaelis shrugged.

"The bet never said magic wasn't allowed." Walking over to the others, Vaelis looked at Zelier.

"Not bad. You've even developed proper sword skills now."

"Just a little progress." Zelier smiled.

"Seriously, with that barrier spell of yours, I feel like you could stand in front of Marcus during future missions." Vaelis said.

"You could even take over the frontline role."

"Hey, don't just steal my job like that. This is how I make a living." Marcus protested.

"Not quite that far..." Zelier shook his head.

"To be honest, maintaining that spell still consumes a lot of mana." Marcus and Vaelis exchanged glances. A thought surfaced in both their minds at the same time. This magic was undeniably powerful. But why did it feel... strangely familiar?

"By the way, Zelier." Marcus changed the subject.

"The Adventurer Association has already informed us about the monster hunt escort unit." His voice carried genuine gratitude.

"Thank you again for stepping forward. Without you, we wouldn't have received such a good opportunity."

"I should be thanking you as well. This chance is extremely valuable." Vaelis nodded.

"It's nothing." Zelier waved his hand.

"There are still several days before the monster hunt. We can't just sit around doing nothing. How about taking a small commission from the Adventurer Association? Consider it some practical training." Marcus suggested. Zelier thought for a moment before nodding.

"Sure." This was the perfect opportunity to see how much his swordsmanship had improved in actual combat....... Adventurer Association. When Marcus's team of four pushed open the doors and entered the noisy, crowded hall, the heated atmosphere inside seemed to freeze for a brief moment. The attention of most people present immediately turned toward them. Countless gazes filled with scrutiny, envy, and curiosity landed on the group.

It wasn't only because Marcus's team had been completing difficult commissions at an astonishing rate recently. More importantly, there was a major piece of news quietly spreading throughout the association— Every member of their team had joined the escort unit for the monster hunt. The news about the Mage Guild recruiting adventurers had already spread. Everyone was discussing it. The rewards were generous enough to make people jealous. Equipment repairs were fully covered. Safety was guaranteed.

And they might even have the chance to build connections with powerful mages. Was there any commission more attractive than that? Countless adventurers were desperate to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, most of them were destined to miss out. Aside from the candidates personally selected by the Mage Guild, only a very small number of positions would be left for the Adventurer Association to decide. Naturally, the association would never openly announce such precious spots.

And so, an invisible struggle had already begun beneath the surface.