Chapter 07 - Sparring

'Alrighty, this will do.'I nodded in satisfaction when I finished my newest creation… it was a reinforced slingshot that had three power bands. I wondered for a moment if I truly had to make something like this… I thought at first that I should test my dexterity by crafting something like this and it proved that I got more dexterous.I have some funds now because of this little project. While I couldn't leave the house alone, one of the guards would be assigned to me to guard me on my days off if I decided to leave. No one talked with me, but at least they had the order from Rayner.I didn't want to be escorted, but they wouldn't go away even if I told them, so I decided to ignore the fact that the guard was there. In any case, I looked for a merchant to sell my slingshot. It was an interesting toy for kids, but it could be harmful too… or so I thought. As it turns out, kids are a lot more sturdy in that world than on Earth. Even more so after they turn ten and get inside dungeons to get at least one class.While they didn't have access to combat classes, the commoners had the chance to pick a class when they became ten years old and they usually picked one that would increase their health and would help with their work. At that age, it was time for them to pick a trade.For my first prototype, he decided to give me a terra coin. It looked like it was a copper coin, but it had the emblem of a mountain on it. Speaking of which, that world had four types of coins used all over the world. They were Breeze coins, that had the emblem of the wind on them and they looked like they were made of tin. The Terra coins, and then there were Aqua coins, which had the emblem of a river, and then Ignis coins, which had the emblem of a flame.Breeze coins were the lowest in value and one hundred of them was equal to one Terra coin. One hundred of those were equal to one Aqua coin and so on. Instead of the money, I asked for some materials and asked the merchant if he wanted to keep buying those things from me. At first, I thought that the merchant looked like he wanted to ask someone else to make those, but soon he changed his mind when I told him that they could be used to train archers. It would be a lot more effective and not that expensive.The fact that one of the guards of the family was with me probably helped, but the guard didn't say anything and just kept glaring at me, and then that helped the merchant to accept my offer. He didn't know how I was treated at home, so he assumed that it was probably the best idea not to get on my bad side.To make the most out of that trick, the merchant was only selling that information to some of his allies and best clients. He didn't know how essentially I had no power and influence even to order the servants, so he imagined that he would be in trouble if he broke our agreement.The next day was a day off, and I headed toward the merchant. The guy still couldn't bring himself to look happy, even though I had brought a new model that was easier to use. He was a chubby man in his forties and he had a glint in his eyes that showed that he was really waiting for a chance to make the tool by himself."Here is half of what I got from the previous sales."The merchant passed to me some coins in a bag. I counted them and found ten Terra coins. I could make one of those every three days in my free time, and they were starting to sell for three Terra coins, so my income was around one Terra coin every two days.Still, it would take a while since the magic implement to hide my status was five Igni coins. That was of the highest quality, after all. It would counter the appraising skills of literally everyone. Still, at any rate, it would take twenty thousand days before I have the money.'I guess I need a new tool… one that would be pretty expensive.'The slingshot was useful for training, but it only worked for those who had the Archer class or similar ones. Its sales potential was small… while returning home, I considered what else I could sell. If my days weren't so full with training in the morning and afternoon, then I would have more time to plan those things.Or maybe it would be easier if I picked a class somewhere that granted me the intelligence parameter. That helped people think faster aside from increasing magical attacks too. In any case, the next morning arrived and soon I was surprised by what Rowan told me."You will spar with Remi and Ulric from today onward.""Alright."That seemed like a good opportunity since I only did boring stuff with the sword. I was getting better, but I felt more accomplished with my precision training and making my products.In any case, my light attitude really annoyed Rowan, so he told me to spar with Remi. His casual attitude changed when we were in front of each other. Usually, he would let his wooden sword rest on his shoulder and hold it with a single hand when he faced, Ulric.'Kids.'I smiled as I thought that and Remi used that chance to attack… he stepped forward and swung down his sword with both hands. The sound of the sword cutting the air cleanly echoed in the area, and I avoided the hit by a hair's breadth.I was a bit surprised… my Dexterity improved a bit in the last six months, but I didn't think that it would make such a clean attack that obvious to see. Well, Remi was skilled, but he was still only nine years old. With his class, he only improved his health a lot faster.He looked a bit surprised too, but soon recovered from it and then reassumed his fighting stance. This time, he relaxed his shoulders a bit and then moved his sword to the side… horizontal attacks would be harder to dodge, after all.Without hesitation, Remi stepped in and then swung his sword, but I stepped backward the moment he moved his feet. The moment his weapon passed above me, I thrust mine forward and then hit his left wrist. He grimaced in pain and then dropped his sword. I didn't put weight behind it, but he had never been hit before, so the pain probably shocked him."Don't drop your weapon and don't be counterattacked that easily. If it were a real weapon, you would lose the ability to hold a sword and that is the same as being dead on the battlefield.""... Yes sir.""I want one hundred laps around the garden.'"... Yes sir."I felt bad for Remi, but I would feel worse if I were to lose to a nine-year-old kid. It was hard to say if I could consider myself thirty years old, but I had thirty years' worth of experience. Was that considered bullying? Even though I was doing the defending instead of attacking? Only my conscience could judge me...In any case, next was Ulric. He wouldn't make the same mistakes as Remi, so I had to keep my guard up. He assumed his guard and put his sword in front of him and got ready to attack from any direction. He began to move slowly to the sides while studying me… instead of anger or disgust, I could see caution in his eyes.'I guess losing to me would make him feel even more worthless, huh?'Ulric was a kid who looked the most like Rayner, but he was the least skilled of the boys… because of his lack of confidence. He wanted to prove himself so much that he thought that his best way was to not shame the name of his family and train even on his days off."What are you waiting for? This isn't a staring contest!"I almost had a heart attack… the stupid captain's roar echoed through the whole house, but at least it made Ulric step forward and attack. It was a simple sideway cut without any power behind it. I blocked with my sword, but before I could feel any weight, Ulric stepped back and assumed his basic stance.'I guess he needs some wins to gain confidence and then show his true potential. His best chance is against me since soon Remi will go to the knights' academy too in six months.'I felt bad for the kid… but not enough to lose and then run one hundred laps around the garden. That would be half of a marathon, after all. In any case, that was a good chance for me as well, so I decided to go on the offense. I thrust my sword at Ulric's stomach all of a sudden and he blocked the attack with his weapon.His guard was firm, so I didn't push him back even a bit… we were supposed to be the same height, but he was a bit heavier since he had been training for longer. Instead of using that chance to counterattack, he kept waiting once more… I was starting to understand why Rowan was so impatient with him.Since he didn't come at me, I launched a barrage of thrusts at him. I had experience training, but not much experience with launching attacks, so that was my chance to get used to it. Still, my attacks were too obvious and soon Ulric parried my sword to the side and then stepped forward and swung his weapon at me with an upward strike.I didn't have room to move to the side, but I had room to step forward and hit his wrists with the handle of my wooden sword, which stopped his attack for good. He grunted in pain and trembled a bit. With my weight and the weight of his charge, his wrists should be hurting quite a bit, but he didn't drop his sword.'Albert mentioned that his dexterity when he was ten was seven… with debuff thanks to the day, I lost twenty percent of mine, but it is still at least three points higher than those two. Being thirty percent more dexterous than them sure is convenient.'In the end, we kind of played a game of cat and mouse… I focused on experimenting with my thrusts and Ulric waited for the chance for him to have a clear counter. Still, his intentions were too obvious so he never got his chance.After breakfast, we resumed the sparring and I faced Remi again, but he was too tired to show his real skill. However, from the next day onward, he decided to use his head a bit more. By focusing on small and compact attacks, he didn't give me any chance to counter them, but his attacks also didn't have enough power to break my defense.With that in mind, I began to test my parrying technique against him, and when he noticed that, he lost his temper. His next charge was a reckless one… he even used Bash, but I had already seen that happening before, so I stepped to the side and stabbed his liver with my sword… naturally, it didn't pierce the skin, but it hurt quite a bit.Rowan glared daggers toward him, and he silently started his punishment, at that rate, Rowan could tell thanks to my extra dexterity and good head, I would never be bested by those two, but he clearly had some plans up his sleeve. I also could tell what he was thinking and I couldn't help but sigh.