Training [2]

Adrian still reeling from the kick to his abdomen, leaned against the wall and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

The facilitator extended a hand to help Adrian up, and as he got to his feet, he nodded his thanks.

"Thanks," Adrian said, wincing slightly as he put a hand to his abdomen.

"You alright, recruit?" the facilitator asked, eyeing Adrian with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," Adrian replied, trying to straighten up.

"Good," the facilitator said, motioning for Adrian to follow him. "Let's get you to the next training session." Together, they strode towards the designated area for combat practice, where other recruits were already locked in fierce sparring matches.

As they strode towards the training room for recruits, the facilitator quickly excused himself and headed back to the courtyard to assist the recruits who were just beginning their first form of training. He had only accompanied Adrian to the training room to ensure that he made it there safely.

As Adrian entered the combat training room for new recruits, he noticed that many of the other recruits had paused their routines to watch him. Whispers and murmurs filled the room, and although he couldn't hear everything, he could sense that they were discussing him.

Although Adrian couldn't hear the exact words the other recruits were saying, he could sense that they were discussing the person who had messed with him earlier. It turned out that the culprit was from a Barony and went by the name of Terrance Durk, the son of the Baron Leonard Durk.

Terrance Durk believed that only the strong would survive and the weak would die. He considered himself among the strong and took pleasure in trampling on those he deemed weaker than himself to boost his own ego.

In light of the ongoing war between the empire and the demonic empire, Terrance held a particularly ruthless view. He believed that the weak were useless and should be left behind since they couldn't contribute to the war effort. Terrance Durk's beliefs extended to his views on who should become a knight.

He believed that individuals like Adrian, whom he considered weak, were not fit to become knights.

As the whispers in the training room faded, Adrian continued to make his way through the crowd. However, he accidentally bumped into a blonde-haired man named Terrance Durk.

Adrian was taken aback by the encounter and promised himself that he would do his best to avoid Terrance Durk at all costs in order to focus on his own training and avoid any unnecessary conflicts.

"Well, well. Look who it is," said Terrance, tilting his head towards Adrian as he stopped swinging his wooden sword at the training dummy.

Without warning, Terrance removed his left glove and tossed it towards Adrian, leaving him feeling confused and uncertain.

Adrian's confusion was written on his face when suddenly, one of the other recruits shouted out, "He's challenging you to a duel, you idiot!"

The act of throwing a glove at someone in medieval times was known as "throwing down the gauntlet," and it was a challenge to a duel. It was a symbolic gesture meant to represent the removal of one's glove, which was considered a sign of disrespect.

Feeling trapped and with no clear way out, Adrian realized that he had no choice but to accept the challenge. He knew that backing down from a duel would make him look weak in the eyes of the other soldiers, and he refused to become a laughingstock as a soldier who cowered from a simple challenge. With a heavy heart, Adrian reluctantly accepted the duel.

After accepting the duel, Adrian made his way over to the weapon rack to select his weapon. As the recruits were still in the training phase, all of the weapons were still wooden. Adrian selected a wooden sword and prepared himself for the impending duel.

Several of the other recruits in the training room stopped what they were doing and flocked towards Adrian and Terrance's location, eager to see the upcoming duel.

"Whoa, there's going to be a fight! This is going to be good!" exclaimed one of the recruits excitedly.

As the cheers of the other recruits filled the room, Terrance's face broke into a smug grin as he saw the despair on Adrian's face.

"Prepare yourself, weakling!" Terrance taunted as he rushed towards Adrian, unleashing a flurry of stabbing techniques that were unique to him.

Terrance's relentless attack caused Adrian to suffer multiple blows to vital areas of his body, leaving him badly damaged. Despite the injuries, Adrian refused to fall, and attempted to counterattack with his wooden sword. However, Terrance expertly parried each of Adrian's swings with ease.

Terrance noticed that despite the damage he had inflicted, Adrian refused to back down. Frustrated, Terrance let out a furious roar.

"You bastard! How dare you act tough in front of me!" he shouted.

With a fierce determination, Terrance launched a powerful attack, using a thrusting technique to try and land a finishing blow on Adrian.

As Terrance launched his final attack, Adrian's mind raced, thinking of his family and his future in this new world. Suddenly, he found himself in a trance-like state, where he began to effortlessly deflect Terrance's blows.

"What's happening? How is he blocking my attacks?" Terrance shouted in disbelief.

Adrian remained silent, fully focused on his defense as he deftly parried each of Terrance's strikes.

"You can't beat me!" Terrance shouted, frustration evident in his voice.

Adrian didn't respond, but his eyes burned with a fierce determination. With each passing moment, his confidence grew, and he began to see openings in Terrance's defense.

Terrance's guard dropped, giving Adrian the opening he needed to strike. He aimed for Terrance's vital parts and delivered a swift slash, causing the other man to drop to his knees.

"You bastard!" Terrance roared, anger and humiliation fueling him. "How dare you make me kneel, you weakling! You're dead meat!"

With a fierce determination, Terrance imbued his wooden sword with a mysterious energy and charged at Adrian, who had just recovered from the previous attack.

Just as Terrance was about to strike Adrian with a thrust of his wooden sword, a man suddenly appeared and effortlessly deflected his attack, leaving Terrance off-balance.

The man in front of Adrian was none other than the facilitator who had stepped away for a moment. He had a bald head, a neatly shaved goatee, and piercing brown eyes.

Adrian was stunned by what he had just witnessed. Terrance's attack had been imbued with mysterious energy, yet the facilitator had easily deflected it. To Adrian, the attack had seemed incredibly powerful, but to the facilitator, it had been nothing more than a minor annoyance. Adrian was amazed by the man's incredible skill and power, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe in his presence.

After Terrance fell unconscious, the facilitator quickly rushed to Adrian's side, dropping to a knee to assist him.

As he turned towards Adrian, he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. 'Oh no, this must be Captain Mohan's new recruit,' he thought to himself. 'I must help him or else I might get scolded by Mohan later.'

"Are you alright, new recruit?" the bald-headed facilitator at the combat training room asked, his face etched with concern.

"Y-yes, I'm alright," said Adrian.

Terrance slowly regained consciousness, his vision blurred and hazy. He wiped his eyes with a hand, trying to clear his vision and focus on the scene in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing? That guy is my prey!" Terrance growled, his voice low and dangerous as he tried to assert his authority over the facilitator.

"Stop this right now, Terrance Durk, or you will suffer consequences." The bald-headed facilitator said.

Just as Terrance was about to defy the facilitator, an elderly man with an unkempt beard and a deep scar on his face suddenly appeared before them, along with the gathered bystanders.

"What are you doing, young lad?" the man named Mohan asked, his voice gruff and commanding as he addressed Terrance directly.

As soon as Terrance laid eyes on Mohan, he broke out in a cold sweat, his fear palpable. After all, every soldier at Arvendale answered to the elderly man before him, and Terrance was no exception.

"What brings you here, our almighty captain?" Terrance stammered, attempting to appease Mohan with flattery.

Ignoring Terrance's attempts to flatter him, Captain Mohan turned his attention to the bald-headed facilitator, Rowan, who was supporting the battered Adrian.

"Rowan, on this day, Terrance Durk, son of Baron Durk, is hereby disqualified," Mohan declared, his voice ringing with authority as he addressed the facilitator.

"What? You can't do this, Captain!" Terrance roared, his dissatisfaction evident as he protested his disqualification.

"I cannot let this weakling become a soldier. He has low potential. Just look at his body!" Terrance continued to shout, his anger and frustration boiling over.

"That is not the issue here. You were disqualified because you used your mana during the dueling session," Rowan, the bald-headed facilitator, stated firmly.

Within the barracks, duels were strictly intended as training exercises designed to hone combat skills, and the use of "mana," a mysterious energy, was strictly prohibited. This rule applied only to the training room for new recruits.

Due to the fact that most recruits had yet to open their mana circuits, allowing the use of mana during duels would give an unfair advantage to those whose circuits had already been opened. As a result, this practice was strictly prohibited.

All participants were expected to rely solely on their physical abilities and combat skills, ensuring a fair and level playing field for all involved.

"But I..." Terrance began to protest, only to be cut off by a thunderous shout from Mohan.

"Shut up and get out!" the elderly captain roared, his voice commanding and leaving no room for argument.

As Mohan's roar echoed through the room, a gust of wind suddenly whipped through, ruffling Terrance's hair and clothes. Terrance quickly turned and headed for the nearest exit.

But before he left, he cast a menacing glance back at Adrian.

"Just remember this, you son of a bitch," Terrance spat, his voice laced with venom. "Once you leave this place, I will find you and I will kill you."

With that, he turned and stormed out of the room, his rage and frustration simmering inside him.