Deshurn Fallon and the Teachings

Kratan, the highest peak of the Krates Mountains.

A small gazebo and a ramshackle hut had been built on the edge of a cliff on a peak so high that the clouds could almost touch it.

A muscular, gray-haired old man was just preparing breakfast when he suddenly turned and looked in one direction.

"Looks like we have company."

He quickly grabbed a plate of food for two and headed out of the house to the gazebo.

Just then, someone walked up, covered in monster blood.

"Took you long enough to get here. There's a stream just down the road, so go wash up."

The man's demeanor was so natural as if he were an acquaintance, that Adrias barely had time to greet him before he nodded and headed down the path.

"Boy, you have a strange constitution."

The old man smiled and waited for him to wash up and come up.

* * *

I simply washed off the blood and climbed back up, and Deshurn, sitting in the gazebo, beckoned to me.

"Good morning, I'm...."

"Did you have breakfast?"

Stuttering, I shook my head and approached the gazebo.

It was a shocking visual in the game, but even more so in person.

It was hard to believe he was an old man with gray hair and muscles.

This was the Swordsman, Deshurn Fallon.

"Then let's have a meal together."

"Thank you. Mr. Deshurn."

And his personality is just as furry as I expected.

I sat down across from him, and before I ate the meal he set out for me, I pulled out a piece of paper from my bosom and handed it to him.

Deshurn took the paper and gestured for me to go ahead and eat as if he didn't care.

Honestly, it was rice, but I wanted him to check the paper, but he didn't seem to care, so I just started eating.

'I've been eating nothing but dried food, so this is a real treat.

I could have hunted down a beast and cooked it, but I didn't want to risk attracting other monsters.

So, after eating nothing but jerky and dried fruit every day since entering the mountains, I couldn't believe how delicious Deshurn's meal was.

I finished the meal with a wary glance at Deshurn, and he stood up with his prize.

When I got up to help him, he shook his head and said.

"If you're a guest, sit still and rest. You've been through a lot to get here."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

It was nice to be fed and hospitable, but I was in a hurry.

I wanted Deshurn to get back to the paper that Bahat had given him.

As if reading my mind, he looked at the paper as soon as he put the prize away.

"Hehe. This kid has grown up, how dare he send me a letter like this."

A brat? Does he mean Barnhart?

Well, given his age, he might as well be a child.

If Bahat is 60, Deshurn must be approaching 100.

Deshurn looks away, and when he sees me, he waves me over.

"I was wondering anyway. Draw your sword and digest."

I did as he said and drew my sword.

"Let's see your level. I won't fight back, so attack."

So he's going to do me a favor. Good.

My opponent was the oldest Auror Master in existence, so I swung my sword without hesitation.

"You may use mana."

Deshurn's sudden words stopped my sword in its tracks.

...What did he just say?

"Don't look so surprised, go ahead and attack."

I looked at Deshurn and forced myself to relax.

Salem knew I was dual-core, so I shouldn't be surprised if Deshurn noticed.

Perhaps monsters of his stature have a way of knowing.

"Or he has a mana gift like me.

Or maybe they're gifted or geniuses, just not in the same way I am.

In that case, it was no wonder they'd notice my 'vessel' trait.

'In that case, no thanks, full force.

Black mana enveloped Galakshur.

With that, I unleashed my physical abilities and charged at Deshurne with a speed that I hadn't seen before.

"Good!"

With a shallow exclamation, Deshurn dodged my sword.

But I had already guessed where he would move, so I pre-empted him and struck the inevitable blow.

"Hoh?"

I snapped out of my reverie to see Deshurn's finger on the tip of my sword.

"What the hell...?

How did it get stuck?

It was only one finger, and I couldn't even push it out.

I took a step back, trying to free myself from his magnetic grip.

"You have good eyes."

Deshurn's leisurely appreciation made me feel the power of the Auror Master once again.

Come to think of it, this was the first Auror Master I'd seen since I'd met Muangong just before the midterms.

Moreover, we had only exchanged pleasantries back then and hadn't tested his skills, so this was a real experience.

I took a breath and leaped at Deshurn once more.

"Left!

My precognitive combat talent predictedDeshurn's move.

But then my body rattled like it was broken.

"Not left?

My senses were confused.

Indeed, my first glance at Deshurn's breathing and muscle movements had confirmed that he was moving to the left, but the irregularity of his opponent's breathing and angle just moments before had made my head spin.

"Hmph! Having good eyes is definitely an advantage. But I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."

Intentionally creating irregular muscle movements.

When it came to handling my body, I couldn't even begin to imitate it.

"What's even more amazing is that he didn't simply overpower me with strength and speed.

As an Auror Master, his physical stats should have given him an overwhelming advantage over me.

But Deshurne didn't take advantage of that physical advantage, instead toying with me lightly.

"Child, the opponent will not wait, and the moment you hesitate, your head will be gone."

I closed and opened my eyes at Deshurne's advice.

Don't be fooled by your opponent's movements.

Just instinct!

Whip.

It was already a habit.

I tried to attack without relying on my combat talents, but caught myself reading Deshurn's breathing as an automatic reflex.

And so, once again, I fell victim to Deshurn's trickery and slashed in vain.

"It's probably not going to be easy to bend it to your will. There is one good way to fix that."

"May I ask to be taught, please?"

I was desperate.

I had only been taught swordsmanship by Nickel, and I craved this kind of instruction.

"Of course. Of course. That's why I asked to see your skills, even if it wasn't at the request of the Baha'at in the first place, I was intrigued by you."

He smiled, but there was something odd about it.

Like he'd found a funny toy....

That's right, I think that's the look Salem had when he saw Natae's page.

"Hmph. You'd rather run away from me, child, so you'll have to brace yourself and join my play."

Something....

I felt like something was wrong.

* * *

Pfft!

"Kuck."

I immediately fell to the ground, feeling like I was floating in thin air.

Even I, who prided myself on having a fairly high pain tolerance, was trembling from the pain that seemed to be twisting my five organs.

"Come on, get up. You're already on your back, and we've only just begun."

I struggled to catch my breath at Desherne's amused tone and rose to my feet.

I hadn't understood why Louis disliked Deshurne, who could have been his benefactor, but now I did.

"It pisses me off because it's an ignorant method, but it seems to work.

Deshurne's idea of a good method was the "slap is medicine" theory, or in other words, the theory that a good spanking will naturally correct a bad habit.

And if there's no pain, habits don't change, he said, so he struck me in an unusual way, using a weird mana usage that was obviously correct, causing little trauma or internal injury but maximizing the pain.

"Whoa."

I waited, trying my best not to be fooled this time.

But Deshurne wasn't waiting.

"I should have told you that you'd be dead the moment you started thinking about it."

Poof!

"Kaboom."

My lungs felt like they were collapsing.

A cold sweat broke out as immense pain radiated down my side.

"Child, your talent can be overwhelming against the weak. But if you encounter someone of a slightly higher caliber, you'll be seen through within five moves, and you'll end up like this."

What is "a little bit better" by your standards?

To me, Deshurne was clearly talking about an Auror Master.

"Of course, you're certainly blessed compared to those who don't have such talents. So you'll have to learn how to use it properly."

"Ugh!"

I was so beaten up, I felt evil.

I leaped to my feet and lunged at Desherne, who was training.

But as I lunged at him, I was calculating the situation in my head.

'Left, but it's a trick again.'

In that case, I'll change all my defenses except for the left to...!

Mana accelerated, and Salem's wave, which he had realized how to use by using laziness, was loaded onto the sword.

'If this is it!

Pfft!

"You're talking, aren't you?"

I felt myself floating once more.

And I blacked out, hearing Deshurne's words for the last time.

* * *

Deshurne laughed bloodily at the sight of Adrias, who had been beaten from morning till night.

'Go guy. A thing.'

Apparently, he uses magic too, judging by his constitution, but with physical talent and combat sense like this....

Just as he was about to carry him home, thinking he'd found the right guy after all these years.

"...?"

Deshurn looked at his right arm at the sudden tingling sensation.

He could see that the sleeve of his shirt had been sliced open, flapping in the wind.

"Hmph. Heh heh heh heh!"

Was that the last one?

Despite his seemingly brute force, Deshurn knew that Adrias had wielded his sword coldly.

That meant he had been caught unawares.

Even if he hadn't used any mana and hadn't used his true skill, it was still surprising enough.

The mere fact that the sword had touched him was a testament to his talent.

"You said you were an academy student. Pity."

He was an intriguing fellow, one that would have kept him occupied for years if he'd had enough time.

Of course, he had his own work to do, so it was just a fancy.

As Deshurn picked up the fallen Adrias and headed home, he looked at the stars in the sky, so close he could almost touch them, and remembered the boy he'd run into while doing his business a few months ago.

"Was that Luis? I heard he'll also be joining the Academy this year. It will be fascinating to see what he's capable of. The times are definitely changing.

Deschurn felt a rush of excitement as he anticipated being part of a new era."