Parry

As the light of dawn pierced through the cracks of the wooden shutters, Yuri stirred from his slumber. His eyes, heavy with sleep, fluttered open to greet the new day. The room was filled with a serene silence, broken only by the distant chirping of the morning birds.

His muscles ached from yesterday's rigorous training, yet a sense of anticipation coursed through his veins. Today was not just another day; it was another step on his journey to becoming a powerful warrior in the world of Xerov.

With a deep breath, he pushed off the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The cold floor beneath his bare feet served as a harsh yet invigorating reminder of the path he had chosen.

His gaze fell upon the training sword propped against the wall. It was now a companion. As he picked it up, the familiar weight brought a small smile to his face. Today, like every other day, would be filled with sweat and toil, but Yuri was ready. After all, the path to greatness is paved with perseverance.

And so, under the soft glow of the breaking dawn, Yuri's day began once again with the promise of training.

Arriving in the courtyard he stretched his limbs and prepared for the day ahead. He took a deep breath, ready to face the new challenges that awaited him. He was determined to make this day count.

"Since you've already warmed up, give me 21 laps." Ren said as he walked into the courtyard towards Yuri.

"Yes sir." Yuri said as he ran out of the courtyard and started his laps around the estate.

Around the 5th lap, his muscles screamed in protest and his breathing became ragged.

He once again pushed himself as he ran lap after lap, eventually getting to the last lap and finishing.

Yuri collapsed immediately on the ground. His legs screamed, his body ached, and his lungs burned, but he had made it. Exhausted but he had done it.

"Good, get yourself together and then we'll move on to the next workout."

"Yes sir," Yuri said, trying to get up.

After catching his breath, he started his next workout doing 55 reps of squats, push ups, and sit ups.

Finishing the workout his body felt like thousands of ants were crawling around in his body and biting him.

Finding the strength to move after a while, Yuri slowly stood up.

He stretched his arms and let out a long sigh. He knew he had to rest and recover before he started weapons training.

"Yesterday your swordsmanship was good. I didn't really have to correct you or fix your form. I thought it would take you weeks before you were at least decent with a sword." Ren said.

He continued "Since you have the intermediate swordsmanship skill, there's no point in correcting your form. Today I'll teach you how to parry."

Yuri's heart pounded in his chest as he watched Ren pick up a wooden training sword. "Remember, Yuri," Ren's voice was stern, "parrying isn't just about blocking an attack. It's about redirecting the force, using your opponent's strength against them."

Ren's next words sent a jolt of surprise through Yuri.

"We're going to skip the basic parry skill. I believe you have the potential to learn the intermediate parry skill directly."

Before Yuri could respond, Ren was on the move. His wooden sword cut through the air, swift and relentless. Yuri barely had time to react. He gripped his own wooden sword, trying to position it to meet Ren's attack. But he was too slow. His sword was knocked out of his hand, flying a few feet away.

Yuri's heart sank. 'Even though I have muscle memory from countless years of fighting in my past life, this body can't keep up.'

Not giving up, he picked up his sword and faced Ren again. And again. And again. Each time, he was a little bit closer to successfully parrying Ren's attack.

Hours passed. Yuri's arms ached, his body screamed for rest, but he didn't stop. He kept trying, kept pushing himself.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Yuri did it.

He parried one of Ren's attacks. The sound of wood against wood echoed around them.

His mood was neither happy nor excited. 'It took me hours to parry only one of his attacks successfully. I need to lock in, I need to get accustomed and used to this body.'

"Again," Yuri commanded, reassuming his stance with the piercing gaze of a viper.

Yuri once again faced Ren again and again. His parry became faster and more calculated with every swing.

Another two hours passed, leaving Yuri exhausted. His body was sprawled on the floor with every fiber of his being in aching pain.

"Good, you should definitely have the intermediate parry skill," Ren said. Yuri sat up, feeling a little better that he had parried more of Ren's attack.

He smiled and thanked Ren for the hard work. He got up, feeling really tired, only wanting to get in his bed and sleep.

Ren smiled as he said "Good work today. I'll have the servants bring your food to your room, get upstairs and shower."

Yuri nodded, his body heavy with exhaustion as he trudged through the courtyard and back to his room. He eventually tossed his body into the soothing embrace of his shower.

He let the hot water rinse away all the tension and exhaustion of the day. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax as he felt his body slowly come back to life.

Yuri's senses sharpened as he stepped out of the shower, droplets clinging to his skin like a second skin. Yuri focused his senses and felt the air in the room shift.

He sensed he wasn't alone. His instincts from his past life surged within him, a primal awareness that screamed danger.

Without hesitation, Yuri lunged toward the mirror. His fingers wrapped around the edge, and with a fierce twist, he tore it from the wall. Shards of glass rained down, and he seized one, its jagged edges fitting perfectly in his grip. Bloodlust pulsed through him, urging him to fight, to survive.

His senses screamed, a warning as he felt something coming for his neck.

He didn't have a weapon but the glass shard would have to do.

Sparks flew as he parried the assassin's knife. His body trembled as he recovered from the shock that ran through him. 'He's strong.'

As Yuri was looking at the assassin, he saw the use of an ability for the first time, reinforcing the fact that he was really in a fantasy world.

The assassin disappeared, his body blending in with the shadows.

Sensing the strikes aimed at him, Yuri spun and slashed with the glass shard. Drawing a crimson line across the assassin's arm.

The intruder was relentless. He didn't back down as he continued to try and kill Yuri.

Yuri's breath came in ragged gasps as they circled each other. The room blurred, the scent of blood, the taste of adrenaline. Yuri's past life memories surged, urging him to strike, to kill. But he hesitated.

He wasn't the person of his past, he had to be calculative. He was in a 10 year old body fighting a trained assassin. The odds were stacked against him.

Just as the assassin lunged again, the door suddenly burst open. Yuri's parents immediately blocked the intruder's attack and apprehended him.

His mother Yuki, rage etched on her face, and his father Mizuno, his expression pained yet resolute.

"I'm going to kill him." Yuki snarled, unsheathing her dual daggers.

"No," Mizuno said firmly. "We will keep him alive, we need to question him."

Yuri's bloodlust clashed with his rationality. He lowered the shard, meeting his parents' eyes. "We need answers," he said, his voice raw. "Why did they come for me?"

Yuki stepped forward, her hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Because you're a Kaguno heir, my son. Many people want to strip us of our power."

The assassin groaned, blood pooling beneath him. Yuri's family had made their decision. To question, not to kill.

After the failed assassination, Mizuno and Yuki had Yuri's hand treated and bandaged. They then took the intruder to a room in the Kaguno residence, leaving Yuri to dwell in his thoughts.

'I'm only 10 and already have unknown people targeting me? I need to progress a little faster.'

Finishing his thoughts, he decided to check his status panel and see how much he had progressed today.

[ Status ]

‣ Name: Yuri Kaguno

‣ Class: ( Locked )

‣ Realm: Preliminary Realm

‣ Title: ( Locked )

‣ Passives: ( Locked )

‣ Attributes

- Strength: 2 -> 3

- Dexterity: 1 -> 2

- Agility: 1 -> 2

- Stamina: 2 -> 3

- Constitution: 1

- Int: 1

‣ Traits: ( Locked )

‣ Arts: ( Locked )

‣ Skills:

- Intermediate swordsmanship - 6%

- Intermediate parry - 5%

'A pretty good day, except for me almost dying to an assassin.' Yuri said as he lay down in his bed.

As Yuri closed his eyes, he dozed off into a deep slumber. His body was tired from training, and defending himself from the assassin pushed his body to its limits.