Phoenix Edge (2)

The man looked Ray up and down with contempt visible on his face.

"No."

"Why not?" asked Ray, shock evident on his face. He didn't understand what he had done wrong to warrant such a blunt refusal. He had even asked the man politely, but the man had still said no.

"The reason is because I don't like you."

"Why the hell would you just dislike someone you just met? That doesn't make any sense."

"I already know people like you. Let me guess, your friends dared you to come to this place to make fun of me, right?"

"Of course not! This is my first time coming to this area in particular."

"I know you're lying. Why would you come here of all places if you wanted to learn how to fight? There are so many better places and better teachers who can train you. And what was that cheesy line? Do you think you're in an anime or something?"

"It's because this was the cheapest place I could find," mumbled Ray, embarrassed.

"What did you say?" asked the man.

"I said the only reason I came here is because I'm broke, and this was the cheapest area I could find," replied Ray, blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh, so that's how it is. How is a pretty boy like you broke? You certainly look like a rich kid."

"I may look like a rich kid, but I'm definitely not," replied Ray.

"I would have been a rich kid if not for my family not sending me any money," thought Ray to himself.

"Okay, so why do you want to learn how to fight?" asked the man, his tone and expression softening.

"So I can learn how to fight in a game. It's called—"

"Let me guess, Victory Online, right?"

"Yeah, how do you know?"

"Well, that's easy. The game is the reason I have no students."

"Back then, I used to have a lot of students, and I was one of the best dojos in the area until Victory Online came out. Many people thought if they could fight in the game, then what reason would they have to train in the physical world."

"But this is the first time someone came to train in my dojo to get better at the game. Isn't it usually shooting fireballs that you guys do in that game? I didn't know there was actual fighting in it too."

"Yeah, at least for my character, since my ability focuses heavily on weapons," replied Ray.

"Okay, let me see how good you are."

The man stood up and led Ray deeper into the dojo. After taking some steps down a staircase, they arrived at an area where weapons of different kinds were displayed on the walls, and in the middle, there was a mat that looked like it was used for sparring.

"Pick a weapon so we can spar."

Looking around at all the weapons, Ray decided to pick the one he was most used to. He found a wooden spear. Picking it up, it felt lighter in his hands than the one in the game. He took a few stabs to get used to the feeling of the spear.

He made his way towards the man, who had also picked a weapon. In his hands was a spear just like the one Ray had picked.

"So do you fight with the spear?" asked Ray.

"No, I fight with a different weapon, but since you're still a beginner, I decided to pick it."

"Why do you think I'm a beginner?" asked Ray, confused.

"Your stance is all wrong. It's too relaxed, not to mention you're not even trying to defend yourself."

Looking at himself, Ray could see what the man was talking about. Not letting the words get to him, he gripped his spear and dashed towards the man.

The man, not the least bit stunned, took a stance with his spear to face Ray. As Ray closed in, he tried to stab the man with his wooden spear, but the man, predicting his advance, easily dodged and parried Ray's spear to make him lose his balance. Wasting no time, the man kicked Ray hard in the stomach, knocking him back. Taking some distance, Ray tried to assess the situation.

Running back at the man, Ray tried to stab again, but the man dodged. He tried using a slash, but the man blocked it without breaking a sweat. Against Elric, he hadn't faced this much trouble, but against this man, all his attacks were utterly useless.

"Are the only things you know how to do stabbing and slashing? Whoever told you that you know how to fight was probably lying to you, either that or they're terrible at fighting."

"Let's make this more interesting. If you can touch me even just once, I will train you for free," said the man with a smirk.

Ray felt offended. After all, Elric had spent many hours training with him to increase his capabilities. Trying again, Ray attacked the man with a lot of force behind his strike. But unlike before, the force of the attack flung the man's spear to the side. Seeing an opening, Ray attacked with all his might, not realizing it was a trap. The man, using the force of Ray's attack, dodged at the last second, making Ray miss his target. Ray, with all his power behind the attack, continued to move forward. Seizing the opportunity, the man kicked Ray's spear from his hand and simultaneously moved his own spear towards Ray's neck.

"You lose," said the man.

Ray didn't even have time to fully process the situation. Only now did he realize he had lost.

"I guess fighting animals and fighting human beings are completely different things," thought Ray to himself.

Ray had gotten too overconfident. Sure, he had killed a bunch of wolves, but they had a small degree of intelligence. Against a human being with a high degree of intelligence, he was basically an amateur holding a weapon.

"The way you came bursting in, I thought you were some kind of big shot with skills. But let me tell you something, that match was truly disappointing. Please leave my dojo. Why don't you come back when you've gotten better? My doors are always open."

Ray didn't even reply. He just walked past the man and out of the dojo. Before he could leave, the man called out to him.

"You know, you have a pretty good foundation, even if you are horrible. Oh, by the way, my name is Sam. You can come here anytime."

Ray didn't reply. He just continued walking while muttering to himself.

"How the hell am I weak? The next time I come back, I'm gonna make you regret calling our fight disappointing," thought Ray to himself, determination swelling in his eyes.