Part 6

I spent the next few days with Aros, patiently waiting for the DP pool to rise to one hundred points. Aros would spend most of his day inside with me, training me to fight with a sword. Because I got the『 Acrobatics 』 skill by chasing the rabbit, I was hoping a similar thing would happen that would allow me to copy Aros's『 Sword Skills 』 skill.

So, for a few hours every morning, we would train. Aros would show me everything he knew about the sword, but there wasn't much we could do with only one sword to use. Aros tried to lend me his weapon to make my training easier, but I soon found out his weapon weighed as much as me. We soon scrapped that idea and traded his sword for a decent stick we found outside.

Naturally, I wasn't able to learn the skill with ease, especially while using a stick, but I soon learned skill after three days of training hard. I didn't actually learn the skill [ Sword Skills ], but I learned something similar.

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Skill: 『 Combat Expertise 』, Learned

Combat Expertise (LVL 1): After training diligently, you have unlocked the lost knowledge of combat. Whether you're fighting with a sword, a spear, or nothing at all, no enemy will be able to best you in combat.

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"This skill isn't set to a specific weapon, so am I able to use something I haven't used before?" I mumbled as I read the description. Somehow, despite only training with a sword, I had unlocked a skill that made me a better fighter in general. Soon after unlocking, I decided to spar against Aros. Aros would only use his sword and defend against me, while I would attempt to break through his defenses with only my fists.

"Lord Aureys?" Aros muttered, confused, "You won't be able to best me with just your hands."

"I'm not attempting to best you, Aros. I am simply testing my skill's ability," I smiled as I stood opposite of him. As I turned to him, I lowered my body and raised my hands. Somehow, my body seemed to move on it's own, as it prepared to fight against Aros. It was as if I had been trained to fight all of my life.

Now that the skill had been unlocked, it became painfully clear how weak I was before. The strike that killed the rabbit from earlier seemed crude and awkward, as the knowledge in my mind made my future attacks polished and clean. Aros saw me prepare my stance, then unsheathed his sword and prepared his own stance.

Then, without any sort of bell or signal, the fight began. I rushed forward, racing like the wind as I ran to Aros. I quickly activated [ Acrobatics ] as well, increasing my speed. Then, just a moment before I reached Aros, I jumped and shot my fist forward.

My hand landed against the flat side of his sword, but I didn't stop attacking there. I quickly twisted my body, attacking him further with my left leg. The attack was stopped again as Aros turned his sword to meet with my shin.

'He blocked an attack from his blind spot?' I thought to myself as my foot bounced against his sword.

I wanted to attack again, but I had lost my momentum and had already started falling to the ground. Once I felt my feet touch the stone below me, I immediately began assaulting Aros with an array of attacks.

However, despite my relentless assault, Aros was able to easily block every single one of my attacks. After a full thirty seconds of attacking, I was forced to stop. I backed away, my chest heaving with effort as I took a few moments to catch my breath.

"My lord, your attacks are strong, but you're trying too hard," Aros told me.

"Trying too hard?" I scoffed.

"Forgive me for sharing my opinion, but you should focus more on defense than offense," Aros told me as he sheathed his sword. He turned back to me, then continued, "A dragon is a powerful creature, but they aren't very strong with physical attacks. Unlike other races, a dragon will always specialize in offense magic and a defensive body."

"How do you know that? You were created just yesterday," I told him with skeptism.

"I have been created to fit your needs, Milord," Aros explained, "Therefore, I already have information about the dragon race. While I'm not sure what type of dragon you are, most dragons use magic more than physical attacks."

"I see. I won't be able to use magic until I'm level five," I said, "It'll be a while until then, but I suppose you're right. What else did you have in mind?"

"The opposite of what we're doing," Aros told me, "I will focus on attacking, while you will defend. You've only recently unlocked [Combat Expertise ], but you still have a ways to go until you can defend like a master. For now, you must begin your training in earnest so you can reach the height of your abilities in the least amount of time."

"Hmm," I muttered as I brought my hand to my chin in thought. I pondered it for a moment, then eventually decided to agree with Aros. It wouldn't be too long until I eventually unlocked the ability to use magic, but it wouldn't be a good idea to focus my full efforts on just offense, "Good. Let's begin training, Aros. Just make sure to not injure me, as I don't know how well this body can heal."

"Not to worry, my lord. Dragons heal quickly," Aros chuckled as he slowly got in his own stance. Aros didn't unsheathe his weapon, but he still looked like a force to be reckoned with. I got in my own stance, bracing my body to prepare for his attacks.

Then, Aros ran forward, bringing a tidal wave of power with him. I brought up my defenses to meet him, and the two of us began our spar. When Aros attacked, I wasn't surprised to find each of his strikes had the weight of a hammer behind them. My arms, which I mainly used as shields at this point, were soon becoming red and swollen.

The fight didn't even last thirty seconds, and eventually ended with me on the ground with two broken forearms. A few of my ribs were cracked and my stomach was cramping bad. Aros stood over me, not even sweating as he looked down at me and bowed his head.

"Good. You defended well, My Lord," Aros said as he bent his arm down to help me get up. I tried to grab onto his hand, but the pain from my arms were enough to grab all of my attention. I didn't scream out in pain, though it took all of my concentration just to stay awake. It felt like my arms were being burnt from the inside out, causing a massive open hole of pain that felt like a cavern from within my arms.

"I'm alright," I said through gritted teeth. I slowly rose to my feet as I did my best to keep my arms still. After I was standing, I angrily turned to Aros and began to yell at him, "I told you not to injure me!"

Aros hung his head in shame, while I turned to my arms and sighed. Now that a moment had passed since the injury, I noticed the pain was already started to subside, "How long is this going to take to heal?"

"Only a few minutes," Aros told me. I turned to Aros, shocked, with my mouth agape. Aros chuckled, then nodded as he continued to speak, "High level dragons, while in their human form, can heal grievous wounds in a manner of seconds. Considering your age and power level, that time will unfortunately be stretched out to a few minutes."

I turned back to my arm, then watched as the swelling around my forearm slowly reduced in size. It was shrinking at a snails pace, but it was still clear to the plain eye.

"Incredible," I gasped. Aros laughed, amused by my reaction.

"You will be capable of a lot more in the future," Aros told me, "Ancient dragons can heal wounds in an instant. One in particular was able to heal a wound faster than the weapon that was used against them could injure. One day even you can reach those heights."

"What level was he?" I asked, my eyes lit up with excitement.

"hmm," Aros said as he brought his hand to his chin in thought, "He was alive over two thousand years ago, but I believe his strength is equal to a being in the upper 120s?"

"Only level 120? That's not far off! I was expecting a level in the thousands!" I cheered. Aros looked at me and cocked his head in confusion, then asked,

"No, it's further away than you think. Are you not aware of how leveling works, my lord?" He asked.