The morning spar (1)

The following day, Hex woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.

It was still dark when he made his way to the training camp. 

'Let's see how much my strength has improved after I received my second Blessing.' Hex felt eager to see the number of crystals he could light up now.

His second Blessing was a boost type. Before participating in the first round he had measured his strength.

 'The last time I had managed to light up seven crystals with white light and seven with red light. Perfectly in balance, as required.' 

As he stood before the equipment, Hex recalled the result of the last time he was here. Only a few days had passed but Hex had undergone a huge transformation.

With a sharp breath, he focused on his target, clearing his mind of all distracting thoughts.

Hex could feel his muscles brimming with raw power. If he hadn't been so focused, he might have noticed the air being displaced when he flexed his muscles.

His stance was firm. He stepped forward and rotated his hips halfway. With great concentration, he punched.

Bam!

The ground shook. The equipment trembled. The impact created a shockwave, causing even the nearby window to clatter.

But none of these mattered. Hex watched the white light shoot up from the bottom of the staff.

The first seven crystals lit up at once. The light didn't slow down though. It surpassed the tenth crystal in a blink. 

A smile appeared on his face. And when it reached the fourteenth crystal he laughed loudly. The light slowed down…and then it stopped.

"Hahaha. Sixteen crystals. Now I am certain. I can reach the twenty-first crystal when I gain my third Blessing."

Even though he knew his power had increased tremendously, seeing it displayed so clearly made Hex filled with happiness. 

The future might be filled with darkness and struggles but he also had hope. Hope based on his own powers.

"Now let's see what happens when I use both Blessings," Hex's anticipation ran high. 

Hex stood once more before the equipment. His muscles were flexed. With but a thought he activated the first Blessing.

A dense red light, wrapped around him. He could feel the power coursing through his body. He focused and activated the second Blessing.

The light became even denser. The energy caused the air around him to heat up. 

Hex focussed, taking his stance, and then…he punched out. 

Boom!

The power in his fist shook the whole room. The shockwave broke the glass of the nearest window.

The first seven crystals filled with red light at once. Hex kept staring at the light. It went higher and higher. 

The tenth, twelfth, fifteenth…and then the seventeenth.

When the light stopped at the seventeenth crystal, his mouth fell open. 

 He had been told that it was harder to light up more crystals with red light as the numbers increased. Even major boosts in physical strength wouldn't help much.

But Hex was already close to the twenty-first crystal. And he still had one more thing to try.

'I should try to apply the burst damage to my fist.' 

Besides the major boost in strength, his second Blessing enabled him to focus his energy on one point and then unleash it.

For the third time, Hex took his place in front of the equipment. After activating his second Blessing, he focused his energy on his fist.

The red light flowed towards the clenched fist, engulfing it entirely. The more power he sent toward it, the more it shone. When he poured the maximum energy he was able to, his fist shone like a miniature red sun.

'Here it goes.' 

Taking a deep breath, he punched.

BOOM!

The shock wave generated sent all the doors and windows flying open. Glasses shattered. The wooden frames cracked. Even Hex was pushed back.

When he stabilized himself, the red light was already on the fifteenth crystal. It shot right through it.

Ding.

Hex looked amazed when the light shot right through all the crystals, stopping finally at the last crystal.

"This…this…" Hex stammered in disbelief. He had expected an increase but not even in his wildest dreams he had thought it would be possible.

He kept staring at the crystal, not noticing the beautiful girl entering the room. He only became aware of her when she spoke.

"Reaching the twenty-first crystal means you have the strength of a pseudo-Knight."

With a start, Hex turned towards her. Althea watched with interest at the equipment. She walked past him and stood in front of the equipment.

Hex looked at her from behind. She looked as beautiful as always. Hex noticed she was sweating but it only made her skin glisten.

'No wonder she is so great at everything. She is already a triple Blessed, awaiting Knighthood, but she is still waking up early and doing her exercise?'

She was clad in her training gear but somehow it made her look even more alluring. It highlighted her long and slim legs. 

For a moment Hex even forgot about his amazing result.

 "Can I try it too?" Suddenly she turned and asked. Her eyes gleamed with excitement, making them twinkle. 

"Y-yeah," Hex stammered in embarrassment. He felt strange inside when looking into her eyes.

Althea retrieved the spear she was carrying on her back.

'Does she carry it everywhere?' Hex mused when he saw her standing with it. He had seldom seen her without it. But even then it had been within reach of her.

Unlike him, she didn't seem to wish to test her strength without her Blessings. She also didn't test it per Blessing. 

Hex watched with interest as all three of her Blessings lit up. She stood straight, like she was the spear itself.

Her blessing didn't give much light. But Hex knew it was potent. He could feel the spear radiate a thunder-like feeling. It made his heart palpitate.

"What power," he whispered in awe. It was majestic to look at. She stood like a goddess.

Steadily, she took her stance and held the spear firm. And then, she shot out.

BOOM!

The already shattered windows jumped out of their hinges. The already cracked wooden frames splintered.

Hex and Althea didn't pay it any heed. Their attention was on the crystal at the top. It was glowing brightly.

'The light was so fast, I couldn't even see it. It was as if it jumped from the bottom to the top.'

Althea was clearly pleased with her result. She turned and gave Hex a warm smile.

"I guess we both can rival pseudo-Knights." 

Her voice held a pride she seemed unaware of. Hex couldn't help but smile too.

"Yes. Although I don't know what that really means?" Hex said, questioningly, as he scratched his head.

"It means we can fight a Knight if they don't use their elemental power. We can also use knight-grade armor and weapons, even if barely."

Althea was aware of Hex's ignorance of terms and some specific knowledge, so she explained patiently.

Hex nodded in understanding. It seemed he would need to upgrade his gear soon.

He noticed Althea staring at him, her eyes twinkling with the same excitement as she had when testing her strength.

"What?" He asked with a sense of foreboding.

"Let's fight."