In the familiar training courtyard, Noah gripped his wooden sword with some confidence.
The weapon felt lighter now, more natural in his hands than during his first clumsy attempts.
"Alright." Valeria crossed her arms, studying his stance.
"Show me whether you've been practicing or just slacking around."
Noah nodded, flowing through the basic forms she'd drilled into him.
High strike. Middle strike. Low strike.
His movements still lacked the grace of a swordsman, but they were much better.
At least I'm not embarrassing myself.
"Although you haven't improved much, you didn't get worse either."
Valeria's assessment stung with its honesty.
She's not wrong. I haven't practiced at all since my last visit here.
"Let's pick up where we left off."
From the sidelines, Finn sat with his usual notebook, quill scratching furiously across parchment.
The young man's eyes burned with desperation. He was just a man trying to learn swordsmanship.
Noah caught Finn's gaze briefly. Something about the young man's hunger for knowledge resonated deeper than expected.
Meanwhile, Kip and Alissa watched from their corner with undisguised fascination. Their eyes tracked every movement, studying Noah like he was performing miracles instead of stumbling through basic drills.
They think I'm awesome. If only they knew how often I nearly drop this thing.
Twenty minutes into the session, sweat beaded on Noah's forehead despite the cool breeze.
His muscles screamed once again as Valeria pushed him through different combinations.
A glance toward his employees made guilt twist in his stomach. Alissa stood watching him, she was very interested, her tail swinging around.
She's just recovered from illness. Standing here watching me flail around can't be interesting. Besides, I brought them here, I can't just leave them doing nothing.
Noah lowered his sword, wiping forehead sweat with his sleeve.
"Alissa, do you want to join me?"
She jumped slightly from the sudden call, before shaking her head immediately. "I-I'm fine watching, Sir Noah."
"Are you still not feeling well?"
"You should train hard. I'm just a servant—I can't interrupt your practice."
"Besides, I've never touched a sword before. I'll just slow you down."
Valeria's unexpected interjection made Noah smile.
"I'm bored watching him do the same strikes anyways. I'll teach you for a bit."
Noah seized the opportunity.
"You heard her. This is once in a lifetime—Valeria's an Adept swordmaster. Very few reach that stage in all of Esta."
Kip nudged his sister's shoulder. "Go try it, Alissa!"
Reluctant but somewhat excited she finally nodded.
Valeria retrieved a second practice sword from the weapon rack, testing its balance.
"Basic stance first. Feet shoulder-width apart."
Alissa mimicked the position perfectly on her first attempt.
'That too me a few tries to get right.' Noah thought, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes as he continued with his training.
"The grip on the sword should be firm but not rigid. Let the weapon become an extension of your arm."
"Mhm," Alissa nodded.
Again, flawless execution. Her tail swayed with natural balance as she adjusted her posture.
'Okay, that's actually impressive.'
"Now, basic strike pattern. Watch me once."
Valeria demonstrated a simple diagonal cut, her blade moving with grace. Alissa observed intently, her silver ears twitched in concentration.
When she replicated the movement, something extraordinary happened.
The wooden sword flowed through the air like it belonged there.
Her form wasn't just correct, it was elegant.
Natural. As if she'd been born holding a blade.
'What the hell? How did she do it so quickly? I don't even think i can perform it that well, at my current level.'
Valeria's eyebrows climbed toward her hairline.
Another perfect strike. Then another. Each repetition carried improving fluidity, subtle refinements that spoke of intuitive understanding and natural talent.
Noah had long since stopped training, and just looked at Alissa blazing through the routine that took his hours.
"Try the basic combination. High, middle, low."
Alissa nodded, her eyes focused with laser intensity.
Her first attempt was clean. Her second was smooth. By her third, Noah's mouth was hung open, just like Finn's.
I spent hours reaching basic competency. She's getting there in minutes.
Finn's quill had stopped moving entirely. His mouth hung open as he watched talent bloom before his eyes.
Kip bounced on his toes, pride radiating from every whisker.
Ten minutes. That's all it took.
Ten minutes for Alissa to demonstrate sword work that surpassed Noah's current skill level—skills he'd earned through repetition, sweat, and determination for close to three hours.
Natural talent. Actual, genuine, terrifying natural talent.
Valeria lowered her own blade, studying Alissa with new eyes. "Have you ever handled weapons before? Any kind of combat training?"
"Never." Alissa's response carried confusion at her own success. "I was always assigned household duties."
Of course she was. Waste of potential doesn't begin to cover it.
"Well," Valeria's grin turned predatory, "that changes today."
The training session suddenly felt less like practice and more like witnessing the birth of something dangerous.
And I thought my learning curve was impressive.
Inspired by the cat girl's supernatural progress, Noah gritted his teeth and threw himself back into training.
If she can learn that fast, I can at least improve and hopefully increase my skill's level to 2.
The wooden sword became an extension of his determination. Each strike carried his competitive spirit.
Sweat dripped steadily as the hour stretched on, his muscles screaming protests he chose to ignore.
Alissa continued her own practice nearby, her movements flowing like water.
What should have been encouraging felt like salt in an open wound.
She's making me look like a child playing with sticks.
But stubbornness had always been Noah's strongest attribute.
He pushed harder, refined his techniques, forced his body to remember every correction Valeria had beaten into him.
The system's chime came as a needed intervention, before his body gave out.
[Your Swordsmanship skill has levelled up to level 2!]
Relief flooded through him.
The satisfaction lasted exactly three seconds—until he glanced at Alissa executing a complex combination that hurt his hands, just thinking about it.
His mood soured like milk in summer heat. He was happy for the cat-girl's success, yes.
But the competitive fire in his chest burned with wounded pride.
System. Can I ever get better than her? Her talent is terrifying.
[Her talent is indeed exceptional. Regarding your question—yes. You can surpass her, but you would need products that enhance swordsmanship training. Comprehension boosters, talent amplifiers, that sort of thing.]
Noah's eyes lit up like a child discovering hidden candy.
There are such things?
[Of course, host. There are far better items available. But you need to work hard and upgrade the shop.]
More products. More possibilities. More power.
The future suddenly seemed brighter.
Valeria's voice shattered his system-induced trance. He looked up to find the guild captain studying Alissa with undisguised interest.
"Alissa," she continued, never taking her eyes off the cat girl's perfect form, "would you like to be my disciple?"
The words hung in the air like a blade threatening to fall.
Time seemed to freeze. Finn's quill stopped scratching. Kip's excited bouncing ceased. Even the training dummy appeared to lean forward waiting for the cat-girl's response.
A disciple. Of an Adept swordmaster.
Noah's heart hammered against his ribs. Valeria didn't make such offers lightly, he could tell from her personality. Disciples received personal training, advanced techniques, connections that could reshape their entire lives.
Alissa's amber eyes went wide, the practice sword trembling in her suddenly uncertain grip.
The courtyard held its breath, waiting for an answer that would rewrite the future.