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Chapter 23: Time to Learn (Extended Battle Version)
The pain surged through Leornars' body as he slowly pushed himself off the ground. The aftermath of the fight still throbbed in his bones. Stacian, ever calm and composed, stepped forward and effortlessly began healing him. Warm light surrounded his wounds, sealing them as though the damage had never happened.
She suddenly began to laugh.
Leornars raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh,? What is funny?" he asked, his voice steady despite his confusion.
Stacian didn't stop laughing. Her amusement was genuine, almost mocking.
"I knew you were reckless but I didn't anticipate you will let yourself lose to him," she said.
"So you noticed," he replied calmly as she continued her healing spell.
"I needed to see how professionals fought, analyze them and their abilities. I expected he'd be tough but not that tough," he added, his tone thoughtful.
"Letting yourself lose so he can let his guard down—smart," she admitted, impressed despite herself.
"You were reckless. I'll begin to train you. I have mastered the elements and others more," she declared.
He nodded without hesitation. The agreement between them needed no further words.
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Later that day, Leornars arrived at the designated training grounds. The place was silent, empty—Stacian had not arrived yet.
"A subordinate who's late, how ironic," he said, sighing at the contradiction.
A sudden chill in the air triggered his instincts. Without a second thought, he dodged to the side—just in time. A blast of fire exploded where he had been standing. His eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he summoned Bellian, Ascian, and a few more undead, drawing his twin daggers in one smooth motion.
Then, a whisper of presence behind him.
Stacian held his throat gently from behind.
"Boom, you are dead," she said casually, letting go as though nothing had happened.
He blinked, surprised. She was fast. I didn't see her, he thought.
"And that was the skill called Shadow Movement. You can move faster than sound, erasing your sound until you are later heard," Stacian explained, now standing before him.
She leapt in front of him, now clearly visible in a cyan-blue gym short and matching crop top. He took one look at her, sighed, and muttered,
"Ok, let's get this over with."
Stacian, watching him, thought quietly, I'm pretty sure he'll adapt to every single thing I teach him.
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The training began with fire magic. Stacian instructed him thoroughly—control, precision, range. After only three attempts, Leornars had already perfected it.
Then came lightning magic. Another skill. Then more. All absorbed, all mastered in rapid succession.
Days passed.
Eventually, the training shifted from magic to hand-to-hand combat. Leornars struggled, despite his intellect. Stacian kept winning.
Each session ended the same. Bruised. Exhausted. Defeated.
Until today.
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Stacian stood a few paces away, her body loose, her breathing steady. "Begin."
Leornars dashed forward, striking low. She weaved around the blow and elbowed his back, sending him flying forward. He grunted, flipped midair, and landed roughly.
He stood again, gritting his teeth.
Hmmmm... I've kept on re-strategizing. Each minute, I come up with 400 methods—and she still manages to win. How? he thought in frustration.
As if reading his thoughts, Stacian added,
"If you are wondering how, it's because I'm faster than you. I can move about eight times the speed of sound. You can go up to 300 mph. It's not bad, but a bit slow. Even though you surpass a normal person by eight times, the person you fought was going at the speed of sound, so you also need to go fast—no, faster."
With that, she vanished.
A sonic boom split the air.
But this time, Leornars moved—barely.
Her fist grazed his jaw instead of shattering it.
Stacian froze mid-motion, shocked. He adapted to my speed? How?
Then she smiled. So he's at Mach 6 in speed. His reaction is incredible, almost surpassed mine. He's fast in adaptation. He adapted to a technique I used once, learned magic in hours, and perfected it in two days...
She tightened her stance.
"Let's keep going. I'm not done yet," Leornars said coldly.
They clashed in a furious swordfight.
Stacian went on the offensive—slashes, feints, mid-air flips, pressure from all angles. Her footwork was near-perfect. Her strikes were sharp and swift.
Leornars held his ground.
The first few blows struck. Then fewer. Then none.
He was evolving with each strike, matching her rhythm, predicting her sequences. His twin daggers blocked, parried, then countered.
She went for a high sweep—he ducked. A palm strike—he sidestepped and spun, slicing a thread of her shirt.
He's catching up. He's forcing my rhythm to break.
She saw an opening.
Her blade swung at him while he was mid-air.
But Leornars twisted his body, lifted his legs, and—shock—landed a blow on her back mid-flight.
She tumbled across the ground, skidding on her feet. Her arms shook slightly from the impact.
He's exceptionally talented. A true prodigy... no, beyond that, she realized. He adapted to my sword fight mid-attack. He's extremely dangerous.
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Later, as they caught their breath, Leornars asked, "The assassin used something called a Chain Breaker—what was that?"
"A Chain Breaker is a skill bestowed by the gods. It's like a trump card," she explained.
"Why don't I have one?" he asked.
"You haven't gotten one yet," she replied.
"I recall getting contracted to a god... oh yeah, it's a god of Justice and Law," Leornars remembered aloud.
"That god's temple is not in this country. You will need to go to his temple for the qualification. Just know—not all people get Chain Breakers. It's a rare skill. And that assassin having one is a shock," she added, concern flickering in her voice.
"I see. So, what's your Chain Breaker?" he asked.
"Me? It's not special, really," she replied evasively.
"Tell me," he pressed, noticing her subtle attempt to dodge the question.
"Understood. My Chain Breaker—for now, it's half-activated," she said sadly.
"I didn't ask for that. I asked what it does," Leornars said coldly.
"I can alter the reality of a certain part. If I perfected it... I don't know how much I could do," she admitted.
"Alter reality? That's powerful. I guess it was a good idea to take her as my subordinate," Leornars said.
Stacian turned away, walking a few paces. Then, she froze.
Wait, I get it now. He used lightning magic so he could catch my attention, fully aware he wanted to lose... discouraged the assassin when I defeated them... he knew I would suggest training... and he could adapt and learn what he needed about combat. He adapted to my speed and skills—so how long have I been dancing on the palm of his hand?
No... it can't be... the day we met! He saw my wings and horns—that's why he let me stay. He knew I was the only one with his weakness: light magic. And he has dark magic... I've been dancing on his hands all along.
No wonder he never wanted me gone. He knew in the wrong hands, I could kill him. He's... he's extremely dangerous.
Stacian looked at him in shock and realization.
Leornars turned to her, a knowing glint in his eyes.
So I guess she finally understood. She's powerful, but I'm smarter, he thought to himself with a dark smile.
Stacian held back a breath, smirking slightly. I have been a slave for so many years. I've served a lot of masters—generals, kings, and other nobles. I've learned a lot about magic, the terrain, strategy, and manipulation tactics... but he... he is worse.
I was an irreplaceable pawn... hmmm... he is extremely interesting.
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