"Oh, my little boy is so smart—I knew you would get it on the first try!"
Celest pulled me tightly against her chest, her arms wrapped around me like iron. My feet dangled helplessly above the ground, leaving me unable to move.
"HMHMHM—!"
I tried to squirm free, but her embrace held firm.
"M-Mother, I can't breathe! Let me go, please!" I managed to choke out.
She quickly set me back on the ground, loosening her grip. Her expression fell, tinged with sadness.
"Sorry, sweetie. I just got a little excited. My little boy is so smart," she said softly.
Her words made me feel guilty. I walked over, wrapped my arms around her leg, and looked up with a reassuring smile.
"It's fine, Mother. I know you love me—you just got excited."
Her face lit up instantly. She bent down and hugged me again, this time much more gently.
"Sweetie, you should get back to training now. Remember what I taught you—practice keeping the mana around your body. Once you can do it easily, try moving around while maintaining the mana layer."
"Alright. Thank you, Mother," I said before heading off to continue my practice.
The following hours dragged on as I trained, sweat dripping endlessly from my brow. My clothes clung to me, drenched through, but I refused to stop. I focused on the feeling of mana flowing through me, wrapping my body like a protective second skin. Standing still, I was finally able to maintain it with consistency. But the moment I tried to run or move swiftly, my concentration faltered, and the layer shattered apart.
"Why is this so hard while moving?" I groaned aloud, frustration clawing at me.
Still, I tried again and again—each failure pushing me closer to exhaustion. My chest burned, and my limbs trembled from the effort, but I didn't want to quit. At last, when I could no longer focus, I let the mana slip away and leaned forward, panting. The sun had already drifted past its peak, casting long shadows across the training ground.
"That was good practice," I muttered, wiping my face with the hem of my shirt. "But now…it's time for sword training."
I told Mother I was done with magic practice for the day and thanked her. Being as kind as she was, she offered to call Luka over to the training grounds to help me with the basics again.
Once Celest left to fetch him, I walked over to the nearest weapon rack and pulled out a small wooden sword. It was roughly carved, unbalanced, and awkward to hold, but it would suffice. After all, I wasn't fighting to kill—I was training to learn.
Not long after, Luka arrived, a broad grin spreading across his face.
"Well, if it isn't my son, waiting for another beating," he teased, grabbing a wooden sword of his own. "Persistent, but that's about it."
He was, of course, referring to the countless times I had sparred against him on the ship. With my lack of swordsmanship and the ship's swaying deck, I had been beaten over and over again. Since I wasn't allowed to use mana or magic in those duels, the results were always the same—I lost.
"Father, it's unfair. You've been using the sword for years, and you won't even let me use magic or mana in our duels," I complained, pouting.
Luka looked amused, resting his wooden sword casually on his shoulder.
"It seems you don't understand the bigger picture, my son."
"Tsk." I frowned, narrowing my eyes. What bigger picture? How does beating me senseless help me grow?
Luka laughed heartily, his voice booming across the field. "Hahahaha! Your mind is still too small to grasp the meaning behind this training, dear son."
And with that, my beating began.
We squared off, wooden swords in hand. I charged first, slashing downward with all the strength I could muster. Luka effortlessly deflected the strike.
"Tsk…so unfair. I can't even use physical enhancement magic," I muttered under my breath.
I steadied myself and swung again from the left, but Luka parried with ease. Before I could react, his sword struck me squarely in the gut.
"Arrgh!"
I dropped my sword and collapsed onto one knee, clutching my stomach.
"Ow…that really hurt."
Looking up, I saw him grinning, clearly pleased with himself.
"Stop being so rough! That was unfair—and it hurt!"
"Hahaha, Adam. Why are you just sitting there groaning? Cast a healing spell on yourself and get back up. Try again!" Luka barked.
Gods, why does he always act like this during training? Any other time he's calm and easygoing, but when it comes to sparring, he turns into a complete madman. I grit my teeth and forced myself up.
"[Rank 1 Spell: Low Heal]."
Warmth spread through my body, easing the pain. My breathing steadied as the ache dulled, and I picked my sword back up, readjusting my stance.
"Now that's the spirit," Luka said with a grin. "Come on, try to hit me again."
I raised my sword and readjusted my grip, but unlike my last strike, I put less effort and sharpness behind the attack.
I swung upward at Luka, but my blade was easily deflected and sent flying out of my hands, the sword landing a few feet away with a dull thud.
What's even the point in trying? I know he's going to win every time. I feel like a helpless child—well, I am in a child's body right now—but still, it felt as if I were a boy being beaten down by a drunken, abusive father.
Breaking my thoughts, Luka burst out laughing again.
"Ahahahahah!"
He rested the wooden sword in his hand on his shoulder.
"It seems I stay undefeated and the victor again, but it seems I must go back to work."
I stood staring at him blankly because, honestly, I could not care. But Luka walked toward me, still holding that massive smile, and placed his free hand on my shoulder.
"Now do a thousand slashes and practice your sword arts for the rest of the time. Good job! Hahahahahaha!" Luka said, laughing as he patted my shoulder and walked away.
I stood there watching him go, but my mood had lightened—just a little.
"Pfft. Hahahaha."
Why is that idiot still walking with the wooden sword in his hand? Did he forget to put it away?
At least I feel a little better about myself. Now, onto the thousand slashes. Maybe if I finish in time, I can sneak in a bit of reading on mana cores and plan out what to buy and make using mana crafting.
With that thought, I walked over to my wooden sword that lay on the ground, picked it up, and began my thousand slashes with renewed determination.