---
Four months later, Ryu stood quietly before the stone monument marking the top-tier training zone—his breath calm, his muscles sharp, his spirit quiet.
He had done it.
6th Stage of Mob.
No cheering.
No medals.
Just a silent acknowledgment from the instructors and a subtle nod from the King's observers.
Only a handful in Fleedorb had ever reached the 6th Stage by the age of twenty.
He was one of them.
But he wasn't the first.
Two months earlier, Reina Avaleon—the girl who had always been just a little ahead of him—had already crossed that threshold.
---
Their friendly duels continued every week without fail.
Every Saturday at noon.
Ryu arrived on time. Reina was already there, stretching or warming up in silence.
No audience. No judges. Just the two of them, like usual.
And every time, it ended the same.
Reina: 71 wins.
Ryu: 0.
Yet Ryu didn't mind. In fact, he respected it.
> "She's stronger. That's it," he'd shrug.
But others were starting to notice the narrowness of the gap.
Each fight now lasted longer.
Each blow Reina dodged came closer than the last.
She often ended their battles by calling the match early herself.
> "I win," she'd say, even before landing a decisive blow.
---
But what no one else noticed—not even Ryu—was that Reina had started to smile during their spars.
A small, hidden smile whenever Ryu blocked a hit that used to land cleanly.
A subtle glance when he returned to his stance faster than before.
She never said a word about it.
Never let it show in public.
But Mina knew.
Mina always watched. And she saw it.
After one of the duels, while Reina sat alone tying her boots, Mina walked by casually and sat beside her.
> "You're getting sloppy lately," Mina teased with a playful voice.
"Is that so?" Reina replied without turning.
"You let him close the distance twice."
"I beat him, didn't I?"
"That's not the point."
Silence. A quiet breeze swept the courtyard.
Then Mina spoke softly.
> "You like him."
Reina flinched—but didn't deny it. Her fingers stopped tying.
> "You're imagining things," she said, almost convincingly.
"I've known my brother all my life," Mina continued. "He won't notice unless you hit him with a sword made of your feelings."
Reina finally chuckled, but said nothing more.
---
Ryu, as usual, stayed oblivious.
He trained harder than ever—now focusing on refining control at the 6th Stage.
Internal flows became more complex. Flash Step evolved into chained motion sequences. His swordplay combined brutal pressure and grace in perfect rhythm.
But something began to change in how he saw his weekly matches with Reina.
She moved differently now.
There was no longer that cold precision. No brutal edge.
There was a softness in her strikes.
A rhythm he couldn't name.
Once, he thought she left an opening for him.
He didn't take it.
> "You hesitated," Reina said after the match.
"It felt like a trap."
"Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't."
---
The world outside still watched both of them.
Rumors called them the "Twin Blades of Fleedorb."
Two prodigies of the Eastern Continent. Both 6th Stage. Both under 21.
Both survivors of the Regional Devourer Incident.
But only Mina knew the truth.
That Reina's heart beat louder every time Ryu walked in.
That her flawless expression would falter when he praised her.
And Ryu—despite all his strength—remained the densest thing in the continent when it came to emotions.
---
One day, after their 72nd duel, which ended again in Reina's quiet "I win," Ryu stood with his sword on his back, staring at the cloudy sky.
> "You'll probably be the first to reach 7th Stage in this generation," he said.
Reina looked at him. A brief pause.
> "What about you?" she asked.
"I'm not racing. Just walking forward."
She smiled faintly.
> "Maybe one day, I'll stop and wait."
He didn't understand what she meant.
She didn't explain.
---
That night, Reina stared at the moon from her balcony.
A letter from the Royal Knights sat unopened on her table.
An invitation.
Top-tier unit. Elite assignment. High risk, high honor.
She'd be leaving Fleedorb for a long time.
But she hadn't said a word to Ryu yet.
To be continued..