'A spar?'
Ren was startled by the sudden challenge.
He only wanted to enjoy the peaceful morning and see the teenagers train martial arts. He had never expected Darian to ask for a friendly match.
"I think I will pass." Ren refused politely.
"Why? Don't you think it's good to exercise in the morning?" Darian didn't give up because he wanted to know whether Ren was as strong as Elara claimed.
At this moment, Elara looked at Ren without saying a single word.
Of course, she wished to see him spar with Darian, but she would not force him to accept the challenge.
Since Darian wanted to see Ren's skills so badly, he walked toward the sparring circle.
"Hmm? What's going on?"
"Does Instructor Darian have anything to say?"
"I don't know."
"We will find out soon."
Chatter erupted as the trainees looked at Darian with confused faces.
Once he was inside the ring, Darian turned to Ren and said, "Ren, come here. Let's have a little match."
One by one, the trainees turned to Ren.
'Why does Instructor Darian want to spar with him? Just who is he?'
Countless questions popped up in their minds.
The corner of Ren's lips twitched.
'Is he really that curious about me?'
He let out a sigh before finally rising to his feet.
He could not refuse the challenge this time because Darian asked for a match while standing in the circle.
The trainees' eyes locked onto him as he walked toward the sparring circle. Some of them guessed his identity while the rest only stared at him.
Elara followed him to the ring to ensure he would not be seriously injured and to act as the referee for the match.
After they faced each other, she warned Darian. "Instructor, you must not hurt him or transform into your beast form."
"Sure." Darian agreed instantly.
Several memories flashed through Ren's mind after hearing her words.
In this world, awakeners had two paths: elemental and beast transformation.
People who awakened the elemental path were called mages, while those who awakened beast transformation were known as shifters.
Darian was a shifter, and his strength would increase drastically once he turned into his beast form.
This was the reason why Elara forbade him from transforming because it would put Ren's life in danger.
"You two ready?" Elara asked.
Both Ren and Darian nodded.
"Fight!" Elara announced.
Ren wasted no time and dashed toward Darian.
Since Darian was strong, Ren was serious from the beginning. He attacked Darian continuously and from all directions.
Darian's lips curled up into a smile as he dodged and blocked Ren's relentless strikes. Ren's timing, movements, and speed were incredible.
It was hard to believe that someone as young as him had that level of skill because normally, only older martial artists could achieve that kind of mastery.
'So Elara wasn't lying.'
He finally understood why Ren could defeat two martial artists at once.
'Let me see his limits.'
He stopped being defensive and started fighting back.
He threw punches and kicks continuously.
But even so, Ren could still keep up with him. Every time Darian launched an attack, Ren could block or dodge it.
Not only that, but he could also counterattack as if he had sparred with Darian many times before.
The expression of deep shock blossomed on their faces as the trainees watched the fight.
They had previously thought Ren would get beaten up one-sidedly, but they were wrong because he could fight Darian on equal footing.
"Amazing!"
"He is as young as us, yet he already possesses such skills."
"Just who is he?"
"If he is already this strong, I can't help but wonder just how much stronger he will be once he becomes an awakener."
"I wonder too."
"I will train harder! I believe I can be as strong as him. No! I will be stronger than him in the future!"
Some trainees praised him, some envied him, while the rest became even more determined to grow stronger.
As the disciples paid attention to the fight intently, Elara covered her mouth in shock.
She knew Ren was strong, but she had never expected him to fight Darian evenly.
'He is so strong!'
Her admiration for him grew bigger.
Darian's lips curled up into a smile as he exchanged strikes with Ren. "I finally understand why Elara said she was no match for you. You're strong, Ren!"
"Thank you for the praise." Despite being praised, Ren still acted normally.
"Get ready. I will move faster and strike stronger." After saying that, Darian fought a little more aggressively.
As he was enjoying his spar with Ren, Aveline was heading to the training ground with two grown men and one mature woman.
The brown-haired man with blue eyes was Alaric Ballard, while the black-haired man with red eyes was Hayden Bryant.
As for the woman with long pink hair and purple eyes, her name was Sofia Quinn.
Like Darian, they were the pillars of the village.
They went to see Aveline because they wanted to ask her opinion about something.
"Alright. We will buy some weapons and staves on our next trip to the city and give them to the new awakeners." Aveline agreed.
Hayden and the others smiled after hearing her answer.
"Hmm?" Aveline stopped her footsteps.
'What's going on?'
She only told her daughter to show Ren around the village, so she was startled when she saw him sparring with Darian.
"That young man can keep up with Darian?" Hayden's eyes widened in surprise.
"Interesting!" Alaric grinned widely.
At that moment, Sofia suddenly remembered the person Aveline had mentioned to them yesterday. "Village head, is that young man Ren?"
"Yes," Aveline nodded slightly. "But I don't know why they are sparring."
"Let's watch from up close." Alaric was interested in Ren because it was hard to find someone as talented as him.
As they walked closer, some trainees greeted them.
Ren and Darian noticed them, but they kept fighting as they enjoyed their spar very much.
"Mother…" Elara approached her mother.
"Elara, what's going on? Why are they sparring?" Aveline asked curiously.
"Instructor Darian was curious about Ren's strength after I said he was powerful." Elara began explaining everything.
"I see." Aveline was not surprised because she knew Darian's personality.
"That young man is amazing for someone his age." Sofia praised him.
"Yes." Alaric agreed. "He has great potential!"
"Should I stop the duel?" Elara asked.
"No!" Alaric replied. "Look at them! They are enjoying their spar. I'm sure they would be unhappy if we stopped them."
Elara listened to him and continued watching the duel.
"Haha! You are incredible, Ren!" Darian had increased his speed and power, yet Ren could still fight him on equal footing.
He only had the advantage for the first few seconds. After that, Ren started to adapt to his movements and strikes as if he could read Darian's mind.
"It's my turn now!" Ren had studied Darian's fighting style and found his weakness, so it was time to put his strategy into action.
"Hmm?" Darian's eyes widened as the flow of the battle suddenly changed.
He began having a hard time as Ren frequently used fake strikes or changed the patterns of his attacks midway.
Not only him, but Aveline and the others were also stunned.
It had never crossed their minds that Ren could corner him because, based on the difference in their ages, Darian was supposed to have more fighting experience.
'Dangerous!'
Darian placed his palms before his chest when Ren raised his right knee.
To his surprise, Ren changed the pattern and threw a high kick, aiming at the left side of his head.
Even though he was tricked by the fake strike, Darian still managed to block it.
However, he lost his balance and was sent sliding to the right.
Realizing the opportunity to defeat Darian had arisen, Ren wasted no time and bombarded him with fast, precise strikes.
Since Darian was in a bad position, he struggled to keep up with Ren's attacks. When he could not handle Ren's strikes anymore, he instinctively transformed into his beast form.
"Ahh!" A burst of energy erupted from his body as Darian let out a thunderous roar, sending Ren flying into the sky.
"Ren!" Elara shouted worriedly.
"Hmm?" Darian came to his senses and jumped into the air to catch Ren.
After landing on the ground safely, he put Ren down and laughed loudly.
"Haha! My bad! My bad!" Darian didn't make an excuse because he acknowledged Ren's skills.
Ren was startled when he saw Darian's beast form.
'Is that his beast form?'