Chapter 16. A Duel with Bella
Fulan arrived at the Swordsmanship Class. She had attended the Arithmetic class last week.
The teacher had simply stood there explaining problems the entire time, nearly making her fall asleep. Nothing interesting had happened.
Today was the day she had arranged to duel with Bella. They had actually agreed on it during the previous Swordsmanship Class.
However, that time had been Fulan’s first time using the Breathing Method in real combat. After the match, her legs had turned weak, and she had barely managed to walk back.
Although she believed that with her current level she would certainly receive an excellent evaluation as long as she attended class regularly, she still had a competitive streak.
She had even purchased a Combat Technique and trained it to the Mastery level specifically in preparation for today.
Training the technique to the Mastery level had even increased her Physique by 0.1. Her Physique was now 1.5.
Of course, her greatest regret was that she had not managed to raise her Breathing Method to the Proficiency level.
She felt that if she had reached that level, even three Bellas would not have been able to defeat her.
At present, her Breathing Method was still at 204 proficiency. There was still a long way to go before the next upgrade.
The sound of THUD, THUD echoed through the training hall as John called the apprentices together.
Once everyone had gathered, John announced,
“In a moment, two people will spar in front of me. After that, everyone can practice freely.”
After the apprentices had experienced the sparring session last time, it was impossible to make them simply practice basic techniques again. So John decided to arrange the class this way instead.
Fulan and Bella’s duel was not scheduled as the first match. The first fight of the day was Mason versus Mars.
Mason gripped the wooden sword in his hand, holding his breath and focusing his mind. He was determined to wash away his previous humiliation in this battle.
Mars, however, seemed distracted. From time to time, he glanced toward where Fulan stood, barely paying any attention to the sparring match.
This attitude nearly cost him the fight at the very beginning. When the match started, he failed to react in time and was almost taken down by the charging Mason. Only by blocking the attack at the last moment did he manage to avoid defeat.
After that, Mars relied on his superior physical strength and began driving Mason backward. The power behind his swings was so great that Mason could barely block them.
A rat that only knows how to ambush.
Being nearly ambushed had reminded Mars of the previous incident, and his anger surged. His attacks became even more ferocious.
Normally he disdained using Combat Techniques, but this time he intended to use one to vent his frustration.
During his previous fight with Fulan, he had never found a suitable opportunity to activate it.
He stepped back slightly, giving Mason a brief moment to breathe, then began gathering his strength into his arm and shoulder.
This was his family’s inherited technique—Earth-Splitting Cleave. With this strike, he would make that filthy rat suffer.
However, events did not unfold as he had expected.
Not only did Mason fail to retreat, he instead rushed forward. The same powerful aura erupted from his body.
Before Mars’s sword could descend, Mason’s wooden sword had already struck him.
“Mars...”
This time John’s tone no longer carried anger or fury. Instead, there was a trace of disappointment.
What followed was a long series of reprimands that left Mars unable to lift his head. When it came time to address Mason, however, John’s tone changed to one of delight.
“Very good, Mason. To master this Combat Technique in such a short time is truly impressive...”
He had always thought highly of Mason. This progress gave him hope—hope that Mason might secure a place among the top three students in the class.
John only had three recommendation slots.
In his opinion, Fulan and Bella would certainly take two of them. That left only one remaining slot to compete for.
Even though Mason had defeated Mars, that alone did not prove enough. Several other students—children of territorial nobles—still stood ahead of him. Their foundations were far stronger than Mason’s.
After several more matches, it was finally time for Fulan and Bella to fight.
Just as Fulan was about to step onto the field, Bella suddenly called out to her.
“Fulan... could you wait until I activate my Breathing Method before attacking?”
Bella could also activate the Breathing Method during combat. However, it required a brief moment of preparation. That delay could easily allow Fulan to defeat her instantly.
And Bella herself was not confident she could seize the opportunity while Fulan was activating her Breathing Method. The last time she had seen Fulan use it, the activation had already been extremely fast.
Without the Breathing Method, Bella felt she had no chance of winning.
“All right,” Fulan replied.
She understood the implication behind Bella’s words, but she did not mind. She had already prepared thoroughly. If Bella did not use it, all of her preparation would have been wasted.
When John announced the start of the match, neither of them attacked immediately.
Instead, both stood still and activated their Breathing Methods.
Fulan’s Breathing Method was at the Mastery level. This time she activated it almost instantly. Unlike her previous match, she no longer needed even a moment of preparation.
Bella, however, gradually deepened her breathing. It took about two seconds before Fulan sensed the shift in the aura surrounding her.
That is a little slow—even slower than I was last time, Fulan thought.
John was somewhat surprised that both of them could use the Breathing Method in combat.
In all his years of teaching, this was the first time two apprentices had used Breathing Methods against each other in class.
Of course, that did not mean the Breathing Method itself was rare. Many noble families held martial competitions, and it was common for participants there to use it in battle.
But the City of Apprentices was different. Entry required talent in spiritual power. Without that talent, one could not enter at all, no matter how skilled they were with the Breathing Method.
This dual requirement of talent naturally gave members of the Sword Chant School an advantage in many situations.
Once Fulan confirmed that Bella was ready, she immediately launched a swift strike.
This caused John to notice something unusual.
What was happening here?
He realized that Fulan’s preparation time for activating the Breathing Method had been drastically reduced.
He assumed she must have been training relentlessly these past days, so that improvement seemed reasonable.
However, Fulan’s speed at the start of the fight was far faster than the last time he had seen her use the Breathing Method. At a glance, he could tell that her Physique had improved significantly.
But how could that be?
Had Fulan only begun improving her Physique through Body-Tempering Techniques after mastering the Breathing Method? What kind of training method was that?
Normally, Physique only increased gradually after long-term practice with the Breathing Method.
John could not understand it at all. Just two classes ago, Fulan had seemed incapable of anything. Yet now she had become like this.
Back in the battle, Fulan’s first strike was blocked by Bella’s horizontal guard. The hand holding Bella’s sword did not move even slightly.
Fulan immediately felt the difference in strength.
Even before activating the Breathing Method, Bella’s Physique had already been higher. After activating it, the gap widened even further.
Moreover, Fulan’s Breathing Method emphasized agility, while Bella’s focused primarily on strength. That made the difference in power even greater.
Fulan continued attacking rapidly, delivering one strike after another.
Although Bella greatly surpassed Fulan in Physique, she was noticeably less agile.
Even with the enhancement from the Breathing Method strengthening her reactions and flexibility, she could only barely keep up with Fulan’s relentless attacks.