Chapter 106 The Worthy One
Alex stood before Tsun, a glowing Bound Sword flickering in each hand, the ethereal blades humming with arcane energy. His shoulders rose and fell once as he steadied his breathing. Then, without another word, he lowered his stance and burst forward, boots scraping against the stone floor as he closed the distance in a blink.
With a sharp exhale, he slashed diagonally toward Tsun's torso.
CLANG!
Tsun didn't even shift his footing. His massive battleaxe rose in one smooth, almost lazy motion, intercepting both of Alex's blades at once. The impact rang through the Hall of Valor like a struck bell. Before Alex could recover, Tsun twisted his wrists and shoved forward.
The force was overwhelming.
Alex's eyes widened as his body was thrown back several steps. His heels dragged across the stone, arms trembling from the recoil as he barely managed to keep his footing.
Tsun looked down at him, one brow lifting slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, amused smirk.
"Is that all the strength a Nord man has?" he taunted, his deep voice echoing through the hall.
Alex's jaw tightened. A vein pulsed faintly at his temple as he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. His fingers tightened around the hilts of his Bound Swords until the arcane light flickered more intensely.
"…Tch."
He rolled his shoulders once, shaking off the lingering numbness in his arms. His eyes sharpened, irritation burning behind them.
"I'm not done."
This time, he lunged without hesitation faster, more aggressive. His steps were lighter, his blades cutting through the air in quick succession. One slash aimed high for Tsun's shoulder, the other low toward his side, the strikes flowing together in a seamless rhythm.
But Tsun's expression barely changed.
A Nord hero and the eternal guardian of the Hall of Valor, Tsun possessed centuries of battle experience. To him, Alex's movements were like an open book. He watched the tension in Alex's shoulders, the shift of his hips, the slight tightening of his grip before every swing.
Predictable.
With calm precision, Tsun rotated his axe and parried the first strike, sparks bursting at the point of contact. He pivoted his foot and brought the haft around to deflect the second slash. The massive weapon moved with deceptive speed, each motion controlled and economical.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Alex's blades met nothing but solid defense. Each strike was redirected effortlessly, the battleaxe acting like an unbreakable wall. The vibrations traveled up Alex's arms, making his muscles quiver.
His brows furrowed. His breathing grew rougher.
Again he slashed horizontal, vertical, thrust but every attempt was blocked, redirected, or brushed aside as though Tsun were swatting away a child's practice swings.
Frustration flared visibly across Alex's face. His lips pulled back in a snarl, teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. Sweat trickled down his temple, stinging his eyes.
"Damn it!!!" he shouted, his voice cracking with anger as he swung harder, pouring more strength into the blow.
The axe caught it again.
"Don't get cocky just yet!" Alex snapped, glaring up at Tsun, chest heaving as he reset his stance, both glowing swords raised defensively in front of him.
A faint blue glow flickered at the edge of Alex's vision the sign that the perk he had allocated earlier, Bladesman, was now fully taking effect.
In an instant, something inside his body shifted.
His muscles felt lighter, as if invisible weights had been lifted from his limbs. The air brushing past his skin seemed thinner. His grip tightened around both Bound Swords, and when he tested a small step forward, the movement was sharper cleaner almost effortless.
He inhaled slowly, then burst forward again.
This time his footwork was different. His steps cut across the stone floor with precision, heels barely touching the ground. His shoulders rolled fluidly as both glowing blades sliced toward Tsun in a rapid crisscross pattern.
The difference was obvious.
Tsun's eyes narrowed slightly. One thick brow arched as he adjusted his stance half a second quicker than before.
"Oh?" he rumbled, a faint note of approval in his voice. "Not bad."
The praise only made Alex's lips twitch upward.
For several exchanges, Tsun continued blocking, testing the change in rhythm. The battleaxe intercepted each strike, but the impacts were heavier now faster, less predictable.
Then Tsun decided he had seen enough.
His posture shifted.
The relaxed ease in his shoulders vanished, replaced by the coiled tension of a predator about to strike. His hands tightened around the haft of his massive battleaxe. With a deep breath, he stepped forward instead of backward.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
Without warning, Tsun raised his battleaxe high above his head. The muscles along his arms and shoulders flexed beneath his armor as he brought it down in a devastating vertical arc.
The force howled through the air.
Alex's eyes widened.
" !"
Instinct took over. He snapped both swords upward and crossed them in front of him in a desperate defensive guard. His boots dug into the stone as he bent his knees, bracing for impact.
CRASH!
The axe slammed into his crossed blades.
A violent shockwave ran through his arms.
"Kghhh !"
His teeth clenched painfully as the vibration rattled through his bones. Sparks of blue arcane light scattered from the strained Bound Swords. Though he managed to block the edge from cleaving into him, the sheer weight behind the strike was monstrous.
His feet screeched against the floor.
He was pushed back one step, two, three boots scraping harshly against stone as he struggled to hold his ground. His arms trembled violently under the pressure, shoulders screaming in protest.
Finally, Tsun withdrew the axe, and Alex staggered back a final half-step before regaining balance. His chest rose and fell rapidly, a thin sheen of sweat glistening across his brow.
Then
A translucent blue panel flickered into existence before his eyes.
One-Handed 35 → 36 → 37
Alex blinked once… then a crooked grin slowly spread across his face despite the ache in his arms.
"Hehe…" He let out a short breathless laugh, rolling his sore shoulders as if the pain didn't matter. "Looks like sparring with you makes me stronger faster."
Tsun tilted his head slightly, clearly not understanding the strange statement. To him, Alex had simply endured a heavy blow.
But instead of questioning it, the Nord hero gave a deep, rumbling chuckle. The corners of his mouth lifted in approval.
"Hah. Then continue learning from our spar."
He shifted his stance once more, planting the butt of his axe against the stone with a heavy thud ready to test him again.
Steel and summoned light clashed again and again, their impacts echoing across the vast hall like rolling thunder.
They fought fiercely.
At first, Tsun had simply been testing him. His strikes were probing heavy, yes but measured. He observed the way Alex shifted his weight before attacking, the tension in his shoulders before each swing, the hesitation in his breath when pressured.
But after hearing Alex speak about growing stronger from their spar, something changed.
Tsun's eyes sharpened.
Without a word, he subtly altered his rhythm.
His footwork became more deliberate. His counters came at precise moments right after Alex overextended, right when his guard dipped half an inch too low. Sometimes Tsun would purposely leave a narrow opening, only to punish Alex if he rushed in recklessly. Other times, he would force Alex into defending against crushing blows, conditioning his arms and stance.
It was no longer just a test.
It was a lesson.
Yet Tsun never lowered his power. Every strike still carried the weight of a true Nord hero. If Alex failed to react properly, the consequences would be real. Tsun had no intention of letting him realize he was being guided.
He would learn through pain and instinct.
Time passed.
Minutes blurred into an hour.
Alex's breathing grew ragged. His chest heaved violently, each inhale burning his lungs. Sweat soaked through his clothes, dripping from his chin onto the stone floor. His forearms trembled every time their weapons collided, the repeated impacts numbing his fingers.
His legs felt heavy each step slower than the last.
In contrast, Tsun stood tall and steady.
His breathing remained even. His posture upright. Not a single bead of sweat rolled down his face. He looked as immovable as a mountain, battleaxe resting comfortably in his grip as if the past hour had been nothing more than a warm-up.
Alex staggered back after another exchange, barely managing to keep his balance. His swords flickered faintly in his hands as he bent forward slightly, hands on his knees for half a second.
"Hehe…" he chuckled breathlessly, lifting his head despite the exhaustion weighing down his body. A tired but genuine smile spread across his face. "I'm truly grateful to spar with you, Tsun."
Tsun paused.
He slowly lifted one eyebrow, curiosity flickering across his otherwise stern expression.
Grateful?
Most warriors would be cursing his name by now.
Instead of explaining, Alex straightened himself with visible effort. His vision blurred for a split second but then the familiar translucent blue interface appeared before his eyes.
One-Handed 50
Main Level 42 → 44 (after sleep)
Perk Points 2 → 4 (after sleep)
Despite the sweat running into his eyes, Alex grinned wider.
He focused.
The interface shifted as he allocated his points.
One-Handed:
Armsman (1/5) → (2/5): One-handed weapons deal 20% → 40% more damage.
• Dual Flurry (1/2) → (2/2): Dual wielding attacks are 20% → 50% faster.
A faint surge of energy pulsed through his body.
His trembling arms steadied slightly. The soreness didn't vanish but beneath the exhaustion, a new strength coiled like a tightening spring. His fingers flexed around the hilts of his Bound Swords, and the ethereal blades flared brighter in response.
He rolled his neck once. Then twice.
Slowly, he lifted both swords and pointed them toward Tsun.
The fatigue was still there.
But so was something else.
Determination.
"Now…" Alex inhaled deeply, his chest expanding as he steadied his racing heart. His eyes sharpened, all traces of casual laughter fading into focus.
"…it's time to get serious."
Alex slowly drew in a deep breath.
One.
His chest expanded, shoulders rising as he forced air deep into his burning lungs. The tremble in his arms lessened just slightly.
Two.
He closed his eyes for half a second. The noise of clashing steel, the vastness of the Hall of Valor, even Tsun's towering presence all of it faded into the background. There was only his heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Three.
His eyes snapped open.
A sharp exhale burst from his lips as his foot slammed against the stone floor
and he charged.
The distance between them vanished in an instant. His boots barely seemed to touch the ground, his body leaning forward with predatory intent. Both Bound Swords flared brighter as he swung them in a vicious crossing arc aimed at Tsun's torso.
CLANG!
Tsun raised his battleaxe to block as he had done countless times before.
But this time
The impact was different.
The force behind Alex's blades struck heavier, sharper. The sound rang louder, echoing through the hall like a struck bell. Tsun's arms tensed involuntarily as the weight of the blow traveled down the haft of his axe. His boots shifted half an inch across the stone.
A subtle but undeniable difference.
His brow twitched.
Before Tsun could reset his stance, Alex twisted his wrists and followed with another slash, then another his movements flowing together seamlessly.
"What's wrong?" Alex laughed, breathless but exhilarated. "Hahaha!"
There was no hesitation now.
His blades became streaks of blue light, cutting from above, from the side, from impossible angles. His arms moved faster than before far faster. The perk-enhanced speed was unmistakable. Each swing blurred into the next, forcing Tsun to adjust continuously.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Tsun parried with disciplined precision, rotating the axe shaft to intercept strike after strike. But Alex's tempo had increased dramatically. The rhythm was relentless no pause, no wasted motion.
A horizontal slash slipped past the outer edge of Tsun's defense.
Shhk!
The ethereal blade grazed his side, leaving a shallow glowing cut across his armor and skin beneath.
Tsun's eyes sharpened.
Another strike came from below he blocked it but a second blade followed from above a split second later.
Shhk!
A thin line opened across his shoulder.
Not deep.
Not fatal.
But real.
Alex's grin widened, sweat flying from his jawline as he pivoted and continued pressing forward, refusing to give Tsun even a moment to breathe.
From the side of the hall, Emma's eyes widened in disbelief.
She had already been shocked that Alex endured a full hour against Tsun the legendary guardian of the Hall of Valor. Most warriors would have collapsed long ago.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
She watched the way his movements had sharpened, how his speed had nearly doubled, how his strikes now carried tangible weight behind them. The improvement wasn't subtle it was explosive.
And the most unbelievable part?
He wasn't even a warrior.
He was a mage.
A mage who, in the span of a single spar, was evolving at a rate that defied common sense.
Back in the center of the hall, Tsun adjusted his footing more carefully now. His expression no longer held casual amusement. The shallow cuts on his body were minor, but they carried a message.
If he miscalculated even slightly Alex could capitalize.
So Tsun shifted fully into defense.
His stance lowered, elbows tightening closer to his body as he began conserving motion. Each parry became sharper, more controlled. He stopped testing and started calculating.
Because now
Alex was no longer merely enduring.
He was threatening.
Alex's blades continued to rain down in a storm of glowing arcs, each strike accompanied by the sharp hiss of summoned steel cutting through air. His shoulders burned, his wrists ached, but he refused to slow.
Then
In the middle of a downward slash, something flickered in his eyes.
An idea.
Instead of pressing blindly forward, Alex subtly shifted his rhythm. His next few strikes were just slightly heavier… slightly wider… forcing Tsun to block with broader motions. At the same time, Alex allowed his breathing to grow louder rougher.
Tsun endured the relentless assault with disciplined composure. Though several shallow cuts marked his arms and torso, none were vital. They were superficial wounds, the kind a seasoned warrior could ignore.
But then he noticed it.
Alex's swings began to lose sharpness.
The tempo that had overwhelmed him moments ago started to falter. A fraction slower. A fraction sloppier. His shoulders dipped more noticeably between strikes.
Tsun's eyes narrowed.
(An opening!!)
The instant Alex overextended on what looked like a desperate horizontal slash, Tsun moved.
His defensive posture vanished. With explosive force, he knocked both Bound Swords aside and stepped in, twisting his hips as he brought the battleaxe around in a brutal counterattack aimed directly at Alex's exposed side.
The air roared from the sheer power behind it.
But
Alex's lips curled upward.
At the last possible second, he pivoted on his heel. His body slipped just outside the path of the axe by inches, the blade grazing past his chest close enough for him to feel the wind of it against his skin.
The "slowing" had been deliberate.
His eyes gleamed.
"Got you."
In one fluid motion, he spun back inside Tsun's guard. Both of Tsun's arms were still extended from the heavy swing. Alex stepped forward, closing the distance completely, and thrust one of his Bound Swords upward toward Tsun's neck.
The glowing tip stopped a hair's breadth from the skin.
But Tsun was Tsun.
Even in that compromised position, his instincts roared to life. He released one hand from the axe, twisting the haft sharply. The lower end of the weapon snapped upward between them, knocking Alex's sword arm slightly off-line. At the same time, he leaned his head back just enough to avoid the lethal angle.
The blade brushed against his throat
but did not pierce it.
For a brief second, they stood nearly chest to chest.
Alex's arm trembled violently from exhaustion.
Tsun's eyes were wide.
Genuine shock flickered across the Nord hero's face.
Alex staggered back a step, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling like a bellows. Sweat dripped from his chin as his grip loosened slightly on the sword.
"Damn it…" he muttered between ragged breaths. "Still… huh? I am not worthy…"
Tsun remained silent for a moment, staring at the young man before him.
That feint.
That timing.
That willingness to bait a counter from a warrior of his caliber.
For a heartbeat, Tsun had truly believed his throat would be pierced.
Then, slowly, a deep rumbling laugh escaped him.
"Nope," Tsun said firmly, straightening to his full height. "You are worthy."
The words carried weight more than any strike exchanged between them.
Alex blinked.
Then he laughed weakly, a satisfied grin spreading across his exhausted face. "Heh… that's… good…"
But the adrenaline that had been holding him upright finally faded.
His knees buckled.
The Bound Swords flickered and vanished into particles of blue light as his body tipped forward.
Then Emma rushed in without hesitation, catching him just before he hit the stone floor. One arm wrapped around his back, the other supporting his shoulders as she lowered him carefully.
His vision blurred, the grand hall above him spinning slightly. Tsun's towering silhouette and Emma's worried face became hazy shapes.
Through dry lips and barely controlled breathing, he whispered weakly,
"I've… proven it… haven't I… that I'm… a true Nord…"
Emma stared at him for a second then burst into warm, relieved laughter.
"Hahaha! Of course you are a true Nord!"
Her hand gently brushed damp hair away from his forehead.
Alex smiled faintly at her voice.
And with that, his body finally surrendered to exhaustion.
His breathing evened out as he slipped into sleep, collapsing peacefully in Emma's arms after his battle with Tsun.