Akamir held his sword close to his waist, ready to attack or defend.
His crimson eyes stared at the man who sprang forward.
'He is slow.'
Akamir leaned to one side, avoiding the thrust at his face.
Rack, the knight of Vyavan, followed with another quick diagonal slash.
Akamir parried his sword, but the collision made his hand numb.
'What a weak body.'
Clicking his tongue, he quickly guided the sword down, using Rack's momentum to unbalance him.
Before he could balance himself, a silver hue of sword rushed past his throat.
Rack gulped down, quickly touching his neck only to notice no injuries.
'...'
Akamir quietly yanked his sword hand as he missed the neck by just an inch.
'....It's hard to get comfortable in this new body.'
Despite having knowledge of his past world, he couldn't do much with such a weak body.
Rack tried to take advantage of his distraction.
He leaned forward.
A thrust was aimed directly at Akamir's head.
Clearly intended to scare him.
Instead of dodging back or ducking, he faced the incoming tip of the sword and took a step forward,
tilting his head just enough for the flat of the blade to graze harmlessly past his face.
He brought his sword up in one swift motion.
Rack, the knight of Vyavan's eyes widened at his counter as he desperately retracted in hopes of making it in time to block the swing.
But the tip of his sword was already pressed against the man's throat.
"Alright, enough!"
The head knight Gorgon's voice echoed within the knight training ground.
Akamir lowered his sword, taking a step back from Rack, who was sweating profusely.
'Is this the level of a knight?'
He wasn't sure if he should be disappointed or not.
Smoothly, Akamir sheathed his sword and turned to look at Gorgon.
He was a man with a robust build who looked more like a bear than a human, bearing the markings of battles all over his face.
His bluish eyes, accompanied by his grey hair, made him look like an old grandpa, but he was anything but one.
"Is this really your first time using a sword?" Gorgon asked, making his way towards Akamir.
"As far as I remember, last week was the first time I held one," Akamir replied, his voice firm.
'Though I did confirm it from Zia.'
Gorgon stood there, unable to respond for a while.
Slowly, his gaze turned towards the knight who sparred with Akamir.
"I am truly disappointed," Gorgon said, looking down at the knight. "You were training since eleven."
"I-it was a fluke, Head Knight," Rack stammered, trying to explain himself. "If I used mana, then I could easily—."
"Silence."
Gorgon's cold voice made him flinch.
"Ten laps around the palace. Now."
Rack didn't argue. Instead, he gave a salute before starting to run.
Gorgon then looked around, noticing a high number of knights standing around.
"You lot, get back to your training as well!!!"
Every knight scattered in an instant when he roared.
Gorgon glanced at Akamir. "Shall we have a talk?"
"Sure." He nodded. "Lead the way."
Nodding, Gorgon led him away from the training ground.
The entirety of the palace was as large as a small town.
Tens of different buildings were situated at a large distance.
Between the buildings, the entire place was decorated with different plants and trees, creating a peaceful environment.
'Honestly, it's a pretty good place to relax.'
Akamir admired how they valued the environment, unlike his previous world where everything was covered in metal.
"Sixteen years, you lived a sheltered life, even refusing to train," Gorgon said, earning his attention. "Yet you only started training a week ago. Why?"
Akamir just looked at him.
He said nothing, as if urging him to make a guess.
Which he did.
"Is it because of Sir Morris' death?" he questioned, glancing at him.
Akamir quietly nodded.
Using the pretext of his brother's death.
The only way that could explain why he, who always lazed around, started training.
'But that's not true.'
After meeting Aldric, he was sure that this world—or at least humans—chose their king based on their lineage.
No matter how strong you are, lineage is what the kingdom revolves around.
'But that doesn't mean strength can be scoffed at.'
Akamir had already made up his mind to kill Second Prince Lucien.
Due to what Asher did, Akamir was in some serious trouble.
'If pushed too hard, he could reveal that I framed my brother.'
In any case, Lucien had to die, and Akamir had already started planning for it.
"Well, looks like Goddess Morana hasn't left us without hope," Gorgon said with a tired sigh. "When she took one prodigy, she gifted another."
"I have done all the basic stances," Akamir said, looking at the man. "Can we get to the next part?"
Gorgon was about to lash out at how he was rushing things, but he held back.
Clicking his tongue, he whispered, "I can't even say you need more basic training."
"Stay here."
Saying so, he took a few steps before turning to face Akamir.
"I can't teach you without the master's permission," he said, unsheathing his sword.
"But I can still show you."
Akamir's expression turned serious as he concentrated solely on the Head Knight.
The knight in question raised his sword before—
Boom!!
Abruptly lowering it.
The force behind it made a shockwave that blew past Akamir's face.
"The Vyavan Sword Art focuses solely on explosive strength."
Gorgon's voice echoed as he grabbed his sword with both hands.
"Every strike should inflict fear in the opponent's mind."
He turned around, the sword followed closely—
Boom!!
An invisible blade arc escaped the sword, slicing the tree hundreds of meters away.
"Every swing should carry the weight of a mountain behind it."
Gorgon continued to show him every stance of the Vyavan Sword Art.
Like a sponge, Akamir was greedily taking in everything he could learn.
The position of his legs, the movements of his wrist, hand, and waist.
He was taking note of everything.
Akamir only stopped when—
[Vyavan Sword Art has been registered]
A screen flickered in front of him.
'Finally.'
Akamir smiled as he noticed the message, while Gorgon also stopped demonstrating.
With a deep breath, he sheathed his sword as he looked at Akamir.
"What core do you have now, young master?" he asked.
"It's red," Akamir replied honestly. "I still haven't improved yet."
Gorgon's expression turned into disappointment. "I see... It seems you still have a long way to go."
"Yes."
Unlike in his previous world where one could get stronger by breaking the muscle and rebuilding it with Chi, things were different here.
In Veridia, to get stronger one had to make a core just below their spectrum.
They are divided into seven tiers, each determined by the colour of the core.
Red core or tier 1 being the weakest, and white core or tier 7 the strongest.
'That's what humans are aware of.'
There are gods in this world as well.
And Akamir is sure there is someone stronger than a white core.
"You should train well, young master," Gorgon said, patting his shoulder. "The Vyavan household is now in your hands."
Akamir nodded softly.
Gorgon smiled as he walked away.
Left alone, Akamir closed his eyes.
Then—
"Show my status."
=====
Name:
True name: [Locked]
Core: [Red] [Tier 1]
Saturation: 0.7/1
---
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Charm: 30
---
Memories: [Locked]
---
Skills: [Vyavan Sword Art] (registered)
---
Unique traits:
King's Will.
Devourer.
Prodigy.
====