As we all gathered at the training ground, I couldn’t help but notice how vast it was. The square-shaped ground stretched nearly two hundred and fifty meters on each side, surrounded by high barriers that separated us from the rest of the world. Master stood there, as calm as ever, his gaze steady as he observed me. I was nervous, but I wouldn’t admit it.

  Master turned to Liam with a calm voice. “I want to talk with Rayon for a minute, can I?”

  Liam grinned, clearly expecting something odd. “Yes, and please make him wear armor too.”

  Master nodded with a mysterious smile. “He has a special armor in his hand. So, don’t worry about anything.”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “What kind of armor?”

  Master’s expression didn’t change. “He got that by making his familiar. I and Rayon both don’t know about it very well.”

  I glanced at Master, silently amazed by how easily he wove a lie. His straight face made it sound so believable.

  I thought, ‘

  As Master motioned for me to follow him, I entered the manor, away. Inside, it was quiet and still. The air felt different here—more intimate like the whole world had been shut out.

  Master lowered his voice. “You can only use all four elements and ice.”

  I blinked, unsure if I had heard correctly. “But... I’m not confident in ice magic,” I protested, a bit frustrated. “You know that already. My ice magic is the weakest of all.”

  Master chuckled softly, a knowing grin on his face. “That’s exactly why I’m saying it.” He leaned in a little closer, his voice becoming more serious. “Ice can slow down even the fastest of opponents. You’ll need to master it to control the pace of the fight. You don’t need to be perfect, just effective.”

  I frowned, still unsure. “But Liam’s a swordmaster. Not just that—he’s a magic swordmaster with a light yellow stage mana core. What chance do I stand against that?”

  Master’s expression hardened slightly. “Don’t make excuses, brat. Your core stores double the amount of mana compared to people. Your core is par at near light yellow stage level, and as for aura... you’ve mastered high-level aura control. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

  I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of his words. ‘ The thought gnawed at me, but I swallowed it down.

  Master's grin returned. “You don’t have to win, Rayon. You only need to show your capabilities. The surprise is what will make the difference.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “Go and show them something they won’t forget.”

  I rolled my eyes and smirked, the playful frustration clear in my voice. “Yeah, you’re here to speak clear lies for me with that straight face of yours.”

  Master chuckled, the sound echoing in the silence. I said “Old man.” He laughed again, clearly amused by my teasing.

  With that, we returned to the training ground. As we neared the center of the square, Liam approached with a wooden sword in hand. He handed it to me, and I nodded, preparing myself for the inevitable clash. He too held a wooden sword, his posture relaxed but ready, like a lion waiting to pounce.

  On the sidelines, my family had gathered to watch. My Mom, Dad, Elvina, and Liam’s family were all present, standing together, watching with varying degrees of concern and curiosity. My Mom stepped forward and addressed Master.

  “Isn’t this too much for Rayon?” she asked, her voice laced with worry. “Liam is one of the fifteen magic swordmasters in the country, and Rayon is just a little child.”

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  Master’s smile never faltered. “Ma’am, don’t worry about your son. He’s much stronger than you imagine.” His confidence in me caught me off guard.

  Liam, sensing my Mom’s concern, looked over at me with a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on him.”

  Master laughed heartily. “Ha! Ha! Please, not too easy.” His voice carried a teasing edge, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

  Liam’s smirk grew wider, clearly eager for the match to begin. I stepped into position, my hand tightly gripping the sword. A slight trembling ran through me, but I wasn’t going to show it. ‘

  As I imbued a little mana into the sword mark, the familiar sensation of my armor began to form. It wasn’t just any armor—it was something far more intricate. A black, dragon-scale-like material with crimson lines began to weave itself around my body, starting from the sword mark on my skin and spreading outward. The air seemed to shift with it.

  Liam’s eyes widened. “What is that?”

  I shrugged, playing it off as casually as I could. “It’s the armor Master mentioned earlier.”

  Liam’s eyes narrowed, more intrigued than before. “But armor doesn’t just protect you from cuts—it’s supposed to shield you from fatal injuries.” His voice held a note of disbelief. “That’s... something else.”

  I grinned, feeling the growing heat of frustration from the uncertainty gnawing at me. “Yeah, that’s true. And this armor does exactly that.” I couldn’t keep the edge out of my voice. ‘

  Liam chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You and your master are full of surprises, you know that?”

  I wasn’t sure if I liked the way he said that—like I was a curiosity, a thing to be studied. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  We both took our stances, preparing for the first move. My stance was defensive, my body slightly hunched as I kept my sword at the ready. Liam, on the other hand, stood tall and confident, almost relaxed. He was waiting for me to make the first move, I knew it.

  Master called out in a firm voice. “Begin!”

  At his command, we both rushed forward. The sound of our swords clashing echoed across the training ground.

  The shockwave from our collision rippled outward, creating a wave of force that sent dust flying. I felt the weight of Liam’s sword, the power of his magic-infused strikes. His aura surged like a wave, pushing against me. ‘

  Liam covered his body in an aura of flame, using the heat to augment his speed. He shot toward me like a missile, aiming to break through my defense. I gritted my teeth and quickly responded, forming a dozen ice arrows in the air and launching them straight at him. They sped toward him with precision, but Liam sliced through them as if they were nothing, his sword cutting through them like a hot knife through butter.

  Frustration bubbled up inside me. ‘ I felt my pulse quicken, my heart pounding. He wasn’t even taking me seriously. I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t let him think I was weak.

  Drawing on the wind, I encased myself in a gust of air and launched myself at him, matching his speed. My sword met his once more with a resounding clang, the impact vibrating up my arm.

  Then Liam made a gauntlet around this one hand and I also did the same. Then our gauntlet clashed toward each other.

  Producing a large shockwave again.

  Liam said, “You sure are a lot to be called a kid aren’t you.”

  I bit back a retort. ‘

  We circled each other, my sword and his locking together again and again. The clash of metal rang out with aura wave, as we exchanged blow after blow.

  Clang!

  Clang!

  Clang!

  Clang!

  In the last clash. We clashed with each other producing an enormous amount of the shockwave. The ground we were standing on started to crack like glass and Liam summoned earth armor around himself the thick stone-like plates forming on his body. But I wasn’t about to let up.

  I stepped back, my frustration reaching a boiling point. ‘

  In one fluid motion, I called on the water, pulling it from the very air around us. My hand outstretched, I gathered the hydrogen and oxygen molecules, pulling them together to create a sphere of water. It hovered above my palm, ready to be launched. I compressed it, gathering more mana into the ball until it was dense and compact.

  Liam, seeing what I was doing, summoned an earth wall in front of him. But it was too late.

  I hurled the water ball with all my might. It shot forward, cutting through the air like a bullet, and slammed into the thick earth wall Liam had erected. The water burst through the wall with ease, shattering the stone like it was nothing. The ball of water crashed into his armor, splashing across the surface and forcing him back.

  The ground beneath us cracked under the pressure, sending small tremors through the air. Master called out in a commanding tone. “It’s over!”

  I stood there, my chest heaving with exertion. My frustration was still a fire in my chest. ‘

  I didn’t feel the satisfaction of victory—only the bitter taste of having to struggle harder than I ever had before. I knew that Liam had held back, that he hadn’t used his full power, but that didn’t make me feel any less defeated.

  Master’s voice was gentle, but I could hear the pride in it. “You did well, Rayon. You’ve come a long way.” But I didn’t want to listen it. Not yet.

  ‘I still have a long way to go to be good enough.’