"Don't be surprised, chief, otherwise, if you let your guard down, you could lose."
Maxi laughed slightly at Andrew's provocation, then the next mont, he rushed at Andrew, sword in hand.
Andrew defended himself hastily, but without being too surprised.
His boss wasn't soone who cared about the rules of combat or dueling. If a fight was requested, then from the mont he accepted, the duel began.
All the rcenaries had gotten used to this and even thought it was the best form of training possible. This was especially helpful in real combat.
It also had so positive effects on reaction ti when ambushes were set.
Their two swords clashed.
Knowing that these were their battle swords, any movent could be deadly.
But they were experts, so they always knew how to control themselves, even though minor injuries were allowed.
They still had no doctor at their side, but the talent [Awakening of Life] was practical in many ways.
Thus, duel wounds were common in the rcenary group. As long as they were minor and did not damage combat power, they were accepted.
Thanks to this talent, the sparring seed much more realistic, and the rcenaries could also improve their swordsmanship much more quickly.
Andrew took a few steps back after taking Maxi's blow.
"Even if he's a little off, he's still much stronger than ." Andrew thought.
And indeed, there were almost 2 statistical points separating the two, almost a difference of 50%.
They were not at all at the sa physical level, which made the duel very uneven.
But Andrew was not the kind of person to give up so easily.
Instead of trying to compete in brute force, he changed tactics.
With one fluid movent, he deflected an attack from Maxi and attempted a rapid counter-attack by aiming at his flank.
But Maxi, with impeccable timing, effortlessly parried the blow and imdiately countered.
Andrew had to leap backwards to avoid being neutralized.
A smile appeared on Maxi's lips.
"Not bad."
Andrew gritted his teeth, but did not reply.
He repositioned himself and adopted a lower stance, his sword slightly inclined. He then began to execute a series of complex movents, alternating between feints and precise attacks.
Maxi recognized these techniques imdiately. They were advanced level 2 swordplay moves, often used by experienced swordsn to create openings against stronger opponents.
Andrew attempted a quick lunge followed by a diagonal sequence, a move that could have destabilized a less experienced fighter.
But Maxi, unfazed, blocked each attack with ease.
Then, suddenly, he went on the offensive.
With a sudden press, he forced Andrew to retreat again and again, each blow forcing him to adopt a more defensive position. Andrew sought to dodge and use his agility to regain the upper hand, but Maxi anticipated his every move.
One step too slow.
A slightly open guard.
Maxi seized the opportunity.
In a flash, he spun 360 degrees and kicked Andrew in the chest with a roundhouse kick.
Andrew placed his left arm in front of him to slightly block Maxi's attack.
But it was no use, the foot seed unstoppable, and Andrew literally flew away, but still firmly holding his sword in his hand.
Silence fell over the training ground.
Andrew remained motionless on the ground for a mont, short of breath, before letting out a nervous laugh.
"Ah... I didn't have a single opening, did I..."
Maxi lowered his sword and smiled.
"You have reached level 3 in sword mastery. You are therefore at the sa levels of mastery as most knights, congratulations."
The advanced level 2 techniques that Andrew had used with ease and precision were not sothing that an individual with level 2 sword mastery could achieve so easily.
Andrew smiled proudly; he already knew it.
He, a poor villager, had reached a level at a young age that so knights who had trained from a young age only reached in their thirties.
Andrew got up, a hint of defiance in his eyes.
"I trained hard to reach this level. Even if my potential now lags behind that of many rcenaries, I will always be one of the strong ones thanks to my efforts."
Maxi knew that this was a topic that was going to co up. And it was necessary to manage this topic correctly for the future of the rcenary group.
Because as ti went by, there would be more and more talent in the rcenary group, and so gradually the strong ones of before would only be average in the future.
And it wasn't sothing like 'respect for elders' that was going to change anything.
Respect would always go only to the strongest, and Maxi didn't intend to change that rule.
Of course, that didn't an that humiliation or other similar things were allowed.
It was just that positions of power could only be held by strong people.
And Andrew, as vice-chief, could already feel his position slipping away.
"Keep up the good work, and I'll give you an opportunity to match your efforts in the future." Maxi reassured him.
He already had his own idea about it.
It was sothing he had planned from the beginning when he saw his talent erge.
And the solution had already appeared to him a long ti ago.
It was just that the ti was not right.
Andrew nodded.
No matter what Maxi said, he would always give his all to be the best.
"Otherwise you're not saying much about what we're going to do, boss. What's the plan?"
Maxi nodded, a little embarrassed.
It was true that he was doing things a bit on his own.
"The next objective is that once Aveline has been taken back to Lapi and Count Ardan, we will spend a few days at most in the Kadis Mountains, then we will go to Plouta where we will finally all be reunited."
"Finally, we will et up with Baron Irut and take our revenge on Baron Barthon."
On hearing the baron's na, Andrew's eyes imdiately filled with tears.
It was because of Baron Barthon that his entire family and those of the brothers from Quessoï had died.
Without him...
"When the ti cos, let kill the baron with my own hands, chief," Andrew asked, with a very high murderous intent.
Maxi could clearly perceive this murderous intent.
"You still need to be able to defeat Baron Barthon on your own. Do you think you can do it with your current strength?" replied Maxi, regardless of Andrew's murderous desire.
Andrew cald down and bit his lips.
Maxi walked over to him.
"You're still weak, keep training hard and you'll have everything you want, Andrew."
As he said this, Maxi placed his hand on Andrew's shoulder, showing his encouragent, before calmly passing him.
It was ti to leave here and continue on the road to Lapi.
Maxi hid it very well, but for those with excellent perception, Maxi's eyes were at that mont very similar to Andrew's.
"Not only did he dare to touch the family of my rcenaries, but he even tried to take back the money he had given us and to annihilate us."
"I don't know if the famous player who had managed to reach my world of Eternity had anything to do with it, but in any case, Baron Barthon, you will have to pay for your actions."
Shortly after that, the rcenaries were ready to leave again, the few horses that Count Ardan had lent them whinnying.
They seed to sense that they would be going ho soon.
The wind was blowing gently as the group crossed the plains.
Maxi, at the front, stared at the horizon.
"What are you thinking about?" asked Laura, who was next to him.
"If you're thinking about a woman, I'll kill you right now." she continued with an innocent expression.
But Maxi was no longer the innocent man he once was.
"Ohhh? So if I think of a woman... you're going to have to beat to kill . And you know very well who would win in a fight between you and ."
"And if you don't win, I'll have to punish you..."
As he said this, Maxi gave a mischievous look.
Kaite and Langus, who were nearby, naturally heard the conversation because of their excellent hearing.
But they simply looked at each other with a tacit smile.
Laura, for her part, rolled her eyes when she heard this.
But that didn't stop her from sticking close to Maxi and whispering in his ear:
"And how are you going to punish ... boss?"
Maxi remained silent for a mont before saying:
"No woman but you occupies my thoughts, so don't worry. There's no fight, so I won't need to punish you."
Laura imdiately showed her disappointnt.
"You're really good at bringing the excitent down..."
Maxi smiled and thought as he looked at the sky:
"If you get excited like that, I won't be able to hold on until tonight..."
But of course, he wouldn't say anything, otherwise he could be sure that Laura would have fun playing this ga all day long.
Her mischievous side was well hidden from the other rcenaries.
So rcenaries behind could not help but laugh when they heard Laura's words.
Laura imdiately turned around when she noticed the laughter behind her.
"There are so who want to die here, though..."
The rcenaries behind imdiately fell silent.
Laura was one of the strongest rcenaries, and above all, no one really dared to fight her.
Otherwise, God knows how their leader might react.
But the leader in question didn't give a damn.
He liked Laura's strength, and he didn't think it was necessary to take action against his own rcenaries, even if they did tease her a little.
As long as it remained within reasonable limits.
Especially when she already had enough temperant and strength to protect herself.
Further on, Andrew kept his hands in his pockets, hiding his clenched fists.
If he could, he would train all the ti.
Because he knew that if he wanted to avenge his family with his own hands, he had to beco stronger. Much stronger. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
He had changed from the little boy who cried for his family four months ago. He had changed, and his determination and maturity had evolved.
Rodrigo and Ernest, for their part, were at the back of the group, visibly well away.
For a mont, only the wind could be heard around them.
Ernest finally broke the silence.
"It's crazy how far we've co and all we've been through."
"I still can't believe it..."
Rodrigo raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.
"You, of all people." said Ernest, shaking his head.
"It's almost laughable."
Rodrigo sighed and ended up looking at Ernest, who was enjoying himself playing with him.
"Are you going to continue speaking in riddles for a long ti, or are you finally going to get to the point?"
"I'm just savoring this mont. We've been hiding in this Kingdom together for almost a year now." Ernest continued amusingly, but his eyes betrayed his nostalgia.
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