Rudeus sighed, realizing that Eris falling into Roa's hands was already a foregone conclusion.
Giving up the so-called struggle, Rudeus directly lay down on the bed, squeezing in with Ghislaine.
Nothing unexpected happened.
After an exciting night, it was actually just that.
Rudeus felt bored.
The imagination was beautiful, but reality was not so.
Not sure if it was an illusion, Rudeus always felt that Ghislaine had a faint smell of sweat, which was not strong but still felt somewhat fresh.
However, by midnight, Rudeus really couldn't hold on any longer.
Ghislaine slept very soundly, snoring like a beast warrior.
As a result, Rudeus couldn't sleep well all night.
When he was awakened by Ghislaine in the morning, Rudeus had two dark circles under his eyes and looked at Ghislaine with a resentful expression.
Ghislaine was puzzled by Rudeus's gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
Rudeus replied dryly, "Nothing, it's fine."
People make their own choices, and even if they suffer, they have to swallow it themselves.
After hastily washing up in the living room, he met up with the other two.
Eris had dressed up a bit; her skirt was a bit long, so she changed into long pants. She wore a white shirt under a brown leather armor, and her fiery red hair was tied up, giving her a spirited appearance.
Rudeus couldn't help but comment, "A young lady who looks like an adventurer."
Upon hearing this, Eris shot Rudeus a glare, clenched her fist, and coldly huffed, "I always feel like you're mocking me with that statement."
Rudeus looked up at the sky and casually said, "Who knows?"
"Hmm?"
Seeing that someone she could usually knock down with one or two punches dared to mock her, Eris became furious and stepped forward, ready to teach him a lesson.
Roa, speechless, pulled Eris back and sighed, "You guys should spend this time thinking about how to face that guy next."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Roa didn't say anything more and led them to have a special breakfast in town before heading to the Sword God Style Dojo.
It wasn't too late; in his previous life, it would have been around eight o'clock. However, when Roa arrived, the students at the venue had already started practicing their swordsmanship.
Roa's gaze lingered on the students and noticed that most of them had the level of intermediate swordsmen, which genuinely surprised him.
His gaze swept over the students and finally settled on two individuals in front of him.
The two leading figures were quite young, roughly the same age as Eris, or perhaps a bit older.
But in the dojo, they stood out too much.
Both were practicing swordplay, swinging their wooden swords with precision.
One was a boy, and the other was a girl, both around eleven years old.
The wooden swords were raised high and then suddenly brought down with great speed.
It was a standard chop, training their arm muscles to become stronger.
The essentials of the chopping motion weren't many, but continuously swinging with full power was undoubtedly a difficult task.
Though both were young, their foundations were solid, and every time their wooden swords fell, a whistling sound could be heard cutting through the air.
The boy's swordsmanship was average, giving Roa the impression that it was nothing special, too casual. He merely glanced at him before shifting his gaze away.
However, the girl with the azure long hair was indeed noteworthy.
Her strength had already reached the peak level of an intermediate swordsman, and it wouldn't be long before she broke through to become an advanced swordsman.
Ghislaine followed Roa's gaze and, seeing the two he was looking at, explained, "The girl with long hair is the master's daughter, her name is Nina Farion. As for the young man beside her, just call him Gino, but that guy likes to stick close to Nina."
Roa nodded and glanced at Eris, saying, "Eris, you should interact more with your peers."
Eris scoffed, "What do I have to talk about with them?"
Eris's personality had always been like this; she said whatever came to her mind. Roa wasn't surprised and turned his gaze to Rudeus, saying, "Rudeus, you can also spar with them; they should be happy to teach you."
Rudeus pouted; the so-called teaching meant getting hit, right?
Seeing their attitudes, Roa didn't say anything more.
This wasn't something they could avoid just because they didn't want to. Eventually, he would just throw Eris into their circle and let the two of them train properly.
Eris was used to being pampered and always had an inexplicable sense of superiority over her peers, treating strangers with disdain.
Roa thought this was not good and felt she needed some proper training.
Rudeus, on the other hand, lacked confidence. He should be a bit more self-assured, but Roa could never sense the pride and spirit that young people should have in Rudeus; they were in completely opposite states.
One was overly proud, while the other always had a sense of inferiority.
Perhaps spending some time with those people would change a lot.
Roa thought so.
Just as everyone was looking around, Gal's voice came from not far away.
"You guys are here; a bit later than I expected."
He still had that carefree demeanor, but at least he wasn't bare-chested like last night.
Beneath his loose clothing was Gal's excessively muscular physique.
Gal didn't say much and led everyone forward to another area. It wasn't surprising that the dojo was large enough to have two training areas; even three or four would seem reasonable to Roa.
This place was much quieter compared to the front yard, with no other disciples training around. It was clear that this area was usually not open to the public.
Gal arrived at the center and pointed at Rudeus, saying, "Let's start with the little one. Good things should be saved for last, right?"
Rudeus looked confused, pointing at himself and uncertainly saying, "Me?"
Gal nodded, and everyone turned their gaze to Rudeus.
Rudeus's face instantly fell; he already didn't look particularly good, and now he appeared even more haggard.
What to do, what to do, what to do?
Rudeus's mind raced. Although it was understandable to lose to a sword god, if he lost too badly, it would embarrass Ghislaine and Roa. He might even become a joke for Eris, who would bring it up to mock him later.
Gal casually said, "I'm here to test your strength, not to bully kids, so just attack as you wish."
Upon hearing this, Rudeus was overjoyed.
This was something he was familiar with.
As long as he could hold his own, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Gal added, "Aren't you going to start? My time is precious."
Rudeus walked over to the weapon rack, pulled out a wooden sword, stepped back about ten paces, and nodded at Gal, saying, "I'm ready."
Gal looked at Rudeus in surprise and waved his sword with his right hand, saying, "Kid, aren't you going to step a bit closer?"
Rudeus shook his head, rejecting Gal's suggestion, and said, "I think this position is good."
Gal didn't insist further, only saying, "You have three chances to attack. I'll only let you make three moves, so think carefully."
Rudeus nodded cautiously and assumed a stance.
It wasn't the Sword God style but the initial stance of the Breath of the Sun.
Rudeus felt his blood boiling; the fighting spirit he had always struggled to grasp felt closer at this moment. His magic power began to surge with his blood, enhancing his strength. The exhaled breath formed a long mist as Rudeus lowered his stance, preparing for a draw.
The Sword God style focuses on delivering the fastest and heaviest strikes.
There are generally three initial stances.
One is the middle stance.
It can handle any rhythm, the basic form of the Sword God style.
Another is the upper stance.
It is suitable for those who excel at disrupting their opponent's rhythm and attacking deeply, an offensive stance.
Finally, there is the draw.
It is suitable for those who are good at reading their opponent's rhythm and using their instincts to find the best timing, a defensive stance.
The draw is not just for offense; it is often used for defense as well.
However, the draw being executed by the little brat in front of him seemed somewhat off. It was clear that it wasn't a defensive draw but rather an offensive posture.
This was neither the turtle-like Water God style nor the clever tricks of the Northern God style.
An unfamiliar style?
Gal's brows instinctively furrowed, and he felt displeased.
As the head of the Sword God style, having presided over the Holy Land of Swords for so many years, Gal had almost become the spokesperson for the contemporary Sword God style.
Yet now, a little brat was using a different style to fight him, and instinctively, Gal began to dislike the kid in front of him.
"Come at me."
Gal didn't say much, but the previous laziness faded, and his expression became serious.
At the same time, a powerful sense of pressure rose from him.
The pressure coalesced into something tangible, a sharp aura spreading outwards from Gal.
Roa raised an eyebrow; the old man said not to use force, but in reality, he had added a bit of pressure.
Roa didn't feel much from Gal's pressure; as a strong person, this level of pressure was negligible. Moreover, the old man was just trying to intimidate; he hadn't truly unleashed his full momentum.
But for Rudeus, even this was enough to make him feel a surge of fear.
The old man in front of him had transformed into a fierce tiger, staring at him with a predatory gaze.
A sense of dread crept into his heart, and his right hand, holding the sword in the draw stance, trembled slightly.
Rudeus swallowed hard, telling himself not to be afraid; it was his turn now. Even if the other party wanted to strike, it would be after two moves.
Besides, the most he could do was knock him down; he couldn't really kill him with a single sword strike.
Rudeus reassured himself, boosting his confidence. He glanced at Roa, who was watching the spectacle with interest, and finally made up his mind to step forward.
He stepped forward with his right foot and then suddenly charged ahead.
His speed was fast, and Rudeus became an arrow, shooting towards Gal.
Gal remained motionless, quietly watching Rudeus.
The more Gal did this, the greater the psychological pressure on Rudeus.
He couldn't convince himself that he, who couldn't even defeat Eris, could charge in and take Gal down with a single sword strike.
Many images flashed through his mind, most of which were of him swinging his sword only to be swiftly blocked by Gal and then quickly finished off.
Rudeus was not a foolish person; on the contrary, he was quite clever.
Smart people often overthink things, and because they consider many factors, they can become hesitant in their decisions.
In swordsmanship, hesitation is not a good thing, especially on the battlefield.
For example, right now, Rudeus could have charged forward with an unstoppable momentum, even if he couldn't cause any substantial damage, it would at least make Gal take notice and raise his evaluation.
But now, the momentum of his draw strike faltered, and the power of his sword strike was reduced by at least thirty percent.
Gal's rugged face revealed a disdainful smile, as he saw Rudeus zoning out in front of a strong enemy.
Rudeus also sensed the shrinking feeling in his heart, but the arrow was already on the string, and he had to shoot. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly drew his wooden sword and swiftly executed a slashing strike, the circular slash cutting through the air, heading straight for Gal's face.
"Flame Dance!"
Gal had not expected much from this strike, but at that moment, he was slightly surprised by the attack.
He tilted his body slightly, and the swift slash did not hit Gal; the old sword god easily dodged the strike.
Rudeus, now highly focused, was not too surprised that his strike missed. He took a deep breath, adjusting his mindset, and recalled the technique he had practiced countless times.
"Clear Blue Sky."
The wooden sword slashed vertically towards Gal's left side, but compared to the initial Flame Dance, this strike was significantly weaker.
Moreover, Rudeus had not fully mastered the Clear Blue Sky; since Gal had dodged the most proficient Flame Dance, how could he expect to land the Clear Blue Sky?
At the moment the attack fell, a terrifying force struck him. Rudeus felt his arm go numb, and then a sharp pain hit his abdomen. His vision spun, and a tremendous force sent Rudeus crashing to the ground.
Rudeus's breathing rhythm was interrupted in that instant, and his abdomen burned with pain. Not only that, but the strike had left him gasping for air, his face turning red as he struggled to catch his breath.
It was too fast, so fast that Rudeus couldn't react at all.
He had no idea how the opponent had struck or how the long sword had come down.