“Anyways, who is this guy? To have the audacity to attack me, either you don’t know me or a fool” the red-haired girl gnashed her teeth while glaring at Isaac.

“Oh, he is Isaac. Can you introduce yourself?” Reyner asked while staring at Isaac.

“I’m Isaac” he simply replied without a once of shame as the girl continued glaring at him while Reyner laughed.

“Tell them your level and specialization” Reyner smiled hoping to calm Alicia and lower Isaac’s guard as he seems to be tensed and too untrusting to everyone around him.

“Why?” Isaac asked, completely baffled as to why he needs to answer a question from someone he just met.

“What do you mean why?! It’s for Sir Reyner to know what type of spells, weapon arts, and styles he will teach to your dumb brain” Alicia yelled angrily

“Now now, no need to get angry. I just want to know so i can teach you better. " Reyner reassured Isaac with a gentle smile.

“I’m between level 30 to 40” Isaac said with his emotionless tone.

“Huh?! YOu bastard! You think this is a joke?” Alicia marched towards Isaac with her eyes full of anger and fist ready to punch Isaac in the face. Quickly, Reyner jumps between them.

“That isn’t what Isaac means Alicia. He’s cautious of us so naturally, he doesn’t trust us enough to tell his exact level” Reyner reassured Alicia before turning to Isaac.

“So Isaac. What is your specialization?” Reyner asked once more hoping to get a quick answer from Isaac.

“Specialization?” Isaac asked back. Wholely confused about what this is and Reyner can see that. With a sigh, Reyner explained.

“It means what you specialized at. There are three main specializations for the combat section. Aura users, mana users, and unique users. Aura users are typically people who primarily use weapon art and styles to inflict injuries to the enemies while mana users use spells. The unique users are a rare class since either they use both aura and magic or have a type of skills that doesn’t allow them to use any mana or aura. Most people typically pick between the aura or mana to avoid oversaturating spells or weapon arts and styles that they won’t use. Typically, they use 5-10 spells or weapons styles to get used to their strategy during combat. This is important since you can’t have yourself forgetting what the chant was for the spell or you will die. With fights happening in supernatural speed, stuttering on your chanting added with the fact that your enemy won’t allow you to chant at all makes every spell and weapon art you successfully casted vital to your survival”

“It also applies to the unique users and so on. Still, there are variables that may affect your fighting skills so it really depends on what you want your fighting style to be. " Reyner continued

‘So i’m included in the unique users since i can only learn a spell or weapon art if it’s related to blood. Still, it’s better to say aura user for now’ Isaac thinks to himself as he nodded.

“So i’m an aura user” Isaac replied after internalizing what Reyner said.

“I see.” Reyner gazed at Isaac briefly as a flash of suspicion appeared in his eyes before shifting to Touka who remained silent.

“I can use both mana and aura decently so i’m a unique user” Touka replied without looking at Reyner.

“I noticed that the both of you wield swords. Do you have a weapon style for that?” Reyner asked

“I have one basic weapon style that was taught by the knights.” Touka said

“I do have one” Isaac followed without explaining the name of the weapon style it is.

“Is it tailored for your use?” Reyner asked the two of them.

“No, it doesn’t help with casting my own spells on combat” Touka said honestly

“It’s useful enough for me” Isaac replied evasively as Alicia had it enough with his disrespectfulness and rudeness.

“Hey, bastard. Spar with me so i can see what you’re made of” Alicia snickered with a nasty grin.

“Alicia stop. He’s a new otherworlder. It wouldn’t be a spar that you are looking for, you just want to beat him right?” Reyner said

“It isn’t! I will go easy on him. Just a senior showing the ropes to a newbie” Alicia grinned as she cracked her knuckles while stretching her neck.

“Sure” Isaac replied which shocked Reyner.

“You don’t have to do any of that. I did say to impress your colleague but Alicia is already a seasoned member of the shadow.” Reyner said worried that Alicia might destroy Isaac’s determination as he knows that Alicia is clearly the stronger of the two.

“It’s fine, the enemy won’t care if i’m weaker.” As Isaac tightens his grip on his sheathed weapon.

“See? Come on. It will be fine” Alicia said with a friendly tone while gazing expectingly

at Reyner

“Fine but i will stop it immediately whenever i want” Reyner sighed before he opened the door inside the building to find a white room. It was unexpectedly clean but monotonous as there is nothing except a couple of straw dummies and a line of weapon racks full of different weapons from normal swords to small knives for throwing.

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The man that was knocked by Reyner is already there standing calmly without saying anything. He nodded to Reyner before bringing his eyes to Isaac’s weapon.

“Pick any weapon you want. I will be going easy on you so i will be unarmed” Alicia grinned before tucking her two daggers somewhere in her cloak. While Reyner stands in the middle of the room before swinging his fingers as a shape of a circle was embedded in the white floor around him and after that, he leaves the circle that he created. It astonished Isaac as there were no weapon arts or style he used and there is certainly no magic that was used.

“Hey! Pick already. You’re wasting everyone’s time” Alicia demanded as she enters the circle while stretching her neck and cracking her knuckles.

Isaac didn’t waste any time as he picked the sword that was identical to his katana before entering the circle.

“Remember, if you step outside the circle you lose. If i see that the other one is cleary losing, i will immediately stop the fight” Reyner announced as Touka makes his way beside Reyner and the cloaked man.

“Yes sir!” Alicia yelled without taking her eyes off Isaac like a hunter eyeing its prey. While Isaac nodded as he readied his steel sword.

“3…2…1! Fight!” Reyner announced as Alicia didn’t waste any time as she dashed towards Isaac with blinding speed and her fist aiming for his stomach. Isaac stabbed forward hoping to hit her fist but she twisted her body to avoid the sword and instead stretched her legs forward, hitting Isaac in the stomach. He flew a couple of meters back before receiving a massive kick in the face, staggering Isaac as Alicia knocked his sword away.

“This is the end!” Alicia yelled as she stabbed her fingers forward and as it was about to hit Isaac in the stomach, he suddenly vanished into thin air. Confused, she looked around only to hear someone moving behind her as she turned around just in time to get punched in the face. She staggers slightly, she was more surprised than hurt as the punch was too weak for her to feel any pain but it caught her off guard. It was enough time for Isaac to grab his weapon on the floor and fight Alicia once more.

“Impressive, you managed to surprise me” Alicia chuckled while placing her hands on her hips. She was relaxed as she thought Isaac is too weak to give her any meaningful injuries.

“Body technique: Searing blood” Isaac chanted as red vapors started emitting from his body. He felt stronger and faster as he flashes forward with his sword aimed at her neck.

[Fiery sense has activated] a blue icon appeared in the corner of his eyes as everything slows down. His legs stop as he was about to enter his striking edge as he swings his sword towards her neck. To his dismay, he can see her moving faster as her hands are already about to parry his sword to the side. With no choice left, he forcefully canceled his attack and he swings it downwards towards her shoulders. His arms felt like it was about to be ripped off from his body as his sword is slowly moving towards Alicia’s shoulders.

The time suddenly returns to normal as he successfully swings towards her shoulder creating a wound in it. Alicia grunts in pain but she gritted her teeth and smashes her palm towards Isaac’s arms. Pushing Isaac to the side before receiving a kick to his liver, forcing him to back off.

Isaac’s eyes were locked on the wound on Alicia’s shoulder as he manipulated a small amount of blood dripping from it to turn into small blood swords. 3 small blood swords were created before he launched them deeper into her wounds as she stumbles in pain, glaring at Isaac.

“Unarmed Breaking Style: Bone breaking-” before she finished chanting, Isaac made the small blood swords drilling in her wounds explode as she yelled in pain. The wound becomes larger as blood spews all over the floor. Her right arm dangling as even moving it deeply pains her. With her right arm fully compromised, Reyner decided to stop the fight.

“Stop the fight, Isaac won” Reyner announced as he quickly poured some kind of potion on her wound. Her wounds suddenly started healing but she falls to her knees gritting the pain.

“Dammit! Dammit!” she mumbled constantly while glaring to the floor. After the wound was healed, she quickly stands up. Her fist is shaking in anger while her furious glare aimed at Isaac.

“I’ll kill you..” she threatened while marching forward exuding a red aura around her. Quickly, Reyner yanked her wrist to stop her.

“No one’s killing anyone. The spar was done and if i see any grudges, i will personally train you until you collapse from tiredness. Got it?” he threatened to both Isaac and Alicia. Isaac simply nodded while Alicia looked away with her gritting her teeth. A sigh escaped from Reyner’s mouth as he didn’t expect Isaac to be that bloodthirsty. It was like he planned on killing Alicia. Reyner glanced at Isaac as he thought the kid might be more dangerous than he initially thought.

‘The cursed sacred sword was indeed active but there were no signs of control. I need to investigate Isaac and Kyle further as Kyle’s spear seems to have the ego sealed inside.’

“Okay, Alicia you can head back to your quarters. Rest for a bit” Reyner said as Alicia saluted him before leaving the premises.

“Jace, you can also head back for today. I need to talk to these two and train them for a bit” the quiet man nodded before saluting with his fist on his heart and leaving the room.

With those two out of the way, Reyner gestured both Touka and Isaac to come near him. Both nodded as they make their way towards him. He can see Isaac walking normally despite receiving direct hits from Alicia. It was odd since it might be weaker than her usual attacks, it can still break the bones of anyone with low vitality. For Reyner, he can still see some bones being broken but Isaac doesn’t react to any of it despite being rather painful.

Still, Isaac hugged his right arm as he felt it’s about to fall to the floor. The forceful canceling of his attack mid-swing really took a toll on his arms.

“Don’t walk anymore Isaac, you’re too injured. You can still hear me from here” Reyner said as Isaac nodded without making a sound and stopping on his tracks.

“As both of you might not know, i don’t receive any students willy nilly. They need to be elite and powerful enough to join my legion. " Reyner insinuated as both of them nodded.

“I need to know if you deserve to enter my legion. For Kyle, he already passed but for the both of you. There would be an examination to ascertain your strengths and weaknesses and choose if you deserve to join or not. Tomorrow, 2 of my right-hand man will head here to assess your fighting capabilities, stealth capabilities, and information gathering capabilities.” he continued as Isaac was getting annoyed. He expected the spar would be some sort of way to assess him but he just got injured for nothing and revealed his control of blood.

“That’s annoying. I was hoping that you would teach me something worthwhile and not something like going to school. I thought the spar would be some kind of assessment” Isaac sneered.

“Yes, but i would surely teach you something if you are worth it. Besides, the sparring would be an additional during our decision making” Reyner calmly smiled.

“Still, i don’t need someone assessing my stealth and information gathering capabilities when i don’t need those things. I have a lot of things to do so i will go now. Thank you for healing me, i will surely repay you for the trouble” Isaac replied with a cold smile but a sudden grab from his shoulder stopped him from leaving the door.

“Arrogance is not healthy for a young mind like you” Reyner smiled as Isaac glanced at him.

“Indeed but time is more important than my values. If you won’t teach me anything useful then i will leave” Isaac grabs Reyner’s hand before sliding them off from his shoulder. He opened the door and headed outside. Leaving both Reyner and Touka inside the room.

“What an arrogant child, you might be thinking you’re strong but you are simply weak. I also didn’t want to waste my time teaching such arrogant children” Reyner murmured to himself while gazing at Isaac’s back.