"Leah!"

I yelled across the camp, interrupting her brooding moment.

It's been a day since then and life went back as *usual* the others were back to their life smiling and chattering and laughing, only me and Serena's group was worried.

One of the ways I thought of other than to go to Serena's sister was to get stronger by sparring with stronger opponents, I had time because Serena said we won't go back to the kingdom until she gets the wagon ready.

Anyway, because of that I left my clones alone with Mika for a while so that I could see if there's gonna be an improvement to how much clones I could summon at once, so far only 10 excluding the missing one.

I could tell that if I really wanted to I could just ask the system, but I don't wanna rely on it too much. That's just not me, I'm reckless not stupid I know somethings off with it.

Leah was leaning against a tree, absently tossing one of her daggers in the air. Her usual smirk was missing, replaced by an expression I could only describe as... melancholic?

That's weird. Did someone steal her coffee?

And wait, are dogs allowed to drink coffee?

"Leah!" I called again, louder this time.

She snapped out of her trance, her brows furrowing. "What do you want?"

"I want to spar!" I declared, bouncing on my toes.

Leah groaned, rubbing her temples like I'd just announced I wanted to burn down the camp. "Don't you ever get tired of losing? Why not bother someone else, like Titan? I'm sure he's dying to wipe the floor with you."

I grinned. "Nah, Titan's too straightforward and only uses brute strength. I want to fight someone quick, clever, and—" I paused dramatically, pointing at her. "—someone who's so afraid of losing to me that she makes excuses!"

Sorry Titan.

Leah's expression flattened. "Oh, you're really asking for it today."

"I'm always asking for it!" I shot back, throwing her a thumbs-up.

For a moment, she looked like she was seriously considering throwing her dagger at me, but instead, she sighed. "Fine. But don't cry when you lose. Again."

I beamed. "Yes! This is going to be great!"

Leah muttered under her breath as we walked toward the training ground. "Great for me. I'll finally get some stress relief."

---

*Training room on the first floor of the tower*

The training arena was quiet, save for the hum of magic in the air. It was designed to withstand even the wildest of sparring matches, which was good because Leah didn't believe in holding back.

We stood on opposite sides of the field, the tension palpable. Leah twirled her daggers, her movements lazy but precise. A faint aura of magic clung to her, a reminder that she was as deadly with spells as she was with blades.

I stretched my fingers, feeling the familiar chill of ice magic at my fingertips. My shadow coiled at my feet, ready to strike.

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"Ready?" Leah asked, her tone smug.

"Always!" I replied, activating Foresight.

The world slowed as glowing red lines traced Leah's potential movements. I could see where she might teleport, slash, or cast a spell.

It's teleport to me because I can't follow her movements that much yet.

Leah moved.

She was fast—very, very fast. Her first dagger sliced through the air, aimed at my chest. I sidestepped just in time, summoning an icy barrier between us.

"Not bad," she said, already closing the distance. "But you'll have to do better than that."

She vanished, reappearing behind me in a blink. I spun around, sending a shadow tendril her way. She dodged effortlessly, her laugh echoing in the arena.

"Predictable!" she taunted, launching a flurry of daggers.

I raised a wall of ice, the projectiles shattering against it. My foresight warned me of an incoming spell—a fireball this time. I leaped to the side, only to realize too late that it was a feint. Leah was already there, her dagger aimed for my ribs.

"Too slow!"

I dropped to the ground, using my shadow to yank her off balance. She stumbled, giving me a moment to cast a binding spell on her. The air around her feet froze, locking her in place.

Leah raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. With a flick of her wrist, she melted the ice with a burst of heat.

"Nice try," she said, lunging at me again.

I conjured a shadow clone─ this one is different from the duplicates basically it was made using shadow magic so it was all black and it eats lots of my mana─ sending it to intercept her. She sliced through it like butter, her speed making me dizzy. My foresight was working overtime, red lines flashing everywhere.

"Stop relying on that skill!" Leah yelled, dodging my next attack. "It's making you predictable!"

"Well, excuse me for trying not to die!" I shot back, summoning a storm of ice shards.

Leah rolled her eyes, teleporting above me. "You're overthinking. Just act!"

"Act, huh? Fine!"

I slammed my hands to the ground, channeling my magic into the floor. Ice spread rapidly, covering the arena in a slick layer. Leah slid, her balance faltering for the first time.

"Ha! Gotcha!" I exclaimed, sending a shadow whip her way.

But Leah was already adapting. She used her daggers to anchor herself, flipping into the air with absurd grace.

"Nice try," she said, landing flawlessly.

"Okay, Plan B," I muttered, forming a massive ice spear.

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Plan B is just 'throw a giant spear'?"

"Yup!"

With a heave, I launched the spear at her. She dodged, of course, but I had anticipated that. The spear shattered against the wall, sending icy fragments flying in all directions.

Leah cursed, using her magic to block the shards. I seized the opening, my shadow coiling around her like a serpent.

"Yield!" I declared, grinning triumphantly.

Leah smirked. "Not yet."

In an instant, she ignited her magic, the shadow bindings evaporating in a burst of heat. Before I could react, she closed the distance, her daggers pressed against my neck.

Dang this elemental kobold!

"Yield?" she asked, her tone smug.

I sighed. "Yield."

She stepped back, sheathing her daggers. "Not bad. You've improved. But you're still too reliant on your foresight and spells. You need to trust your instincts more."

I nodded, taking her advice to heart. "One more round?"

Leah groaned. "You're insufferable."

"Is that a yes?"

She smirked, her eyes glinting. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

---

After our sparring match, I checked my system interface to see how the camp was doing.

Actually there was another thing why I asked for that meeting yesterday and this fight.

With Leah being able to use multiple magic and me growing steadily. Well, this happened.

[Villager Bond Interface (Updated!)]

Bonded Villagers:

Camp Ogre

Leader: Kron & Fen

Trust Level: 28/50

Notes: Loves showing off. Might want to impress their wife too much, though.

Camp Kobold

Leader: Tink & Nia

Trust Level: 27/50

Notes: Wants to sleep.

Camp Goblin

Leader: Gorn & Jia

Trust Level: 25/50

Notes: Appreciates your efforts.

Camp Troll

Leader: Mel & Boulder

Trust Level: 26/50

Notes: Growing respect for your leadership.

Camp Lizardmen/women

Leader:

Trust Level: 27/50

Notes: They like the armored man you bought with you.

Camp Imps

Leader:

Trust Level: 28/50

Notes: Be careful, they're planning a big prank on you ]

This, is what will help them!

Their trust in me finally reached above 25!

At first I just said those ogre's warning as a way to get them to trust me but I didn't think it would lead to me knowing about that problem

（￣～￣;）

Little Theater:

Aria: "You always look so serious during sparring. Are you planning my funeral?"

Leah: "No, I'm just planning your defeat."

Aria: "Ah, so that's why I'm so nervous! You're not even pretending to care!"