It was a sunny day—the perfect weather for a group training session.

A large circle was drawn in the dirt, creating a makeshift ring. Footsteps blurred some of its edges. Priestess Gwyneth stood in the middle of it.

By the benches sat six people: Evan, Inu, Jules, Lexi, Moran, and Saxa. There were the older children who were training with the church.

On the left, a male reptilian was fidgeting with a pair of daggers, By his side was a bow that looked well used from hours of practice. He was Moran, an apprentice hunter from town. He had been practicing with the church children because all his teachers were preparing for the summer hunt.

To his right were Inu, Lexi, and Saxa. Inu was standing up and telling a story.

“And the bear stood on its hind legs. It roared and slashed at me.” He imitated the slashes, striking at the girls.

They didn’t flinch and continued listening, commenting on the side.

“Did ya dodge?”

“Nope.” He proudly beat his chest. Inu wrapped an arm around Moran’s shoulder, pulling him into the conversation. “He saved me.”

Annoyed, he pushed Inu. “And now I’m wishing I didn’t.”

Lexi snickered at their interaction.

On the far right, Evan and Jules were reading a book together. Jules was explaining the principles behind a magical device.

“This uses creation and connection magic.” He pointed towards a communication ring. “The magic establishes a frequency that other communication devices can connect to, and that allows them to connect with each other.”

“Oh.” Evan asked, “Is the magic particularly difficult?”

He pondered for a moment. “Hm. The concept magic isn’t too difficult, but it requires a lot of precision.”

“Then, it’s probably a luxury or government good.” Evan was a human slightly younger than Lexi. Currently, he was apprenticing at a local merchant’s guild and learning self-defense from Sister Alena.

Someone clapped. “Attention!”

All the children stopped talking and turned their heads towards the sound.

“Jules.” Gwyneth beckoned him forward. Then, she pointed at the half-orc with the sword. “Inu.”

Inu picked up his sword. Jules pushed the book into Evan’s arm and grabbed his spellbook. They walked to her.

She stretched out a hand. “No accessories. I want a clean fight.”

Inu glanced at Jules and reached for his earring. He unclipped the backing and placed it in her hand.

On the other hand, Jules pulled up his sleeves and took off the multiple bracelets on his arm. He stacked them and gave them to Gwyneth.

She nodded after receiving both sets and placed them into a bag. Backing away, she raised her hand.

Both opponents backed away from each other, readying themselves.

“Ready. Go!” She whistled and brought her hand down.

Inu rushed forward, thrusting his sword out. On the other side, Jules jumped backward and summoned a magic circle.

The circle glowed yellow and disappeared. In its place was a translucent yellow barrier. Shield.

Bang.

The sword and shield clashed, resonating with each other.

Inu pulled his sword back and punched forward with his left hand. It bashed against the barrier. He recoiled from the force and prepared to attack it again.

Just as he was about to hit the barrier, it dissipated. He stumbled forward, losing his balance.

Taking advantage of the opening, Jules cast another spell. This one glowed with a blue light and summoned a bunch of arrows. They were surrounded by a blue aura that seemed to drip. Water.

With a wave of his hand, a third of the arrows charged forward. The other thirds followed closely behind, creating a barrage of attacks.

Had this been a few years ago, Inu would have lost. But he had been training his mental resistance and quickly recovered from the shock.

“######,” roared Inu. On his back, a tattoo of ancient symbols glowed. It drew mana from his body and activated the spell.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He charged forward, ducking under the barrage. Their tip skimmed over the top of his head, slicing strands of his hair.

As he rushed forward, faster than before, Lexi and Jules realized what kind of spell he activated. Buffing magic.

Jules quickly created a ball of wind and threw it to the ground. It created an explosion, throwing dust and dirt into the air,

The fight was obstructed, and the spectators watched with bated breath. From the outside, they heard the clashing of metal, swooshing of wind blades, and explosions.

Eventually, all the noise stopped and the dust settled.

Jules was on the ground, his dagger and spellbook a few feet away from him. Inu stood above with his sword pointed at his throat.

Both of them were breathing heavily as Gwyneth announced the results.

“Jules is unarmed. Inu wins.” The audience clapped and shouted praise towards both fighters,

Inu sheathed his sword and reached out towards Jules. Jules said something as he took the hand, allowing Inu to pull him up. They gathered their stuff and trekked to the stands together.

They collapsed onto the bench, tired from the fight. Lexi passed healing potions towards both of them and checked on their wounds, After making sure neither was seriously injured, she wrapped their injuries.

Gwyneth watched and waited as they received treatment before continuing.

After she finished the last bandage, she pointed towards Lexi. Then, she motioned towards Evan, telling both of them to come.

Evan marched forward with his daggers in hand. He removed his engraved bracelet and passed it to Gwyneth.

As Lexi stood up, Saxa nudged her side. She whispered, “Good luck.”

Lexi nodded and walked forward. She took off her necklace, stuffed it into her messenger bag, and placed the bag strap into Gwyneth’s hand.

Like before, both of them backed away from the center and got into position.

Lexi clutched her bow in her left hand and lifted it up. She took a deep breath. With a hand on the string, she pulled back, aiming at his left leg.

Opposite her, Evan was crouched close to the ground. He held his left dagger steady in front of him and twirled the other one.

He smirked and winked at her. She frowned and narrowed her eyes.

“Go!” Gwyneth whistled.

Evan leaned forward, propelling himself with his weight. As he dashed to her, he slashed the blade at her right arm.

Although he wanted to be a merchant, Evan had combat talent and diligently trained it for self-defense. Hence, he was good enough to join their training sessions.

“#.” With her voice, Lexi drew mana out of herself. The mana swirled around her right hand, gathering wind and white light. It formed into the shape of an arrow, a wind arrow.

She let go.

Swish.

The arrow dashed forward, barreling towards his leg.

Evan frowned and dodged to the right. But he wasn’t fast enough, and it scraped his leg.

Unlike Jules, Lexi condensed her mana to form the arrow, greatly increasing its speed and power. While this decreased the area of her attack, requiring her to be more accurate, one hit could cripple her opponent.

As Evan tumbled to the ground, she notched another arrow and fired it. It barrelled towards him at lightning speed, but he rolled out of the way.

This is why I need to be careful.

Lexi willed her transformation magic. Her arms briefly glowed red and short feathers grew out. As she jumped back, she flipped her short wings, pushing her further away.

She had been practicing her transformation with June and Sister Fauna. With each session, she got better at controlling it, allowing her to use different forms.

While she couldn’t fly with short wings, the short feathers didn’t restrict her arm movement. Additionally, they used less mana compared to back wings. It was perfect for this fight.

In the time she spent creating distance, Evan had gotten up and was charging at her.

Lexi quickly summoned another arrow and shot it at him. “##.”

Expecting a fast shot, he turned to the side in advance. But the arrow split into three as it neared him.

He jumped back to dodge the split shot. Realization spread across his face, and he grinned.

Evan whispered something, but she was too far away to hear. It’s ominous.

He dug a foot into the ground and sprinted forward.

He's too fast.

This time, it was faster than before. Lexi quickly dropped her bow, deciding that she couldn’t take advantage of any range. She reached down, grabbing the dagger from her waist.

Evan was right in front of her when he slashed.

Schling. She barely blocked his left dagger.

His right blade slashed at her side, cutting deep and drawing blood.

Lexi jumped to the right, backing up while trying to stay inside the ring.

He chased after her, wildly swiping at her sides.

While she dodged most of them, some still scratched her, and he blocked all of her attacks.

Lexi grimaced from the pain and kicked his gut.

Evan fell back, a bit stunned, but he rapidly recovered, continuing his assault.

After a while, she pushed him back again and absentmindedly jumped back to create distance.

“#####.” As Lexi summoned a wind vortex, Gwyneth announced the match.

“Lexi left the ring. Evan wins.”

Baffled, Lexi looked down. She had crossed the line and jumped out of the circle.

She congratulated him as he approached. “Good game.”

He nodded in return.

“You know,” he offered her a hand, “for a herbalist, you’re pretty good at fighting.”

She took it. “For a merchant, I could say the same.”

They held each other as they limped towards Gwyneth.

She passed their stuff and patted Lexi’s back. “Good job.”

Together, they limped to the bench and collapsed.

Saxa reached into Lexi’s bag, searching for potions. When she found some, she asked if they were the right ones. After Lexi confirmed it, Saxa helped her apply salves and bandage wounds.

On the other side, Jules was treating Evan’s injuries.

“Look at you,” Saxa teased. She rubbed her head, treating Lexi like a child. “You’ve grown up.”

Inu joined in. “Wind arrows? I still remember when you couldn’t hit the target.”

“Shud up.” Lexi nudged Saxa. “Anyway, you’re up next.”

“Yeah.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked towards Moran’s direction, fire burning in her gaze. “Can’t wait.”