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A couple years had already passed, I had been training most of the day with Gavin. He was really a monster when it comes to fighting.

Months went by and I couldn't even lay a finger on him, but I kept at it, pushing myself harder each time. Eventually, I landed a solid hit, and from there, I started holding my own against him until I finally clinched a win in a duel.

Seeing him sprawled out on the ground, me standing victorious, gave me a rush like nothing else. I mean, forget all my accomplishments in my previous life; this victory topped them all. Even if he was probably taking it easy on me, a win's a win, baybeeee !!!

Later that night, as I headed to the kitchen, I caught my parents' voices drifting through the door.

"Guess what? Lu beat me today" I heard Gavin say, taking a sip of his drink.

“Watching both of you train everyday warms my heart. I wish we could stay like this forever, but he’s growing so fast”

“Seriously, Ada, he learns so fast. He has become better than most thirteen year-olds and he’s still only six.”

“He’s my special little Lu, and he’s got it from his dad”

“At this rate he might even surpass neophytes and reach apprentice level.”

Neophyte? Apprentice? what were they talking about.

I strolled in and sat down next to Gavin. My mother who was washing the dishes, turned her head towards me as she arranged a plate on the counter and said :

“Have you finished your bath honey? “

“Yes I did. Dad, what’s a Neophyte?” I quickly steered the conversation towards my father as I couldn’t control my curiosity.

“Well I guess, it’s about time you learned about it. This might be hard for you to understand, but listen up”

I swear, I always have to remind myself that I’m still just a kid, otherwise I might get offended.

Anyways.. To sum what Gav explained up, in Madania, the power system is divided into ranks:

Neophytes: The children who have just manifested their blessing. They tend to have more physical endurance with faster healing speed than normal people.

Apprentice: those who have developed their physical power and have learned more advanced techniques.

Adept: Skilled fighters who have mastered the fundamentals of combat and possess above average strength and agility.

Battle master: Those who have reached the extent of the conventional physical capability.

Gladiator: Elite warriors, who exceeded the physical capabilities of humans.

Ascendant: Those who have achieved a level of power that have exceeded mortal understanding.

The ranks from neophyte to gladiator are determined through an annual test held in the grand arena of Crownspire Citadel.

However, the last rank had me wondering. It sounded basically like magic.

I turned to Gav and asked him

“Dad, which rank are you? “ I asked Gav

Gav stood proudly, one leg down and the other on the chair.

“Your dad is a battle master !”

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Does he always have to make those silly gestures?

“So you are not a gladiator”

With a look of disappointment on his face he said :

“You know, there are only a handful of gladiators out there. Even less ascendants.

So a battle master is quite the achievement, impressive in fact”

He was trying so hard to impress me, so I went along. I made an impressed face and clapped.

“Dad is amazing !! “

My mother giggled.

“Listen Lu, how about we go hunting tomorrow?”

“Yes yes yes yes, I have always wanted to go”

I have always wanted to venture there. My explorer senses were tingling !

The following day, we gathered our things, stuffing them into bags and packs. My father, his sword hidden in its sheath at his side, looked really awesome. I couldn't help but think this must be exactly how he appeared when he was out exploring the world.

My mother busied herself with preparing provisions, carefully wrapping dried fruits and nuts in cloth bundles.

Suddenly, as we were leaving. A sudden knock echoed through the wooden door. It was as if fate itself was knocking, interrupting our plans amidst our excitement.

My father, always the first to answer such calls, swung the door open without hesitation. Standing there, was a figure draped in a pristine white coat adorned with intricate patterns of forest green leaves on the sides and golden fabric cuffs. A hood was pulled over his head.

A soft, fruity scent emanated from him. It was like the essence of nature itself, if that makes any sense.

.

“El !”

“Gavin Glynn” replied the mysterious man.

“I see you haven’t changed a bit, still the same old formal guy, huh!”

The mysterious man chuckled. “You, on the other hand, certainly have changed! You used to be more gloomy.”

Both of them started laughing.

“So this is your son you told me about in your letter, Gavin! Hello, young Luka” greeted the man, while looking at me with a gentle smile.

“Hello, sir! It’s nice to meet you”

“Oh, what a well-mannered man. I didn’t expect it from Gav’s son.”

My father looked at him while rubbing his hand on the back of his head, as if agreeing with his statement.

Suddenly, a little girl, wearing the same pristine white coat, appeared from behind him.

She was holding his hand tightly while rolling her eyes back and forth, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot and avoiding meeting anyone's gaze.

“I want you to welcome my daughter, Ariana.”

Ariana stood there, clutching her father's hand with a mixture of shyness and curiosity. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in everything with quiet intensity.

"Hello, Ariana" Gav greeted her, offering a friendly smile.

She hesitated for a moment before shyly returning the greeting. "H-hi"

My mother, ever the warm hostess, rushed over to Ariana with a welcoming smile. "It's lovely to meet you, dear. Would you like something to drink?"

Ariana nodded, her eyes brightening at the prospect of something to distract her from her nerves.

“Come on in El, feel yourself at home”

“Excuse us, then” said the white coated man. As he put down his hood to reveal two pointy ears, piercing through a long straight silver hair reaching down to his hips.

“Oh my …”

El turned to me, with a cheeky smile on his face.

“Did I surprise you, little Luka?”

Well, It was the first time seeing something like it, despite knowing they existed. Of course I would be surprised.

“Oh I forgot to mention ! El here is an elf” said Gav as he let out a loud laugh “ And so is his daughter Ariana ofcourse”

Ariana turned her head towards us as she was immersing her mouth inside the orange juice filled mug.

Now that I see her, she was something else. Her face, all round and fair, was topped with short, wavy silver hair. Its mint green shade on the tips caught my eye. And those eyes! Slightly wide, they conveyed a sense of innocence. They were green like emeralds, shining and bright. She was captivating, with a sky blue bandana knotted on the left side of her neck.

“Beautiful !”

I quickly returned to my senses and found myself in quite the awkward situation. Ariana was blushing, her white skin turned to reddish pink as she started fidgeting with her white robe, while the three adults chuckled then bursted out laughing.

“Excuse my laughter” said El

As things settled down, we all gathered around the table, Gav and El were yearning to catch up.

Realizing they were party members during their adventure era, I perked up, eager to soak in every detail of my dad's adventurous past and El's tales from their glory days.

Dad kicked things off with his signature enthusiasm, launching into stories of epic quests, intense battles, and all the wild stuff he and his crew got up to back in the day. You could practically feel the excitement crackling in the air as he recounted each adventure. “Remember when I slipped off the edge of the mountain, and my belt got stuck on a branch?” he exclaimed, with El nodding along, adding his two cents and filling in the gaps with his own memories. “You tried your hardest not to freak out, Gavin Glynn, the sword demon, begging us to save him.”

From what I could collect about the world of adventurism, adventurers are ranked by fame points into four categories: 'Decem' for those with two-digit points, 'Centum' for three digits, 'Mille' for four digits, and finally 'Apicem' for those who have achieved the peak of fame.El, or Eleanor as I learned, was a mid Mille adventurer, same as Gav.

Quite impressive if you ask me.

As they laughed and reminisced, I forgot all about the hunting trip. I couldn't help but feel admiration for these two legends. The same was for Ariana; the nervousness visibly left her body, replaced by sparkling eyes and clenched hands resting against her chest.

Amidst the conversation, we heard a loud voice coming from outside. We stepped out to see what was happening.

There, an armored figure with a flagpole was roaming the area, holding the Madanian flag and shouting, "Attention, citizens of Silvermill! The ranking exam is scheduled for early next month, coinciding with the fullest moon. Attention, citizens of Si…”

"Oh, it's finally here" exclaimed Glav with anticipation. "Luka, your time to shine has come."

I turned my gaze towards him, then back at the knight, my eyes glowing with anticipation. "Finally..."

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