"Did you not find anything better to do than this?"

"I can say the same to you too, lotion-boy,"

Levi said, raising his eyebrows. He had reached the academy just thirty minutes ago. After that, he got changed and called out Gabriel, and now both of them were at the academy's hardly empty training hall.

Gabriel just looked at Levi as he went out to the weapon section. It had been a month since he met and had been talking with Levi but still had any sort of idea about Levi's personality.

Most of the time, he would be colder than ice, terrifying, and rude. But once he somewhat trusted you, the thoughts he had about Levi changed.

"He is, how should I say it—the more I try to find, the less he is visible to me."

Maybe Levi was just putting up a face for his selfishness, but Gabriel didn't mind it. Everyone puts on a mask that nobody wants to reveal. Even he did.

Levi soon came out bringing two wooden swords, identical to what Gabriel used. Levi passed one of those and said,

"Let's duel."

Gabriel, confused, took the sword and noticed Levi without his usual weapon.

"Where is your bow?"

"No need. I want to try beating you with a sword, and don't go easy on me."

Gabriel wanted to ask more, but seeing conviction in Levi's eyes, he took his stance. He knew Levi was far stronger than what the academy thought and what he too had seen, but he also had momentarily seen his close combat skills. It wasn't good.

He could tell Levi wasn't used to it nor had any experience in it. Levi could beat him; he knew that fact, but not when Levi did not have his best weapon to use.

And that is why Levi wanted a duel. He needed to gauge the strength between a skill-trained swordsman and just someone who relied on a skill.

'I should use it only as E-rank for the first.'

Levi activated the skill degraded it to E-rank and launched himself at Gabriel. Those green eyes could perfectly see and even predict Levi's moves even before the sword was near him.

*Swish*

Gabriel blocked the attack and pushed the sword up, creating a gap in Levi's front. He kicked it, but Levi quickly blocked it with his hands. Levi again started swinging, which Gabriel easily dodged or parried. He didn't go on the offensive and observed Levi's skill.

'You have a lot of tricks up your sleeves.'

Everything Levi did was close to perfection. No fancy move, nothing out of the ordinary, everything was simple at best. But even those simple movements proved dangerous if landed. There would be moments when Gabriel had a close call, almost getting hit.

'I need to go all out.'

Gabriel gathered mana from his body to his mana core. A tingling sensation spread through his entire body as he felt the essence of his technique soothe through his body.

'The Dexer's art; Nature Bending. '

Levi recognized the mana moving around Gabriel. He had seen it in the game, but when Fiona used it in front of him, it was engraved into his brain permanently. Within a second, Gabriel disappeared from his sight. Levi quickly activated his Sense and felt a sword coming from his left.

"Master of Combat" automatically moved Levi's hand and blocked the sword, but it pushed Levi far back.

"Argh—"

Levi looked at his hand to see a bruise on his palm.

"You did say go all out,"

Gabriel said, pointing at Levi. He somewhat felt proud to get an upper hand on Levi. Ever since Levi killed an assassin in front of him, he knew Levi was way above the mountain of strength, Gabriel was struggling to climb.

Taking a deep breath, Levi felt relieved to know Gabriel was strong just like how he had imagined but not enough for what the future would need.

Levi took the "Master of Combat" to the same level he was, D-rank.

In a split second, Gabriel could see the aura around Levi change. This time he took the initiative and attacked first. Creating an aura around his blade, Gabriel fired it at Levi, which he easily dodged. Levi too ran towards Gabriel, thrusting his sword.

Gabriel could still see many openings for Levi, as every amateur had. However, he couldn't make use of those openings. Every attack he threw would either be easily blocked or dodged. Levi was finally near Gabriel and hit his knees. Before Gabriel could react, Levi hit him with the back of the sword right at his ribs.

Gabriel let out a small groan in pain, but he didn't have the time to dwell on it. A sword came his way, perfectly striking his solar plexus.

"Cough."

Gabriel jumped back, and Levi kept pursuing him again and again. Unlike before, Levi's sword constantly hit him.

Though he dodged and blocked most, Levi's attacks were just too fast. Though they didn't pack any punch. Most of the force behind it was soaked by Gabriel's mana enhancement, and the strength behind Levi's attack wasn't much.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Most of his mana was being consumed by the skill. The skill itself didn't coat Levi's attack with mana, and currently, Levi couldn't focus on two things at the time. He also didn't want to use [Essence] for this fight. But Gabriel didn't have any idea about that. To him, it looked as if Levi toyed around with him.

That didn't anger Gabriel. He was angry at himself.

'I know he is stronger than me, not just me, maybe even Blake and Flynn, but I too don't want to lose in one thing I have worked towards my whole life. If I lose now, how can I prove the whole world wrong? I am a loser but not at this.'

A flame grew within Gabriel as he decided to use one of his best skills. At first, he dodged and blocked some hits waiting. A hunter waited in the bushes even when the thorns-filled bush pricked him constantly. To the hunter, the pain would itself lessen once its prey was dead.

Gabriel was waiting for an opening, but the perfect movement from Levi didn't let him do so. So he decided to create his own. He moved the sword matching Levi's trajectory, pushing him back and giving Gabriel the opening he needed. Taking in a deep breath, he channelled the mana from his mana core to his fingertips.

'Connect'

"Nature Bending Art: Radiant Dawn."

Levi knew that technique. Fiona had used the same technique against the silkworm and cut it in two halves.

'Son of a gun.'

Levi quickly turned off his skill. Dodging wasn't possible, so Levi used every bit of mana to coat his body and mana. The malevolent ray of green beam reached him without giving Levi the chance to even block it with the sword.

*Swish* Levi was sent flying across the room as his body hit the wall.

'Arghh."

Levi groaned in pain, feeling the hit on his front and back.

Gabriel immediately rushed towards Levi and in a panic asked,

"Are you okay?"

"Bit*h, you ask me if I am good after flinging me across the hall."

Gabriel just gave a weird smile as he picked up Levi. They checked Levi's back and noticed some bruises that would be fixed after a good night's sleep.

[Lord, why didn't you dodge the attack? If you had used your full power, you would have won. Even using me, that boy would have been on his knees within few seconds.]

The central eye, flying above Levi, asked. It was watching the match from afar and noticed Levi not giving his best. Levi looked back at the fight and knew Gabriel won fair and square. He wanted a sword duel, without any tricks. If he had used it, he could have won, and Gabriel too definitely would have pulled up something from his sleeves. After all, he was one of the ten heroes.

'Yes, I did intentionally not use my best skills, and maybe I could have blocked, even dodged that attack, but winning always isn't everything. Gabriel gained confidence from that fight and I gained experience. So it was a win in the end.'

The central eye deep in thought again asked,

[But my lord, isn't that what sore losers say?]

'You really have grown the balls to say those things to me. No patting your head for a week.'

The central eye, too stunned to speak, started rubbing itself on Levi's cheek, trying to get the exemption for its punishment. If the central eye was a cat, then Levi patting its head was its catnip.

Though Levi didn't want to spare it after such a violation.

"By the way, since when did you start practising the sword and got good at it? If not for my art, then you would have won."

Gabriel would often notice Levi training with the bow and in the morning with Yuki. He also knew Levi worked at the academy and then at the city's hospital. Even if he trained secretly, he would need someone to train him. Reading a book and training on his own wouldn't get him to this level.

"I used to learn in the past but found my talent in the bow. However, few days, I just thought, maybe mastering the basics of the sword wouldn't be a bad idea."

Levi, of course, couldn't tell him about the skill. Maybe in the future but not yet.

In the end, Levi's back still hurt. He sat against the wall. Gabriel, with an apologetic look, sat next to him. "Who taught you? They must be quite the swordsman themselves to engrave such techniques onto you."

"Umm- My father. He was a knight."

"Oh-"

Gabriel didn't pry more. The "was" spoke enough for him. As both sat there, feeling the cracks in their bodies, Levi took out a small box from his spatial ring and passed it to Gabriel.

Gabriel didn't take it and looked at Levi.

Levi placed it on Gabriel's lap,

"Just take it."

"Thanks."

Gabriel said as he too thought he needed to get Levi a gift now.

Like a child, he started opening the box neatly, without tearing the cute cat gift wrapper. Once he opened up the gift and saw a pair of gloves on it.

The gloves were made up of the skin of a high-level orc which made the material sturdy and light. The knuckles were embedded with green mana ore, making the equipment a C-rank.

Gabriel immediately wore the gloves that were a perfect fit. He picked up the wooden sword and felt it become lighter, and his grip on it had increased.

"Wow, this, really—What made you want me to buy me a gift?"

"Umm-"

Levi didn't think much; he just saw it and thought,

'I should buy this for Gabriel.'

The psycho didn't have any other motive and just wanted to buy it for the sake of buying.

"You know, there is the tradition of giving gifts to your family during the festival, but I don't have anyone left to call a family,"

With a smile, the psycho said,

"So I just decided to buy some for my friends."

Gabriel noticed pain in that smile but not a longing pain, something that had been accepted and forgiven long ago. He looked to the other side to wipe his eyes. It started to itch.

He turned back and hugged Levi. "Happy festive, man."

"You too...and let go. You stink."

Gabriel laughed but didn't let go.

*****

"That is what friendship is, isn't it, Miss Fiona?"

Roman, the principal said as he looked at the mana crystal in front of him. Fiona beside him nodded, trying to hide her smile.

Fiona and Roman both had returned to the academy after celebrating it back home; well, both didn't want to go in the first place. Fiona needed to take some stuff from Roman's office. Unlike how she wanted, to take the files and go back to work, Roman started showing off the new mana technology that the mages at the Federation had made.

A crystal ball that would feed the video of anything that is connected to the other crystal ball. Just like the CCTV back on earth but without the feature to store the video. They called it 'The Eye.'

For now, they had only installed it in the training hall and managed to see the duel from the start to the end.

Roman closely looked at Levi and smirked,

"Why do you think he hides his strength, Miss Fiona?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't tell you either way, and he isn't the type to tell as well."

Roman just laughed and recalled the fight. "The technique he displayed, it felt like the sword was a part of him."

Fiona too was impressed by Levi's technique, but as a teacher she needed to point out his weakness.

" Still a novice, without any eye-catching or battle-changing movement, the execution was perfect. He still needs some practice but at this level and his age, he exceeds many swordsmen of his age, maybe even some of those government knights. Though his proficiency lies in archery...and he did go easy on Gabriel."

Roman nodded and whispered,

"You suddenly talk a lot, when talking about him?"

"Sorry- I didn't catch that."

"Nothing."

Roman also felt Levi hold back a bit.

"He did hold back, but there was a severe lack of mana enhancement technique. By the looks of it, he must be trying to test himself and not win. If he wanted to win, he could have easily done it. Though I did forbid him from using that life essence."

Five seconds passed by before Roman realized he had messed up big time. He placed both his hands on his face, hiding it. But it was to no avail. He felt too soft but strong hands slowly move him, and now he was face to face with a green-haired woman more like a demon with glasses. In a monotone, the demon spoke,

"What is that life essence, headmaster? I think I should know about it."

Roman sighed. Escaping her was now impossible.

'Forgive me, Levi…this mouth of mine runs too much.'