“Yes, sure you do. How about this? Why don’t you try fighting my granddaughter, Luna?” Axel glanced at the girl, who seemed to be the same age as him.

“She teaches these students the ways of the sword. I’m old, and my strength is not the same as before. So, the admission of my students has to be meticulously chosen by my successor.”

Luna only looked at him. She could be considered a beauty compared to other girls Axel had met. Luna had long, black, inky hair tied in a ponytail. Her eyes were as blue as the deep ocean. She had pale white skin with a small face and wore a black jumpsuit that seemed loose on her.

“Luna, give him a wooden sword,” the old man instructed.

Axel protested, “You want us to fight with swords, right? But I haven’t held a sword before.”

His words sounded like a small child whining. The old man only scoffed and shook his head.

“Just fight the best you can. We don’t require you to defeat her anyway. So do your best.”

Luna walked to the side and fetched two wooden swords. She approached him and tossed one at him. Axel’s heart was about to burst out of his chest. This was the first time he had held a sword. Because he had felt incompetent for years, he had accepted that fact and lived like he was ‘dead.’

Axel’s hand shook as he gripped the sword. No. He closed his eyes. This is different. He was alone before. But not now. Nyx is with him. Nyx is in his memories. He has Nyx’s sword and skill. He will definitely grow stronger.

He gritted his teeth and delved into Nyx’s memory as he practiced the way of the sword. Luna, who was approaching him, stopped midway. Her eyes narrowed in vigilance. Even the old man retracted his mocking expression.

Right now, Axel was fully immersed in his brother’s memories. His level of concentration dived deep. Luna, who was watching him, smiled in amusement. She did not waste time and leaped for an attack. Axel’s demeanor changed. The look in his eyes also changed.

Axel easily deflected her attack and thrust forward. Luna shoved it aside and aimed for his abdomen. He stepped back and crouched down. His wooden sword hit Luna’s with formidable strength, and he aimed for her abdomen.

What was expected to be a simple one-sided fight turned out to be a thrilling sword exchange between practitioners. It was unbelievable that Axel had been saying cowardly things like, “This is my first time fighting,” and “I have never held a sword.”

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Judging by how Axel held his ground against Luna, it was hard to believe this was his first time.

“Father, I think he’s good! It’s been a while since we saw someone manage to stand on the same ground as Luna.”

“Wow, was this really his first time?”

“He can fight Luna!”

“Awesome, he hit her shoulder!”

Luna stepped back a couple of steps and clicked her tongue. But her eyes did not show an ounce of annoyance. They were full of spirit and defiance. She picked up her speed, and her attacks were twice as fast as before. Axel gritted his teeth and was hit on his shoulders and arms multiple times. But he did not back down. His level of concentration dived deeper. Axel familiarized himself with Luna’s body movements, breathing sounds, and attack patterns.

Keep up. Be faster. Be stronger.

Little by little, Axel was able to overcome a big hurdle. His speed and the strength of his attacks multiplied. Little by little, he was gaining momentum and could now keep up with Luna’s speed.

The old man’s name is Ken Masuda. His family has practiced the way of the Samurai for generations. He moved into this town after he heard rumors about a legendary young man who was as good with a sword as a Samurai. That was Nyx Hart.

His initial purpose was to see what this man was made of. To arrogantly announce he was a sword expert without learning the true ways of the sword—wasn’t he too bold? But when he met him face to face, Ken Masuda was awestruck at the young man’s skill and efficiency in learning new techniques he observed from Ken when they fought against each other.

“Master! That move you showed earlier was awesome! Can you also teach it to me?” Nyx’s enthusiasm and humble heart moved Ken. His skill may not have been as strong compared to Nyx, but he wanted to teach him everything he knew. He wanted to see this young man shine with the techniques he taught him.

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This joy and anticipation soon died down after he received the news that Nyx had died a year ago. He lost his motivation to teach other aspiring swordsmen who came to him. He decisively closed the Masuda dojo despite the protest of his son and daughter-in-law. In the end, his daughter-in-law, Melissa, decided to teach young children between ten to eleven years old how to control their abilities.

They lived in a quiet neighborhood. Most parents were busy with their work, and some fathers barely had the time to be with their children because they had to attack the Tower. So, opening a school called ‘Masuda Skill Class’ was the right call.

Ken Masuda only observed the classes conducted by his daughter-in-law. She also had experience as she was a retired Challenger and instructor at a well-known school. Luna used to help her out with errands and keeping the children in check.

Not long after, Ken noticed the effort of his granddaughter as she secretly watched clips of Nyx fighting against monsters. She also watched the previous videos Ken kept in his files from when Nyx kept coming to their dojo and challenged him. After watching for thirty minutes, Luna would practice on her own.

She was a self-taught genius. Everything that Ken taught Nyx that was recorded, Luna was able to learn too.