Sill taken aback by the whole scene, Evangelina crouched and pressed her fingertip against Doll’s forehead, finally allowing it to rest. The mechanical puppet fell down, and its beaten wooden body hit the floor with a thud.

  Then, she turned to Verity, a complicated expression on her face. “What are you doing?” She asked.

  Verity raised an eyebrow, confused. “Is there something I need to do…?”

  Even sighed as if the answer should have been obvious. “Well, you passed the test, didn’t you?”

  But Verity was still not quite getting it. He looked around, as if the answer would be lying somewhere in the room, yet found nothing that could help him.

  Evangelina groaned and rolled her eyes. “Are there no manners where you come from? She brushed her hair aside and looked away. “You’re… my disciple now, so bow and accept me as your master, kid...”

  Verity’s eyes widened, and he immediately lowered his torso. “O-Of course!!” He exclaimed.

  He might have forgotten it for a moment due to the thrill of fighting against Doll, but this was initially why he’d gone through so much. From the beginning, the purpose of this test was for him to become Evangelina’s disciple, and to learn the spear from her.

  Barely able to contain his excitement, Verity clenched his fists.

  “Now do it seven more times.” Evangelina demanded.

  He blinked, then quickly bowed seven more times without question. “What else?” He asked once the seventh bow was done.

  “...I’ve accepted your bows, so raise your head.” She approached him, and placed her palm on his chest. “You are now a… disciple of the Nine Hells spearman ship style.”

  Verity frowned. “Probationary?”

  “Yes… when the time comes, I’ll accept the ninth bow, and you’ll become a full-fledged disciple.” She told him.

  Verity stroked his chin. “I see… That’s fine, I guess, but does that mean you were also a probationary disciple once?” He asked.

  Evangelina’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Pointing to Doll, a smirk grew on Verity’s lips. “Well, I beat that thing, and I remember you saying it was as strong as you back then soooo…”

  Evangelina clenched her fist but then took a deep breath, and reigned in her temper. “That was… a figure of speech. Doll used a training spear, could not use Aura, was instructed not to kill, and was limited to only the first stance of the Nine Hells style…” She met his gaze, her eyes sharp. “The me from back then, unbound by those restrictions, would have crushed you.” She told him.

  But Verity pursed his lips, unconvinced. “Hmm… If you say so, Master.”

  Evangelina nearly popped a vein, and a stone-hard fist crashed against Verity’s skull.

  “Ouch!!”

  “That’s what you get for messing with me.” She crossed her arms. “You might be probationary, but you’re still a disciple, so expect to be ”

  The threat was convincing, but Verity wasn’t sure if he’d be able to restrain his teasing. He thought as he tried to hold back a smile.

  Evangelina sighed. “Let’s start your training. In the next three months, I’ll teach you all that I can, kid.” Her eyes seemed distant. “After that… I’ll be busy.”

  Verity wanted to ask why exactly, but her somber expression told him not to. It seemed serious, and if she wanted to tell him, she would, eventually.

  Instead, Verity straightened. “I’m ready!”

  His master scoffed. “We’ll see.” She looked Verity up and down. “To be honest, I’m still convinced you have no talent when it comes to the spear, so there’s no point in learning theories or trying to enlighten you through words. The best way for you to advance is to have the techniques beaten into your body.”

  She pulled the obsidian spear from her cloak. “Thankfully, due to your class no doubt, your stamina is ridiculously high. That means I can beat it into you all day.” She said with a smirk.

  Verity blinked. “What does tha-”

  “Lower your stance, bend your knees, and raise your spear.”

  Instinctively, Verity complied.

  Evangelina adopted her own battle stance, mirroring Verity’s. “You might learn slower, but if you work ten, no- a hundred times harder than everyone else, that won’t matter.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  She grinned. “Block.” She said before disappearing in a blur, but not so fast that Verity could not see her coming.

  Raising the shaft of his spear, Verity barely stopped her attack, a grunt escaping his mouth as he did.

  “Doll fought you using the first stance of the Nine Hells style, ” She pressed forward, knocking him off balance before striking at his side. “Its purpose is simple. It’s a starting stance centered around patience.”

  She attacked from above this time, and Verity’s spear almost failed to meet hers. His arms trembled as he blocked it. “In , you are an immovable, infatigable opponent.”

  Her next attack swiped at Verity’s legs, forcing him to jump. Seizing the opening, Evangelina slammed her food into his chest and sent him flying away.

  He was sent crashing into the opposite wall of the room and Verity gasped for air as he stood up. “Can’t you go easy on me?” He wheezed as he clutched his torso.

  Before he could get out another word, a spear shot toward his chest, and Verity narrowly deflected it, causing it to only scrape his arm.

  “As you saw with Doll, you must have the strength to endure, the ability to thwart their every attack.”

  A sharp kick to his leg sent him kneeling, and the cold tip of her spear pressed against his throat. “Watch them. Study them. Conserve your energy by using minimal movements to respond. That’s .”

  —

  Evangelina exhaled sharply and planted her spear into the ground. “I think the suns have set. That’ll be enough for today.”

  Even with his monstrous stamina, Verity’s hands were trembling, and despite his pain tolerance, every single muscle in his body ached. Those few hours with Evangelina had been more demanding than two whole months with Doll.

  Beaten and tired, Verity could only stop himself from collapsing. He tried to control his breathing, but even that was too much for him. “Y-yeah… let’s stop it here… I agree.”

  “Sit.” She told him, her tone absolute.

  She did not need to ask him twice. His lower body, allowed to relax at last, completely gave out under him and he quickly found himself on the ground. “Of course…Master.”

  In a flash, Evangelina appeared behind him.

  “Inside of you, as in anyone else, there are two main energies: Mana, and Aura.” She explained.

  She then placed a palm against his back. “Mages use Mana to empower their souls and cast spells. Combatants like us? We use Aura to strengthen our bodies.”

  She paused, and Verity felt something stir within him, as if an awakening was taking place.

  “What separates a great battle style from a mediocre one, is how it incorporates the user’s Aura into every movement. “ She continued.

  “Obviously, because my battle style is the , proper Aura usage is mandatory to bring out its full potential.”

  Verity felt Evangelina’s hand press harder against his back, and the sensation inside him intensified. “Normally, it takes months, even years, for a normal person to understand how to move the Aura within them, but we don’t have that kind of time.”

  From the tip of his toes to the strands of his hair, Verity felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation fill his body. “That’s why, right now, I am injecting some of my own Aura into your body, and using it to move yours.”

  A grunt escaped her mouth. “...Of course, this is extremely dangerous. The simplest mistake and either you or I could die, but since it’s me, that won’t happen.”

  Those words hung in the air, but for a reason he could not entirely explain, Verity felt that he’d be safe in his Master’s hands.

  He could only wait as Evangelina manipulated the Aura within his body. It was still faint, but Verity could distinctly feel it. A new energy, different from the one that seemed to drain away when he used skills, now roamed within his body. It flowed like water, but it also carried the warmth of fire. With every new part of his body that it reached, Verity felt a change that he could not explain… as if he’d unlocked something.

  Evangelina smirked. “Good… don’t resist my Aura, let it flow, let it reach every inch of you.”

  The process was slow and grueling, especially for Evangelina, but her concentration did not slip for even a second. She masterfully forced Verity’s stagnant Aura to flow through each corner of his body, and in mere hours, she broke through paths that should have taken weeks to open.

  [You have gained the Uncommon skill: Minor Aura Circulation (Active) Lv.1.]

  “Phew.” Evangelina said, wiping the beads of sweat dripping from her pale face. “That should do it for now, but we’ll be repeating this every day from now on.”

  Verity slowly opened his eyes, and looked at his hands, as if he’d become a new person. “So… that’s Aura…” He murmured, testing the feel of the strange energy now coursing through him.

  His gaze drifted to his Master. “You even gave me hints… about , right?”

  Evangelina smirked, an expression of pride forming on her face. “I would have been disappointed if you hadn't even caught onto that.” She turned her head toward the exit. “I need a cup of tea.” She mused almost to herself.

  As Verity slowly stood up and made his way toward her, Evangelina raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Where are going?” She asked.

  Verity froze. “...Aren’t we done?”

  Evangelina scoffed. “You don’t get to rest, kid. Get used to it.” She pressed her hand against the wall and walked through. “You’ll stay here tonight… and keep practicing.”

  Before the walls closed behind her, a grin curled the corner of her mouth. “I’ll give you a few minutes but… I’d suggest you don’t lower your guard for too long.”

  Verity couldn’t get another before she left him alone.

  He sighed, running a hand through his hair as the walls slammed shut. “How am I even supposed to practice in this empty room…?”

  It’d been some time since Verity had last heard the voice of the system. At some point, it stopped considering Doll as a challenge worthy of experience, so there hadn’t really been a reason for it to speak to him. Even Vera had been silent recently, though Verity wasn’t sure why.

  Since Evangelina had mentioned giving him a few minutes, he thought this would be the perfect opportunity for him to check his status for the first time in a while.

  It still felt surreal to be able to say such a thing and not feel like a complete nerd. It reminded him that he really in a webtoon-like story.

  His eyes widened upon seeing it.