"Master, please! Let him take the test one more time!"
The shout came from Jax Holt. He was the oldest kid in the group, and the first one to pass today.
"Yes, Master! Give Leo another chance!"
"He trains harder than any of us! Please, just once more!"
One by one, almost every kid joined in.
That was Leo’s charm. Nobody was begging for a reward. Nobody had a secret plan. They simply cared about him.
"Silence!"
Master Garron’s booming voice rolled across the hall. Everyone froze.
"Fine," he said. "I’ll give him a chance. But to keep things fair, there is one condition."
His eyes landed on Leo.
"Leo Ashford. First, you must defeat Jax in a one-on-one duel. The same rule applies to every kid who failed today. Anyone who beats Jax within three days earns a retest."
Leo’s face lit up like the sun.
He bowed to his friends first. "Thank you, everyone!" Then he turned to Garron. "Thank you, Master!"
That bright face. That pure, honest smile.
Garron was a grown man, a hard one. Even so, for one second, he was stunned.
He shook it off and turned to Jax. His voice dropped low, but every word was sharp.
"Give it everything you have. If you hold back, I’ll cancel your Knight Squire promotion. Understood?"
"Yes, Master!"
Jax pulled his Wooden Sword from his back. The other kids stepped aside, and an open space formed in the middle of the hall.
Jax raised his sword in a knight’s salute.
"Leo, be careful. I won’t go easy on you."
Leo saluted back, just as seriously. "Brother Jax, please begin."
"HAH!"
Jax gripped his sword with both hands and charged. His strike flew straight at Leo’s left shoulder.
Leo didn’t flinch.
He stood still, calm, as if the whole world had slowed down just for him.
The sword reached the halfway point.
Then Leo swung.
His blade slapped against the bottom of Jax’s sword.
*Thud!*
It was a small sound. But Jax had far more Spiritual Energy than Leo, and still, his own strike bounced right back at him.
Garron’s eyes flashed. He couldn’t hide his shock.
But Jax wasn’t weak either. He twisted his body, put his waist into it, and spun his sword into a wide, sideways slash.
His balance was great. His speed was great. For a kid his age, it was top-level skill.
Leo’s answer, though, was even crazier.
While Jax was still spinning, Leo was already moving forward. The gap between them shrank to almost nothing. In a few quick steps, he was right at Jax’s side, at the exact moment Jax’s body turned.
Garron frowned. *How will he attack from there?*
The swords were a full meter long. Up this close, Leo had no room to swing.
And then...
Leo struck with the handle!
He dropped low, and the end of his sword slammed into the spot just below Jax’s ribs. It wasn’t a powerful hit. But Jax’s body wobbled, and he stumbled forward, right toward Leo’s blade.
"Stop!" Garron shouted.
His eyes burned. His voice was serious.
"Your balance is gone. Jax, you lost. If Leo had really used his strength, you’d be on the floor right now."
Jax scratched his head, face red with embarrassment.
"Leo, you sneaky little genius."
Leo pulled his sword back. Jax was still struggling to stand straight, so Leo gave him an apologetic look.
Garron nodded at Leo.
"You may take the test again."
Leo walked back to the wooden block. His face had changed.
Now he looked serious. Something about him felt different.
He held the Wooden Sword in both hands, and his eyes seemed to glow. Those clear blue eyes were now full of stubborn fire.
Suddenly, he spun around. With the sword gripped tight, he looked more determined than any kid in the hall.
BOOM!
The Stone Bead shot into the air.
The hit threw Leo back a step. The sword almost slipped from his hands. Blood ran down his palms.
"Spiritual Energy score: 11! You pass!"
Garron’s voice shook with surprise.
Nine to eleven. It sounded like a tiny gap.
But last time, Garron had clearly seen Leo give everything he had. And now he had pushed past that limit again. It meant his power had woken up and reached its true edge.
Garron pulled himself together. He sent Leo to the clinic to bandage his hands, then finished the rest of the tests.
"Testing is over! Those who failed, don’t come tomorrow. Those who passed will meet your new instructor tomorrow. Take your Elemental Training Liquid and go home. Dismissed!"
"Thank you, Master!" the kids cheered together.
"Leo Ashford, stay for a moment."
The kids ran off, laughing. At that age, pass or fail, they could always find a reason to smile.
Soon, Eldrin Hall was almost empty.
Only two people were left. Leo and Garron.
"Leo, tell me," Garron said, his face serious. "Why did you choose that move against Jax?"
Leo answered without hesitation.
"Because I’m nowhere near as strong as Brother Jax, Master. So I could only look for his weakness. You taught us that the tip of a sword is the strongest part of a strike. The closer you get to the handle, the weaker it becomes."
He took a breath and continued.
"So when he attacked, I found the center of his balance at his waist, and I closed the distance. I hit his center, so he couldn’t use his full power. That’s why his attack just stopped."
Garron’s eyes went wide.
"You figured all that out just by watching?"
He had never taught these kids how to fight. At this age, building a strong base mattered more than battles.
"Alright. You can go home."
Garron waved his hand. Something about this boy felt different from all the others.
Leo blushed. He hesitated, then asked softly.
"Master... about today’s share of the Elemental Training Liquid..."
"Oh, right! Go on, take it."
"Goodbye, Master!"
Leo bounced out of the hall, full of joy.
Garron watched the boy’s jumping shadow disappear, and a smile crept onto his face.
"That kid... he’s polite, hardworking, and he has real talent for fighting. A rare seed. A truly great one."
"Do you know how he found his opponent’s weakness so easily?"
A cold, clear voice rang out right beside him.
Garron jumped.
It came so suddenly that he shivered. He had no idea how long this person had been standing there.
Next to him stood a man in his thirties, wearing plain, simple clothes. But his eyes shone like stars.
Deep inside those eyes was a hint of despair. A glow of old memories. And a pain so heavy that even strangers could feel it.
Who was this man?
And what did he know about Leo?