Chapter 15: Battle of Novice and Master
The door to our room at the inn creaked open and in stepped Wolfsbane, the seasoned adventurer and our mentor.
He greeted us with a question, his deep voice resonating through the room. "Are you guys awake yet?"
His sharp eyes wandered over to Airi, who was still hugging me tightly in bed.
"Ooh, did I interrupt something?" A look of surprise crossed his face, his lips curling into a playful grin.
I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Good morning, Wolfsbane. No, you didn't interrupt anything. We were just resting."
Wolfsbane nodded, a hint of amusement still playing on his lips.
"Well, good morning to you too. I was just coming to inform you guys. Meet me at the adventurers' guild in 30 minutes. We're going to start the combat test there."
"Alright, all good. We'll be there before it starts," I assured him, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness build up inside me.
Wolfsbane had promised to put us through our paces, testing our skills and readiness for the challenges that lay ahead in our journey as adventurers.
"Hey, wake up," I said, nudging her gently.
"We need to warm up before the combat test."
"Mhmm~ Mika not there, aggh~" Airi mumbled in her sleep.
"What are you dreaming about?" I asked curiously.
She glared at me, cheeks flushed.
"None of your business," she muttered, pushing me away.
"Okay, okay. Get up sleepyhead, we don't want to be late," I said, standing up and stretching.
...
As I noticed Airi was lying close to me on my bed.
I couldn't help but ask, "Wait, how did you even get in my bed Airi?"
With an icy glare, Airi snapped back, "I didn't get into your bed, you pulled me in."
"Oh, my bad. I must have mistaken you for my body pillow," I joked, realizing my mistake.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Airi's lips as she rolled her eyes.
"Just get ready for the test, you idiot," she said, pushing me with her foot.
---
Midsummer 10th, Marcellia, Adventurers' Guild's Training Ground, 9:30 AM.
---
The guild master, Wolfsbane, addressed the two adventurers before him with a smile on his face.
"Alright, for the combat test, you guys will be fighting the one and only...me." He paused, and the smile disappeared from his face.
"Wolfsbane."
As Wolfsbane spoke his name, his aura changed, and he seemed to transform into a warrior who had killed thousands of commanders alone.
His eyes glinted with fierce determination, and his voice took on a dark and ominous tone.
Smoke emanated from his mouth, and then...
"He's gone?" they spoke in unison.
Wolfsbane towered behind them, his broad shoulders casting a long shadow.
He spoke in a low, menacing tone, "You may think you're ready for this."
The adventurers could feel the weight of his words and the intensity of his gaze as they braced themselves for what was to come.
"But make no mistake: I will not hold back. I will fight you with every ounce of my being, and I will not stop until you have been defeated."
The two adventurers gulped, suddenly feeling very small and vulnerable.
They knew that Wolfsbane was a master warrior, and the thought of fighting him was both exhilarating and terrifying.
"But fear not," Wolfsbane continued, his voice now a bit more reassuring.
"For this is just a test. If you survive, you will emerge stronger than ever before."
The two adventurers nodded, their determination renewed.
They had trained for this moment, and they were ready to face whatever Wolfsbane threw at them.
"Prepare yourselves," Wolfsbane declared, his voice now a fierce battle cry.
"For the fight of your lives." The adventurers took their positions, bracing themselves for the coming battle.
...
The battle had just begun.
The two adventurers back dashed to maintain distance from Wolfsbane.
"Azure bullet!" Airi created a small blue fireball and aimed it at Wolfsbane's left foot.
Wolfsbane unsheathed his sword and deflected it toward the ground.
Mika slowly walked towards Wolfsbane with his arm in his pockets.
Wolfsbane maintained his position to counterattack.
Mika takes his right hand out of his pocket and aims a slow punch at Wolfsbane's jaw.
"What are you doing?" Wolfsbane asks, confused.
"Just testing you," Mika replies calmly, keeping his eyes fixed on his opponent.
As they continue to exchange words, Mika's punch gradually inches closer to its target.
"If you've given up, then tell me. You don't need to make this shameless punch to hide your embarrassment in front of Airi," Wolfsbane taunts.
With snail-like speed, Mika's arm shoots forward, but the punch carries the weight of a sledgehammer.
Airi starts to respond, "Mika, you don't need to act bra-" Before she finishes her sentence, the punch lands with a deafening thud against Wolfsbane's jaw.
He collapses onto the ground, knocked out cold.
The impact of the blow causes the earth to crack and break around him.
"Eh?! What did you do?" Airi asked.
"I just punched him," Mika replied, as he stood over the fallen guild master.
"You're not bad..." Wolfsbane growled, his voice dripping with menace.
"Mika," Wolfsbane said, turning his intense gaze toward the adventurer.
In a sudden move, Wolfsbane stood up behind Mika, causing Airi to shout a warning.
"System stance..." Wolfsbane muttered, his voice barely audible.
"Solitarius Lupus Caesus!" he exclaimed, and the air crackled with energy.
The two adventurers didn't hear what Wolfsbane just said, but they could feel the power emanating from him.
Wolfsbane unsheathed his sword and slashed the air, unleashing an image of a white wolf that shot towards Mika with blinding speed, shattering trees in its path.
"MIKAAA!" Airi cried out.
"Azure blade!" she exclaimed, creating a small sword in her right hand.
Mika stood up, seemingly uninjured.
"Hey, it's fine," Mika said, laying his arm on Airi's shoulder.
"Oh ho? You can use a defensive system stance as a level one adventurer?" Wolfsbane asked, intrigued.
"What was it again? System stance? I don't even know how to do it, let alone what it is," Mika replied.
Even though he hadn't used System Stance, he shouldn't have been able to stand up after a direct hit from my Solitarius Lupus Caesus, the lone wolf thought to himself.
"Then how are you still able to stand up?" Wolfsbane inquired.
"My grandfather is called the strongest creature on earth, and he taught me the ultimate defense, even if knives are thrown at me, I would still be able to deflect them barehanded," Mika said, his tone confident.
"You are... Interesting," Wolfsbane said, impressed.
"Mika, just leave the rest to me. You can rest now," Airi said, her tone determined.
"I think I need to rest for half a minute. I accidentally dislocated the wrong organ," Mika said casually as if it was just a minor inconvenience.
"System stance..." Airi said, her focus intense.
"Ignis Obscurus."
The blue flame blade suddenly transformed into a dark black flame, emanating an aura of darkness.
"That flame will surely melt my sword, well if it was an ordinary sword. System stance Spatha Lupi," Wolfsbane said, his sword now emitting a white aura with images of gray wolves surrounding it.
Airi starts running towards Wolfsbane and throws her sword just above her head.
While Wolfsbane is looking at her sword, Airi does a low horizontal kick.
Wolfsbane does not fall but loses his balance.
Airi jumps to catch her sword back with a reverse grip, doing a diagonal slash while still in the air.
Wolfsbane parries her blade and performs a back roll.
As Wolfsbane finished his back roll, he swiftly got back on his feet and charged toward Airi, his sword emanated a brilliant glow that illuminated the darkness.
The blade seemed to come alive, pulsating with energy as if it were eager to strike its next target.
Airi, anticipating his attack, held her sword in a defensive position and braced herself.
Wolfsbane's sword sliced through the air with a fierce, sweeping motion, aimed directly at Airi's midsection.
She quickly stepped back, avoiding the deadly arc of the blade by mere inches.
With a fluid movement, Airi attempted to counterattack, swinging her sword in a wide arc toward Wolfsbane's side.
However, he quickly deflected Airi's attack with a swift parry, pushing her back with the force of his strike
"You're not bad, little one," Wolfsbane said with a smirk.
"But you're still no match for me."
Airi didn't reply and instead focused on her next move.
She charged towards Wolfsbane and swung her sword horizontally.
Wolfsbane parried the attack with ease and countered with a swift thrust toward Airi's chest.
Airi quickly raised her sword and blocked the attack, but the impact was so strong that it made her stumble back.
Wolfsbane used this opportunity to unleash a flurry of attacks upon Airi.
Wolfsbane's sword sang through the air, each stroke accompanied by a fierce grunt of exertion.
Airi's eyes flickered left and right, seeking out the next move, the next opening.
With a sudden surge of adrenaline, she sprang into motion, agilely evading the first attack, a diagonal slash that came at her from the left.
But Wolfsbane was not deterred.
He seamlessly followed up with a vicious right slash, slicing into Airi's shoulder.
Pain lanced through her body, but she gritted her teeth and continued to fight on.
Stepping back to create some space between them, she readied herself for the next onslaught.
Wolfsbane was relentless, launching a flurry of attacks that came fast and hard, like a whirlwind of steel.
Airi met each blow with skill and precision, her sword deflecting the deadly arcs.
But the unrelenting pace of the fight was taking its toll.
She could feel the sweat beading on her forehead, her breathing growing labored.
With a final surge of strength, Wolfsbane advanced, his sword flashing in the sunlight.
Airi parried desperately, her muscles screaming in protest.
But one blow managed to slip through her defenses, a swift thrust that grazed her right arm.
Blood seeped from the wound, and she knew she couldn't keep this up forever.
Despite her valiant efforts, a few more hits landed on Airi's arms and legs, leaving her wounded and struggling to move.
Wolfsbane saw this and smirked.
"Time to end this," he said as he charged towards Airi with his sword raised high.
Airi gritted her teeth and prepared to defend herself.
A rock was suddenly thrown toward Wolfsbane's right hand, causing him to drop his weapon.
"NOW, AIRI!" Mika's voice echoed through the clearing.
With a swift movement, Airi swept her left foot, causing Wolfsbane to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
She then aimed her sword at his head, and victory was hers.
Wolfsbane conceded defeat, "Alright, you win."
Exhausted, Airi let out a deep sigh and collapsed to the ground. "Hwaaaaahhh," she breathed heavily.
Mika doubted their victory, "We won?"
Wolfsbane reassured them, "You guys can take a break for today. We'll do the leadership test tomorrow at sunset."
The battle went on for 3 minutes and 29 seconds.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
MichaelYong
MichaelYong To add this tome, my lords and ladies fair,
Is to enrich thy shelves beyond compare.
For within its leaves, a tale unfolds,
Of love, of loss, and adventures bold.
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