Woon trained relentlessly, his days a blur of morning sessions with Victor and intense evening sparring with Alicia. This grueling cycle repeated for a week, culminating in training that Woon barely survived.
"Finally finished!" Woon declared, collapsing onto the ground.
"Quiet! This is our last sparring session, so recover for tomorrow!" Alicia retorted, exiting the room without another glance.
"Last sparring, huh? I'll make sure to land even a scratch on you!" Woon muttered, a fiery resolve igniting within him.
A day passed, and the final sparring session was about to begin. Woon adjusted his katana, the familiar weight at his hip instilling a newfound confidence. As he stepped into the training hall, his gaze fell upon Alicia, who stood ready, not with her usual training blade, but with her formidable nodachi. A wave of unease washed over Woon as he realized the true challenge before him.
'She's using that?' he thought, a tremor of apprehension in his gut.
"Time to start!" Woon murmured, steeling himself.
"This will be our last sparring. Give it absolutely everything you have!" Alicia commanded, her voice cutting through the tension.
Just as they were about to begin, the doors burst open, revealing Victor and Jin, who strode in uninvited.
"Alicia! I heard you were having your 'date' here, so I came to support Woon!" Victor announced, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"So my little sister has finally found a boyfriend? How romantic!" Jin added, a smirk playing on his lips.
Alicia's eyes narrowed, a vein throbbing in her temple. "You two… you absolute pieces of shit! Didn't I tell you to cut that out?"
"How can I just stand by when my precious little sister is going on a date?" Jin feigned innocence.
"Woon, are you really sure you like that witch?" Victor whispered conspiratorially to Woon, who just blinked, utterly lost.
"What?" Woon mumbled, the situation completely beyond his comprehension.
"Silence! Hey, slave, this might be your last day alive, so enjoy it!" Alicia snarled, her patience wearing thin.
With a sharp strike, Alicia unsheathed her nodachi. The blade, impossibly long, moved with effortless grace in her hands as she adopted a stance, its tip pointing backward, poised to unleash a flurry of devastating slashes. But to Woon's surprise, another sword was strapped to her waist – a longsword he hadn't seen her carry before. Still, Woon unsheathed his own katana, mirroring her readiness, a nervous, fake smile plastered on his face. "Please, be merciful," he pleaded.
Alicia moved with blinding speed, a sudden, fast side slash tearing through the air. She hadn't shifted her feet, yet the tip of her nodachi seemed to materialize instantly at Woon's neck. Before it could connect, Woon reacted with a desperate lurch, ducking instinctively to avoid the strike. He immediately dashed forward, his katana ready to swing. But Alicia was faster. She surged ahead too, her left fist clenching, and before Woon could register her intent, a clean, powerful straight punch landed squarely on his face.
Woon stumbled backward, a sharp pain blooming in his nose, a trickle of blood warming his lip. Her fist was surprisingly powerful, brutally fast, but Woon refused to yield. He still had a hidden card to play. He lunged again, unleashing a frantic barrage of slashes, but each strike was met with Alicia's secondary sword, parried with effortless precision while her nodachi remained sheathed at her waist. As time dragged on, Woon's initial burst of energy waned, his movements growing heavier, his strikes losing their bite.
"He's gotten better compared to last week. His basic movements are much more profound!" Jin observed, watching the sparring intently.
"Yeah, but by the way, do you know any tailoring shop that makes eastern clothes?" Victor asked, changing the subject abruptly.
"Yeah Why?" Jin inquired, confused.
"He can't keep borrowing my clothes, you know. He needs something as essential as that!" Victor replied, concern in his voice.
"Oh, you've become quite kind to him. That's not like you! Is it because of him?" Jin pressed, a hint of suspicion in his tone.
"I don't know, although they do look similar to each other, there are some features that are different," Jin mused, looking at Woon.
"Well, yeah, they do look alike, but there's still a noticeable difference! And by the way, Mr. Shin is coming here!" Victor exclaimed.
"What? Is it because of him?" Jin asked, surprised.
"Well, yeah, maybe Mother was the one who told me Mr. Shin would be coming here!" Jin replied, his gaze returning to the ongoing fight.
As they talked, the sparring raged on. Woon's movements grew sluggish, but his senses remained razor-sharp. In a split second, Alicia fluidly re-sheathed her secondary sword and drew her nodachi from its long sheath. Woon saw the motion, his mind screaming a warning, but his exhausted body couldn't react. Alicia unleashed a lightning-fast slash aimed directly at Woon's neck. But just before the blade could connect, a fleeting shadow seemed to push Woon away, propelling him clear of the deadly arc.
"What was that?" Alicia whispered, genuinely surprised by the sudden intervention.
"Haaaah... haaaaah!" Woon panted, utterly exhausted, collapsing to one knee.
Jin and Victor, who had witnessed the bizarre moment, exchanged stunned glances. In that fraction of a second, Woon had been pushed back, literally centimeters from the blade.
"Looks like I've shown my hidden card a bit too early!" Woon said, still gasping for breath, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Trump card, huh? Come on, show me what you've got!" Alicia challenged, a flicker of renewed interest in her eyes.
Woon picked up his katana's sheath, holding it in his left hand, now dual-wielding his katana and its scabbard. Jin and Victor watched, amused, at Woon's unexpected tactic. They hadn't anticipated him using dual-wielding.
"Do you really think something will change if you dual-wield?" Alicia taunted, a hint of irritation in her voice, as if Woon were merely playing games.
Woon immediately rushed forward, throwing his sheath upward. It ascended slowly, arc-ing towards Alicia. She was momentarily surprised that Woon would abandon his sheath mid-air – a foolish decision, in her estimation. But Woon wasted no time, unleashing a furious barrage of slashes before Alicia could fully gather her thoughts. Still, she parried everything with effortless ease using her longsword, switching between her blades as easily as breathing. Despite the overwhelming skill difference, Woon relentlessly pressed his assault.
Then, in a single, decisive moment, Woon gripped his katana with both hands, aiming for a vertical slash. Alicia was confident she could parry it with ease. As expected, she deflected the strike and moved to counter-attack with a left straight to Woon's face. But before her fist could land, the sheath Woon had thrown earlier descended near him, and suddenly, a shadow coalesced, forming a spectral hand. It snatched the sheath from the air and, with startling speed, struck Alicia.
Alicia was caught off guard by the unexpected second strike. Though surprised, she still managed to react, moving backward to dodge. But it wasn't a perfect evasion. A faint scratch marred the fabric on Alicia's shoulder, a testament to the unexpected blow.
Jin and Victor stared in disbelief. The sheath wasn't just for show; it was a perfectly calculated move. It had hung in the air for an exact four seconds, only to be caught by the mysterious shadow hand that had appeared from Woon, striking Alicia. It was a spectacular sight, especially against Alicia, who was so formidable she could rival Jin himself.
"What the...? Just what happened? Alicia got hit?" Jin stammered, his jaw slack.
"Yeah, that last move Woon pulled truly caught Alicia off guard!" Victor agreed, equally stunned.
Woon collapsed to the floor, the profound fatigue overwhelming him. He lay there, breathing heavily, a wide smile spreading across his face – his plan had worked. For the past week, he had meticulously observed Alicia's movements, every subtle habit in her form, the precise way she held the sword. He had examined every single detail, all to catch her off guard for just one fleeting second.
"Ahh, I lose. I can't defeat you, Miss Alicia!" Woon declared, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.
Alicia looked down at him, a rare, genuine smile gracing her lips. "Be proud, slave. You managed to scratch my cloth. That last strike… it was truly remarkable. I knew you had been observing my every movement throughout our sparring sessions this week."
'What? She knew?' Woon thought internally, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face before he chuckled softly.
"I am genuinely amazed that you managed to pull that off. And that shadow hand, controlled by divinity… it's an incredibly creative way to compensate for your current lack of power. Keep nurturing that power," Alicia continued, her voice soft yet firm. "This will be the end of our sparring. Rest up now."
At that moment, Woon felt something profound, something he had never experienced before. Someone had truly commended him. His relentless hard work had paid off, and the recognition from Alicia felt like a deep, emotional validation.It didn't just fuel his desire to become stronger; it ignited a profound sense of purpose.
"Thank you for your teachings, Miss Alicia!"
Woon forced himself to stand, bowing deeply before slowly leaving the room.
A moment of silence stretched between them. Then, as Alicia reached the door, she paused, turning back. The words she spoke next ignited Woon's heart even further, stoking the flames of his ambition, filling him with a feeling of being truly alive—a sensation Woon had always yearned for.
"Keep pushing yourself, slave. Challenge me again one day. After all, I'm a prodigy too, you know," Alicia said, a knowing twinkle in her eyes before she finally exited the room.
Her entire demeanor was utterly different from what Woon remembered. She was no longer just the formidable witch who had tried to kick him out, or even kill him. What Woon saw in Alicia now was someone to be profoundly respected, a towering figure to look up to and strive to surpass.