Out of the five available sparring halls, Class 5 had been assigned to the third. The interior structure of the hall, resembling a familiar colosseum, was simple to understand: spectator seats surrounding a central arena.
While the grand auditorium, the heart of the Harmony Festival, supported various gimmicks like naval battles or siege warfare with its vastness, this sparring hall was designed for students to observe one-on-one duels at a closer distance.
The sparring sessions, spanning from the first to the third period, were undeniably too short to thoroughly assess each student. Of course, this was intentional.
Although they were exceptional talents, they were still fifteen-year-old kids. Prolonging the fights could lead to someone losing their cool.
Three hours of short, intense sparring. Consequently, the class proceeded at a leisurely and cautious pace. This might not be solely due to the nature of the short duels but also because Yoo Ha-Yeon was in charge.
In any case, it meant there was ample time to mentally prepare for striking another person. Well, considering they were using training equipment instead of blades, anyone who wasn't even ready for that wouldn't be here in the first place.
Within the arena, where green magic energy surged, Namgung Seong, with a joyful expression, was pushing back a male student wielding a spear.
Swinging a heavy sword that numbed the wrists with every strike at that speed was practically cheating at the student level. Although the opponent was on the defensive, the fact that he was managing to block somehow indicated he was a considerably skilled spearman.
Besides him, there was Jegal Seongryong, who, while maintaining a distance, wielded his White Feather Fan, utilizing only the technique of "Striking the Void" to pressure his opponent like a game of chess. And then there was Baek In-hwa, who instantly scattered magic power, covering the entire arena with ice spikes, forcing her opponent to surrender immediately. These three elicited nothing but admiration.
Baek In-hwa's display was particularly impressive due to its flamboyance. At this point in time, how many people could manifest the attribute of magic power so intensely?
In Class 5, perhaps only five individuals could materialize magic power, in other words, manifest Aura or skillfully manipulate attributes.
The aforementioned trio would undoubtedly be among those five. Wow, while I'm just barely managing to handle magic power. The gap between us was immense.
Of course, there were many other skilled individuals besides those three. Darius Blackraven, in particular, stood out.
Despite the impression his surname gave, he wielded red magic power, and the name of the prestigious Blackraven family was certainly not a false reputation. The daggers held in reverse grip in both hands were swung in a mysterious and unpredictable manner. Could it be said that he embodied the principles of Change and Illusion? Even if his personality was a bit unpleasant, his skills were genuine.
Fortunately, Yeon-Woo wasn't matched with Darius. The skill difference was simply too vast.
And honestly, Yeon-Woo's current focus wasn't on the sparring itself but on utilizing his Domain. It was only natural. The phrase "grasping the gap" held a meaning beyond its literal interpretation.
In his past life, Yeon-Woo had abandoned the sword and used only the spear for nearly two years before finally comprehending the spear's gap. There was a way to reach that level even without magic power. Thinking about it that way, he supposed he had quite a talent for the spear.
If someone questioned why he used such a cumbersome term for a mere weapon's range, then a change in terminology was necessary.
The gap referred to here was the "Aura Field," the process of becoming a full-fledged Aura user as known in the Alkeion continent, and simultaneously, in the world of martial arts, it was also proof of a first-rate martial artist.
As for Earth, such things didn't matter to Hunters. Their sole criteria for judgment were results. They were a bunch who couldn't care less about subtleties.
For someone like him, who didn't even know the basics of magic power, let alone use Aura, to be able to handle an Aura Field? It was truly a testament to human victory.
Yeon-Woo's opponent was a girl named Im Yoo-Bin. With her black hair tied back, she held a small sword, about a third shorter than a regular sword, along with a shield. It could be considered a casual and ordinary armament, but Yeon-Woo wondered if there was a specific reason to use a small sword.
However, on second thought, everyone except him had some sort of backing. They must have their reasons.
Still, she seemed a bit intimidated by the procession of monsters that had unfolded earlier. Her usual demeanor also had a slightly timid air, so her temperament seemed to be a slight issue for her to achieve greatness as a Hunter.
"Please take care of me."
"Uh, yeah. Please take care of me too...!"
Im Yoo-Bin nodded vigorously and took her stance, holding her small round shield forward. Yeon-Woo assumed a light middle stance. Since there was no way the academy professor wouldn't notice the scattering of magic power, he postponed the full deployment of his Domain until after the start.
"Then, ready. ...Begin."
Simultaneously with the somewhat anticlimactic start signal, Im Yoo-Bin dashed forward, almost hiding behind her round shield. Yeon-Woo stopped himself from scattering magic power to form his Domain and stared directly at the charging Im Yoo-Bin.
[Dad, should I take over?]
'No, if not now, when will I get to practice? I'll call you if I need help.'
Yeon-Woo declined Shar's intervention. Ultimately, the line between being able to use it in actual combat or not depended on him clearly understanding when and how to use it.
And since sparring was the most suitable situation for practicing such things, he said that, but he probably wouldn't need to ask Shar for help.
The round shield held in front and the small but swift short sword thrusting from behind. It was quite a unique style that wasn't commonly seen.
Despite her small stature, her physical lightness was remarkable. Was her style to use the shield to reduce impact and focus on evasion while attacking monsters?
Although the weapons were wooden swords for training, the wear and tear on the round shield suggested such a speculation.
Yeon-Woo stepped back, evading the continuous thrusts that came like a raging wave.
It was fortunate that there was a difference in stride length; if Im Yoo-Bin had been just 10 centimeters taller, retreating wouldn't have been enough to avoid her advances. Contrary to appearances, Im Yoo-Bin's fundamental physical abilities were considerable.
Perhaps feeling frustrated, Im Yoo-Bin bit her lip and shifted gears.
In one breath, she pulled her left shoulder holding the shield back, pushing her sword forward. Yeon-Woo parried the thrust aimed at his center with the sword he held in his middle stance, deflecting it to the side.
Using the reaction force, he twisted his body. He swung his magic-infused sword, utilizing centrifugal force, but the shield pushed forward, blocking it.
Clang!!
She seemed quite adept at handling the short sword and shield. Otherwise, why would she use such weapons? However, while she maximized her agility, her reach was definitely compromised. It seemed like a style that required a lot of careful consideration.
"Wow."
