"This feels… familiar," Spes thought, just after he got swept to the ground by Crystal. He focused on that déjà vu he felt and realized he'd been kissing the ground way too much recently.It all started with the explosion during the ritual that sent him flying. Then came getting thrown right in front of the King—later to be tossed out of the palace. Maybe also getting thrown on Crystal's griffin, but it didn't really seem like getting tossed around, as Decus was extra delicate with the process."I'm not staying down after all these!" Spes raged from within as he stood back up on his feet in determination.Almost half of the crowd roared in dejection at seeing the young man back up, ready to go again. They had all just lost their bet on him giving up within 30 seconds."Go on, kid! You better fall within the next 30 seconds!""Go all out, Captain!"The rest of them cheered, still holding on to their chance of scoring it big. Meanwhile, Crystal pointed her sword toward Spes. The sweep from earlier was just to wake him up—the true training was about to begin.Of course, her sword was kept in its sheath. They had no wooden swords with them, as they were heading on a dangerous quest. No rookie training had been scheduled, so she had to make do with what she had.Crystal swiftly dashed in Spes's direction, instantly surprising him. Caught in panic, he quickly raised his arms in protection and squinted his eyes, bracing for the impact of whatever was coming.However, the pain he expected never came. Instead, there was utter silence. Opening his eyes, Spes saw that Crystal was right in front of him—in very close combat range. She had her arm fully extended, staring coldly at him."Dead," she said emotionlessly, as she pulled her arm back.Spes finally realized that the tip of Crystal's sheathed sword was directly under his neck. The still expectant crowd instantly cheered, having won their placed bets."Never flinch. Always keep your eyes open," Crystal advised as she returned to her fighting stance.A few breaths later, Spes was sent to the ground again. This time, he did not flinch, nor even close his eyes. Even the crowd laughed at whatever he was doing, with his eyes wide open."Don't just stand there. Focus on dodging, and only use your hand as a shield when necessary—like when defending your vitals."Spes slightly groaned as he slowly stood up. He had received quite a strong kick to his stomach."Focus on dodging…" he muttered to himself, preparing for the next assault.Crystal came dashing at him with her sword raised for an obvious downward swing. This time, instead of staying motionless waiting for the hit, Spes quickly sidestepped just in time—successfully dodging her attack.As Spes's lips were about to curl up in celebration, Crystal immediately sent a roundhouse kick flying at him, making him crash back to the ground."You let your guard down," she reminded him, waiting for Spes to get back on his feet again.For the next hour, Spes lost count of the number of times his face hit the ground. It got to the point where the original color of his clothes could no longer be seen—his outfit now completely matching the soil they stepped on.During all these falls, Crystal pointed out each weakness he exposed and brutally tried to fix it until Spes's body would remember through the pain. It left him bruised and dirty. Still, Spes's mind stood strong as he slowly and painfully got back on his feet, staring resolutely into Crystal's eyes."A-again," he muttered.The crowd that had been cheering for the past hour was now left quiet and speechless."Gotta credit the kid—he's got steel in him. How is he still standing after all that?"No one had expected that weak-looking kid to show such high-level endurance and such strong will. Out of everyone, it was Crystal who was the most astonished. Though it wasn't obvious on her face, a small light of interest sparkled in her eyes.A training session she had expected to last no more than 10 minutes had dragged on for an entire hour, as Spes kept standing back up, asking for more "teachings.""That will be it for today. Attend to the squad's medicus. Don't forget to meditate on the flaws I pointed out while healing."She gave her last piece of advice as she ended the training session. Unlike Spes, who was completely exhausted, barely a sweat had formed on Crystal's forehead. She spoke casually and normally, with no hint of tiredness in her voice.As Crystal left, the crowd soon dispersed along with her. It was time for everyone to eat anyway. They had already delayed their mealtime just to watch the earlier show. The camp returned to its usual peace, where each man would tend to his own hunger.As for Spes, Vota brought him to the medicus's tent."You really took one hell of a beating out there, kid!" Vota laughed as the old medicus examined Spes."I didn't think I would be that weak…" Spes sighed, recalling each razor-sharp comment Crystal had spit out as he fell to the ground."Yeah, you are kinda weak. But you stood your ground against the Devil of Dura. Something to be proud of.""Stop disturbing my patient and piss off!" the old medicus snapped, chasing the fat Vota out, clearly annoyed by their small talk."And by the gods, why are you so dirty?" the old man complained as he cut off Spes's shirt with a pair of scissors.Despite his annoyance, the old man still worked precisely and meticulously. He carefully cleaned Spes's dirt-riddled skin with a wet cloth and slightly raised an eyebrow when he finished."When did you have this fight of yours?" the medicus asked as he applied ointments on Spes's bruises."Uh… maybe about an hour ago?" Spes's answer was more of a question to himself, as he had completely lost track of time during the training."Young people nowadays and their lack of precision…" the old man grumbled as he finished treating Spes."Now scram!" the old man barked, quickly chasing him out and rushing back deep into his tent.
