Mana training.
To just sit in a lotus position and keep channeling mana into various parts of my body was quite easy but boring.
I hate to admit it, but I would rather get beaten up by that sexy woman, Evelyn than do this shit.
Well, even if it was a beat-up session, I was still learning faster that way.
After a while, I stopped absorbing mana and lay on my back.
A clear sky greeted my gaze. A usual blue sky. It was kind of beautiful; perhaps simplicity wasn't all that bad.
Hm.... Hmm....
"Ahem."
I acted as if I was clearing my throat.
"Ahem."
Again.
"Ahem."
"Look. I am coughing right now, Evelyn."
"...."
She didn't replied, she held a blank expression. But I continued.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I will get uncomfortable, you know?"
Like, why are you even staring at me like that? Give me a break. But Evelyn didn't reply.
"...."
Instead, she looked down at me and threw a wooden sword towards me.
"...?"
"Spar... Let's spar again."
Well, I don't mind it. It was getting boring anyway.
After getting up, I went to a space dedicated for sparring.
I held the wooden sword with my right hand and waited to see if there was an opening. But as expected, there was none.
As if I was just waiting to get beaten up.
Wait. Now that I think about it, this is the wrong mindset.
I am not getting beaten up. It is called gaining experience.
Yeah, no way I was getting beaten up.
It is training to get used to fighting. Yes, this is the correct mindset.
Evelyn, as usual, didn't attack first, so I thi--
A wooden sword suddenly came flying towards my neck. Surprised, I tried to block it off with my wooden sword.
But... What the fuck?
It was cut in half? How did she...
"If you channel enough mana into the wooden sword, you can make it as sharp as a metal one."
She continued.
"If you can channel enough precise mana, you can even cut a mountain with a leaf."
She kept giving me pointers with each mistake I made.
"If you surround your body with mana, it will be more sturdy than any protective vest."
Reducing the distance quickly between us, Evelyn quickly hit me with the back of the sword's hilt.
Though it was blunt, it did hurt.
"If you focus your mana on your feet, you can run even faster than usual."
Shortly, she caressed the tip of the wooden sword with her left hand, and an icy coldness started to erupt from it.
"You can also use various elements to make your attacks stronger and more precise."
She was usually not that talkative. In fact, she only talked when needed, but now she was more open and talking.
It was as if she was a new person.
Like that, Evelyn started giving me tips amidst our sparring.
***
After getting used to mana while fighting, Ray was now about to have a little spar with Evelyn… again.
Caressing the tip of his sword, Ray added the wind element to his sword.
It was rather surprising that he was learning things this fast. But from Evelyn's expression, should it even be called an expression? It was blank as usual.
Due to his increased stats he gained by fucking Evelyn night after night all this time, Ray was getting faster. Closing the distance with just a few steps, he slashed his sword towards Evelyn's neck.
But without even flinching, she ducked down, cleanly dodging it with ease.
Becoming a bit flustered, Ray swung his left leg towards her face. As if expecting it, Evelyn's form quickly blended into the surroundings, and she appeared a few meters ahead of him.
But little did she know, Ray was already anticipating it, and he threw his wooden sword towards the direction Evelyn was appearing in.
Surprised, Evelyn blocked it swiftly as she raised her hand.
For the first time, there were cracks in Evelyn's expression other than times when we had sex, and she opened her lips.
"You should be more aware of your surroundings."
Just as she said that, Ray quickly felt the fast hilt of a sword hitting his head.
"Ughhh..."
He looked back, it was Evelyn.
But wasn't she back there too?
Turning ahead, he noticed the previous Evelyn blending into the air. It was just an afterimage left to distract him.
Just as he got hit on the head, he fell on his back onto the ground.
The spar didn't even last one minute. It was his complete loss.
Yet, there was a smile forming on his face.
Ignoring him, Evelyn started to walk out of the training hall.
She didn't even look back once. But strangely, her lips curled up slightly.
***
It was a new day, and again, Ray was sparring with Evelyn.
It was extremely helpful to Ray because while sparring, he was learning new things and using them instantly, so he was learning more quickly.
With her usual blank expression, Evelyn raised her hand and swung in a vertical motion.
Just then, a large amount of energy was speeding its way towards Ray.
Seeing this, he channeled more mana into the sword, making it sturdier.
Opposing it, he swung his sword in a horizontal motion.
The two slashes finally collided, and a rush of energy erupted blooming throughout the whole surrounding.
Without giving it much thought, Evelyn's figure blended within the air and she appeared just behind Ray.
Raising her hand, she swung towards Ray's neck.
But her sword only slashed empty air. A thrust of a sword came rushing from behind her.
Seeing it, Evelyn sidestepped and dodged it with a hair's breadth.
Just then, Ray quickly used the ice element to create a pointy ice mass coming from the ground.
But with just a swift motion of her hand, Evelyn reduced the ice mass to water using her fire element.
Without getting disheartened, Ray closed the distance between him and Evelyn and thrusted his sword straight at her heart.
Again, Evelyn's body disintegrated into fragments, and he only thrusted at empty air.
Taken aback by this, Ray quickly widened the distance from that place and appeared far behind it.
Looking left, then right again, Ray struggled to find Evelyn. Suddenly, his instincts trembled, and he looked upwards.
But in contrast, a hand came pulling Ray's leg from the ground. Feeling a hand, he quickly jumped into the air, but he felt a cold sword hitting the back of his head again. It was a familiar pain.
Huh?
Appearing floating in the mid-air, Evelyn's cold eyes met Ray's.
Just then, he felt a terrifying chill coursing through his spine.
It was just for a mere second, but he felt as if his lungs were clenched and he was unable to breathe.
But as seconds ticked by, her eyes reverted back to normal.
As if the pain in his head appeared just now, he fell to the ground on his butt.
The spar was over.