Chapter 210: Training Your Shadow

Learning the shadow ability was something Layla had thought about getting for the longest time. She had practiced it in Logan’s game for a while now, and now that she was in front of a master, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"As much as I would like to teach you the shadow, this young lady needs to better learn the basics," Arthur said, nodding to Erin.

Erin glared at him, "I have trained my swordsmanship skills for years, you know."

"I saw," Arthur dryly replied, "But I wasn’t referring to your swordsmanship. I am talking about your shadow. When I saw you fighting against that one girl earlier today, the one who could transform, I noticed your fighting style was more quick and agile, but you barely used the shadow. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I can tell that style of fighting isn’t best suited for the ability you hold now."

Erin crossed her arms, "I didn’t use the shadow because it’s supposed to be a secret to humans. And why would I need to learn how to block when dodging has suited me well so far?"

Suddenly, Arthur’s demeanor changed, and his posture grew tense, "There are times when you can’t dodge, encounter attacks too large to run away from, and your opponent follows you and hunts you down. Let me remind you that when you can’t dodge, you are left with blocking."

Before Erin could even fully register his words, Arthur flung his arm in a wide arc, forming a large bloodswipe too fast for her to escape in time.

On instinct, Erin attempted to flash step out of the way, but the tail end of it slashed into her side and part of her arm, nearly cutting it off.

[- 30 HP]

[HP 35/95]

"ERIN!" Layla screamed, then turned to Arthur with her teeth bared, sharpened like a shark’s, "What did you do to her!?"

"She’ll live," Arthur replied, "And I was attempting to hold back to make sure she wouldn’t get too injured. However, if this is her current capabilities, then she has a long road ahead of her if she ever thinks about becoming a Punisher."

Arthur was about to walk up to Erin, when Layla got between the two, "I’m not letting you get close to her after what you did!"

Ignoring her, Arthur ran so fast around Layla, it almost seemed like he teleported. She turned around, and saw Arthur carrying a flask that he then poured red blood into Erin’s mouth.

Layla was about to protext when, midway through pouring, Erin snatched the flask out of his hands, and chugged it herself.

[+6 HP]

[+12 HP]

[+14 HP]

...

[HP 95/95]

[Blood bank is full!]

[ML 100/100]

"Not only is she hungry, but you’re thirsty too," Arthur commented with a more playful tone, "If you had drunken anymore, I would’ve thought you were a starved bloodsucker."

Erin’s injuries had fully healed themselves, leaving her in a better state than she arrived. Seeing she was healed, Layla ran over to Erin to try to help her up, "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine, but..." Erin looked down.

Although she was at max HP, the same couldn’t be said for her armor. There was a large cut in them courtesy of Arthur, which made her both scared and amazed at how strong the man was. A simple bloodswipe had done gargantuan damage, even when he was holding back.

If someone like Arthur were to ever go against humanity, Erin wasn’t sure what they would do.

"Now that you understand you can’t dodge every blow coming your way, you can understand the appeal of utilizing the shadow more," Arthur said, "Although the sword I gave you does boost your agility, there is a benefit in staying close to your enemy instead of jumping away."

Even though just a moment prior Erin had been cut by this man, she listened raptly. If he was that strong, then surely he knew what he was talking about.

"When you dodge, you gain distance from a devastating blow, but your enemy also gains that same distance, allowing them to prepare another attack," Arthur lectured, "Although I am sure most of your enemies so far have been humans so speed hasn’t been an issue, there is a benefit in sticking close to your enemy. That blood weapon of yours has a time limit to its ability, and in an intense battle, every second counts."

Those words made Erin rethink her fighting strategy. She was jumpy, flightly, and it had served her well at times, but others not so much.

The memory of the single spiked dalki on caladi came into mind, as it was someone who was able to out speed her. He snatched the very weapon in her hands to mortally wound Layla. If she had instead used her shadow around her hand to catch the dalki and slow him down, then there was a chance Layla could’ve remained human.

"You don’t know for sure if that would’ve happened," The system spoke up, "Your shadow was mostly used up by that time, so of course you weren’t thinking to use it."

’Mostly,’ Erin repeated to the system.

The system paused, "...Thinking about what could’ve been is something that can haunt even the strongest people. Instead, think about how this knowledge will help you in the future."

’... You’re strangely nice all of a sudden,’ Erin thought, but the system didn’t respond.

Noticing that Erin hadn’t spoken up in a while, Arthur decided to add in another few words, "Like I said earlier, having strong dodging capabilities isn’t a bad thing. When your sword has reached its 5 hits, that is when you can utilize your speed at its full potential. I doubt there are very many opponents that can counter your speed at that point."

Turning around, Arthur dusted off his hands, "But that’s enough talking, I’m sure you would like a practical hands on lesson."

Opening up his palms in the air, Arthur, Erin, and Layla were all enveloped in shadow, and their bodies disappeared from this world.

The next thing the two girls knew was that they found themselves in a dimly lit strange space, as far as the eye could see was the same dark purple mist covering the floor, sky, and walls.

Despite the world being made out of shadow, they weren’t sinking through the floor like they normally would if Erin had used her ability as a platform. If they were to take a step, trails of shadow would follow their shoes, but the ground was still solid all the same.

"I... Is this something you can do?" Layla quietly asked.

"I’m not sure," Erin responded. Was this where her beast gear got stored?

They heard the sound of a familiar beast, and turned to see Arthur standing next to the likmorn. Strangely, the beast wasn’t actively violent, and calmly kneeling next to Arthur.

"I am not quite sure what his story is, but he is remarkably tame and listens to my every word," Arthur said facing the Likmorn, "I am too tough of an opponent to spar with you, but he will provide an excellent challenge."