Chapter 35: Advanced III

’Add ten Stat Points to Strength and Speed!’

The moment Elias made the decision, the orange system screen appeared before his eyes.

[Strength/Constitution: 30 → 40]

[Speed/Agility: 17 → 27]

A powerful sensation immediately spread through his body.

His muscles tightened as his physical strength increased, and the force traveling through his arms became considerably greater than before. At the same time, his legs felt lighter, and his movements became faster and more responsive, allowing his body to react to changes in the battlefield almost instinctively.

Elias tightened his grip around the sword.

The difference was obvious.

He could feel it in every part of his body.

His breathing remained steady as he stared at Stella, who was still standing several meters away with her sword lowered slightly.

Elias bent his knees slightly, then he shot forward.

His body crossed the distance between them in an instant, and the ground beneath his feet cracked from the sudden acceleration.

Stella’s eyes widened, and she immediately raised her sword.

CLANG!

Elias’s blade crashed against hers with enough force to make Stella’s arms shift backward, while the impact sent a burst of dust outward from their feet.

Elias didn’t stop.

He twisted his wrist and redirected his sword toward her shoulder, but Stella turned her blade and blocked the attack.

CLANG!

The collision produced another sharp metallic sound, and Stella’s boots slid backward several inches across the dirt.

Elias followed immediately with a horizontal slash.

Stella ducked beneath it, and the blade passed over her head before Elias rotated his wrist and brought it downward.

Stella raised her sword.

CLANG!

The two weapons collided above her head, and the force drove her foot deeper into the ground.

She pushed Elias’s sword aside and attempted to counterattack, but Elias had already shifted his position.

He stepped to the side and thrust toward her chest.

Stella twisted her body.

The blade narrowly passed beside her, and she immediately swung toward Elias’s ribs.

Elias caught the strike.

CLANG!

The impact forced his arm downward, but instead of being driven backward, he absorbed the force through his stance and redirected her sword away from his body.

His eyes sharpened.

’Faster.’

He stepped forward and attacked again.

Stella blocked.

Then he attacked from another angle.

She blocked again.

His sword moved faster and more precisely than before, and every movement flowed into the next without hesitation.

Stella’s expression gradually changed.

’How?’ she wondered.

Elias suddenly changed his grip and struck toward her waist.

Stella blocked.

CLANG!

The impact caused her sword to vibrate violently in her hand.

Before she could counterattack, Elias rotated his wrist and slid his blade along hers, suddenly changing its direction toward her neck.

Stella leaned backward.

The blade passed just above her throat.

She immediately kicked against the ground and created distance.

Elias jumped backward as well, landing several meters away.

The dirt beneath his boots scattered from the force of his landing.

Both of them stared at one another.

Then Elias raised his sword again.

Their blades repeatedly collided across the training ground, with each impact sending metallic echoes through the area.

CLANG!

Stella blocked a thrust and shifted sideways.

CLANG!

Elias redirected her counterattack.

CLANG!

Stella’s sword struck downward, forcing Elias to brace himself as the ground beneath his feet cracked.

He pushed the blade aside and stepped forward.

His swordsmanship continued improving with every exchange, and his movements became more fluid as he adapted to Stella’s rhythm.

[Weapon Mastery: Sword — Advanced I → Sword — Advanced III]

Elias’s eyes flickered when the notification appeared.

His control over the sword improved once again, and the weapon seemed to respond to his thoughts before he consciously finished forming them.

He attacked, and she blocked.

He attacked again, and she blocked again.

Elias continued pressing forward, refusing to give her an opening to launch another assault.

For the first time since their spar had begun, Stella was being forced to remain on the defensive.

She stepped backward as Elias’s sword struck from the left.

CLANG!

She raised her blade to block a downward slash.

CLANG!

She twisted her wrist and deflected another thrust.

CLANG!

Elias followed with a sweeping attack, forcing Stella to bend backward as the blade passed across her chest.

She recovered her balance and blocked another strike, but Elias immediately stepped forward again.

His boots dug into the dirt as he advanced, while Stella continued giving ground.

A grin slowly appeared on her face.

"Looks like I judged you too early!" she said.

Elias didn’t answer.

He continued attacking.

His sword moved toward her shoulder, and she blocked it.

He shifted toward her waist.

She blocked.

He changed the angle and struck toward her neck.

She tilted her head aside, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly beside her.

Elias followed with another attack, and then another, but Stella continued defending against every strike.

He was dominating the exchange, but he knew that he wasn’t actually winning.

He couldn’t injure or force her to surrender.

He could only prevent her from attacking.

Still, Elias kept pressing forward.

His sword struck downward, and Stella blocked it while sliding backward.

The exchange continued until Elias suddenly found himself facing Stella at extremely close range.

Before he could react, Stella stepped inside his guard.

Her body moved past the edge of his sword, and her face came close to his.

Then she leaned toward his ear and whispered with a playful smile, "This is not enough~"

Elias’s expression tightened.

Stella immediately moved.

Her sword swept sideways with overwhelming force.

Elias barely managed to raise his weapon.

CLANG!

The impact shook his entire body.

His boots were driven backward, carving two deep lines into the ground as he struggled to maintain his stance.

Before he could recover, Stella attacked again.

CLANG!

Her sword slammed into his.

Elias gritted his teeth as his arms trembled from the impact.

Another strike came from above.

He raised his sword.

CLANG!

The force drove one knee toward the ground, and cracks spread beneath his boot.

Elias pushed himself upright and redirected the blade, but Stella was already attacking from another direction.

CLANG!

The rhythm had completely reversed.

Stella was now the one controlling the exchange, and Elias could do little more than defend himself as her attacks continued to rain down upon him.

Several meters away, Benjamin watched the fight with a surprised expression.

His attention was focused far more heavily on Elias than Stella.

The memory of the day Elias had fought Trons returned to him.

Back then, Benjamin had wondered whether the reputation of Elias Crimson as the Trash of the Crimson Ducal Clan was actually a lie.

After seeing this, however, he was certain of it.

His gaze remained fixed on Elias as the young man continued blocking Stella’s attacks.

’Are they trying to keep him away from the world’s eyes?’