A novice Adventurer who had just started basic sword training faced a seasoned Lv2 Adventurer who frequently fought in the Dungeon.
The outcome was already clear as soon as the practical training began.
Yamato Mikoto was stronger than Keare in both speed and strength, so he could only passively defend with his training wooden sword.
He honed his basic sword skills until they became muscle memory.
The most direct effect was when a wooden sword swung from the side, he instinctively raised his wooden sword to block and defend.
"Bang!"
An Adventurer's level was like an insurmountable chasm.
The dull clang of swords colliding echoed, and the vibration transmitted through the hilt to Keare's hands made his tiger's mouth go numb.
He knew that he couldn't contend with Miss Ming by strength alone.
He didn't choose to continue the standoff, his nimble figure quickly pulled back, and just as he was about to look for an opening, what greeted Keare was...
Miss Ming's storm-like assault!
"This is a bit exaggerated, isn't it?"
Facing the girl's sharp offensive, Keare could only see the afterimages of her swinging sword, and it was too late to rely on instinctive defense.
He could parry some attacks, as for those he couldn't block...
As expected—
They landed on non-vital parts of Keare's body such as his arms, waist, and legs, but the surge of adrenaline made him ignore the pain.
He looked at Yamato Mikoto's calm, unruffled face.
Keare gritted his teeth, gripping the training wooden sword with both hands, and launched his own offensive towards the girl in front of him.
"I don't believe it..."
—
"Lord Takemikazuchi, is this really necessary for a sparring match?"
Kashima Sakura stood from a spectator's perspective; this practical sparring match... had no viewing pleasure at all, it was purely Miss Ming's crushing victory.
In fact...
Compared to her usual training, he could feel that Miss Ming was holding back.
It was a complete waste of time, and he didn't know why Lord Takemikazuchi would agree to help Keare hone his martial arts.
Chigusa, standing timidly beside Kashima, offered no opinion.
Instead, Takemikazuchi watched this spar with a vast disparity in strength with great interest; Miss Ming's performance was very normal.
One could even say she was somewhat restrained, with nothing much to comment on.
What truly surprised him was Keare's mastery of basic sword techniques, which had reached a very proficient level.
He had no combat strategy, but when facing attacks...
Keare purely relied on muscle instinct to defend against Miss Ming's continuous attacks, especially considering the short time he had been training...
Even if he wasn't a genius.
Takemikazuchi could affirm that this child had definitely put in a lot of effort, and regarding Kashima Sakura's assessment.
He turned his head, a playful smile on his face:
"Kashima, this is indeed a one-sided crushing, but what if... Keare only learned basic sword techniques last night?"
"Would you still think that way?"
"..."
He only learned basic sword techniques last night?
When Kashima heard these words, a hint of disbelief flashed in his eyes, knowing that Lord Takemikazuchi had no reason to lie to him.
He looked at Keare and Miss Ming, who were still sparring, again, and put away his initial disdain.
He didn't try to argue: "If... it's really as Lord Takemikazuchi said, then Keare's talent in martial arts..."
"Is indeed excellent."
"Don't use the so-called talent to overshadow the effort Keare has put in; that's unfair to him."
Takemikazuchi wasn't disappointed; he shook his head gently, only feeling that... Hestia had indeed found a good Familia member.
At this rate of development, he would soon be able to rival Miss Ming in martial arts.
"For the next few days, the task of honing Keare's martial arts will be left to you, Kashima and Chigusa."
As soon as he finished speaking.
This spar with a vast disparity in strength came to a complete end.
Facing Miss Ming's continuous attacks, Keare parried half of the moves and showed no signs of retreating.
In a high-pressure environment, he was still looking for opportunities to counterattack.
Putting talent aside for now, his perseverance alone was enough to move Takemikazuchi's heart; to say he had no other thoughts?
That would certainly be false.
He could only lament Hestia's good luck, wondering when he would encounter such a promising talent.
After the battle ended, Miss Ming's heart was complex as she looked at Keare, who was still holding his sword with both hands, looking visibly disheveled.
She had no intention of mocking him:
"You really don't seem like... someone who just started practicing basic sword techniques recently."
"I've been an Adventurer for a longer time, so I have more speed, strength, and combat experience than you."
"And you could block most of my attacks, and even find opportunities to counterattack..."
"You're weak."
"Just practice more!"
Keare panted heavily; as the adrenaline wore off, the pain in his limbs swept over him.
He frowned, but his smile was exceptionally hearty:
"The strength gap brought by Adventurer levels really can't be compensated by practical combat skills; if a real fight broke out..."
"I probably wouldn't have the chance to stand here and talk."
"All in all, thank you."
The brown-haired young man's cheerful attitude moved Miss Ming somewhat, and she thought that there was still some time before the Dungeon exploration.
She looked at Takemikazuchi, and after getting confirmation:
"If you still need practical sparring, you can come find me in the future. Regardless, your body is the most important."
Let alone during the day.
If it weren't for the many people here, Keare would have wanted to cast a 'Recovery' spell on himself to heal his injuries and challenge Miss Ming to another spar.
But when you're out and about, you still need to know a little about social etiquette; he couldn't take up too much of her free time.
The practical sparring had ended, and what Keare wanted most was to quickly return to his Familia's residence to absorb the combat experience.
He wanted to identify weaknesses and improve his practical combat skills!
He looked at Takemikazuchi and said sincerely: "Thank you very much, Lord Takemikazuchi, for honing my practical combat skills."
"It's just a small matter."
Takemikazuchi shook his head, looking at Keare with concern: "Do you need me to have Kashima send you back?"
"It hasn't reached that point yet."
Rejecting the other party's kind reminder, Keare looked at Miss Ming:
"Miss Ming, tomorrow... I wonder if you'll be free to help me with practical combat skill training."
"No problem."
She really wanted to ask if he could handle it, but Miss Ming ultimately couldn't voice such intimate concern.
She watched the brown-haired young man's figure gradually disappear into the distance.
Her heart was complex; if she could work as hard as Keare, would her strength improve a little faster?
Noticing Takemikazuchi's gaze, Miss Ming quickly gathered her thoughts.
"Lord Takemikazuchi, during the practical sparring... I already controlled my strength, but it seems he should be injured."
Knowing the concern in his Familia member's heart.
Takemikazuchi waved his hand casually: "This child's deity... she won't mind these things. Just from the practical sparring just now."
"What do you think of this child?"
"I can't really comment."
Miss Ming gently shook her head; she didn't have Takemikazuchi's foresight and couldn't find anything particularly special from the practical sparring.
If she had to mention something impressive...
When facing her attacks, he would counterattack even when injured. She hesitated for a moment, then finally said frankly:
"During the practical combat..."
"My impression of him was that he was particularly desperate?"