Fighting multiple opponents wasn’t as glamorous as the stories would have you believe, nor was it a realistic endeavour. Only those confident in their strength would dare to face such odds, whether they were actually capable was another matter entirely. Plenty of fools thought that a fight only doubled in difficulty when adding another body to the equation.

  The challenge was an order of magnitude greater with each foe in participation, the combination of skill and potential avenues for teamwork consolidated bleak odds for the prospective victim. It was only possible to overcome if they were significantly weaker than you (such as goblins) or if you’ve employed some trickery.

  Now, my swordsmanship was exceptional for my age, and I could recognize that despite how brutally Xae slaughtered my confidence.

  I might’ve even been qualified for a draft if the empire were to take my measure, perhaps not on the frontlines but I’d get my foot in the door. That, of course, would never happen. I had no plans on joining the army.

  Doing that would just be asinine considering my purpose for pursuing strength.

  But I could fight and maim and kill just as well as any adult. In no small part thanks to my mana, my capacity to train was insane when I kept mending my fatigue. The ability to heal from bruises was a welcome addition as well.

  I hadn't had the opportunity to properly test my strengthening spell, other than the occasional brawl with the slum kids. Those were surprising every time they happened, considering I always ended up beating their asses into the dirt, and I wasn’t interested in fucking up my sparring by increasing my strength. I might’ve been able to beat Xae if I did, but the point of training wasn’t to win, it was to get better.

  Mraringa would surely be pleased with the sight, but the goddess was a horrendous example to follow.

  …Nothing?

  Only Ulindine then? Or perhaps the goddess agreed, that would be interesting.

  Might help with my boredom, all things considered. How were these two so weak? Sure, they were children, but so was I technically, and I hadn't even broken a sweat despite leaving my rivers alone. They just sucked.

  Gar couldn’t seem to maintain a defensive posture that made any sense, and Riri looked more confused than anything when she handled the wooden blade. We’d collected quite a few spectators among the street rats that watched me absolutely whoop their asses. A few had even made their own shows, fighting each other in fair combat. Though with their fists.

  Yeah, maybe Mraringa didn’t give a shit because that display entertained her, who knows? I never claimed to understand the gods.

  It was fucking sad, needing both to participate to present any kind of semblance of a challenge, I used the excuse that it was to improve their teamwork to soften the blow. I didn't think either of them believed me, but it was a polite fiction for the spectators, though they’d stopped their betting after my fifth straight win.

  They didn’t understand how ridiculously disadvantaged I was by taking on the both of them at once, and all the things it said about their capabilities that I even could, let alone win so dramatically.

  I knocked the blade out of Riri’s hands, and jabbed her skull. I dodged a wide swing from Gar, the boy overextending himself. I took the opportunity to hit him hard in the armpit, then struck his knee before whipping my blade across Riri’s face before she could pick up her weapon.

  “Enough,” I said, trying to hold back my disappointment. If that was what I had to work with…it’d be a while before I could…do what exactly? I wasn’t taking them to the sewers, not with the knowledge that Alvir was controlling at least the giant rats. I didn't trust the witch as far as I could throw him, and the only monster I could take alone in the woods was maybe a scale wolf. Unfortunate then that those bastards travelled in packs.

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  Riri breathed hard, and I could see the many bruises I’d gifted the girl. “No, nono. I can keep going, and so can Gar. Right Gar?”

  “What she said,” The boy huffed, hands on his knees and similarly wounded. “As long as you learn to hold back.”

  I shrugged. “Won’t get strong with mercy, so no,” I said. “ Want to avoid bruises? Get better. Practice. Against each other or on your own, I don’t care, the amount of time it’ll take to make you acceptably strong is going to take too long with just my visits.”

  Riri pouted at her clear lack of talent, but that was okay, I could make something of them yet. They’d need to be strong, everyone needed to be strong to stand a chance against the End, and these two? I was going to make sure these two stood something of a chance against the coming cataclysm, even if that chance was just a polite fiction. I wasn’t going to give up just because they hadn’t unlocked mana.

  “You’re making that face again,” Gar grunted.

  My train of thought was suitably derailed, and I turned to look at Gar with a questioning scowl. “What face?”

  “That face where you’re thinking, and your thoughts aren’t good.” Gar huffed.

  “How would you know that?”

  “Intuition”

  I scoffed, took a step forward, and smacked the boy upside the head with my sword. He let out a yelp, followed close behind by a string of curses directed at the world and probably me. Riri got a good chuckle out of it.

  “Don’t assume you know what’s in my head. just train, train, and train. Until your muscles burn and body begs. Then maybe I’ll tell you what I think,” I said.

  Gar mumbled something too quiet for me to hear, but he did give a nod. I smiled and returned it.

  The rest of the day was more of the same, go back and train with Xae, proceed to receive a monstrous beating to remind me that I wasn’t some sort of sword saint. Having my confidence thoroughly shattered by the girl was starting to become routine, but I was getting better. Actually managed a strike on the girl this time, albeit after suffering multiple of my own.

  Then came Tuesday.

  Dreaded, dreaded Tuesday.

  Walking through the rich part of Anik alone was an interesting test in how many glares I could receive from the pompous pricks who lived there. Technically they couldn’t tell me to fuck off, but the guards seemed to be chomping at the bit to find an excuse to kick me out. I could use the sewers to get to Alvir’s store. But, respectfully, that prospect could go fuck itself. Respectfully.

  So I walked until I reached the jewellers, opening the door to a smiling Alvir who was staring at me with unmistakable joy on his face.

  “What?” I said.

  “Just didn’t expect you! Thought I scared you off,” Alvir said.

  I shrugged and stood next to the man, doing some small talk that didn’t really fucking matter between the haggling of rich strangers. It was almost surreal watching a proper witch acting like a normal person. I didn’t know what I expected, only that I’d hoped I wouldn’t meet one until I could kill ’em. Bit hypocritical but I was pretty sure all other witches thought the same.

  Eventually we were done for the day and Alvir walked me back to his workstation where jewels and jewellery were being prepared for the masses. He told me to just focus on my mana sense and I shivered at the thought of feeling the same twisted concept. Still, focus I did and found nothing but mana, going back to the guild and resting. Continuing this routine for another three weeks.

  On the third, Alvir turned to me as we entered his workshop with a questioning gaze. “You haven’t gone to the sewers to hunt any of my rat friends, why is that?”

  “You want me to kill them?” I said, incredulousness laced in my voice.

  “Well, no,” Alvir said. “But I thought you wanted to get stronger? Can’t do that without getting bloody, and why not under the safety of my gaze?”

  “Your gaze is something I have no plans on entertaining, and my trust for you is non-existent.”

  “Yet you keep coming back!” Alvir smiled, it didn't last long under my dead eyed stare. “Alright, alright. Just think on it yeah? Essence is just as valuable as mana, though it’s a much slower path to strength.”

  I sighed and nodded, that made…enough sense. If he wanted me dead then he’d just kill me, and I could make decent progress in the sewers. “Fine.”

  He gave me a wide smile. “Good!” he said. “No more than one a day though, my babies are expensive to nurture. Also, take just the head, the rest is mine”

  “Whatever.”