Michael inhaled sharply and attacked Stefan with more aggression. There wasn't any time to buffer. He swung his sword as fast as he could with the full intent of penetrating through this impossible defense. But the longer Stefan kept parrying his attacks, he could feel his strength wavering away.
Every swing and every parry made his arms heavier. The fatigue was catching up to him as Stefan didn't even break a sweat yet. Michael had never fought Mave this hard because he thought she wouldn't be able to handle him. But this was his disappointing reality check.
Stefan swung his sword toward Michael, gently pressing the cold edge against his skin.
He froze and held his breath. He feared that if he had breathed too hard, Stefan's blade would have cut right into his neck.
Stefan pulled away, flipping his sword to the ground and resting on the pommel.
Michael's legs gave out. He fell back onto the ground, his torso dripping with sweat and heavily panting. He always knew Stefan was strong but this was totally a different level than Mave. He didn't even stand a chance, not even in the slightest.
They've been only fighting for a minute and it felt like he had run a hundred miles. His arms and legs were on fire. Even sitting still felt uncomfortable because of how much his muscles were trying to suddenly relax. Though he was more than glad it was over. He would have fainted if he kept pushing his body for another minute.
"Well, for starters," Stefan said. "You're not that great, though that doesn't mean the training you've done with Mave wasn't pointless either. Sure, it's a little bit extreme for you to face me where you are but I just had to see for myself."
"Did I pass?"
"There is no pass. I could have killed you countless times."
Michael felt his face drop.
"Your footwork is poor, like I kept telling you, and you lack technique."
"Technique?"
"Over and over," Stefan gestured. "You kept trying to hit through my sword, hoping that somehow you would luckily land a hit. It's good that you're greedy, but if you keep that same momentum against me then you'll fall just as hard."
Michael felt his ego sword in his hands.
"Can I?"
He raised his eyes. Stefan was asking for his ego sword. He reluctantly handed her over, feeling the bond disconnect.
Stefan weighed the ego sword in his hands and spun it around. Then he swung the sword as if he was fighting an invisible enemy. Sometimes, the sword would turn into a blur because of how fast he was moving. It was like he had already adapted to the short length as opposed to his own sword.
Michael thought the sight of watching someone else wield his ego sword was somewhat uncomfortable. Either it was because the sword was in someone else's hands, or because that someone else was handling the weapon better than he could.
It was a terrible feeling that was swelling in his chest the longer Stefan played around with the ego sword.
Stefan stopped, resting the sword in the middle. He hovered his hand across the sword, attempting to swordcast. It didn't work. He couldn't pour any mana inside the sword. He gave it back to Michael.
Michael figured out that only the ego master could bring out the magical properties of the ego sword. To anybody else, it was just an ordinary useless sword with no potential. Knowing that, it gave him a little ease.
"It's well balanced," Stefan said. "Though it's a little shorter than an average sword. I assume being immune to all spells and magic makes up for that, right?"
"I think it's perfect for me."
Stefan plucked his sword from the ground and sheathed it. He sat in front of Michael.
Michael thought Stefan's gaze was intimidating. It was like Stefan was taking him apart and studying him.
"I can help you, if that's what you want," he said. "But you absolutely cannot ignore your mana training. You need it, kid, you can only go so far with that body."
"A fifteen year old with mana?"
"The time you unlock your mana doesn't matter. I found mine at fourteen, a year younger than yours so there's no need to be ashamed."
"What's the usual age for someone to unlock their mana?"
"Nine. That's when your body begins to pick up traces of mana left behind when you were born. It's nothing special, we can both be late bloomers."
"But, you said I need it."
"That's right," Stefan nodded. "I want to help you unlock yours as fast as possible. If we're going to complete quest after quest in this guild, it won't be long until there's enemies that you won't be able to jump onto. Not just mana beast either, I'm talking about people out there waiting to kill you."
Michael gulped. He couldn't stop from imagining himself being murdered because he wasn't fast or strong enough. Fighting against Stefan already convinced him that he still needed to train hard. It was a humbling experience.
"It won't be easy unlocking your mana," Stefan said. "I don't expect you to have it next month or the one after that. It took me a few years after I enrolled in Allux."
"How did you unlock yours?"
"Everybody has their own way of unlocking mana. Maybe through life threatening situations, persistent training, or if you're lucky enough—being born with it unlocked. We call those little babies blessed."
"And you unlocked yours by sitting around and trying not to explode your brain?"
Stefan flicked Michael's forehead. "It's very rigorous, I know, that's why I'm starting you early. Our quests are only going to get harder so running around with no mana is a death sentence."
Michael rubbed his forehead. "And what about Ellis? He doesn't have any mana, why aren't you training him?"
"Could you draw maps?"
"No."
"Could you plan our quests and handle the navigations?"
Michael frowned. "No…"
"Ellis can be an exception, he doesn't fight in the frontline like me and Mave. But for you, with that magical sword, it's basically an obvious calling that you'd be with us too."
"If I do your mana training, could you also teach me how to fight?"
"So you can beat Mave?"
Michael nodded.
Stefan chuckled as he stood. "That's fine, I can help you with that. I don't want you complaining about how pointless my help is though, because you're only going to discourage yourself from unlocking mana."
"And when do you think that happens?"
"It's completely subjective, kid, mana is the force that connects us all. Don't rush it, you'll get it eventually."
"And if I don't?"
"That's not for you to decide."
Michael didn't know what he meant by that. He still didn't believe in mana despite seeing how unnaturally fast Stefan was with a sword. Then again, he had a magical sword that could talk inside his head. Anything could be possible in this world. He just had to believe in himself a little more and give credit to Stefan about how mana would appear inside his body as he awkwardly meditated. If mana was the key to getting stronger, then maybe it should be inside one of his agendas.
As stupid as unlocking mana sounded, Stefan was determined enough to help him. Michael would be a fool to decline that.