On the seventh day, Rei and Basrero headed for the Guild Training Ground once again.
Rei had checked in with Lenora at the guild before using the grounds, but fortunately, no drunkards bothered Basrero today—likely a result of the commotion the previous day.
"Teacher, am I training with Mr. Hasta again today?" Basrero asked as they walked.
Rei gave a small shake of his head. "Hasta isn't particularly high-ranked, but he’s a busy man." He went on to explain that Hasta was currently out hunting monster meat for his family's dining hall.
"I see... Mr. Hasta really cares about his family, doesn't he?" Basrero admired that. He felt a deep bond with his own father, Muet, and their maid, Ashie, so he understood Hasta’s motivations perfectly.
"Well, that’s why he should be outside the city today, likely alongside other cash-strapped adventurers. Which means he's unavailable."
"So, will it just be the two of us at the training ground today? If that's the case, we could have just used the backyard..."
"Don't worry. I’ve invited a special guest today as well."
As Rei spoke, he shifted his gaze toward the training ground. Standing there was a lone female warrior clad in leather armor crafted from monster hides.
"..."
Basrero was momentarily captivated by her dignified beauty, but the image shattered in the next instant. The moment the woman spotted Rei's group, she charged toward them at a speed the boy found unbelievable.
"——!?"
Startled by her sheer velocity, Basrero instinctively reached for his sword out of a sense of danger, but Rei stopped him with a wry smile.
"Teacher?"
"It’s fine. She’s always like this."
"Seto-chan, Seto-chan, Seto-chaaan! How have you been? Are you hungry? I brought some of your favorites today, so let's eat together!"
The female warrior—Mirene—closed the distance in a flash, passing Rei and Basrero as if they didn't exist. She threw her arms around the neck of Seto, who was following behind them.
"Guruuu."
Seto accepted Mirene’s embrace with practiced ease, rubbing its face against hers.
"Um... Teacher?" Basrero whispered, bewildered by how quickly the image of a dignified warrior had transformed into... whatever this was.
"Yeah, don't mind her. She’s head over heels for Seto. She’s always like this whenever he’s around."
"Is she... okay?" Basrero watched Mirene as she rubbed her cheeks against the griffon and stroked its back with a look of pure bliss.
Rei chuckled and gave a small nod. "Well, looking at her now, it’s only natural to be worried. But believe it or not, she’s the leader of a C-Rank party, Scorching Wind. Since she uses a sword, I figured she’d be the perfect sparring partner for you."
"C-Rank!?" Basrero blurted out. He found it hard to believe that this woman melting over a griffon was an adventurer of a higher rank than Rei.
Rei seemed to catch his drift. His wry smile widened as he looked at Mirene. "She’s the classic example of someone whose personality has nothing to do with her skill. Her swordsmanship is the real deal. In fact, if she fought Hasta, her win rate wouldn't drop below ninety percent. You’d need at least two Hastas just to stand a chance against her."
"That much...?"
Realizing a pair of stunned eyes were fixed on her, Mirene finally pulled away from Seto and straightened up.
"Ahem. I heard you’ve been talking about me. I'm Mirene, and I'll be assisting with your training today. Nice to meet you."
"Yes! I'm honored to be trained by someone higher-ranked than my teacher. Looking forward to it!" Basrero bowed vigorously, but Mirene’s cheeks twitched at his words.
"Um, Basrero, was it? It’s true that I’m a higher rank than Rei here. But listen, okay? Don't get the wrong idea—Rei is an outlier. Even if his rank is lower than mine, he’s considered an A-Rank equivalent in terms of raw strength, so don't let the rankings confuse you."
Mirene spoke as if she couldn't stand the thought of being compared to Rei’s monstrous power. As members of the party that had spent the most time with Rei in Gilm, Scorching Wind knew exactly how absurd he was. If every adventurer at or above Rei's rank possessed that kind of strength, the city would be a nest of monsters. Pushed by the sheer force of Mirene's conviction, Basrero nodded quickly.
Rei watched the exchange before clapping his hands to bring them back to the matter at hand. "Alright, enough with the chatter. Mirene, are you ready?"
"Of course. But you haven't forgotten about my reward, have you?"
"I know."
Since he had roped Mirene into this as an assistant for his own quest, a reward was only fair. While someone like Hasta viewed it as preparation for the Winter Battle, most adventurers considered winter their off-season.
"Hehe... a date with Seto-chan, a date with Seto-chan, a date with Seto-chan..."
Mirene muttered the words like a broken record as she drew her sword. Rei noticed the weapon was different from the one she had used back when Seto was moved by the teleportation stone.
She probably bought a replacement with the reward from that job... She's quite the spender, Rei thought.
Originally, Mirene hadn't been particularly extravagant. However, since meeting Seto—the creature that had captured her heart instantly—she had begun spending massive amounts of money on "feeding" him with affectionate treats. Her sense of finances had shifted accordingly, resulting in the high-quality sword now in her hand.
"T-Teacher... she’s kind of scary."
Basrero clung to Rei with teary eyes, but Rei acted as though everything were normal.
"Don't worry about it. I don't. Besides, if you become an adventurer, you’ll eventually run into people who are far more 'gone' than her. Think of this as training to build up your tolerance."
"I think my desire to be an adventurer just dipped a little..." Basrero muttered. However, he shook off the hesitation, drew his sword, and took a stance against Mirene. "Here I come!"
"Yes, come!"
The moment they finished speaking, Basrero lunged forward, closing the distance. His opening move was a thrust—but unlike the ones he had used before, this one was far sharper, incorporating the techniques Hasta had taught him. However...
"Too slow. If you’re going to thrust, you need to prioritize speed over everything else."
A sharp metallic cling rang out. In the next instant, Basrero realized his sword was gone.
"...Eh?"
He stared at his empty hands. A few seconds later, the sound of his blade hitting the ground echoed from his right side, having been knocked high into the air.
"What’s wrong? Are we finished?" Mirene asked provocatively.
Snapped back to reality, Basrero scrambled to retrieve his sword. "Not yet! Again!"
He faced her once more, measuring the distance. This time, instead of rushing in, he stayed back and observed her intently.
"Not coming? Then I'll go!"
Mirene unleashed a flurry of strikes. While she was a swordsman who focused on speed and technique over raw power, she still possessed more than enough strength to overwhelm a ten-year-old boy. Basrero managed to block her swings, but each impact sent a jolt through his arms, turning his hands numb. He couldn't keep this up forever.
"And that's that."
He managed to catch a horizontal slash, but Mirene immediately turned her wrist. A heartbeat later, the tip of her sword was leveled at his throat.
"...I surrender."
"Mm. You seem to be terrible at defending. With your build, you can't block attacks with pure strength anyway, so stop trying to catch the blade head-on. You need to learn to parry. See? When a sword comes at you, don't hold your blade vertical to stop it. Catch it at an angle. That way, you can redirect the opponent's force."
Mirene demonstrated the technique with her own sword. Basrero watched with intense focus, determined not to miss a single movement. The fact that his instructor had a slightly questionable personality had already vanished from his mind.
"Like... like this?" Basrero imitated her, angling his sword tip slightly.
Mirene nodded with a smile. "Exactly. Like that. Alright, ready? Let’s go again."
"Yes!"
They reset and clashed once more. Mirene swung another horizontal slash, and Basrero tried to catch it at an angle as instructed—only for his sword to be sent flying again.
"Now you're too loose. You can't put too much strength into it, but you can't be limp either."
"Then... how much strength should I use?"
"That’s different for everyone. You just have to fail, try again, and find your own balance. Now, get ready. Again!"
"Right!"
As Mirene took her stance, Basrero scrambled for his sword. Another horizontal slash came.
"Whoa!"
"Now you're too stiff again. Think about the difference in our builds!"
He had overcorrected and gripped the sword too tight. Mirene’s strike numbed his hand, causing him to drop the weapon right where he stood.
They repeated the drill for nearly an hour. By the end of it, Basrero was so exhausted he couldn't even stand, let alone hold a sword.
"Mirene, why don't we take a break? Any more and he’s just going to hurt himself," Rei suggested.
"Eh? Oh... right. I forgot he’s still just a kid. Let's take thirty minutes."
Basrero exhaled a ragged breath and nodded silently, sweat pouring down his face like a waterfall despite the winter chill. Under the clear sky, steam seemed to rise from his entire body.
"Here, wipe yourself off. And drink this. Stay hydrated." Rei handed him a towel and a canteen of fruit-juice water from the Misty Ring.
"Th-thank... you..." Basrero managed to gasp. He had been completely drained by the intensity of facing Mirene, a high-rank swordsman who shared his weapon type. He gulped down the water greedily.
"...So, what do you think?" Rei asked, tossing another canteen to Mirene. Even though she had moved more than Basrero, she wasn't even breathing hard and was already back to doting on Seto. It was a stark reminder of the gap between a novice and a C-Rank adventurer.
"Well, his offensive talent is natural. He was born for it. But because he’s so gifted there, his defense is severely lacking. On a scale of ten, I'd say he's an eight for offense... and a two for defense."
Rei sighed. It was the same assessment Hasta had given the day before. Basrero’s talent was dangerously lopsided.
"If you were to put him in a party, how would you use him?"
"Hmm. If he were in my party, I’d put a tank in the vanguard and let him focus entirely on attacking. Or, since he has the talent for it, you could have a mage like Sulnin cast magic to increase defense on him... but it would still be a gamble."
"Yeah... I thought so."
Even Rei would be hesitant to team up with such an attack-focused warrior. If one hit could take him out, relying on his high attack power would be too much of a risk.
I guess we really have no choice but to drill defense into him. Either that, or find a way for him to use magic like the Magic Shield skill...
Thinking through the possibilities, Rei waited for Basrero to recover before resuming the combat training.