The next morning, when Lucien woke up, he saw that Master White had already hunted an Ironhide Boar.
The smell of roasted meat filled the air.
Master White looked at him.
Today we will not spar.
Lucien sat down quietly.
Your stance, balance, and control are good. Your attacks are also acceptable. But you still do not know how to swing your sword properly.
Lucien thought to himself that he already knew that. He had believed sparring with his master would naturally improve his slashes.
Master White continued speaking.
From today onward, you will swing your sword one thousand times every day. Continue until you push past your limits.
Lucien nodded.
Yes master.
Then begin.
Lucien stood up and started swinging his sword.
One swing.
Two swings.
Ten swings.
A hundred swings.
By the time he reached one thousand swings, his arms were burning and his body was exhausted.
The next morning Lucien woke up again. Once more he saw that Master White had already hunted another Ironhide Boar.
After they finished eating, Master White looked at him.
Begin your training.
Lucien picked up his sword and continued swinging.
Day after day he repeated the same routine.
Swinging the sword again and again.
This continued for another three months.
After three months, Lucien could swing the sword without sweating.
His movements had become smooth and powerful.
That day Master White walked toward him.
Now spar with me.
Lucien smiled and raised his sword.
The two began fighting.
This time Lucien was very different from before.
The moment Lucien swung his sword with full force, the power of the strike made Master White smile.
Yes. This is what I was expecting.
Before, Lucien could not last even one minute against his master.
Now he lasted longer than a minute.
Master White was still holding back. He was only using two percent of his strength.
Even so, he was impressed by Lucien's improvement.
The sparring continued.
Suddenly Master White stepped forward and struck Lucien in the stomach.
Lucien dropped his sword and held his stomach.
That hurts.
Master White looked at him calmly.
When fighting your enemy, will you lower your guard just because you are in pain.
Lucien frowned.
You are not my enemy. You are my master. I knew you wanted to end the fight. That is why you attacked my stomach.
This hurts like hell.
Master White suddenly struck him again with the wooden sword.
The pain was even worse.
Lucien groaned.
Master White spoke again.
From now on I will strike you until you faint.
Lucien tried to speak.
Before he could say anything, Master White struck him on the neck with the wooden sword.
Lucien collapsed and fainted.
When Lucien woke up, it was already evening.
Master White was sitting outside roasting the remaining Ironhide Boar meat.
He looked up.
Lucien. You are awake.
Come sit. Let us eat.
Lucien slowly sat down.
I guess I will be eating Ironhide Boar every day before leaving here. Can you not cook something else.
Master White laughed.
If I knew how to cook, we would have eaten something better today.
Then he looked at Lucien seriously.
Take your training seriously. From now on I will not go easy on you again.
Lucien nodded.
From that day forward Lucien trained even harder.
Day and night he swung his sword.
Master White began teaching him the Basic Slash.
A simple horizontal strike.
Lucien practiced that move for one month.
After that Master White taught him Vertical Cleave.
A powerful downward strike.
Then he learned Piercing Thrust.
A fast stab aimed at weak points.
After that he learned Deflect.
Blocking or redirecting enemy attacks.
Then Footwork Step.
Moving quickly to avoid attacks while holding the sword.
Lucien trained until he mastered each technique.
Then Master White moved him to the next stage.
The Flowing Sword.
The goal was to combine movement and attack smoothly.
Lucien learned Flowing Cut.
A fast follow up slash.
Then Wind Step.
A quick movement used to dodge attacks.
Then Double Fang Strike.
Two rapid sword strikes.
And finally Guard Break.
A heavy attack meant to break an enemy's defense.
Time passed.
Three years went by.
Lucien's swordsmanship had improved greatly.
One day Master White decided to spar with him again.
They stood facing each other.
Then the fight began.
Every slash Lucien swung now carried the same strength and control.
His movements were faster.
His balance was better.
He could dodge and block his master's attacks.
Master White smiled as he watched Lucien fight.
Feeling proud, he decided to increase his strength.
He began using ten percent of his power.
The pressure immediately increased.
Lucien struggled but managed to hold his ground.
Master White moved far faster than before.
Lucien fought with everything he had.
He continued attacking without giving up.
Master White smiled again.
Yes. This is the power of not giving up.
Excited, Master White swung his sword toward Lucien's blind spot.
But before the strike even arrived, Lucien moved.
He blocked the attack.
The fight continued.
Lucien suddenly realized something strange.
He could see every attack before it happened.
He thought to himself that he could foresee his master's strikes.
Master White also noticed this.
It seems he can see my attacks before I move.
To test it, Master White increased his strength again.
Fifteen percent.
His next strike came with far more power.
Lucien saw it coming and tried to block.
But the force shattered Lucien's wooden sword and threw him backward.
Master White lowered his sword.
You did well.
Lucien smiled.
It is thanks to your training.
But suddenly Lucien held his head.
A sharp pain spread through it.
Why does my head hurt.
Master White did not strike his head.
Lucien wondered if it was a side effect of what he had just done.
The pain lasted three minutes before disappearing.
Master White laughed.
So you really can see my attacks before they happen.
That is quite a cheat ability.
I knew you were talented and hardworking, but I did not expect that.
Now go swing your sword until night.
Lucien nodded.
Yes master.
While Lucien continued training, Master White left to send a message to Lucien's grandmother using a messenger bird.
The letter read
It has been a long time since we last saw each other.
I have been training Lucien the same way I once trained Alaric.
He is extremely talented.
Even more talented than his father.
He learns quickly and grows stronger after every mistake.
Today he showed the ability to foresee my attacks.
He cannot control it yet, but I will teach him.
When I finish training him, he will become unstoppable.
I only hope he will be the chosen one.
After sending the bird away, Master White returned.
Lucien was still swinging his sword.
Master White spoke.
Keep training. I have a special lesson prepared for you.
Lucien wondered what the special training would be.
The next morning Lucien woke up and saw his master waiting outside.
Lucien greeted him.
Master White spoke.
Today we go deep into the forest.
Master White began walking and Lucien followed him.
Lucien thought that hunting with his master would be exciting.
But after leaving the Ironhide Boar territory, Lucien began to feel uneasy.
Something was wrong.
He continued following his master.
Then suddenly Master White disappeared.
Lucien looked around.
His master was gone.
Lucien walked forward cautiously.
Then he realized something terrifying.
He had entered the territory of Thornback Treants and Razorwing Hawks.
A Thornback Treant slowly stepped out from the trees.
Lucien believed he could defeat it.
He punched the creature.
The attack did nothing.
The Treant's roots shot out and wrapped around Lucien.
It slammed him into the ground with terrifying force.
Pain exploded through his back.
Lucien realized he could not win.
He ran.
But no matter where he ran, more Thornback Treants appeared.
Lucien kept running without stopping.
He searched desperately for a place to hide and think.
Finally he saw a large tree.
He quickly climbed it.
Night had already fallen.
Lucien rested on a thick branch, unable to sleep comfortably.
Early the next morning he looked down.
His heart sank.
Several Thornback Treants were gathered around the tree.
Then he realized something even worse.
This tree stood in the center of their territory.
Lucien took a deep breath and waited quietly.
He needed to find the perfect moment to attack.