Pick Me Up!

Aaron said nothing.

Edis spoke up.

“The roles of a swordman and a spearbearer are different. It’s not about strength but about formation.”

“Formation issues, huh? That could be true.”

Velkist limped out of the training area.

Then he downed the water on the shelf. As if the paralysis had been lifted, Velkist’s bent upper body straightened. And then he continued.

“I want to ask. Does that theory apply even if the spearbearer can’t do his job properly?”

“What do you mean?”

Edis squinted her eyes.

“I, too, watched the seniors’ fights in the rift of space and time. It was very interesting. But there was one person who didn’t fit in. Is a spearbearer really that necessary? To the point that you have to tolerate such weakness? I think differently.”

Velkist’s gaze shifted to Aaron.

“Do you not feel your limits, senior?”

There was no hint of a smile on his face.

Velkist was speaking sincerely.

“…”

Aaron bit his lip and lowered his head.

Jenna frowned.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Aaron is doing well.”

“Lady, you have an abundance of talent, so you may not understand. Sometimes, gentle comfort can be more venomous.”

“What…”

“Quiet.”

Both of them fell silent at my words. I looked at Aaron.

Aaron looked at the ground with a contemplative look in his eyes. His right hand, clenched with force, was stained white.

“Yes, as you said, a spearbearer may not be absolutely necessary. If a skilled swordsman joins, we can use other formations.”

“Oppa…”

“But that’s when the swordsman is stronger than the spearbearer. Do you think you’ll be more helpful than Aaron?”

“If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t have spoken up. I challenge you.”

Velkist drew his sword.

Then he stared at Aaron with fiery eyes.

‘Is it finally happening?’

I noticed that Aaron was pushing himself harder than usual.

He knew that if he continued like this, it would end badly. Whether he collapsed on his own or fell during a mission. To overcome this, he needed at least a little spark.

I said to Velkist.

“You better not underestimate him. Aaron has been here much longer than you. If you challenge him with mere confidence and lose, I will never change my mind about you.”

“Don’t worry. If I lose, I’ll join the second party without speaking a word. I won’t break my promise.”

Velkist ran his hand over the blade.

A drop of blood trickled down his index finger.

“You decide, Aaron. This will end if you just say no.”

They say you don’t need a spearman, but in fact it’s good to have one. Also, Aaron has been practicing formation in Party 1 for a long time and has been working well with us. 

Even if the gap is growing, it is not that significant yet. For the time being, he can still function as a first-party member. 

But Aaron shook his head with a heavy expression and said to me:

“Give me 5 minutes, please.”

“Alright.”

Aaron closed his eyes.

A short break.

After Neryssa left the training area without looking back, Jenna persuaded Aaron not to fight, and Eolka joined in. Aaron didn’t respond.

The second party gathered around Edis and had a serious discussion.

Velkist sat down in a corner of the training area, sharpening his sword.

And five minutes later.

“I’ve made my decision, hyungnim.”

“What will you do?”

“…I’ll give it a try.”

“If you lose, you can’t come back to the first party. Be prepared for that.”

“Yes.”

Aaron adjusted his spear and walked to the training area.

Velkist smirked.

“I’ve been waiting for that answer.”

Velkist stood up immediately.

As the two of them stepped onto the training area, the entrance was closed amid loud noises.

‘It got out of my hands.’

Since things turned out like this, there was nothing I could do.

I said, “The winner of this duel will join the first party. Do you agree?”

“I agree.”

“I agree.”

The duel message appeared.

[‘Velkist (★★)’ challenges ‘Aaron (★★)’ to a duel!]

[‘Aaron (★★)’ challenges ‘Velkist (★★)’ to a duel!]

[Both parties agree to the duel!]

[Mutual Agreement Duel!]

[Do you agree?]

[Yes (selected) / No]

This time, Anytng touched Yes again.

With a click, the sound of the training area’s entrance door locking echoed. Until the outcome was decided, no one could enter the training area.

“He left, Aaron oppa. Are you fine like this.”

“It’s his decision.”

“I know that. But what if he loses? Velkist is quite strong.”

“If he does what he always does in training he will be fine.”

Both sides had a weapon skill level of 4.

Additionally, Velkist had a few passive abilities that Aaron didn’t possess.

However, Aaron had a greater advantage, and that was the difference in experience.

Velkist hadn’t been here for long.

Unlike Aaron, who had fought enemies in various situations, Velkist hadn’t even experienced a boss stage firsthand.

Crucially, Velkist lacked experience in facing spearbearers like Roderick and Aaron. In contrast, Aaron had faced such situations dozens, even hundreds of times.

The techniques of a sword and a spear differed.

No matter how skilled Velkist was, he wouldn’t adapt to a spear right from the start.

In time, Velkist might become a threat with accumulated experience, but at this point, Aaron had the upper hand in this duel.

‘Just stick to what you’ve been doing.’

Velkist unsheathed his sword.

Aaron gripped his spear firmly with both hands, adopting the textbook stance of spear technique, bending his knees.

“Begin.”

ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ

Velkist unsheathed his sword.

Aaron gripped his spear firmly with both hands, adopting the textbook stance of spear technique, bending his knees.

“Begin.”

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