Malakai ignored Renlo completely, giving a curt nod toward the instructor, who straightened and continued.
“For the sake of our newest addition, I’ll explain what this discipline entails again.”
The instructor’s voice boomed across the field.
“The Combat Conditioning Discipline is designed to refine your combat capabilities: your reflexes, your reaction time, your ability to think under pressure, your instincts, everything. Here, you’ll be forged into a weapon fitting of the Sanguine Clan.”
He paused, letting the words sink in.
“In this class, you will select a partner. If you cannot find one, you will pair with an instructor. In every session, you will engage in real combat, sparring with the intent to kill. Don’t worry.”
A faint smile appeared on the instructor’s lips.
“That’s what we instructors are here for. Every one of us is at the Synergy Stage. We will stop any lethal attacks before they land.”
He sent Malakai a brief glance, confirming he was following, then clapped his hands sharply:
“Alright! Renlo!”
“Y-yes!”
Renlo practically jumped out of his skin.
The instructor’s eyes gleamed.
“You don’t have a partner, right? Pair up with the Ninth Vein!”
Renlo’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
“W-what?…” he stammered.
“Did I stutter!?” the instructor snapped.
“N-no! Y-yes sir!” Renlo flinched.
The instructor clapped once. “Good, now begin.”
Each group instantly started scurrying across the large field, searching for space to fight.
Luckily, the training field was wide enough to accommodate everyone, even with a lot more space remaining.
Malakai and Renlo hadn’t moved from their positions.
Since they were already on the field, they simply waited as the other youths spread out, giving them more space, not that they needed it. The students had avoided Malakai like a plague.
After some seconds, the sound of multiple clashes echoed across the clearing as the spars began. The sharp ring of steel meeting steel filled the air.
Renlo’s legs felt like jelly as he stood in front of this monster in human skin, the Ninth Vein.
‘First I didn’t have time to prepare food this morning, and now I’m facing a Vein!? What rotten luck!’ he cursed internally.
Renlo had no idea what the Ninth Vein was truly capable of, hell, he didn’t even recognize his face. If anything, even he admitted he was living under a rock.
But if there was one thing Renlo believed with certainty, it was that all Veins were monsters.
He shakily raised his head to meet Malakai’s cold eyes… and froze.
‘What’s with those eyes?!’ he panicked.
Renlo felt bare under that gaze, as though Malakai had figured out everything about him with just a single look.
‘Shit! Shit! He’s going to kill me!’
He shakily raised his spear, entering a stance.
‘He’s shaking.’
Malakai frowned as he drew his scythe.
Training through real combat was indeed a great way to improve, Malakai could attest to that. But if the opponent was lacking from the start, then it was only a waste of time.
With just one glance at Renlo’s form, Malakai had already spotted enough attack points to end the fight in a single move.
“Stop slacking and start fighting!” the instructor barked.
Renlo turned toward the voice, startled, only to whip his head back a second later… Malakai was gone.
“Huh?”
A gleam suddenly filled his vision as the pointed edge of a scythe blade screamed just inches away from his face.
His life flashed before his eyes, and he couldn’t move a single inch.
BAM!
A hand suddenly appeared in front of him, catching the blade clean.
The instructor that had shouted earlier stood between them, gripping Malakai’s scythe, his expression slightly shocked.
‘He’s insane.’
Even without using his vita or blood, Malakai had exploited the brief second Renlo looked away. If the instructor hadn’t interfered… Renlo would be dead.
Renlo realized this too. He clutched his spear tighter as Malakai backed off calmly.
Renlo felt as though he had been doused with icy water. His blood turned cold. He had been completely right, Veins were monsters.
‘I didn’t even see him move.’ He steadied into a stance. After what he’d just experienced, it was impossible for his body not to tremble. But Renlo clutched his spear tighter.
‘You can’t keep cowering, Renlo.’
He repeated the words in his head just as he met Malakai’s gaze once more. But then, his stomach growled.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.
The ration pack hadn’t been nearly enough to keep him going.
‘I need something to eat, anything!’ His expression darkened. The pain in his stomach was… uncomfortable. He hated it.
‘I need to end this fight and find food.’
As he thought this, his expression suddenly turned cold. The trembling in his limbs ceased. His eyes sharpened.
In that exact moment, Malakai moved. But this time, Renlo’s spear whipped up, catching the scythe with a loud clang as sparks flew from the contact.
Malakai raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. But he didn’t dwell on it. He flipped his scythe forward with force, the staff hurtling towards Renlo’s chest, only for the boy’s body to dip under it. He ducked low, pressed in, and sent a thrust straight toward Malakai’s ribs.
Malakai’s gaze narrowed. Is this the same boy?
Renlo’s expression was sharp, focused. He bit down lightly on his lower lip, eyes locked in like he’d entered a trance.
That was what puzzled Malakai. Had he suddenly learned how to fight?
Still, the only reason he had gotten this far was because Malakai had been holding back.
His figure darted to the side, evading the thrust, and in the same motion, his right knee shot upward toward Renlo’s chin with speed and force.
Renlo’s eyes widened… but before the blow could land, the instructor’s palm appeared once more, stopping the strike in place.
“Good job. Carry on,” the instructor said simply before stepping back.
Malakai backed off, his calm eyes fixed on Renlo, who had already dropped back into stance with those same focused eyes.
‘Something changed.’
This wasn’t the shaky boy he’d nearly killed in the first strike. Right now, Renlo stood firm, his form clean.
The weak points Malakai had identified earlier were gone, or at least drastically reduced. He didn’t know what had triggered the shift, but something had.
“Don’t stop! Continue fighting!” the instructor barked.
The order snapped Malakai out of his thoughts, and this time, Renlo surged forward.