I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 142: 142:Strengths and weaknesses.

Steel met steel with a sharp, ringing clash that echoed throughout the premium training room. Neither Silver nor Ravenna held anything back.

Their first exchange was fast but controlled, each testing the other’s balance rather than trying to overwhelm them. Silver’s blade swept in from the right, only for Ravenna to intercept it with precise timing. Sparks danced where the two swords scraped against each other before both stepped away simultaneously.

Silver immediately moved back in. He went for a low slash, but it was blocked; then changed to an upward cut, but it was redirected.

Ravenna answered with a smooth diagonal strike that forced him onto the defensive before flowing seamlessly into another attack.

Silver caught the second strike in a cross guard and twisted his wrists, sliding her blade away before countering with a thrust. Ravenna leaned aside just enough for the tip of the sword to pass harmlessly by her shoulder.

Neither spoke; their concentration remained entirely on the fight. Every movement carried purpose, and every step was measured.

Silver quickly realized what he had noticed during their warm-up wasn’t an illusion. Ravenna’s patience had improved dramatically. She no longer chased every opening; instead, she calmly waited until he committed before choosing the safest response.

At the same time, Ravenna found herself quietly surprised. Silver’s fundamentals had become incredibly clean. The unnecessary movements that had once existed in his swordsmanship were disappearing.

He no longer wasted energy. Every slash naturally flowed into the next and every defense prepared his next attack.

Their blades collided again and again. The rhythm steadily increased. Neither gained a clear advantage. After several more exchanges, Silver inhaled slowly.

It was time.

His foot shifted. The surrounding space rippled almost imperceptibly.

[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]

His figure vanished for the briefest instant before reappearing beside Ravenna. Exactly where he intended. His sword swept toward her side.

But Ravenna reacted immediately. She pivoted toward him instead of away, her blade already waiting to intercept his attack. Steel crashed together once more.

Silver’s eyebrows lifted.

She had clearly expected it. They separated again. Silver attacked normally for several exchanges before activating Short-Step once more.

Again, he appeared beside her, but again, Ravenna’s sword was already moving. She blocked him with far less surprise than before.

Silver retreated.

’She’s reading it...’

It wasn’t perfect, but she was beginning to understand the rhythm behind his movements.

He smiled inwardly.

This was exactly why they were doing this. The spar wasn’t about winning; it was about exposing habits.

The pace increased. Silver mixed ordinary footwork with occasional bursts of Short-Step, making his movements increasingly difficult to predict.

Ravenna answered by weaving bursts of fire through her swordsmanship. A thin layer of flames coated her blade. The heat immediately filled the room.

Silver’s eyes narrowed slightly. The enhancement wasn’t overwhelming; instead, it sharpened the sword’s cutting power while keeping its movements light. She was controlling the flames with remarkable precision.

Ravenna stepped forward.

A sweeping slash carved through the air, carrying a crescent of fire only a short distance beyond her blade. Silver slipped backward just outside its reach before driving forward again.

This time he didn’t teleport; instead, he closed the distance with pure footwork before swinging toward her shoulder.

Their swords collided.

Ravenna twisted her wrist. Flames spiraled around her weapon as she redirected his strike. The heat forced Silver to disengage instead of remaining locked against her blade.

’So that’s your answer...’ he thought.

Using fire defensively. That was smart.

Silver circled her, then the surrounding space distorted. A narrow blade of compressed space shot forward.

[Space Slash Lv1 Activated.]

It wasn’t aimed to win, only to test.

Ravenna immediately shifted sideways, the invisible edge passing close enough to stir her hair before striking the reinforced barrier behind her. The protective formation rippled gently.

She didn’t waste the opportunity. Using the brief opening created by his attack, she accelerated forward. A burst of flame erupted beneath her feet, and her speed noticeably increased.

Silver barely managed to block the incoming strike. The force pushed him backward several steps.

’Shit, she’s fast.’

Much faster than before. Their swords blurred once again. They attacked, blocked each other, countered, retreated, and advanced when they had an advantage over the other.

Silver gradually began mixing his abilities together. Ordinary swordsmanship, then Short-Step, then another exchange, then Space Slash. Never following the same pattern twice, or at least... that was his intention.

Minutes passed.

Sweat rolled down his forehead. His breathing remained steady despite the relentless pace, then another blue notification quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Space Slash]

{Proficiency Increased.}

Silver smiled faintly without letting it distract him.

Progress.

Ravenna attacked again. Silver ducked beneath her blade before slipping around her side. Another ripple distorted the air.

[Short-Step LV2 Activated.]

He reappeared behind her, only for Ravenna to spin almost instantly. Her sword met his before he could complete his attack.

Silver widened his eyes.

"...Again."

She wasn’t predicting the exact timing but the destination. Every single teleport had brought him toward her dominant side. His subconscious preference had become obvious.

He immediately filed the observation away. They continued. The temperature inside the room slowly rose as Ravenna increased the amount of fire surrounding her blade.

Silver could feel the warmth against his face every time their swords met. Several exchanges later, another notification appeared.

[Fire Resistance]

{Proficiency Increased.}

He almost laughed.

’Useful.’

The fight continued uninterrupted. Silver became increasingly careful with his positioning. Rather than relying on Short-Step, he deliberately returned to ordinary movement for several exchanges, then...

[Space Slash Lv1]

Ravenna narrowly avoided another compressed spatial blade before answering with a wide flaming slash that forced Silver backward.

As she accelerated after him, Silver noticed something: her sword. For the briefest moment... The flames flickered. It wasn’t enough for most people to notice, but his heightened perception caught it.

Every time she combined rapid acceleration with maintaining fire along her blade... Her elemental control became slightly unstable, only for an instant, but it existed.

A weakness.

It wasn’t a serious one yet, Silver smiled. Now he understood why they were sparring. Not to prove superiority but to discover these details before facing real enemies. The pace increased again. Both of them unconsciously pushed harder.

Silver combined Short-Step with flowing sword attacks before slipping Space Slash between combinations whenever an opening appeared.

Ravenna answered with increasingly refined swordsmanship supported by carefully controlled bursts of flame. The room echoed with constant clashes. Steel rang endlessly, and heat shimmered through the arena.

The protective barrier continued absorbing the stray impacts without complaint. Another notification appeared.

[Sword Proficiency]

Proficiency Increased.

Silver’s movements became even smoother. His body seemed to naturally correct tiny imperfections in his stance. The exchanges continued for several more minutes, and neither managed to land a decisive strike.

Finally, Silver activated Short-Step once more. This time he deliberately appeared on Ravenna’s opposite side. She reacted a fraction slower than before.

His sword reached her shoulder, at exactly the same moment Ravenna’s blade stopped a finger’s width from his neck.

Silence filled the room.

Neither moved; then, both lowered their swords simultaneously. Heavy breathing filled the room as sweat dripped onto the polished floor.

For several moments neither spoke, then Ravenna smiled first.

"...A draw?"

Silver chuckled.

"I think so."

He sheathed his sword.

"So."

Ravenna accepted the offered water bottle before taking a long drink.

"You noticed it too?"

Silver nodded.

"I always teleport toward your dominant side."

"You do."

She smiled apologetically.

"After the third time, I started waiting for it."

"I didn’t even realize."

"It became predictable."

Silver rubbed the back of his neck.

"I’ll have to fix that."

"You should."

He looked toward her.

"My turn."

She nodded.

"When you accelerate, you lose a little control over your flames."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"...You noticed."

"Only for a moment."

Silver gestured toward her sword.

"The faster you move, the harder it becomes to maintain a stable coating around the blade."

Ravenna considered it before nodding.

"I’ve been forcing both techniques together."

"It shows."

She smiled.

"Then I know what to practice."

Silver nodded.

"And I know what I need to work on."

Neither sounded disappointed. If anything, both looked satisfied. The spar had accomplished exactly what they wanted.

As Silver wiped the sweat from his forehead, another notification quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Space Slash]

{Proficiency Increased.

Current Progress: 97%

Next Level: Lv2}

Silver’s eyes lingered on the final line. Ninety-seven percent, it was so close.

He smiled to himself.

’Just a little more...’

He dismissed the notification and looked toward Ravenna.

"Lunch?"

She laughed softly.

"I was hoping you’d say that."

Together, they deactivated the room’s protective barrier, returned their equipment, and left the premium training room.