Chapter 40: *A skilled fighter*
Kevin didn’t choose a stick but a spear that had a sharp blade at each of its two ends, which made it deadly dangerous, especially in the hands of an expert like him. He began to use his technique, and Axel was hypnotized; he watched Kevin’s movements, but like the last time, he couldn’t understand them.
Learning a technique was relatively easy; you just had to decipher the movements of that technique until you could predict which one he would use next. However, no matter how focused Axel was, he could never anticipate Kevin’s next move. Each time he thought he had understood his technique, he found that he hadn’t at all.
Kevin stopped after 30 minutes and saw that Axel looked frustrated. He laughed and approached him to explain his technique.
Axel had learned to fight like in a military school, with orderly and repetitive combat postures and sequences of movements. Kevin, on the other hand, had learned to fight on the streets to survive. His movements were the opposite of what Axel had been taught. To be even more precise, he had created this technique to fight especially against military opponents.
With unpredictable movements, he could easily disrupt the rhythm of the fight and gain the advantage over his opponents. When Kevin explained all of this to Axel, he was far from being upset; he just needed to change his mindset and completely alter his fighting style.
But Kevin disagreed, finding Axel’s fighting technique very good. He told him that all he needed to do was add some counterattacks to break the rhythm of a fight if he found himself at a disadvantage. He also mentioned that Axel should work on the speed of his movements.
When Kevin saw that Axel looked puzzled, he explained that he had watched him fight and that his speed was undoubtedly his strongest point. Instead of wanting to change his fighting style, Axel should harness that strength to its fullest and make the speed of his movements his most lethal weapon.
Axel couldn’t quite express how he felt at that moment. He felt relieved and grateful. He had started to stagnate and couldn’t progress anymore, but he had finally found someone who could help him become even stronger.
He then smiled at Kevin and said, "You were right when you said that the instructors of the Sun Sect wouldn’t have been able to teach you anything. You are much more knowledgeable than them; there is no doubt about it, trust me."
Kevin smiled at him and replied, "The most important thing is never to stop improving. One technique can always be enhanced, and some moves can be added to face all kinds of opponents."
Kevin added confidently, "Axel, after this, I will teach you my fighting techniques and help you combine them with yours; you will become untouchable."
Axel’s smile widened, and he said, "Let’s fight then! Show me how to break the rhythm during a fight."
When Tony arrived at the training ground, he watched them for a bit and was surprised to see how well Kevin was performing; no wonder he had caught Axel’s eye.
He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and they both stopped by mutual agreement. Kevin then said something that stunned Tony: "Wow, Axel, you have learned so fast; that was much better this way."
Axel’s reaction shocked him even more; he was watching Kevin with a dazzling smile and a look full of adoration. Tony no longer doubted that Axel had fallen in love with this little fighter, so he said to Kevin as they walked over to him, "Kevin, I’m surprised; for your age, you’re already a skilled fighter."
Kevin looked puzzled by the compliment, and Axel chuckled before saying to Tony, "He’s a mage, Tony, and he has just entered the Sun Sect. I met him just after his test. But it’s true that if he had entered as a fighter, it wouldn’t have taken long for him to beat us all."
Tony was so surprised that he was rendered speechless... A mage... Kevin was a mage... And from what Axel had said, he couldn’t have been much over 18. He came to his senses and asked Kevin curiously, "What elements do you have an affinity with?"
Kevin looked at Axel, who nodded to indicate it was okay to tell him, so Kevin said, "My main element is lightning, and I also have affinities with water and wind."
Tony hissed in admiration; this Kevin was obviously no ordinary person. "Ha, Axel, no wonder he has managed to catch your attention! If he is as good at crafting potions as he is at fighting, you better keep an eye on him because everyone will try to seduce him."
Kevin didn’t understand why Tony said that, but Axel put his arm around his shoulders and said, "Fuck you, Tony; he is mine."
Tony laughed out loud, and Axel changed the subject. "So, have you finished making your estimate?"
Tony nodded and handed them a paper summarizing it. He said, "Take your time to look it over, and if you’re satisfied, come meet me at the counter; I will pay you." He added before leaving them alone, "For the Nerudium, this is the price I am ready to pay you right away, but you will probably make more money if you auction it. By the way, that’s probably what I’ll do if you let me buy it."
Tony then left, and they both examined the paper he had given them. For the bodies of all the monsters, Tony was offering them the tidy sum of 117,700 gold coins. For their weapons, he offered 27,300 gold coins, and he had found two magical crystals.
Both were of medium grade; the first was large and worth 20,000 gold coins, while the other was medium-sized and worth 10,000 gold coins. He had also estimated that the Nerudium was of medium grade and therefore worth 100,000 gold coins per kg. They had 1.7 kg, which added up to 170,000 gold coins in total.
Kevin asked Axel, "Is Tony really going to give us that amount? 345,000 gold coins is a lot of money, right?"
Axel nodded and replied, "Yes, that’s a lot of money... Let’s leave the Nerudium to him; I don’t want to waste any more time going to an auction house for it. Let’s go home, babe."
