Chapter 51: *How could a fight be fun*
Kevin was very excited. While he was doing his stretching and workout, he planned to watch Erik and give Axel some advice later so Erik could progress faster.
Kevin preferred to remain discreet, so when he got near the gymnasium, he pulled his hood over his head. With the help of the fighters, who were all a bit taller and more muscular than him, he entered without anyone noticing—well, almost nobody.
As soon as he entered the gymnasium, Axel immediately caught his scent and searched for him as usual. Like most times, he had to wait until Kevin chose to reveal himself to find him.
He saw Kevin appear out of nowhere; there had been no one there before, but in the next second, Kevin was standing there. Axel simply had to ask him how he managed to do that. He also watched as Kevin removed his hood and walked toward him with a charming smile on his face.
Axel smiled back, and Erik, noticing the change in Axel’s demeanor, exclaimed in surprise, "Since when has Kevin been here? I didn’t see him arrive..."
Axel patted Erik on the shoulder, saying, "If my man doesn’t want you to see him, then you won’t be able to see him. You’d better get used to it—quickly."
Erik didn’t understand what Axel meant by that, but he didn’t have time to ask for an explanation because Kevin was already there. Kevin hugged Axel, and after greeting Erik, he asked, "Did Alan bring my necklace back?"
Erik scratched his head a bit awkwardly and replied, "Not yet. When I went to join Axel, he was already meditating, so he should join us soon."
Kevin smiled and said, "Great! I have a question for him about using spiritual energy while crafting a potion. I want to increase my crafting speed, but I’m not sure if it’s possible, and I’m afraid of doing something stupid and ruining it."
Erik then surprised him by saying, "That’s a shame. If your question was about the ingredients for a potion, I could help you. I’m unbeatable—I know all the magical herbs and different types of blood or other fluids you need to make them. But when it comes to spiritual energy and meditation, unfortunately, I can’t help you."
Kevin asked curiously, "How do you know all this? Axel has no idea about these things."
Erik grinned and replied, "Axel never tried to seduce a mage, so he never needed this knowledge. But for me, getting close to Alan meant using all means possible, and it really brought us closer. I don’t regret spending hours in the library learning all of this."
He quickly glanced at Axel, who was raising his eyebrows, and added hastily, "It was on Sundays during my free time, I promise."
Kevin laughed and said, "Alan is lucky to have you. Now you have to get powerful enough to protect him."
Erik looked at him, puzzled, and said, "Kevin, I think you have no idea how powerful a mage can be. Alan is the most powerful mage in the Sun Sect. Even if I work hard day and night, I will never come close to his level of power."
Kevin looked at Axel to see if Erik was exaggerating, but Axel confirmed, "Alan is the only one who has ever managed to beat me, and his spells are formidable. He has mastered the fire and wind elements, and believe me, his attacks are breathtaking."
Kevin couldn’t believe it. "That’s so cool! But Erik, don’t worry; with Axel, we’re going to help you get stronger."
Looking at Axel, Kevin said, "I will keep an eye on him while I do my hour of stretching and workout, and I’ll let you know later."
This time, it was Erik who looked at Axel, feeling a bit lost. Axel decided to show Erik rather than trying to convince him that Kevin was the best instructor he could dream of having.
Axel then asked Kevin, "Babe, do you mind fighting him so he can understand what he can learn from you? But take it easy; he still needs to be able to practice afterward."
Kevin stretched and replied, "With pleasure! Let me see why you chose him; this is going to be fun!"
Erik scratched his head in confusion. "Axel, you should have said that to me. I’m the fighter, after all. How do you expect Kevin to have a chance against me?"
Axel replied with a smirk, "That’s why you have to fight him or else you’ll never believe me. But don’t worry; you won’t be able to hurt him, so give it your best if you don’t want to end up in the infirmary."
Erik was speechless. Axel wasted no time and handed them both a 1-meter wooden stick designed for training to prevent injuries from real weapons.
Kevin smiled and put his hood over his head; it was a habit he had always maintained. Confusing his opponents by not letting them see his face had always worked for him. Even though Erik wasn’t his enemy, a fight was a fight.
Axel gave Erik his last warning, "Erik, you better not underestimate him. And babe, don’t forget what I just told you."
Neither Kevin nor Erik responded. Erik finally looked like he was taking this fight seriously, while the only expression on Kevin’s face was that creepy smile he always wore before a fight.
A crowd had gathered around them, forming a large circle to give them enough space to fight. Everyone seemed intrigued by the match, and then Axel called out, "Fight!"
Kevin suspected that Erik would let him attack first, and that was exactly what he did. Therefore, Kevin decided to test Erik’s reflexes, speed, and ability to learn during the fight.
To do this, Kevin didn’t give Erik a moment’s respite; he repeated the same movements several times to see if Erik could find any parries, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that Axel was right—Erik had great potential.
Whether Erik could fully use this potential was still uncertain, but Kevin was confident that Axel had no real understanding of Erik’s true hidden talent.
