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The only training I knew was the stealth and assassination techniques I learned during my assassin days.

However, that alone could never help me defeat the commander. Even if I did win, I wouldn’t be satisfied.

So, I decided to train for a direct confrontation and began practicing swordsmanship. The only swordsmanship I knew, the basic sword techniques that every citizen should know, was all I could work with.

I had no knowledge of advanced sword techniques taught by prestigious knight families. That was the only choice for someone like me, who knew nothing about such things.

I didn’t have anyone to teach me either.

…If it were the commander, he might willingly offer to teach me, but I never asked him.

I didn’t want to feel like I was begging, and I absolutely did not want to become anything like his disciple.

Therefore…

“Hey, you. Let’s spar.”

“What… what did I do wrong to deserve this?”

“Forget it, I’m going.”

“Dammit!!”

Fortunately, I was in a knight order.

There were plenty of elites who had mastered advanced swordsmanship, and I sparred with them repeatedly, learning their techniques by observing, filling in the gaps in my own skills.

I mostly won by relying on physical ability, but there were also some real masters in the knight order. Against them, I sometimes lost.

It was a defeat solely due to swordsmanship, but instead of feeling humiliated, I welcomed it because those guys had a lot I could learn from.

So, day after day, I kept sparring.

Whenever I saw some progress, I kept going.

Bang!

“You’re still no match for me.”

“Ugh!!!”

I challenged the commander.

It wasn’t so much a challenge as it was the commander willingly watching my efforts, but rather than seeing it as humiliation, I only grew more determined to defeat him.

And so I fought, fought, and fought again, and as a result, I achieved a record of a hundred battles and a hundred losses.

I fought a hundred times and lost every single one.

“…He’s not even human.”

“Did you think ‘Aura User’ was some dog’s name? Heh, if you’re mad, just become an Aura User yourself.”

“…This is insane.”

Aura Users.

Humans who have become superhumans.

Aura is a mysterious power wielded by those who underwent systematic yet insane training from a young age. Only a few genius-level individuals can even reach this level after surpassing countless other talented people.

And the common knowledge of the continent is that only other Aura Users can fight against Aura Users.

Because of that, an Aura User is a monster in human form.

And the person I had to defeat was one of the kingdom’s three “real” Aura Users.

At this point, it was starting to feel like an existential despair.

Because I couldn’t see any way to win.

Thrust.

“Oh? You want to fight again?”

“They say a tree that isn’t knocked down by ten strikes won’t fall.”

“It seems like that won’t work on me.”

“…Then I’ll strike a thousand, ten thousand times, if I must.”

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“That sounds really fun.”

Bang!

Three years later.

I was still…

Sigh “I really want to quit.”

…remaining in the knight order.

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