The two sparred a couple more times, and unsurprisingly, Raelis didn't even get a single hit in.
Now, the score was a solid 23–0.
"Alright, I think that's enough, champ." Lizbeth patted him on the back. "The sun is going to set in a few minutes, so head inside. The Mana Beasts are not exactly the friendliest bunch to be around. Trust me, I'd know."
"Right..." Raelis stretched his back and decided to check up on his progress.
Name: Raelis Varekan
Age: 15
Race: Human
—Flame Core: 1 Flame-Ring
Flame: ??? Primordial Flame (☆ — Mastery: 0%)
—Bloodline: Cinder Phoenix
Purity: 10% (Ember)
Next Rank: 20% (Kindle)
—Attributes:
Vitality: 42 → 44
Perception: 25 → 28
Willpower: 50
Magic Control: 20 → 21
—Abilities:
Basic Fire Manipulation (★☆ — Mastery: 1% → 2%)
Intermediate Heat Control (★☆ — Mastery: 0% → 1%)
Basic Fireball (☆ — Mastery: 0% → 8%)
Basic Stealth Technique (☆ — Mastery: 25% → 39%)
The most noticeable increase was his Basic Stealth Technique mastery.
It was the simplest of all his current abilities, but if used right, it could also be the most deadly.
If I fight her a bit more, I might be able to get a dagger technique too. I just need to reach 25% first, then it'll appear, Raelis thought with a hum and dusted himself off.
He wasn't able to get her to use any sword intent or aura, but it was fine. At least he improved.
Raelis shot Lizbeth one last glance, then strode inside the manor.
He ran straight into his room and immediately hit the shower. It took a few minutes to wash all the dry blood off his body.
It was a blessing that he had swapped shirts after the first couple of spars, so he didn't damage the shirt his mother had made.
Though... I wonder if I'm really suited for the daggers? he wondered.
The greatest assassin... he trailed off, letting out a deep sigh. My father... he was great with the daggers, and he used to share most of his cool stories.
After all, he wasn't called the greatest assassin for no reason.
During the Great War a few decades ago, Raelis's father killed several commanders without leaving a trace.
He was the one who disrupted the enemy forces, and he was also the one the Varekan imperial family turned to for help every single time.
But with fame came envy. So much envy that people began conspiring against him.
There was a setup, and instead of the enemy camp, Raelis's father massacred Varekan's undercover unit.
And of course, the higher-ups who were responsible for the misinformation got off scot-free. But Raelis's father? He earned the reputation of a butcher who couldn't be trusted.
From there, it all went downhill.
He lost the emperor's favor. His siblings began to grow wary of him, so they carried out several assassination attempts to kill him. The attempts failed, of course.
With nothing left to lose, he turned to drinking and gambling. Yet after he met Raelis's mother, he fixed himself up.
Though that didn't last long since the fake treason letters finally reached the emperor's ear... Raelis clenched his fists, fixing his clothing. And then he was killed, leaving my mother to fend for herself with a newborn child... Me.
Even if he was little, he recalled how she had cried her heart out while holding him in her arms. And all because of jealousy...
He calmed his rage for the time being and finally finished dressing up.
Since it was now nighttime and most people in the manor were asleep, he could finally begin refining his Flame.
He sat down on his bed and took a deep breath, focusing on the single orange flame ring surrounding his heart.
It contained a faint trace of his actual golden-white flame, which was a problem.
To form the second flame ring, he had to fully refine the current orange flame ring into one that consisted fully of his new flame.
That being the golden-white Primordial Flame, currently stored within his heart.
Wasting no more time, he inhaled deeply. With each breath, he drew out the Primordial Flame and began merging it with the orange flame ring.
He didn't rush the process in the slightest as doing so would cause the ring to destabilize and implode.
Therefore, he slowly expelled the orange flame and replaced it with his golden-white flame.
But even after sweat dripped down his forehead and he felt nauseous, he realized the mastery hadn't gone up by even a tiny bit.
Flame: ??? Primordial Flame (☆ — Mastery: 0%)
He let out a sigh, glancing out the window at the moon.
This is going to take a while...
***
It was now the morning of the following day, and after a whole night of refinement, he finally made some progress.
Flame: ??? Primordial Flame (☆ — Mastery: 0% → 2%)
At this pace, it would take him around 50 days to refine it to 100%. That estimate assumed he didn't sleep at all and spent 9 hours a night refining.
It was possible to enhance the speed through some alchemy potions, but they weren't exactly that abundant in the middle of nowhere.
Anyhow... Raelis got off his bed and headed straight into the shower, getting washed up again.
After he was done, he stepped out and headed straight for one room in particular.
Lydia's room.
It didn't take long to arrive, and once he did, he simply knocked twice.
A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a disheveled Lydia with messy hair.
Raelis tilted his head. "Did I come at a bad time?"
"Young master..." Lydia's eyes widened as she quickly fixed her hair and dress before bowing. "A-Apologies for such a sorry sight, young master. I... I overslept."
"I see..." Raelis trailed off, not caring in the slightest as he walked past her, approaching her drawer.
"Do you mind if I do a little inspection?" Raelis asked.
"Um... go ahead, young master," Lydia replied, puzzled. "Am I in trouble?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Raelis said as he opened each compartment of the drawer.
It seemed balanced, yet as he approached the very last drawer, he felt the weight differ slightly.
Raelis clicked his tongue as he took out the drawer and put it on her bed.
As he thought, there was a tiny lock under the main drawer, which was supposed to open a tiny compartment.
"I guess some things never change..." Raelis muttered with a sigh. "You always loved hiding important documents in such shallow places."
With those words, he swung the hidden compartment open, fully prepared to see some notes detailing the movements of him and his mother.
But instead...
"Lydia... what is this?"