The image of Shion—the flame-haired young woman wielding twin longswords—remained etched in Leon's vision. The aura of strength and fierce determination radiating from her made the heart of this young man who had survived a cruel world tremble strangely.
Soon enough, Leon followed Xiao Yan until they reached the district called "City A." The building structures here looked more functional than beautiful, resembling a large training facility converted into living quarters and a sub-command center. The sounds of training shouts echoed periodically.
"We're here," Xiao Yan stopped walking and turned to face Leon. His deep indigo eyes looked deeply into the young man's gaze. "From now on, I'll be training you personally."
Leon nodded in acknowledgment, about to introduce himself.
"No need to waste time on introductions," Xiao Yan cut him off with his level voice. "This is my unit, my rules. I can do whatever I want with you... right?" He looked at Leon with an unreadable expression. Leon could feel some kind of pressure that made him swallow hard.
"Alright," Xiao Yan changed the subject. "First, go choose the weapon you think you're most skilled with. That room on the right has more choices than you can handle."
Leon followed Xiao Yan into the mentioned room. Dim lighting revealed various weapons arranged in orderly rows—iron hammers, double-edged axes, gleaming katanas, massive heavy swords, twin short swords, sharp spears, spiked clubs, and many others Leon had never seen before. A faint aura of killing intent emanated from each weapon, indicating they'd seen real combat.
"For you, any choice should be fine," Xiao Yan commented. Leon turned to look at him. "After seeing your sword skills against that mid-tier Vine-born, even though it was just an ordinary blade, your eyes and movements... they tell me you have talent in this area."
Leon pondered, thinking of the katana Xiao Yan had given him before. The feeling of wielding it remained clear. "Hmm... is that so, Master Xiao Yan."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted from the corner of the room—a young man's voice. "I'd like to try switching to an axe. It might suit me better."
"Go ahead, suit yourself," Xiao Yan replied without turning to look.
"Oh..." An exclamation sounded again, closer this time. Leon, who was considering a particular sword, startled slightly. He turned to see a young man around fifteen or sixteen years old, thinner than Leon, with narrow eyes looking at him assessingly.
"H-hello, I'm Leon, the new guy here," Leon said awkwardly.
The young man smiled at the corner of his mouth. "I'm Traffie. Nice to meet you." He answered in a clear voice before walking over to pick up a short-handled axe that looked proportioned to his size. Traffie looked at Leon with a gaze that felt strange to Leon—like he was appraising merchandise—before casually walking out of the room.
"Sorry about him, Leon," Xiao Yan spoke after Traffie had left. "He's just a kid who's... a bit overconfident."
Leon laughed dryly. "Haha, it's fine."
"Anyway," Xiao Yan patted Leon's shoulder lightly. "Today you need to show me your true potential first. I'll lay some groundwork for you, then in the days to come... you might see what real 'hell' looks like." Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with something that made Leon's skin crawl.
Leon chose a katana that felt balanced and comfortable in his grip. It felt lighter than the massive iron hammer he'd once swung to survive, but the sharpness at the blade's tip was so cold he could feel it.
Afternoon training began without delay. Xiao Yan didn't teach fancy sword techniques—he started with the simplest but most crucial fundamentals: stance, footwork, weight shifting, breathing rhythm coordinated with movement, and releasing power from the core to the sword tip. Every detail was monitored and corrected with sharp precision.
"Too slow! Your response is still like a crawling turtle!" Xiao Yan's voice boomed. "Focus! Your enemy isn't just what you can see, but the gaps in your own heart!"
Leon gritted his teeth. Sweat flowed into his eyes until they stung, but he wiped it away carelessly. He tried to absorb every lesson, tried to improve every movement. From fighting with raw survival instincts, now he was learning the "science" of combat for the first time.
After about an hour, Leon began to catch the rhythm. His sword strikes became more powerful and precise. Though still far from perfect, the improvement was enough that he could feel the change in himself.
Xiao Yan watched Leon silently before speaking up. "Looks like you're starting to get the hang of it. Think that's enough?"
Leon paused, breathing slightly hard. "I... I'll try to do more."
"Good," Xiao Yan's voice was sharp. "Then try attacking me. Use everything you have right now."
Leon's eyes went wide. "M-Master Xiao Yan?" He didn't think the man was serious.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Xiao Yan's tone became slightly colder.
Leon swallowed the sticky saliva in his throat. He knew well that the skill gap between himself and Xiao Yan was like heaven and earth, but an order was an order. And deep down, he wanted to know where he stood.
"Then... excuse me!" Leon shouted, gathering all his focus and lunging at Xiao Yan while swinging his katana with full force. The sound of the blade cutting through air whistled sharply!
What happened next was so fast Leon could barely see it. Xiao Yan didn't even draw his own weapon. He simply moved slightly, and Leon's blade swept past his form like striking at a shadow!
"Too slow... and lacking sharpness," Xiao Yan's voice came from behind Leon!
Leon was shocked, quickly spinning around while slashing out again, but Xiao Yan dodged easily as if reading all his movements. Leon's blade tip could only cut through empty air.
"Attack power is passable, but still scattered," Xiao Yan critiqued while moving swiftly around Leon. No matter how hard and fast Leon tried to attack, he couldn't even touch Xiao Yan's shirt hem.
Suddenly! Xiao Yan stopped dodging. He raised his left hand and deflected Leon's downward slash with his bare palm!
Clang!
The sound of metal hitting flesh rang out unbelievably. Leon's sword trembled, massive recoil traveling back through his arm until it went numb. Leon staggered backward in shock. Before he could steady himself, Xiao Yan lightly flicked his own sword sheath.
Shing!
A short sword appeared in Xiao Yan's hand from who knows when, its cold tip pressed against Leon's throat, separated by merely a sheet of paper!
Leon's body went rigid, cold sweat flowing down his back. He could feel the faint killing intent emanating from that blade tip. If Xiao Yan wanted, he would already be dead without even knowing it.
"See?" Xiao Yan lowered his sword. "This is the difference between you and me. And this is what you must overcome if you think you'll survive in this unit... and in this crazy world."
Leon swallowed again. The small confidence that had begun forming earlier vanished completely, leaving only awareness of his own weakness and the towering wall named Xiao Yan.
"Your previous training in River Bend was about survival," Xiao Yan continued. "But here, you must learn to 'kill' efficiently. And more importantly—'not be killed.'"
He sheathed the short sword. "Get up. Training isn't over."
Leon gritted his teeth. Though his body protested, his spirit blazed with challenge. He struggled to his feet, standing to face Xiao Yan once more.
The remaining training of the day was even more brutal. Xiao Yan didn't just give orders but began "teaching" Leon through direct combat. Every time their swords clashed, Leon felt the clearly superior power. Every movement of Xiao Yan's was filled with sharpness and experience accumulated over years.
Hours passed. The sun began to sink low, orange light bathing the training ground marked with traces of battle.
"Enough for today," Xiao Yan announced. Leon collapsed to the ground, breathing even more heavily than the first time. His body felt like it would shatter, every muscle screaming in pain. His old clothes were torn and soaked with sweat as if he'd just emerged from water.
"Remember this feeling well," Xiao Yan looked down at the young man sprawled on the ground with an unreadable expression. "Pain... exhaustion... despair... these will be your companions for a long time. And this is just a fragment of what you'll face in the days ahead."
Leon nodded with difficulty. He didn't have strength even to speak. Though exhausted to the point of breathlessness, deep in his heart he felt small progress. This was real training—training that would forge him into something stronger, not the directionless struggle for survival like in River Bend.
As Leon tried to gather the last fragments of energy to stand up, he felt a pair of eyes watching him intently.
He forced his head up to look. Shion, the flame-haired young woman, stood at the edge of the training ground with her arms crossed. She must have finished her own personal training as well. Sweat still gleamed on her sharp, beautiful face. The evening sunlight illuminated her flame-colored hair, making it look like blazing fire.
Those sharp amber eyes stared at Leon. Her gaze wasn't just interest in a new unit member, but Leon could sense curiosity... small excitement at meeting someone of similar age in a unit that seemed to have only those much older or younger than him... and perhaps... there might be sparks of something more complex and profound hidden in those eyes. Eyes that saw the stubbornness and potential hidden beneath his bedraggled state. It made Leon's weary heart skip a beat for a moment.