Training for test

Asher vanished from his spot, and the moment he disappeared, Noah, Adam, and Aria immediately became alert, their focus spreading across the training ground instead of locking onto one place.

A breath later, Asher appeared above them.

Three mana spears formed around him and shot downward at the same time, each one aimed at a different person.

Noah raised his sword first and shattered the spear coming toward him, while Adam cut through his own with a wind-coated blade.

Aria's eyes narrowed slightly, and the spear aimed at her lost focus midair before breaking apart under an invisible pressure.

But before any of them could counterattack, Asher vanished again.

He appeared behind Noah first, close enough that Noah sensed the movement and turned immediately.

Yet the moment Noah reacted, Asher disappeared once more and reappeared in front of Adam, who was still looking toward Noah's side.

Adam's eyes widened slightly, but his body moved too late.

Asher's fist struck his stomach before he could raise his guard, forcing the air from his lungs as he staggered backward.

A moment later, Asher was already standing several meters away.

"Don't focus on attacking first," Asher said with a faint smile. "Focus on defending. Attack only when your opponent is distracted, or when you're sure it will land."

Adam held his stomach and slowly straightened, his face darkening. "I really hate your smile. You were better with that expressionless face."

Asher only smiled a little more.

Then he vanished again.

Almost at the same time, a mana spear tore through the place where he had just been standing and blasted the ground apart.

Asher appeared a short distance away and glanced at the broken spot before looking toward Aria.

"I could have died if that hit me."

Aria's expression did not change. "I was sure you would dodge."

Then her gaze shifted briefly toward Adam.

"Unlike someone else, you don't let your guard down that easily."

Adam's mouth twitched, but he couldn't say anything because she wasn't wrong.

Aria looked back at Asher and spoke again. "How long are you going to keep holding back? If you keep teleporting like that, your mana will run out before ours."

Asher's smile faded slightly, but not completely.

The next moment, a heavy wave of mana pressure spread from his body and pressed down on all three of them.

The air around the training ground seemed to grow denser, and the weight of his mana pushed against their bodies like invisible water.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "So he was holding back that much…"

Aria's tone sharpened slightly. "Don't underestimate him. Focus."

Noah tightened his grip on his weapon. "Yeah… I can feel it now."

Asher stood there calmly, the pressure around him not weakening at all.

"Good," he said. "If you can't handle this much, it will end faster than I expected."

Then he disappeared again.

This time, the three of them reacted faster.

Instead of mindlessly chasing his movements, they spread out slightly and adjusted their positions, focusing more on defense and coverage.

"Left!" Noah shouted.

Asher appeared exactly where Noah pointed, but instead of attacking directly, he shifted his body and slipped through their timing.

Their formation adjusted, but the rhythm broke for half a second.

Aria clicked her tongue lightly. "He's breaking our rhythm."

"And testing it at the same time," Adam added.

Asher appeared at a distance again, looking slightly more satisfied than before.

"Better."

The next instant, he lunged toward Noah.

Noah focused on him immediately, his sword already raised, and his stance lowered.

Asher formed a mana blade and slashed down, but just as the blade moved, his body slowed unnaturally for a fraction of a second.

Noah caught the chance and blocked cleanly.

Asher retreated at once and glanced toward Aria.

"Annoying."

For the first time, Aria looked faintly amused.

Asher's expression became a little more serious after that.

He rushed Noah again, this time enhancing his body fully with mana before clashing against him head-on.

The pressure difference appeared immediately.

Noah's stance held for the first few exchanges, but each collision forced his arms lower, and the stone beneath his feet began cracking under the weight.

A wind arrow shot in from Adam's side, but without turning his head, Asher coated his free hand in mana and crushed the arrow before it could reach him.

At the same time, Aria's mental interference pressed against his mind, slowing his reactions just enough to make his next movement heavier.

Asher's eyes shifted slightly, and then he vanished.

Noah reacted half a breath too late.

Asher appeared behind him, and before Noah could turn, a mana-coated kick struck his back and sent him crashing onto the ground.

Without pausing, Asher disappeared again and arrived in front of Adam.

Adam raised his sword just in time, and Asher's mana blade slammed against it, forcing a sharp metallic sound across the training ground.

But Asher did not stop there as his free hand moved immediately, aiming straight for Adam's guard.

Adam retreated at once, expecting Asher to appear behind him, but Asher appeared in front of him instead.

Adam's eyes widened as a punch struck his stomach first, folding his body slightly, and the second hit landed against his nose before he could recover.

His body stiffened for a moment, and then he collapsed.

Asher turned toward Aria afterward.

Aria looked at him calmly. "That's enough for training."

Asher stopped immediately.

The mana pressure around him faded as quickly as it had appeared, and the oppressive weight covering the training ground disappeared with it.

He looked at Adam for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to Aria. "He's weaker than I expected."

Aria walked forward slightly and glanced at Adam. "You didn't hold back at the end."

"You told me not to waste time."

A short silence followed as Noah slowly pushed himself up from the ground, wincing as he sat back. "That last hit was unnecessary."

Asher glanced at him. "You were still conscious."

Noah opened his mouth, then closed it again; he hated that he couldn't even argue.

Aria looked toward Asher and spoke again. "You're annoying."

"Thanks?"

"That wasn't praise," she replied. "You intentionally fought at close range so Adam and I couldn't fire freely."

Her gaze moved across the field as she continued.

"If we attacked carelessly, you could vanish at the last second and make us hit Noah or each other instead."

Asher smiled, then walked toward Adam, crouched down, and healed his bleeding nose with a light coating of mana.

A few seconds later, Adam opened his eyes; he looked at Asher, then at Noah and Aria. "...Not this situation again. I hate this."

He stood up with a dark expression, while Asher stepped back as if nothing had happened.

Aria ignored Adam's complaint and continued observing Asher. "Your battle style is more suited for fighting alone," she said. "But since you're an assassin, that isn't strange."

She paused for a moment. "What about your healing capabilities?"

Asher's gaze slowly moved toward Noah's arm.

Noah noticed it instantly and took a step back. "Don't even think about it."

Asher blinked. "I didn't even say anything yet."

"Whatever it is, no. I'm not getting my arm cut off."

Noah immediately hid his arm behind his back. Asher looked at him for a moment, then summoned a mana blade in one hand.

Before anyone could stop him, he cut off his own hand, and the severed hand floated in the air for a second, held in place by his mana.

Then Asher calmly pressed it back against his wrist, and a soft glow spread from the wound as flesh, bone, and nerves reconnected smoothly.

A few breaths later, he moved his fingers as if nothing had happened.

"I can regenerate it too," Asher said, flexing his restored hand. "But that takes more mana."

The training ground fell completely silent as Noah stared at his hand with a horrified expression before slowly stepping back. "...What is wrong with you?"

Adam's face twitched slightly. "You cut off your own hand just to explain it?"

Asher looked at him calmly. "You asked about my healing capabilities."

Meanwhile, Aria kept staring at Asher's restored hand; unlike Noah and Adam, she was not shocked by the injury itself.

She was shocked by how casually he had done it. "There wasn't even hesitation…" she muttered.

Asher flexed his fingers once more before letting the mana blade disappear. "Hesitating would only make it hurt more."

"That is not the point," Noah said instantly.

Adam nodded in agreement. "For once, I agree with him."

Asher tilted his head slightly, as if he genuinely did not understand why they were disturbed.

"Why hesitate or fear it?" he asked calmly. "It's not like I would lose my hand."