Allen had said he wanted to battle against Larna and Vale, to advise them and to receive advice from them, too.

  His first opponent was Larna… it quickly ended like their first battle.

  Larna slumped against the trunk of the big tree. Two weeks left. In two weeks, he would have to face a member of Rising Shadow's clan. How am I supposed to grind in so little time?

  He sighed. Predicting is getting complicated. This second battle with Allen made it clear—people's personalities changed when they were in a battle.

  He had met Allen just two days ago. Still, he could tell that his joyful face grew a bit more serious when he unsheathed his sword. He became a focused battler with the skill to face anyone.

  "Larna, I have a good suggestion for you. Come, it will be fun."

  Larna jerked his head, surprised by suddenly hearing his name. Uh… I really spaced out. Vale and Allen's battle had already finished, and Allen was standing in front of him, offering him his hand.

  After standing up with Allen's help, Larna nodded and wielded his lance and shield. In a blink, he found himself in a massive tatami bordered by distant walls and a ceiling.

  Allen was meters away from him, sword in hand.

  "When battling, you always seem to internally struggle. Do you like to analyze your opponent?"

  Larna suppressed a smile. He has a high perception.

  "That's cool. Then can you know what I'm going to do next?"

  "Teach me something?"

  "Good try. I'll lunge forward. Let's see if you can predict by which side I'll evade your lance. Ready?"

  He dashed in Larna’s direction, his sword behind him as he cut through the air.

  Larna’s eyes shifted over Allen. I don’t know! But he had to do something before it was too late. He stepped forward and thrust his lance as fast as he could.

  Allen sidestepped to the right.

  Larna's heart raced. He tried to bring back his lance to attack again, but Allen reached him first.

  The sharp sword stopped inches away from his neck before he had time to raise his shield.

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  “What good options remain for you? Can you think of something to do now?"

  Larna's forehead wrinkled. Nothing.

  "Your lance is good at keeping the distance, and thanks to the big size of your shield, lifting it is enough to block almost any attack."

  Larna didn’t know how to react to Allen’s sudden compliments, but his tone indicated he wasn’t done talking yet.

  "Despite those positive things, your Lance is incapable of reacting to your predictions in close combat, and you would be better with a smaller shield that you could use faster to block the attacks you predict.”

  Larna stared at his lance and shield. He had felt his lack of options in close combat, and the weight of his shield had made his muscles sore a lot of times.

  "You're using the wrong weapon."

  Larna remained quiet for a while. He wanted to argue with Allen, after all those weapons gave him his first victory.

  He sighed.

  He’s right

  "I wonder how you ended up with a weapon like that. It's a weird pick for a novice."

  "Hmm, well. It just came to me. Right, Vale?"

  "But what should I do? Wouldn't restarting with a new class be too dangerous so close to the boss fight?"

  "The facts are that you have grown accustomed to the lance and shield. But staying longer with it will only make changing it later harder. And I know a weapon that would suit you better.”

  “But forget about the Battle Clan and the logic. Just pick the one you enjoy using the most."

  "This looks perfect." Allen mused, smiling at the interface. He extended his hand to hold a sword with black leather wrapped around the hilt. "This is a bastard sword."

  Larna tilted his head. “A sword?” Of all the possible weapons in Battle, was he going to end up using the most cliché one?

  "My weapon is a longsword.” Allen ignored Larna's dubious expression and raised his own sword to put it aside the bastard sword. “Can you see their differences?”

  “Hmm, yours is larger, I guess?”

  “That’s because my longsword is a two arms dedicated weapon. Meanwhile, the hilt of the bastard sword is shorter to make it possible to use it with two or one hand.”

  ”It’s a versatile sword designed for any kind of situation. Perfect for someone like you.”

  Putting it like that, he wanted to give it a try.

  "Catch," Allen said, throwing the bastard sword to Larna. A screen popped up in his view when he caught it.

  Equip Bastard Sword?

  When Larna accepted, the lance and shield shone with a faint blue light. He smiled nostalgically as he saw them fade in his hands. Thanks for everything.

  A weight literally fell off his shoulders, replaced by the lighter bastard sword.

  "So how does it feel?"

  Larna narrowed his eyes at the sword until the reason for his unease became clear. "Can I use it with a shield? They are quite useful." He had always used shields, and they had saved him from a lot of quick defeats.

  "If it makes you happy. But I don't recommend it. A shield will only bother. If you want to block, you can use your blade."

  “Hmm." A shield has its advantages and would make Larna feel safer. But he had joined Allen to grow stronger with his help. If he didn't recommend it, he should have a reason. “I'll try it.”

  "Now, any advice for me?"

  "Uh, yeah… You're a merciless teacher."