PAID

I truly believed that I had trained hard.

The church where I spent my childhood was set ablaze by the demons, and as a young girl, thrown alone into an unfamiliar world, all I could rely on was a single holy sword.

Fortunately, not long after, Melissa took me in. Or rather, I should say she picked me up. Yes, that sounds more accurate. Anyway, my first companion was Melissa.

Starting with the knight Melissa, we met Saint Elena and the dwarf Ain, and together, we began to seriously fight against the demons. Later, the elf Igrain from the North joined us.

Even as I fought alongside them in battle against the demons, I continued my training, trying to control the power that had been thrust into me by the holy sword.

I would collapse from exhaustion, sinking to the ground, gasping for breath. Melissa would look at my small, blistered hands with a pained expression, but she never reduced the intensity of the training.

"Block, thrust, and slash. The same applies to sword energy; a slash is just a slightly longer cut. You could even call it a powerful slash."

"What if I meet a difficult opponent? Isn't there a more dazzling sword technique, something that confuses the enemy?"

"The elders of my family often spoke of creating such techniques. Haha, you’ve seen me fight, right? Sure, techniques that exploit the enemy’s openings are important, but even those are just an extension of thrusts and slashes. Block the attack properly, find the opening, thrust swiftly, and then slash powerfully. It’s all connected."

"So, block, thrust, and slash swiftly and powerfully?"

"Exactly. Those who have learned swordsmanship sloppily dismiss these basics and try to insert their own flair, but there’s no need. In the end, that’s the essence of the sword."

Block, thrust, and slash.

"Ah, Melissa! Seriously, look at what you’ve done to Rain’s hands again today! Rain, come here. Sister Elena will heal you!"@@novelbin@@

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