Today was a beautiful day, with neither rain nor blazing sun.
After completing their studies, all the students quickly moved on to the next lesson in the afternoon.
Just like the day before, they continued their practice, and Hector was no exception. However, this time, he picked a different sparring partner.
At first, Bam wasn’t interested and didn’t even pay attention to Hector, but after being bothered for quite a while, he eventually gave in.
"Why did you pick me?" Bam yawned, gazing at Hector with lifeless eyes.
Hector threw a punch at him... but Bam easily dodged it, as if Hector’s strikes were ridiculously slow.
"You should focus more on your footwork..." Bam suddenly dropped low, ducking another attack before sweeping Hector off his feet. The sudden move caught Hector off guard.
"Agh..." Hector lay sprawled on the ground, pausing his deep breaths for a moment.
He had meant to say, "Because I think you’re as weak as me," but he quickly held back from voicing such a foolish thought. Instead, he slowly stood up, steadying his breath after all that exertion.
Hector blinked, glancing at Bam, who stared back with tired eyes.
"It’s simple... I know everything about you."
"Huh? What are you saying?... Are you some kind of creepy stalker?"
Bam’s expression changed instantly upon hearing that. He added with a disgusted tone, "I’m not gay."
"I’m not gay!" Hector grimaced in anger as his intention had been misread and snapped back immediately, getting to his feet.
After a short pause, he added, "I want your technique... I mean, I want to learn how to combine weapons and mana. You get what I’m saying?"
For a moment, silence lingered between them until Bam finally sighed. Yet, his tone carried a trace of irritation.
"So... You think it’s that simple? This is a rare technique held only by the major clans."
"I suggest you look for someone else..."
He began to walk away, ready to resume his training elsewhere.
But he froze when Hector spoke again.
"Hmmm... I think you’ll regret it... because there’s no other source of insight into the fusion of supreme mana and weapon arts!"
"...Is that so, huh?"
Bam turned back, eyes flashing with menace, but he soon exhaled again.
"Terms? Perfect! I knew you were direct." Hector grinned, stepping forward and offering a handshake.
Out of nowhere, Bam drove a sharp punch into Hector’s gut, doubling him over.
Then, Hector gasped, clutching his abdomen, his face twisted in pain.
"W-What the hell?..."
He instinctively backed off, putting space between them.
"From now on, you’re my partner... for life," Bam declared, his face emotionless.
"N-No... I want someone else..."
Hector shook upon hearing that. If Bam was serious, it meant endless torment—day in and day out.
"Hmph, just as I thought... After all, I’m the weakest in this class... and I’m still ranked higher than you."
A couple of curses spilled from Hector’s mouth after that.
That afternoon, Hector endured both mental and physical agony like never before.
A few hours later, in a decent castle room, as one of many others.
"I think... we should begin," Bam yawned, leaning slightly against the wooden chair in the lab.
All around them, the area was cluttered with various pieces of technological and scientific gear.
Machines, test tubes, and piles of documents lay scattered across surfaces, creating a chaotic atmosphere.
Now, the two stood right in the middle of it all.
"How did you get a place ?... I’d love to have something similar," Hector said, walking around, eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.
"You just need money," Bam replied.
"How much?" Hector asked.
"100 gold coins a month."
"W-What?... You’re kidding me?"
Bam remained silent, clearly not someone who enjoyed idle chatter.
Hector sighed quietly and made his way to a chair, lowering himself into the seat.
"Here!" Hector drew out a sheet from his storage system and handed it over.
Bam skimmed through it in seconds, a faint smirk forming at the corners of his lips. His eyes widened slightly as he read line after line of the document.
From his personal storage, several tools appeared on the experiment table while he continued reading.
But when Hector glanced at the items, his face darkened. He leaned back in his chair, clearly drained, and scoffed.
"Don’t mess with me!... You think I’m an idiot? No... you’re wrong."
Bam calmly slid the sheet Hector had given him back into his storage system, his expression unreadable.
"What are you talking about?"
Hector straightened slightly and stepped into the center of the room.
"You forgot, didn’t you? I know everything about you..Sure, but that doesn’t change one thing... You CANNOT pass the second challenge."
"You’ll stay a novice... FOREVER."
A cracking crash echoed as Bam slammed his palm onto the table beside him, sending its contents clattering to the floor.
A heavy silence fell. The murderous intent aimed at Hector was undeniable.
Hector swallowed hard, a chill creeping down his spine as he locked Bam’s glare. Clearly, if he said the wrong thing next, Bam might actually kill him.
"I-I mean... we had an agreement, right?. I want to keep our arrangement. In return, I’ll search for knowledge about supreme mana during the next phase. In short, I want to be your long-term client."
"Come on... It’s a win-win. You don’t want to fight every single day either, do you?"
He trailed off and looked at Bam nervously. Beads of sweat slid down his face as he waited for a response until finally, Bam’s sigh cut through the tension.
"Alright... I’ll go along with it."
"Never mind... You seem smart enough to figure it out."
Bam demanded respect in this symbiotic relationship.
Hector understood that much, but the truth was far more complicated.
He thought everything was within reach, that he held the upper hand after securing the agreement. But in reality, it was Bam who pulled the strings.
At any moment, Bam could’ve ended the arrangement, even before the conversation began. He had the option to turn to a big Clan to pursue his goals. For now, though, Hector was merely the alternative.
Bam knew nothing concrete about him, but he gambled on the chance that Hector truly held knowledge of supreme mana. If Hector failed to deliver, Bam wouldn’t hesitate to approach the big Clan, even at the cost of his freedom.
To put it plainly, Hector was a test.
No... he was Bam’s contingency plan.
The secret to accessing Bam’s technology turned out to be surprisingly simple: show mutual respect on a few key levels, and keep delivering information related to the supreme mana.
Once Hector ran out of value, their cooperation would end.
Luckily for him, Bam wasn’t driven by greed or status. He cared for nothing beyond his research, which made the deal relatively simple... at least for now.
Then Bam turned back toward the experiment table. This time, a few more artifacts appeared.
Hector furrowed his brow as he eyed the spread.
"F-Fuck... I didn’t know you were hiding this much..."