Liens stared at the scene before him with a look of utter astonishment, as if trying to express the shock in his heart.
The act for Alger was over, but the act for the others still needed a conclusion.
Life is like a play, entirely dependent on acting.
"I… I won?" Liens asked, stunned.
His tone carried doubt and a hint of pleasant surprise, as if he hadn't expected to win, and certainly not in this manner.
The guard beside them was also startled by the sudden turn of events.
So, upon hearing Liens's voice, he finally realized what he should do.
"Left wins, right loses."
The guard announced the result loudly.
And Ben, who had been waiting outside the arena, quickly walked to Liens's side.
Compared to before, Ben had some new injuries, but none were as deep as the one on his left arm that reached the bone, so he seemed to be fine.
Ben patted Liens's shoulder with his right hand, using this method to bring Liens back to his senses.
After being patted on the shoulder, Liens turned to face Ben.
He had, of course, noticed Ben approaching earlier, but still feigned the appearance of just being startled awake.
Details must be done well, so that the image portrayed can make others believe it implicitly.
"Not bad, Liens! You actually managed to defeat Alger, that's incredible." Ben praised Liens.
He didn't immediately inquire about Liens's injuries, but instead praised Liens in a slightly exaggerated tone.
Putting himself in Liens's shoes, Ben thought Liens might feel uncomfortable with killing someone for the first time.
So he wanted to use this method to distract Liens.
However, how could Ben have known that his friend was merely acting?
Liens wouldn't have any discomfort from killing for the first time.
Or rather, he had already passed that stage.
However, Liens was neither a god nor a mind-reader.
So he didn't realize Ben's intention and instead felt a bit uncomfortable with Ben praising him in such a tone.
Although Ben's appearance was somewhat unexpected, Liens still followed the script he had mentally prepared and continued acting.
"I also didn't expect to win, and especially not in such a sudden way."
"At that moment, I almost thought I was going to be killed by Alger, but I didn't expect…"
"A hastily swung sword could produce such a result; I never would have thought of it."
"Was it a divine stroke, or was Alger too careless?"
"Right, my strength was already far inferior to his, so it's normal for him to look down on me."
"It's just that he probably didn't expect his momentary carelessness to lead to death."
Liens spoke to Ben with a tone of lingering fear and relief.
He even deliberately raised his voice a little, intending to explain to the surrounding people.
"Winning is winning, and luck is also a part of strength."
"Don't overthink it. He wanted to kill you, so it's a normal counterattack for you to kill him."
Ben interpreted Liens's raised voice as lingering fear from the recent situation, so he continued to comfort him.
Ben also understood Liens's display of lingering fear, as anyone who realized they were just a step away from death would experience such emotions.
Hearing Ben's comfort, Liens finally understood his friend's meaning this time.
He thought Liens would feel uncomfortable about killing Alger, so he came to console him.
Just like he had previously consoled and comforted his friend.
Liens was momentarily torn between laughter and tears, and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about that. How was your duel?"
The surrounding people had already dispersed, indicating that the final act was over.
"I lost. I met a very strong opponent, though, of course, my opponent couldn't compare to Alger."
"But you were really unlucky to encounter Alger."
"Thankfully, the final outcome was good."
"Getting back to my side, both of us were quite rational, so even though I lost, I wasn't seriously injured." Spot an error? Visit the original post on M&VLEMPY&R.
"That's good. I also wanted to concede at the time, but Alger's offensive was too fierce; he didn't give me any chance to speak."
"He was like a mad dog, biting and not letting go."
Liens said, explaining to Ben why he hadn't conceded earlier.
"Never mind, it's all over. Did you get the medicine from the instructor?" Liens continued.
"I already got it. My head, I almost delayed your treatment. You're covered in blood."
"Come on, let's go get the medicine quickly."
Ben looked a bit embarrassed, then urged Liens.
"It's fine, no rush. Although there are many wounds, they are all minor injuries, nothing serious." Liens replied with a smile.
However, he still followed Ben, walking quickly towards the medicine distribution point.
After drinking the diluted ordinary Healing Potion, Liens and Ben found a place to rest.
Then, Liens used the excuse of feeling sleepy after drinking the medicine, hoping Ben would look after him while he slept.
After getting Ben's consent, Liens entered the Instance .
He had some ideas he wanted to verify.
"Humans have weaknesses, Sword Tendency has flaws; everything has its strengths and weaknesses."
"Just like Alger's arrogance, Ben's soft-heartedness, and my… conceit—these are all weaknesses in our respective personalities."
"This is also reflected in Sword Tendency to a certain extent."
"Because Alger is arrogant, he only attacks and doesn't defend; and because I'm conceited, I always take risky moves to pursue a one-hit kill."
"Could weaknesses… be the key to my Sword Tendency's improvement?"
Liens muttered to himself in the white space, then selected a point in time and entered the Instance .
The scene before him changed.
Liens gazed at Alger, who was holding a longsword and attacking him, and whispered to himself, "Will you help me verify this question, Alger?"
Liens defended against and dodged Alger's attacks while carefully observing Alger's chopping movements.
"He uses offense as defense, seemingly continuous, but he can't cover all bases."
"There are still large gaps between his swings; follow the gaps and strike directly at the weaknesses."
Then, Liens dodged Alger's longsword at close range, thrust his sword forward, the longsword pierced through the heart, and then he withdrew his sword.
Liens stood in place, lowering his head in thought, pondering his recent actions.
He completely ignored the fallen Alger and the large amount of blood gushing from his body.
"No, I don't feel like I've crossed that threshold at all."
Liens muttered to himself.
The Sword Tendency suitable for one's body is 'Sword Tendency'.
But in reality, it's not about what kind of body chooses what kind of Sword Tendency, but rather your body and your personality make you more inclined towards a certain Sword Tendency.
That is, personality influences Sword Tendency.
This was Liens's understanding of 'Sword Tendency'… So what about Sword Style? He didn't know, so he had been searching.
Next, Liens repeatedly brutalized Alger, wanting to glimpse the secret of "Sword Style" from his thoughts on "weaknesses."