The day had come to an end, the scorching sun had given its place to the moon.
In the training grounds, Daniel held the sword The Heavens Honor in his hand, performing a series of particular movements. These movements werenât battle techniques but looked more like some kind of dance.
Fino sat on the branch of a tree, watching his father from afar.
Danielâs sword moved as if it was dancing within the moonlight, becoming an extension of his very existence. Each swing and each step was a dance of power. His movements carved a distinct image into his element.
With every twist and turn, Daniel felt the rhythm of the world itself, the wind blowing past his ears. From a distance, anyone watching would think he was fighting invisible enemies. His senses sharpened, his heart beat in rhythm with the symphonyâs flow.
As the moonlight grew brighter, his dance reached its peak. With one final, uplifting flourish, he ended his performance.
He exhaled, lifting his gaze to the moon. In truth, there were two reasons why he wasnât doing these strange but beautiful movements without purpose.
The first reason was, of course, because he wanted to test the swordâs power. The Heavens Honor had completed its evolution just last night, and he wanted to see whether it had changed in use or not.
And indeed, it had. The sword now felt far smoother, sharper, and more ruthless. What he truly wanted was to test it in a real battle of life and death.
Especially, he wanted to test the innate ability that the sword had gained after its evolution.
The second reason was simpleâhe was currently testing a new swordsmanship technique he was personally creating. Though it looked like a dance, it had many more practical uses.
Still, it wasnât yet complete, and he was still thinking about which of his Laws, besides the Law of the Moon, he should incorporate into it.
Clap Clap Clap
Hearing the sound of clapping, Daniel slowly turned his head and, with an indifferent face, looked at the young girl standing only a few meters away.
"The dance was truly amazing. Honestly, I never thought a dance could carry so much emotion." She was a girl with short light-brown hair, ordinary brown eyes, fair skin, and an average height.
"Thanks." Daniel was a little surprised. He hadnât noticed her arrival. With his current senses, he shouldnât have had any problem detecting the presence of others, especially those weaker than him.
But he still failed to notice her entrance. In other words, either she possessed some skill or was being protected by some kind of artifact.
"Can I ask your name?" the young girl asked, her tone full of eagerness.
"If you want to ask someoneâs name, you should introduce yourself first," Daniel replied indifferently.
"Oh? Sorry. My name is Olivia. Iâm from the Chromal family of refiners."
"Iâm Daniel, just a simple passerby," he answered with a smirk on his face.
He paused for a moment, recalling what he knew about the Chromal refiners. He remembered hearing their name in one of the reports he had read.
It didnât take him much effort to recallâthey were, after all, extremely famous. They were a family of refiners, known for generations as some of the best in the craft of refining weapons and magical artifacts.
But what truly made them special was their bloodline. The Chromal family were the only hybrids born from both humans and dwarves.
Thatâs right, a hybrid race between humans and dwarvesâsomething completely extraordinary and unique. They were the only existing beings created from both humans and dwarves.
Because of this, they were even condemned by the entire dwarf race, who considered them the greatest insult to their kind.
Even so, the Chromal family was still one of the best refiners in the world.
"So thatâs how it is, then youâre that famous guy," Olivia smiled. With every passing second, her curiosity toward this boy grew stronger.
"Famous? I didnât know I was famous."
"Well, just today you arrived here and beat up Lorak, even going as far as almost killing him. No one here dares to do such a thing to Lorak because of his identity."
"On top of that, after what happened to Young Lord Andreasâs previous subordinates, no one expected him to take in a new one. Even that elf girl is only his friend, not his subordinate. Thatâs why youâve become so well known."
"Interesting. But who told you Iâm his subordinate?" Daniel smirked.
"Youâre not?"
"Who knows? Nice meeting you, goodbye." Daniel had no interest in spending more time with her.
He wasnât a fool. Clearly, this girl had been sent by someone to test him. He had no time to waste on such things.
"Wait! What do you think about a duel?" Olivia clenched her fists.
Daniel glanced at her. For her age, she was actually well-built. Not overly bulky, but her muscles were still noticeable.
"Whatâs in it for me?" He didnât care why this girl wanted to fight him. Though he could already guess the reason.
She wanted to gauge his strength and potential. Most likely, she had been sent either by Tormyn or perhaps one of Andreasâs other rivals.
"Huh?" Olivia stared at him blankly, her expression full of confusion. She really hadnât expected such a question.
"Nothing? Goodbye."
"Wait, wait! What about a tour through the area under my familyâs control? I can even promise you a good weapon!" She had nothing else left to offer.
"Fine." Maybe what she suggested sounded foolish, but in reality, it wasnât. Especially since the Chromal family lived alongside dwarves.
It seemed completely foolishâwhy would two sides that hated each other live together? Even from Danielâs point of view, it was strange.
He was sure there was a hidden reason, though he had no argument or evidence. It wasnât really his concern either. Still, he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and use it as an excuse to approach the dwarves.
"Great! Just a training match then. No skills, no mana, no Laws. Only pure physical strength, agreed?"
"No problem. What weapon will you use?"
"A spear." Daniel walked over to where the weapons were stored, picked up an iron spear, tossed it toward Olivia, and then grabbed a wooden sword for himself.
"Youâre going to fight with a wooden sword?"
"Yeah."
"But isnât that unfair?"
"Yeah. But itâs unfair for you." Danielâs tone was indifferent, but an undeniable sense of absolute confidence radiated from it.
If it came down to physical strength alone, he had no doubt he had no rivals at his rank, or even one rank above.
As for why he wasnât using The Heavens Honor, naturally, that would only turn the fight into a one-sided slaughter.
Besides, he had his own plans for this girl. Though he still needed to investigate her a little, for now, simply crushing her arrogance and pride would be more than enough.
Olivia didnât know whether to laugh or get angry. The way he said it, he was practically mocking her.
"Then when you get beaten half to death, I hope you donât cry." This was the first time anyone had insulted her like that. She hadnât wanted to go too hard on Daniel since she somewhat liked him.
But after such an insult, she had no choice but to teach him a lesson.