Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Chapter 120 Cheating
"clang!"

The crisp sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the training ground.

Zellir's first sword strike was powerful and aimed straight for the center, but Gray easily deflected it with a skillful side slash.

Gray flicked his wrist, and the blade pierced towards Zeril's side.

With his agility greatly enhanced by the magic contract, Zellier narrowly dodged the attack, while simultaneously delivering a backhand sweep that forced Gray to retreat half a step.

The brief probing ended, and the real confrontation began!

Zellir's offensive was fierce and wide-ranging.

He combined the newly learned slashing technique with his own powerful strength, unleashing it to its fullest potential, each sword strike accompanied by a whistling sound.

While Gray was generally on the defensive, he always managed to deflect Zeril's fierce attacks and launch counterattacks at the most crucial moments with precise movements.

In an instant, swords flashed across the arena, the transitions between offense and defense were so fast that it was dazzling, and the sounds of wooden swords clashing were continuous, like rapid drumbeats.

Marcus and Wallace perked up, having initially thought it would be just a one-sided instructional session.

I didn't expect Zell to actually have some skills.

"It's only been a few days?"

Marcus's voice was full of surprise.

"Zelil can already mimic Gray's movements quite well? Really?"

That's why people call him a genius.

Vales curled his lip. "When you were learning to use a knife, how long did it take you to get the basics down?"

"It will take about half a year, mainly to improve physical fitness first."

Marcus recalled.

"Then every day it was just holding up a shield, slashing, charging, it was so boring. Back then, the instructor would call me stupid like a goblin every day."

"I bet Zelier will win."

Vales said, "Five silver coins."

"Actually, I also want to bet on Zelier to win, but it seems like the betting wouldn't be able to start then, right?"

Marcus smiled and said, "Then I'll bet on Gray to win."

Gray, who was in the room, had excellent hearing and heard every word of their conversation.

His relaxed expression froze instantly.

"Damn it, nobody thinks I'm a good candidate?" Gray cursed inwardly.

I'll show you what a difference in swordsmanship really means in a moment!

After another fierce exchange, the two briefly separated.

Zellier felt a slight numbness in his arms, and even the area between his thumb and forefinger was a little sore from the shock.

He took a deep breath, channeled all his strength into his arms, and strode forward, once again bringing down a diagonal slash!

The greywood sword was held diagonally in front of him.

He found a very precise angle to counter the attack, and at the moment Zellier struck the blade, he used the force to deflect the blade.

"clang!"

Zellier felt an irresistible force emanating from the sword, which was jolted aside, leaving the center wide open.

The huge flaw was exposed in an instant.

"it's over"

Gray stepped forward and swiftly slit his stomach.

However, Gray's seemingly inevitable strike abruptly halted just before it touched Zeril's body.

His attack was abruptly deflected by a strange, gentle force.

Mist and air!

It's now!

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Zellier spun around using the force that had pulled him off balance, and delivered a backhand horizontal slash.

"boom."

The wooden sword struck Gray squarely in the chest!
Inside the training ground, the dust had settled. In unarmored duels, the outcome was essentially decided as soon as the wooden sword touched the torso.

"hiss"

Gray winced in pain, clutching his reddened chest.

"Hey, using magic is cheating!"

"hey-hey."

Zellir sheathed his sword and stood there with a smug smile on his face. "That's called tactics."

"Alright, alright."

Gray waved his hand. "Although by my standards your swordsmanship is still very immature, you have indeed made great progress."

"With that strange magical shield, you can now easily beat up ordinary lower-level professionals."

"I won."

Vales patted Marcus on the chest and took the five silver coins from his hand.

"Zeril used magic, so by all accounts, Gray should win, right?"

Marcus followed, somewhat exasperated. "Why are you cheating too?"

“If Gray gets hit head-on, he loses. The bet didn’t say he couldn’t use magic.”

Vales walked up to the two of them. "Not bad, Zelil. You've even mastered swordsmanship now."

"Just a little bit of progress," Zellier laughed.

"Honestly, with that shield magic, I feel like you could stand in front of Marcus during missions from now on."

Vales said, "You can handle any avant-garde work."

“Don’t just take away my job like this, I rely on it for a living,” Marcus said.

“It’s not that bad, to be honest, it does consume a lot of magic,” Zellier said.

Marcus and Vales exchanged a glance, and the same thought popped into their minds.

This magic is powerful, no matter how powerful it is.

But why does it feel so familiar?

"By the way, Zelier, the Adventurers' Guild has already informed us about the monster hunting escort team."

Marcus said with genuine gratitude, "I still have to thank you for stepping in; otherwise, we wouldn't have received such good treatment."

"I also want to thank you; this is a rare opportunity," Vales said.

"It's nothing," Zellier waved his hand.

“There are still a few days until the monster hunt. We can’t just sit around doing nothing. How about we take on a small quest from the Adventurers’ Guild? It’ll be good practice,” Marcus suggested.

Zellier thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay."

This is a good opportunity to see how effective the trained swordsmanship is in actual combat.

Adventurers Guild.

In the noisy and bustling hall, when Marcus's team of four pushed open the door and entered, the surging heat in the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Most of the people present were immediately drawn to it.

A barrage of scrutinizing, envious, and curious gazes fell upon the group.

It's not just because Marcus's team has been incredibly efficient at completing challenging missions lately.

Furthermore, there was a bombshell that had been circulating privately within the association—they had all joined the escort team for monster hunting!
The news that the Mage's Guild is recruiting adventurers has spread, and everyone is talking about it.

The rewards are so generous they're enviable, all equipment wear and tear is covered, and safety is guaranteed. You might even make some connections with other mages. Is there a more attractive commission than this?

Countless adventurers were eager to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but unfortunately, such a good thing was destined not to fall into the hands of most people.

Aside from the candidates pre-selected by the Mage's Guild, only a very small number of spots will be decided by the Adventurers' Association.

The association would certainly not publicly recruit for these precious spots, so an unseen battle had already begun beneath the surface.

(End of this chapter)