Chapter 161 - War (5)

The next day, Billy invited his father to spar with him. He decided not to use Fierce aura at first and then use it later in order to show to his family how useful that was. At first, Drew frowned when his son called the whole family to watch, Billy didn't seem the type who would start a public humiliation, after all. Naturally, Billy wouldn't use his equipment, only his spear. It would have no meaning if he had to rely on those, after all.

When they started, Drew started copying Billy, who started with a flurry of attacks. He tried to copy him, but the level of a quick spear was lower, so he assumed a defensive stance and then used Block Mastery. While he blocked all strikes, Drew felt the damage piling up in his hands.

Eventually, Billy switched and then used a light spear. Drew felt confident in his skills with that, so he used the same. However, when their attacks collided, they ended up sending each other in the opposite direction due to the shock waves of their skills. Their arms and weapons also trembled for several seconds…

After that, they tried Steel Spear and Deadly Wind, but they obtained similar results. Billy finally caught up with his father. It was shocking that he honestly thought that he had surpassed him after the strength he gained over the last month. His father hasn't been slacking off… still. He looked a bit down with that result.

"I am an old fart now…" Drew said with his head down. "I was surpassed by my thirteen years old son… I am a relic of the past."

"Don't feel too bad about it…" Camilla said while patting his back.

"Let's spar again. I will show you something interesting," Billy said.

Drew couldn't see the point in that, but he decided to nod. Billy used Fierce Aura, and his parents noticed that something had changed. As expected, they had good instincts. Billy used the same sequence of attacks, but this time, he completely overwhelmed his father. In the end, Drew was left speechless since he could tell that Billy didn't go easy on him before.

"It is called Fierce Aura, this skill boosts all of your basic skills, and the more you use it, the stronger it becomes," Billy said. "It is something that we came up with when we were facing some tough enemies in the dungeon."

Billy taught them how they should use mana to envelop their bodies. Camilla and Anna were the first ones to succeed, and Drew was the last since he didn't use magic that much. He even skipped a day of work to be able to do that, but he felt that it was worthwhile.

"I see… this is certainly amazing," Drew said. "But yours seemed pretty high considering that you only have been training for a month."

"That is because we make a lot more progress in dungeons than doing regular training," Billy explained.

Billy wondered how he should explain that literally, everyone could grow stronger much faster while fighting dungeon monsters. He heard that soldiers and recruits in the army use them now and then, but it is hard since their strength comes due to their numbers, and dungeons weren't appropriate for that. Regardless, his father accepted that explanation since he didn't know much about dungeons. That also explained why Billy caught up to him, despite the fact that he never slacked off on his training.

In any case, the sensation that Fierce Aura gave them was quite addicting, so they decided to train it for quite a while. Billy also warned his siblings not to use it when they were practicing with other kids. About spreading knowledge around town… Billy wasn't so sure about that. Merchants were coming and going to that place, and Intel was bound to leak to other states. Unlike magic, Fierce Aura could be learned much easier to those who have basic knowledge regarding mana, and since it was the perfect boost for armies, Billy felt that it might cause a lot of problems to him in the long run.

"I don't want to sound arrogant, but let's treat that skill like one of our special techniques," Billy said.

"That is probably for the best. This skill can break the balance of the power between states if we aren't careful with it," Drew nodded. "You two, don't mention this to anyone, all right?"

"Yes, father," Samuel and Samara said in unison again.

In any case, while everyone in his family skipped a day of work and training, things were different the next day. Everyone left the house, and Billy saw himself alone again… he didn't hope that they would take a week off for him, but… that was a bit lonely. Regardless, Billy decided to give his report to Edward and see what they should do with the claws of the guardian of the dungeon. Since Alexander was going to leave soon, they probably would have to ask Pierre to deliver for them whatever he asked for. Billy wondered how Pierre was feeling being treated like an errand boy.

"I heard of your accomplishments, Billy," Edward said when he appeared. "Jean sent his thanks for helping the guild master."

"Is that so? What else did you hear?" Billy asked.

"I talked a lot with Kate when she returned, so she told what everyone did on every single day. It was quite a tale," Edward said. "A bloody tale filled with battles… I suppose my daughter has quite the strong spirit, and forcing her to abandon that kind of lifestyle is no longer an option."

"You guessed right, but our operations will stop for a while. There is a chance that we will never work together again, so you can rest easy," Billy explained.

"May I ask why and who is going to guard my daughter?" Edward asked.

"Who knows? You know… my life doesn't revolve around Kate," Billy frowned.
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