"Begin!"
Professor Kael's voice echoed across the training grounds.
And Kyle didn't even hesitated.
He lunged forward, closing the distance between us in two rapid strides, and brought his wooden sword down in a heavy, two-handed overhead strike.
"Alright!"
I raised my training blade to block, completely relying on the artificial stats I had just locked myself into.
CRACK!
The impact sent a violent, jarring shockwave straight down my arms. My knees actually buckled slightly, and my boots skidded backward across the chalked ring.
Kyle wasn't holding back, and his physical conditioning had clearly improved over the break. My restricted Strength and Agility were buckling under his raw, enthusiastic momentum.
He didn't let up, instantly chaining his attack into a sweeping horizontal slash aimed at my ribs.
I barely managed to bring my sword down to deflect it, stumbling awkwardly to the side.
Okay. I was overconfident, I cursed internally, dodging another heavy thrust.
