"Haah... haah..."
Kyle panted heavily, his hands braced against his knees as his back remained hunched.
His vision blurred, and the world swayed around him as he struggled to stay on his feet.
"You've gotten far too comfortable relying on that parry technique of mine," Hashu said, casually tossing the wooden sword aside.
The last time Kyle had trained here, Hashu had remained purely on the defensive, allowing him to attack as much as he wanted while searching for even the smallest gap in the man's flawless guard.
Today was different.
For the first time, Hashu had attacked.
Well, "attack" was a generous description. It had been nothing more than a casual backhanded smack. It hurt Kyle's pride far more than his body, but the fact remained.
Hashu had decided to fight back today.
"What happened?" Kyle asked, wiping the sweat from his face.
Hashu folded his arms across his chest.
"Just because you've become good at one thing doesn't mean you should forget everything else."
