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"So you want me to deal with the Azure Mantis King while you fight the others?" Cursed Swordsman asked.

"Yes. That\'s right." The old man put the pipe aside, "You\'ll get exactly what\'s on the scroll for the job."

"That\'s enough." The swordsman nodded slightly.

"In that case, come tomorrow at the full moon to the pond to the north of the village. The Moon Lotus will bloom there, then the Azure Mantises will attack."

"Got it." Cursed Swordsman stood up as he headed for the exit.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" The old man shouted, "The guards will escort you to your chambers. Get a proper rest!"

...

The Elder vacated for Cursed Swordsman a small cottage by the north wall. It was a quiet and peaceful place, perfect for a proper night\'s sleep.

"Damn, insomnia again." Cursed Swordsman got out of bed.

He tried to sleep, but something kept interfering with him, various thoughts keeping him awake.

\'Why am I even thinking about that kid? Okay, I need to unwind.\'

There was a hill next to the village with a beautiful view of the village. Cursed Swordsman decided to head there. This little journey was a rest for him. He couldn\'t decide which direction he wanted to go, so he decided to take a mission and distract himself from his main goal.

\'What is to happen here? Will the defense of the village fail?\' Wain pondered.

He kept watching Cursed Swordsman like he was watching a movie in the front row. This flashback was not as eventful as the Code of Light and Darkness. However, it was still very interesting, Wain wanted to learn more about his powers and forms, and every bit of information was important.

Cursed Swordsman reached the hill. A massive tree grew on it, but he wasn\'t the only one who decided to come here today.

"Kid...?" Cursed Swordsman muttered.

The boy was awake even though it was a deep night. He left the village and climbed the hill to train. He had an old, rusty sword in his hands, took precise swings, and continued after a short break. Streams of sweat dripped from him, and the blue moon lit up the hill for him.

The Cursed Swordsman approached the boy as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

The boy flinched in fear, he tried to jump aside, but instead, he tripped over a rock and fell.

"Who are you?" The boy picked up his sword.

"Hahaha, you\'re too scared. Sorry, I didn\'t mean to scare you."

"Why did you come here?"

"I just wanted to take a walk. I didn\'t expect to meet you here. So your words weren\'t empty. You\'re already practicing swordsmanship, even though you\'re pretty weak."

The Cursed Swordsman was an excellent fencer, he could tell without difficulty that the boy had been training for at least several months. His swings were clumsy and weak, but accurate, there was no way a novice could have achieved that level in one day.

"Yes... But, I\'m still a long way from you. I may never be as strong..." The kid lowered his head.

"Strength isn\'t happiness, sometimes it\'s the real curse, though that\'s never stopped, anyone. Okay, since we\'re meeting here today, I\'ll give you some advice."

"Really?!" The kid instantly jumped to his feet.

"Sure." Cursed Swordsman nodded, "But, just a word of advice, you are not becoming my apprentice and never will be."

"Okay! I\'m ready!" The kid exclaimed.

A fire burned in his eyes. He was disappointed that he couldn\'t convince the mysterious swordsman to take him as an apprentice. However, now he had his chance. He couldn\'t let it pass him by and was prepared to invest it to the fullest.

The Cursed Swordsman kept his word. They stayed on the hill until dawn, Cursed Swordsman telling the boy how to hold his sword, what stance to take, and how he started training himself.

It was amazing to the kid to hear that such a strong man had once been weak too and didn\'t even know how to swing a sword properly. It was then that he realized for the first time that even the strongest man was once weak. This boosted his fighting spirit, and he could hold out until the first rays of the sun, then the boy passed out. He had no energy left; he spent it all on training.

...

"Kid, wake up." Cursed Swordsman patted him on the face.

"What\'s the matter...?" The boy said sleepily.

"Where do you live? I\'ll take you there."

"There..." The boy pointed with his hand.

Cursed Swordsman followed his directions, and they came to a small, old wooden house with a thatched roof.

\'Hmm... The house, though old, is not in bad condition, however, it is completely untidy. Does he really live here alone? Cursed Swordsman pondered as he laid the boy on the bed.

\'All right, it\'s none of my business. I\'ve already done more than I needed to. Maybe now I can finally get some sleep..."

Cursed Swordsman returned to his temporary home and slept through the evening. He didn\'t want to admit it, but he enjoyed teaching someone, a special kid who wanted to get better out of everything.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Cursed Swordsman frowned.

\'Damn, I slept so well. Why the fuck would someone interrupt me?\' Cursed Swordsman shook his head as he headed for the door.

His eyes went wide as there wasn\'t a guardsman at the door, but a kid.

"Hey! Shall we go practice?" The boy asked with glowing eyes.

"What...? How did you find me...?" Cursed Swordsman was puzzled.

"Well... I happened to see you when you were leaving the Elder. This time we didn\'t see me, and I was able to follow you!"

"You just happened to see me. It\'s not called covert tracking." Cursed Swordsman touched his face with his hand, "Go home. I\'ve already said it won\'t happen again, moreover, it will soon become dangerous here. Stay close to the guards and as far away from the pond as possible."