The Elestar: Zero

Finally, Master was going to teach me how to fight. I'd been waiting for this for so long. An Elestar who can't fight is like a mage who can't cast spells.

"I'll teach you hand-to-hand combat first, then sword fighting. Actually, we'll fight."

I'm going to fight Master one-on-one? That's insane—he could crush me in a second! There's no way I'll last. Hopefully, he'll go easy on me… otherwise, what's the point? Oh well, I'll just follow him and see how it goes.

We arrived at a clearing deep within the forest—an ideal place for combat.

"This spot will do. Let's begin training."

Master removed the cloak draped over him. Though he appeared old, his muscles told a different story. His arms looked like those of a man in his prime—full of strength. Maybe it's the outfit? Somehow, his clothing made him look even more powerful.

"Attu, you'll attack first. I'll judge based on that. Attack!"

Without a word, I lunged forward, trying to punch Valorant in the face. But he casually caught my fist. He let go and said:

"Too weak. Too slow. Try again."

I rushed at him again. This time, he didn't even bother grabbing me—just stepped aside and tripped me with his foot.

"You'll need to learn how to stay on your feet."

I landed face-first on the ground, then stood up again. I was starting to get angry—frustration showed on my face. I charged once more. This time, I paused and struck from a standing position.

But to Valorant, it was nothing. He didn't even dodge. He grabbed my hand and, using his weight, flipped me to the ground. I landed hard on my back.

"Better than your earlier strikes. That's enough for today." He calmly picked up his cloak and began walking away.

Why was training cut short so suddenly?

"But class just started! You haven't taught me anything yet!"

"Did you forget something?"

"What?"

"Stillness. Anger has already taken over you. We'll continue tomorrow." And with that, Valorant headed back toward the cabin.

After hearing those words, I realized how angry I'd become. Anger is the true enemy. An Elestar must face their rage before they ever face an enemy—otherwise, they'll never win a battle.

Understanding my mistake, I sat down right there and meditated, focusing on mana. After calming myself, I began practicing hand and foot strikes as Master had instructed.

Night fell, and the forest darkened. I returned to the cabin. As always, Master sat by the fire. I silently joined him.

Without a word, Master handed me a bowl of food. I accepted it and began eating in silence. A question formed in my mind.

"Where did you learn to fight?"

"Why ask now?"

"I've been wanting to ask for a while… just didn't know how."

"You can't learn this in one place. It comes from years of training. I learned a lot growing up, all the way until I became a general. Even then, I never stopped learning."

"You were a general?"

"Yes. I led an entire army by myself back then. I'm retired now. My former student leads the army in my place."

"I have one more question."

"Go ahead."

"Every day, you disappear somewhere. Why?"

"I'm checking if the messenger birds have brought any news."

"Why?"

"When it had been two weeks since you arrived, I started wondering if the demons might cross the border again. If one or two come, I can kill them. But if a whole army appears… that's another matter. So I've been reporting everything to my student daily."

"That's why you sneak out at night?"

"Yes. Demons, like vampires, can't move around in daylight. They burn under sunlight. So they always act at night."

"I didn't know that. Why do they burn in the sun?"

"I don't know. No one does. But you could call it punishment."

"Punishment?"

"For their sins, maybe. Demons kill and eat humans. And they don't just kill—they can also turn people into demons. All it takes is a ritual and a few drops of blood."

"I didn't think demons had so many abilities…"

After my last words, Master fell silent for a long time. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the morning—I must have fallen asleep by the fire without realizing it.

I got up and looked around. Master wasn't in the cabin or nearby. I figured he had gone off to take care of something and decided to begin my morning training.

I ran through the forest, did push-ups on the ground, and practiced striking techniques.

By noon, as I was meditating in the woods, Master approached. His clothes had changed.

"Where did you go?"

"Had to take care of something."

"Well then, shall we start training?"

"Yes, shortly. Let me drop some things off at the cabin first." He showed me the supplies he was carrying.

After he returned from the cabin, we sparred again. No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't land a single hit. Master easily blocked every strike and threw me to the ground. But from this, I learned how to fall—how to hit the ground with less pain. Eventually, I got tired of even falling.

"That's it. I'm out of energy."

"Falling over and over is tough, huh?" he said, laughing at me.

"Did you just laugh?"

"Yes. So what?"

"You've never laughed once in the past month. I'm just surprised." For the first time, Master laughed in front of me. It made me realize—we'd grown much closer.

"Get up and grab a staff. Time for sword training. I'll teach you hand-to-hand and sword combat together."

Finally—today we begin sword fighting. Looks like Master's excited about it too.

"Begin!"

I stepped forward and tried to strike from above with the wooden sword. But before I could even raise it, Valorant closed the distance. His staff was already at my neck.

And so we trained until nightfall. As darkness settled, we sat around the campfire again.

"You trained well today."

"How? I didn't even land a single hit."

"But not once did I see anger on your face. You've learned to control yourself."

"Yes, of course! I realized my mistake yesterday and promised myself not to get angry again."

"Calmness is an essential trait for any warrior. No matter what happens—remain calm. That's how you keep your mind sharp and avoid mistakes. Also… I have a gift for you."

"Really? What did you bring?"

Hearing that made me light up with joy. I never expected Master to do something like this. He stepped into the cabin and returned with the bag he had brought earlier. Sitting by the fire, he opened it and started pulling things out.

Inside were clothes, which he handed to me.

"Here, try them on."

I was thrilled by Master's gift. He gave me a black cloak, a white collarless shirt, black pants, and a pair of boots.

"These are from me to you."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"You've been wearing the same outfit for a whole month. I figured it was time you had something new."

"When did you even get these? We've been in the forest—and the nearest city is almost two days away…"

"I sent a message through my messenger bird, requesting the supplies. I picked them up while out on a night patrol."

"So that's why you weren't around in the morning…"

Master pulled out a cloth from his side and handed it to me.

"Put this on."