Insect Tamer's Ascension

THUD!

"You had such a big opening near the chest, again." Lucien commanded while wearing a tight shirt that showed off his muscular body. There was an outline of all his abs, but what was even better were the muscles of his arms and shoulders that stood out.

He was looking at a kid, who was lying on the ground while holding his back in pain. His teeth were gritted, yet another determined stare came from his side.

Lucien just looked at him with seriousness, and Theo got up with everything he had.

"You either have a hit on me, or it's just not worth it anymore… Theo." Lucien spoke and didn't even bother to get in a stance.

Yet Theo went into his stance the next second, a slight high-pitched grunt coming from his mouth. He moved forward and closed the distance between him and the big man.

When Theo was close enough, Lucien moved his leg up and tried kicking Theo's side again.

Yet Theo already knew this move. He did his best to dodge it, missing the leg by inches as it swept past his shoulder. The wind that breezed toward him showed just how much pressure Lucien was using.

Clara was on the side, her hands clasped, sweat falling from her forehead continuously. Today was the day Lucien was testing Theo's progress for the whole month. And today was the day everything would end—or continue again.

Lucien didn't stop. He moved his hand fast toward Theo in an attempt to grab his shoulder. Yet Theo had seen the move too many times already.

He knew trying to guard himself was a lost cause—there was just too much difference in strength.

A single grip on his body would mean sudden defeat, so Theo didn't even try to smack the hand away. Instead, he created distance by shadow-jumping back, a footwork technique he'd learned in the month he'd trained.

"Good call," Lucien spoke, yet there was no usual smile on his face. He ran toward Theo again and closed the distance in only a few large steps. His long legs having some advantage.

This time, a simple punch came toward his face. Theo looked at the incoming punch with focus, his eyes sharply locked onto it.

When the big, knuckled fist was too close, Theo finally moved his face to the side at the right time—the fear of getting hit had already left his heart some time ago.

As the punch went forward, Theo moved his face beneath the arm and threw a left hook toward Lucien's ribs.

When the big knuckled punch was getting too close a while back, Clara's body had flinched, she couldn't bare to look at him get hurt anymore.

But she also knew that nothing from her side could stop Theo when he had the permission from the Baroness.

But fortunately, that attack connecting was a surprise to everyone around,

For the first time, a smirk formed on Lucien's face—one Theo didn't notice. He was too focused on the attack that was about to hit Lucien any moment now.

It was too late to do anything. Theo's punch landed directly on his brother's unprotected body.

A small SMACK! came from the impact, and Theo's wrist felt like it was about to snap.

When he was done, he quickly retreated with precision and looked at Lucien with ragged breathing. It may have only been a few seconds since he'd started the attack, yet Theo had been holding his breath, and the pressure kept building in his body.

"Good," Lucien spoke and clapped. "You didn't forget the rule."

Theo took a deep breath to control his ragged breathing and spoke, "… Never look away from the enemy's weapon."

"But only for solo fights, okay?" Lucien instructed, making Theo nod almost instinctively.

"Good. You've done well with what I've taught you for now, but you know that if this were a real fight, you'd be gone instantly." Lucien stated.

"… Yes, I know you went easy on me, elder brother." Theo muttered dejectedly, making Lucien first look at him calmly before a sigh escaped his lips.

"Haaahhh… I'm being too hard on you. This was great for your age, Theo. I wasn't even expecting this much." Lucien said, then continued with a thumbs-up, "Good job."

Theo was surprised by the sudden appreciation, even though he'd had so many openings.

"Thank you for the praise, elder brother. But I want you to be unreasonable with me. I've grown so much with you being that way this whole month."

Another sigh left Lucien's lips as he looked at Theo's still-determined eyes, he was concerned for him now.

His gaze shifted toward Theo's attendant, who was standing at the side, her hands gripped tightly.

"… Fair enough. You've passed this test, so I'll keep teaching you for the next month and see how you do, Theo. And—" Lucien paused before continuing, "You're permitted to start leveling to 4 now. It should take you about a week or more to do so."

"I'll try for level 5 by the end of the month, elder brother."

Everyone in the area—including Clara and Cassian—looked at Theo dumbfounded.

"Don't try to strive for goals that are impossible to complete, Theo. That's childish." Lucien said with another sigh.

"But—"

"I KNOW you're improving faster than I thought, but it's still not enough. Do you even know the requirements for breaking through to level 6, Theo?"

Theo went silent. He took a second to calm and think, realizing his motivation and determination had blinded him, and only now did he realize that.

'That's right… I don't even know the requirements for the breakthrough. I never even bothered asking, and here I am saying I'll break it? Ridiculous.' Theo thought. It almost felt like the childish nature of his body was clashing with his persistence—trying to make a deadly combo yet passionately failing.

"I assume you don't… Well, nobody does anyway." Lucien spoke while scratching his neck, making Theo frown.

"What was that, elder brother?"

"I said, nobody knows what requirements you'll get from the Benevolent Artifact. It's different for everyone."

Theo froze, unsure what to think. A sudden bomb of vital information had just dropped on him, and Theo didn't know how to feel about it.

"What was the requirement for yours... elder brother?" Theo asked with widened eyes, the shock still evident.