GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Chapter 10.2: Divergence

Celia tilted her head. "And you're leaving before I can break that streak."

Silence settled between them. Kein's grip on his sword tightened slightly, his expression flickering for just a moment.

Celia didn't push.

Vel looked between them, understanding what wasn't being said. This wasn't just a spar—it was their last match, for now.

Kein exhaled, shifting his stance back to normal. "I guess we'll settle this at the Academy."

Celia sheathed her wooden sword against her shoulder, smirking. "If you're still worth my time by then."

Their laughter was light, but Vel caught the underlying ache beneath it.

The clearing stretched ahead, its ground smoothed by years of practice. Late sun cast golden rays through the trees.

Vel watched Kein and Celia recover from their match. They'd drawn even—her perfect footwork had made him overextend, while his strength had kept her at bay.

Now, Vel's turn had come.

He exhaled slowly and stepped forward, gripping the wooden sword in his hands. The weight felt familiar, yet... wrong. Like a tool he wasn't meant to use.

Kein rolled his shoulders, adjusting his grip on his own practice blade—a heavier wooden longsword that suited his aggressive style. His eyes met Vel's, unreadable for a moment, before he smirked.

"Don't think too much about it, Vel," Kein said, bouncing slightly on his feet. "Or I'll knock that wooden sword right out of your hands."

Vel snorted but said nothing, taking his stance. His grip tightened. He wasn't the same as before. He'd trained. He'd fought.

He'd changed.

Kein didn't wait. He lunged forward with a sharp step, his sword swinging in a diagonal arc toward Vel's side.

Vel moved faster than before.

Instead of blocking, he twisted just out of reach, letting the wooden blade cut through empty air. Kein shifted mid-swing, adjusting immediately. A second strike came—lower this time, sweeping for Vel's legs.

Vel stepped back, dodging again. He saw it. He read it.

Kein grinned. "Tch. Not bad."

The attacks didn't stop. Kein advanced with relentless aggression, heavy strikes forcing Vel to react. Vel dodged where he could, deflected when necessary, but something gnawed at him. His movements were sharper now, but Kein's were heavier. The sheer difference in power meant every block rattled Vel's arms, sending shockwaves through his muscles.

Vel gritted his teeth, feeling himself slowly being pushed back. I can see the openings, but I don't have the strength to exploit them.

A feint—Kein's sword shifted directions mid-swing. Vel barely reacted in time, twisting his body to avoid the full impact. The wind rushed past his ear as the wooden blade grazed his shoulder.

It was instinct.

Vel's fingers twitched, the whisper of an incantation forming in his mind. A spell. Something fast—Water Slash. He'd mixed it together from Ice Lance and Slow Heal. The magic circle had already started forming in his thoughts, the energy gathering, ready to be shaped—

But his hands hesitated.

Wait. Would this be fair?

Celia and Kein couldn't use magic. He could. If he cast it now, if he won using something Kein didn't have access to, would this still—