Soran took a deep breath to calm down.
"Then why didn't you use your sword?" he asked.
"I did," Shang answered. "Without it, I couldn't have created an opening."
"This is not what I meant," Soran said with a frustrated voice. "You used a sword, yes, but you didn't use it to win."
"Yes, I did," Shang answered. "Without it, I couldn't have created an opening."
Soran's right eyelid twitched as Mervin began laughing.
"He did use a sword to win," Mervin commented from the side with a smirk.
Soran threw a threatening look at Mervin, but Mervin didn't care.
"Why didn't you use your sword the entire time? Don't you know that throwing your weapon away is basically suicide in a battle?" Soran asked with furrowed brows.
"How is it suicide when I won?" Shang asked.
"There could have been other opponents around, and after you took down your current opponent, you might not have the time to retrieve your sword," Soran said.
"But there aren't any other opponents," Shang said matter-of-factly. "The only other people in this room are you three, and if you three decide to attack me, having my sword wouldn't make a difference."
"Yes, but what if-"
"But there isn't," Shang answered.
"You don't know what I would have said!" Soran answered with a seething tone.
"Doesn't matter," Shang said. "You started your sentence with what if, which means that it isn't something that has happened."
Soran sucked in a violent breath of air through his nose. "Alright, fine! So, why didn't you use your sword till the very end?" he said with suppressed rage.
"Because that's stupid," Shang answered.
This was not the answer Soran had expected, and he looked at Shang with a confused expression.
"Why?" was all he asked.
"Because he's had tutoring on how to fight with a sword while I hadn't," Shang said, pointing at the young man, who had stood up by now. "He's obviously better at using a sword than me. I was in a disadvantageous position, so I moved the fight into a favorable position for me."
Mervin broke out into laughter as Soran lifted his hands. He angrily formed them into fists before opening them again. It was like he imagined how it felt to strangle Shang.
Then, Soran relaxed as he let out a long sigh.
"That was the point," he said.
Shang lifted an eyebrow in a skeptical expression.
"That was the entire point," Soran repeated. "This exhibition match was supposed to show you what proper teachings can accomplish. This match was supposed to teach you something."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Shang asked with an annoyed expression. "I wouldn't have done that if I had known the goal of the exhibition match."
Soran's eyelid twitched again. "I was going to, but you attacked before I could tell you."
"But you said that we can begin whenever we want," Shang answered.
"Yes!" Soran shouted back, "but it's normal to wait until the introductions and the explanation regarding the fight were finished!"
"Then why didn't you say that we could begin whenever we want at the end of your explanation?" Shang asked.
"You fu-"Soran said before catching himself.
Mervin only broke out into more laughter.
Soran completely ignored Mervin at this point.
Soran took another deep breath to calm down.
"Shang, listen," he said calmly. "We are trying to help you. We are trying to teach you something. We are not your enemies, and you don't have to be so uncooperative. We are all on the same side."
"Uncooperative?" Shang repeated with furrowed brows. "You told me what I should do, and I've done what you said. What is uncooperative about that?"
"It is common courtesy to wait until everything's clear," Soran said with slightly narrowed eyes.
"And how am I supposed to know that?" Shang asked.
Soran's expression transformed into a very skeptical one. "Because it's COMMON courtesy. People COMMONLY know about it," he said.
"Okay, cool, and how long have I been amongst humans?" Shang asked.
Soran's eyes widened as realization struck.
The other two teachers looked at Soran with confusion. In their mind, Soran was supposed to shout back.
Soran took another deep breath and slowly put his right hand to his forehead. "I'm sorry. I forgot about that."
This surprised Mervin and Viera.
Where did that change suddenly come from?
pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ "It's fine," Shang answered. "So, what now?"
The other two teachers still looked with confusion at Soran while Soran slowly stood up.
Then, Soran walked around the table while looking at the other young man. "Please go to the Water Mage," he said. "After that, you can return to class."
For a second, Shang was confused about why Soran had sent the young man to a Water Mage, but after seeing the young man's broken fingers, Shang made a connection in his mind.
'Do Water Mages have healing capabilities?' Shang thought.
"I didn't lose!" the young man shouted with panic and nervousness. It was almost like his dream was breaking apart in front of him. "He cheated!"
The entire atmosphere in the room changed as the three teachers shot admonishing looks at the young man.
"What's his name?" Soran asked without looking back.
"Michael from the Brestow family," Mervin answered.
"Michael," Soran said slowly. "In battle, we can't be sure about the powers of our enemies. Some Mages dye their hair and clothing just to look like a Mage with a different affinity. Sometimes, some warriors walk around with a gigantic halberd on their backs when their real weapon is a hidden dagger in their sleeve."
"When you enter a battle, you have to keep in mind what your opponent can use to hurt you. Yes, to some extent, we were also at fault since we fed you incorrect information about your opponent, but in the end, you are still responsible for your own battles."
"You both have about equally powerful bodies, and you had a chance to win. Taking your opponent by surprise is one of the most important factors in winning."
"I'll chalk up your current outburst to your broken fingers and your loss of consciousness earlier. I'll forgive it this time, but I don't want to hear something like that again."
"Do I make myself clear, Michael?" Soran said with a strict voice.
By now, Michael didn't look angry anymore.
In fact, Michael looked very afraid, ashamed, and nervous.
He knew that he had screwed up big time.
"I'm sorry, Vice-Dean. In my fear of appearing too weak, I appeared too weak. I have lost, and that's that. I will remember your teachings, Vice-Dean," Michael said with a voice filled with shame.
Soran nodded, and a smile returned to his face. "Then everything's fine. Please, go to the Water Mage and return to class. We're sorry for the inconvenience."
"Yes, thank you, Vice-Dean," Michael said with a polite bow. Then, he turned to Mervin. "Thank you, teacher."
Then, surprisingly, Michael turned to Shang. "I'm sorry for my earlier words," he said.
Shang was a bit surprised.
In Shang's mind, this boy was just that, a boy. He hadn't expected a teenager to genuinely admit to their mistake that easily.
Michael could have left without talking to Shang, and everything would have been alright.
"It's fine," Shang said. "And sorry for the broken fingers. I got lost in the fight."
"It's okay," Michael said. "I'm used to injuries. So, see you in class, Shang."
Shang nodded.
Then, Michael left the hall.
Meanwhile, Soran had arrived at the place where the young man had just been.
SHING!
Soran took out his spear and held it in his right hand.
As soon as Soran took out his spear, it was like Shang was assaulted with an apocalyptic pressure.
It was like a gigantic dragon had just looked into Shang's eyes.
"I will reduce my power to the Mid Soldier Stage, two levels below you," Soran said.
SHING!
Soran pointed his spear at Shang.
"How about I show you what you can do with proper training?"