The biggest shortcoming I felt during my second semester at Soul Academy was my lack of real combat experience.

You might wonder how I could feel inexperienced after facing several battles.

But I’ve never actually encountered an opponent who was truly my equal.

Before enrolling at the academy, I was always surrounded by people much stronger than me.

The monstrous knights, who I couldn’t possibly beat even now, didn’t focus on beating me in our spars; instead, they aimed to teach me.

Their lessons were invaluable in solidifying my combat logic, but they didn’t help me develop the ability to …