Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 8 Lambert's Surprise

The next day was a sunny and fine day, perfect for the competition.

Last night, Wayne made a bold statement, challenging Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel, his three fellow disciples from the Wolf School, to prove that he has the ability to graduate.

The Witcher mentor Vesemir also agreed to his request.

After breakfast, Lambert was already impatiently urging everyone to head to the training ground to prepare for the competition.

He was an impatient man, and now all he wanted to do was teach his young apprentice a lesson, to make this arrogant witcher apprentice give up his fantasies and stay in Kaer'merhen to hone his skills, instead of rushing to graduate and die in some unknown monster's lair.

In the training field, Wayne and Lambert stood facing each other, while Vesemir, Geralt, and Eskel stood on the periphery of the training field with great interest.

Geralt, who has a somewhat reserved personality, even made a bet with Vesemir and Eskel on who would win.

"Bet on Wiewe to win, odds are 3 to 1."

"Bet on Lambert to win, 2 to 1."

"How about it? Want to place a bet? Minimum fifty orens."

Eskel grinned when he heard the minimum bet and muttered:

"Looks like you've made quite a bit of money this year, Geralt? Being handsome makes you popular."

"However, I do have some money left, fifty orens. I bet on Lambert. He's been a Witcher for over sixty years, he shouldn't lose to a kid."

Geralt smiled slightly, then looked at Vesemir and asked with interest:

"How's it going, old man?"

"Do you want to take a gamble too?"

The old witcher gave a soft hum. As the person who had been with Wayne the longest, he knew very well that although this young half-elf was still very inexperienced, he was generally very measured in his actions and rarely did anything without certainty.

Just like all the training tasks he had assigned in the past, no matter how difficult they were, Wayne would do his best to complete them with high quality and quantity, as if completing his verbal tasks would bring some important reward, full of drive and determination.

This is one of the reasons why Vesemir values ​​this Witcher apprentice so much.

"I bet Wayne will win."

He pulled out a money pouch and tossed it into Geralt's hand, then carefully analyzed the situation, saying:

"I know Wayne's talent very well. He rarely does things he's not sure of. I'm betting on him to win."

Geralt opened the purse and saw that it contained one hundred orens. Considering the odds of 3 to 1, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Although Geralt is considered one of the more carefree Witchers, as a seasoned veteran who enjoys eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring, his expenses are much higher than those of ordinary Witchers.

Thinking about his wallet, he quickly turned his attention to the training field, praying that his good brother would perform well and not suffer an unexpected setback.

Meanwhile, the battle between Wayne and Lambert began.

Lambert, with his buzz cut and a mocking smile, brandished his unsheathed steel sword, twirling it a few times. He assumed an offensive stance, typical of the Wolf School of swordsmanship, and addressed Wayne:

"Hey! Wayne, it's not too late to admit defeat now, but I really won't hold back."

Wayne took a deep breath, gripped his steel sword, assumed the same offensive stance as the Wolf School, and gave a serious smile, saying:

"Senior Lambert, I'm about to launch my attack. Just a heads-up, I'm very fast."

After saying this, Wayne exerted all his strength, his figure transforming into a bolt of lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed in front of Lambert.

The steel sword in his hand danced at lightning speed, transforming into three indistinct afterimages that pierced directly towards Lambert's throat, chest, and wrist.

Lambert and the onlookers, including Vesemir, were immediately taken aback, because Wayne's speed at this moment far exceeded his usual training performance.

Although Witchers are known as superhumans, their physical abilities are not at the level of monsters; at most, they are only two or three times stronger than ordinary people.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The steel swords clashed.

Faced with the swiftly thrusting sword, Lambert remained calm and collected. His decades of combat experience were not to be underestimated. He wielded his steel sword and accurately parried Wayne's three thrusts.

However, before he could retaliate, more attacks enveloped his body. Wayne's swordsmanship was like a storm, precise, swift, and continuous.

For a moment, the sound of their steel swords clashing was continuous, clanging and tinkling, without stopping for a moment.

"Lambert was actually suppressed by Wayne."

Off the field, Eskel looked somewhat taken aback. He turned to Geralt and asked:

"What's going on? How come the little guy is so fast?"

"The speed at which he swings his sword has far surpassed what we used to be when we were apprentice witchers."

Geralt's expression was also grave, and he did not answer. He already felt the Oren coins in his pocket were about to leave him.

Sure enough, the fierce battle lasted for about two minutes. Lambert was suppressed the whole time, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead as Wayne attacked him with every move aimed at vital points.

It's important to understand that defense consumes far more energy than offense. Wayne's sword speed at this moment was almost the fastest Lambert had encountered in years, and it was relentless. Just as he blocked one sword, another was already stabbing towards other vital points.

This made him dare not be distracted at all, and he could only resist with all his might.

However, defenses can crumble over time. When Wayne noticed that Lambert's stamina was waning, he immediately seized an opening, feinted an attack, and then charged into Lambert's arms, using his shoulder armor to take the blow head-on.

Just as Lambert was about to pull back to avoid hurting Wayne's shoulder, an unsheathed steel sword was already firmly pressed against his throat.

Seeing this, Lambert gave a wry smile, put down his steel sword, and muttered:

"Damn it, Wayne, you're swinging your sword way too fast, it's almost abnormally fast."

"Like the cat-style witchers described in the books, their swordsmanship is very well-suited for dealing with humanoid creatures."

"Is it possible that your mutation is unique?"

Wayne smiled slightly. Indeed, although every Wolf School Witcher was a master swordsman, their swordsmanship was ultimately designed to deal with monsters.

Unlike knights or swordsmen, who were created specifically for war and slaughter, they were caught off guard when faced with Wayne's rapid attacks.

Wayne's swordsmanship level has now reached level five, which increases the power of his swordsmanship by 25%. This is not an ordinary improvement, but a comprehensive enhancement of one-quarter of his original swordsmanship level.

In addition, his professional skill, the agility of a cat, increases his attack speed by 25%, so it's no wonder that the demon hunters present were all shocked by his attack speed.

Wayne turned to look at the other members of the Wolf School, thought for a moment, and explained:

"I'm not entirely sure either; it's probably the elven bloodline within me that's at play."

"It made my reaction speed faster and faster, but it didn't help me grow in strength."

"I plan to practice archery in the future. I have a feeling that I have a lot of talent for archery."

Lambert was taken aback. Over the years, witchers had used bombs, crossbows, traps, and even poison, but very few had used bows and arrows.

This thing requires more technical skill, needs weapon maintenance, and isn't very convenient to carry.

However, he didn't think too much about it. Instead, he sighed and turned to Vesemir, saying:

"Old man, I lost."

"Wayne's swordsmanship has earned my approval."

Expert-level task: [Graduation] 1/3 completed.

(End of this chapter)