Hayden knew very well that he couldn't match Graham's strength or speed, so he focused on exploiting the older boy's weaknesses.
Graham's attacks were aggressive but sloppy, leaving him open to counters.
'He learned the basics but he's not sticking to it… I guess that's normal if they learned a different sword technique, huh.' Hayden thought as he already confirmed that Graham's swordsmanship seemed to be mixed with the principle of the flawed Dawn Swordsmanship and another third-rate sword skill, he wasn't sure of.
In any case, when Graham swung his sword in a wide arc, Hayden dropped into the Low Guard Stance, ducking under the strike.
As Graham's sword passed overhead, Hayden shifted into the Charging Stance. He stepped forward with his right foot and thrust his sword toward Graham's midsection.
"You!"
Graham barely managed to block the strike. But he was still surprised how Hayden could easily deal with him by only using the basic techniques he hated!
However, he knew that he shouldn't show how shaken he was…
"Hmph! Not bad, kid. But you're going to have to do better than that."
Hayden didn't engage.
Instead, he retreated into the Defensive Stance, his sword held close to his body. He was conserving his energy, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Graham frowned seeing how calm Hayden was. He couldn't help but remember Brody and Henry...
'Fine… I'll beat you up until you beg for mercy!'
Graham then swung his sword wildly… Although his attacks became more reckless. It also became unpredictable, fast, and stronger…
Unfortunately, for him, Hayden's Ocularis Lens highlighted the openings in Graham's attacks, and he began to exploit them.
When Graham attempted another overhead strike, Hayden shifted into the Circular Stance, spinning to the side and evading the blow.
As Graham's sword slammed into the ground, Hayden stepped forward into the Forward Stance, thrusting his sword toward Graham's exposed side.
The tip of Hayden's sword grazed Graham's ribs, and the boy stumbled back.
At this point, he could no longer feign it. His face was already red with anger. "You little—!"
Hayden didn't continue to attack.
Instead, he retreated into the Ready Stance, his sword was held vertically in front of him with a steady breathing like this sparring was nothing to him at all.
***
In the meantime, as Hayden and Graham faced off in the training yard, a crowd of students and a few curious professors gathered to watch.
The match quickly became the talk of the Academy, and the onlookers couldn't help but feel curious about Hayden who seemed to be capable of fighting a graduating student.
Carl, the older student who had teased Hayden before, was actually quite stunned at what he was seeing. From the start, his expression shifted from being worried to amusement to disbelief as the match progressed.
"Did you see that? Hayden just dodged Graham's overhead strike like it was nothing! Don't tell me he's better than Brody and Henry…" Carl couldn't help but feel impressed.
"Wait… Maybe Graham's just warming up. There's no way a seven-year-old can keep this up, right? He will soon get tired."
Lila, the red-haired girl, bumped Carl with her elbow. "Are you blind? Hayden's not just dodging—he's controlling the fight. Look at his footwork. It's like he knows exactly where Graham's going to strike."
Carl shook his head. "I don't get it. He's using the most basic stances we learned in the first three years. How is he even holding his own against Graham?"
Melissa, who had been quiet until now, chimed in. "It's not about fancy moves. Hayden's using the basics perfectly. Every stance, every step—it's like he's been doing this for years."
Another student in their group added. "Do you think it's because of his brothers? Maybe they trained him at home."
Lila shrugged. "Maybe. But this… this is something else. It's like he's reading Graham's mind. Even if you train hard, you won't achieve something like this at the age of seven… This young Gray is definitely a genius."
***
Among the crowd, a few professors had also stopped to watch the match. Professor Hannah, the mathematics instructor, couldn't help but feel impressed seeing that Hayden was really as talented as she initially thought.
"Remarkable," she murmured. "It's as if he could predict Graham's movements. No wonder he didn't plan to be a scholar. He's really a good fighter."
Beside him, Lady Stephanie, the etiquette instructor, raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize Hayden had such skill with a sword. He's so… small."
Sir Rolan chuckled at this. "Size isn't everything, Lady Stephanie. Look at how he's using his body. Every movement is deliberate. He's not making any errors. It's like watching a master at work." As Hayden's instructor, he was certainly proud of his achievement.
Just this morning, he graded Hayden the highest grade he could give and he knew very well that he made the right decision.
It felt really good to him to teach an outstanding student.
"I taught him all those moves, you see…"
Of course, everyone knew that it wasn't just about Sir Roland's teaching. Hayden was already talented. As a matter of fact, they knew about Hayden performing a modified version of the Dawn Swordsmanship.
There was no way that Hayden just learned the basic stances from Sir Roland.
Nonetheless, no one commented on his words and simply watched the battle unfold. They didn't mind seeing the happy Sir Roland once for a while after all.