…
Chew, chew, chew.
Peter spared a side glance at David. "What are you eating?"
"Pickled cucumber," David muttered in a bored tone, staring ahead while offering some to Peter.
Peter lightly slapped his palm away and sighed. "No thanks."
"How did you do it?" David asked, still munching on the cucumber.
"Did what?" Peter asked back, looking at the stars.
"Skill high."
"You ask me?" Peter looked at him properly. "Who do I ask?"
"It sort of just happened," he added with a shrug.
"I see."
They fell into a peaceful silence for two minutes.
"Sometimes I feel really jealous of you. You are good at everything that you do, and whenever I do something wrong, people praise you and tell me to be more like you."
"David…" Peter sighed.
"I get that, you know. You've always been weird. I didn't mind it before when Charles and Monica were with us. I told Dad about it."
"What did he say?" Peter asked, guilt surfacing over the whole situation. David was just a kid.
"He said that the village is too small for someone like you. He told me your father was like this too and that if I don't want to be left behind like him, then I should try harder."
Peter just listened.
"Maybe I won't be able to surpass you, but I could at least stand beside you. I've decided to follow his advice," David said, turning to look at Peter with serious eyes.
"I won't be left behind."
Peter could respect the fire in his eyes. He nodded back with a smile.
"Good luck, my friend."
…
Peter followed his father to the backyard, training sword in hand.
"Stop laughing, this is serious. My best friend feels jealous of me," he yelled from behind.
Joseph chuckled but responded calmly, "You're making it a bigger issue than it is."
"Really?" Peter shot back.
Joseph sighed and turned to face him. "The only advantage you have against him is that you're exceptionally mature for your age. He'll realize that soon enough."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "In fact, if anything, you'll have to catch up to him. He's older, and the stat gap between you and him is only going to increase once he gets his class."
…
Peter didn't see David for the next week.
When they finally crossed paths again, it was during the evening sparring session.
Peter had been on a losing streak all week. Everyone he faced was older and bigger than him, each more skilled and boasting higher stats.
In David's absence, he'd been forced to spar with people at least eight years older. Mana reinforcement helped close the gap a bit, but not enough.
So, when David returned, Peter felt genuinely happy to see him.
Tom immediately called the two over to spar against each other.
Peter was ready, hands itching for action as he stood across from David.
David held his weapon of choice—a wooden version of a battle axe with a hammer on the back.
Both stood a meter apart when Tom stepped back and muttered, "Begin!"
Peter raced forward at once, sword raised for a midsection slash.
His eyes widened as David let out a war cry, forcing him to turn his sword upward in a hasty defense.
That swing was too fast.
A grunt escaped him as he struggled to stop the axe from digging into his shoulder. It was heavy.
Peter tightened his grip and pushed back, managing to create some distance between them.
But David wasn't giving him any time. He followed immediately, swinging the hammer side of his weapon at Peter's knee with alarming speed.
Desperately, Peter dodged—abandoning any pretense of pride—and rolled sideways.
He realized he was on the back foot.
The rest of the spar didn't go any better. Every time he dodged one swing, David's weapon was already coming down for the next strike.
In the end, Peter failed to dodge in time. The final hit landed clean, and he lost the spar.
"That was brutal," he muttered as David pulled him up from the ground.
"Thanks," David replied with a grin.
"I—… Fine. That was brutally cool. I didn't know you were that good with that thing," Peter admitted, walking off to the side to give others their turn.
"Where were you for the past seven days? I was about to visit your house in a day or two."
"Father was busy at the shop, finishing a big order. And Mother was sick. I was taking care of her," David explained, raising his palm to stop Peter from interrupting. "She's fine now, you don't have to worry."
"That's good then," Peter nodded.
Looking around, he spotted Noelle and Sasha standing nearby in a small group. He shared a glance with David before the two of them walked over.
"What are you all talking about?" Peter asked casually.
"Oh, hi, Peter. Done with sparring?" Sasha asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I might get called once more later," he replied, nodding toward a pair of boys who usually sparred only with each other. Both had bows slung over their backs.
"We were just discussing teaming up and heading into the woods to catch some game," Noelle explained.
"Is that safe?" David asked, curious.
"Of course it is. We've done it multiple times already. As long as you stay near the outskirts, all you'll find are harmless small creatures," the brown-haired boy assured him.
"Yeah, the guards regularly clear the outskirts of dangerous beasts. Small creatures thrive there without predators. Easy prey for our arrows," the other boy added, patting his bow proudly.
"Do you guys want to join us? It's pretty fun," Noelle offered, looking between Peter and David.
Peter hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I'd love to, but Mother would skin me alive if she found out—and she will."
Noelle nodded, unfazed, before turning to David. "What about you?"
"Sure," David said, nodding with a glint of excitement in his eyes. "It might help me get a better class."
....To Be Continued
Chapter Title: Friends and Rivals