Alaric Steelclash originally employed him as a sparring partner, and Azzy did his best to act as one. Azzy got paid and Alaric managed to make a breakthrough in his sword mastery.

    Because of this, he increased the amount, offering as much as 30,000 grace shards per sparring session. Azzy accepted the temptation of money. He earned as much as 14 million grace shards from him alone (first week-3.5 million and second week-10.5).

    But, at the same time, his face was also exposed in one of the fights with Alaric, who managed to break through his defenses and cut down the mask once.

    As a result, Azzy no longer renewed his contract regardless of the increase in pay and returned to Xarx City.

    Meanwhile, Alaric couldn''t achieve his dream, State of becoming One with the Sword. However, he felt like he was almost at the doorstep of it.

    Using his influence, Alaric tracked down Azzy to his residence as the latter continued with his monster-hunting business.

    He was rejected once and this is the second time Alaric came to Azzy''s residence to talk with him.

    Unlike Liam, Azzy never found him annoying. Not to mention, he decided to leave this plane for good, once this next quest was completed. Hence, he didn''t outrightly kick him out and instead sat together with him, informing him about his upcoming quest and the need for him to prepare for it.

    Alaric Steelclash has, however, something else up his sleeve this time. "Here." He placed forward a strange object wrapped up in cloth on the table, "twenty sparring sessions of 25 solatis (15 minutes) each, and you can have this."

    "Hmm? This is..." Azzy''s facial expression instantly changed as soon as the cloth was unwrapped, revealing a circlet but with a live eye, glancing left and right.

    "Oh my Lord," Rynmere just stepped away in reflex.

    Azzy, too, felt that it was creepy to look at. However, upon sensing divinity in it, he intently observed it and consulted the Reaper, "Uhh... Chronos, You know what that thing is?"

    The Reaper responded immediately, "Yeah, That is the lost Eye of Odin."

    Azzy charged at him pushed away his sword to the side, and then went on trying to stab his neck.

    Alaric felt like death was approaching him.

    The Fear of Death spiked his heartbeat to the peak. And memories of him holding the sword for the first time when he was a child appeared in his head.

    That joy of holding the sword. The recklessness to try every style, not to achieve something but just out of his pure love for swordplay.

    He suddenly realized the thing he had been missing all this time.

    It was at that moment his sword suddenly vibrated on its own, responding to his feelings, and for a moment, the world seemed like it slowed. Time seemed to be stretched, and for the first time in his life, the sword felt... weightless.

    No longer a weapon to control but a part of his body, a part of his soul.

    That instant, he didn''t even think. He let his instincts control his body.

    A swift duck from Alaric missed Azzy''s high-precision strike, and Alaric motioned the sword forward.

    Azzy acted in time and jumped back but Alaric pressed the foot onto the ground and threw himself off to the front, flying toward Azzy and motioning the sword forward once again.

    This time, a beam of concentrated energy enveloped the sword, becoming ten times its size in an instant, stabbing Azzy''s abdomen and pushing him away.

    As Azzy slid for a second and stopped, Alaric retracted the energy from the sword and brandished it like a whip, "I... win."

    Azzy looked at his own abdomen. There was a tiny bruise but he ignored it and looked back at his client, letting out a smile, "Congratulations, Mr. Steelclash."