Chapter 46: Chapter 46 - Qualifying Exam(Part 4)

"Sorry to keep you waiting, this is your next opponent," Remarked the receptionist, as the old man stepped forward.

He looks like he’s at least in his sixties, with a fully grey head of hair that was slicked back, a long white beard that went halfway down his chest, and a thick mustache that had a few flecks of purple in it.

He wasn’t much taller than I was, had light blue eyes and a dark brown complexion. Hm, strange...his trousers are definitely leather armor, but his top isn’t. It was a dark green, super baggy long-sleeved shirt with a zipper down the middle, and was tucked into his trousers.

Well, whatever, I’m not gonna comment. If he ends up being strong, I’ll only look like a fool if I openly underestimate him. And if he’s weak...then it’ll be an easy win for me. Nice and simple.

"Alright, then, I’m ready," I nodded, as I cracked my knuckles in anticipation.

"In that case, I shall head in and take my place," Said the old man, as he casually ambled into the sparring area.

I really have my doubts about this guy...but I’ll keep my guard up anyway. If I’ve learnt anything from anime, it’s to never underestimate old men.

"Okay, you may get into position now," The receptionist informed me, after about a minute or so had passed.

"Sure, got it," I nodded, before I made my way in.

Let’s continue with the same strategy of keeping my distance and staying out of sight...it didn’t work in the previous duel since my opponent likely had some sort of tracking Skill, but so long as this old man doesn’t have such a Skill, this strategy is still a sound one.

Alright, I’ve caught sight of him. I then brought out my Soul Weapon as I waited for the barrier to be activated. He hasn’t spotted me, and so long as I’m careful, he won’t.

Here we go, the barrier is forming around the area. Hm, he isn’t making a move. Should I strike first? Or should I wait and see? Take a risk, or play it safe?

No, I think I’ll go with a compromise. I don’t want to give away my exact position, so I can’t use my whip. But that’s fine, I have other options up my sleeve that I can turn to.

I then used Distance Casting to activate a Spell from four meters to my right...it’s kinda tricky to aim accurately like this, so I should go for a wide attack.

Alright, here goes...Elemental Plasma: Plasma Blast!

As I activated and fired out the Spell in his approximate direction, a wide, rapidly swirling blast of energy shooting down towards him, he suddenly stiffened and spun around, right as my blast had covered about half the distance towards him.

"Initiate Skill: Defense Wall!" He exclaimed, right as a transparent barrier wall formed in front of him.

My plasma blast struck the wall with immense force, puffs of dust bursting up from the ground upon impact as cracks appeared in his defense, before my blast faded.

"Crap...that reaction time was no joke...," I muttered to myself with a grimace.

"Hm, that was close...I suppose I had better get serious," Mused the old man, as he unzipped his shirt and shrugged off the sleeves, letting it hang around his waist.

Wha-...holy shit, he’s fucking ripped! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I so did not see this coming," I sighed in bemusement.

"Still hiding, eh? Fine, I’ll just have to find you the hard way, then. Initiate Skill: Super Strength. Manifest Soul Weapon: Impact Gloves," He chanted, as he suddenly bulked up and black gloves appeared on his hands as Magic Circles formed around them, "Here I come!"

He slammed his fists together, a slight shockwave bursting out upon contact, before he balled his fists together and raised them up high and swung them down towards the ground.

As his fists slammed onto the ground with a deafening crash, the ground broke apart rapidly as deep cracks spread out from the point of impact. I swiftly and quietly zipped away as the rock formation I was hiding behind began to fall apart as the cracks spread in this direction.

That’s some ridiculous brute strength he’s displaying, just one direct hit and I’ll probably be dead before I can even think of healing myself! I definitely need to keep my distance, this is insane!

Loud crashes were continuing to echo out, the area getting flattened as the rocks and boulders collapsed more and more with each and every impact...I’m able to continue staying out of sight because of the dust clouds rising up all over the place, but I can’t get anywhere near him if this keeps up!

What do I do? Getting in close would be suicide, so that’s not an option. My only course of action is to wait until he stops slamming his fists onto the ground and all this shaking finally settles, and then move in to attack.

Ideally, he’ll have tired himself out by that point. Because he’s showing absolutely no signs of relenting this assault. But with all of the rock formations, cliffs, and the spikes I’d formed in the previous duel having been flattened, he’s not really accomplishing anything anymore, other than keeping me at bay.

There’s absolutely no way he isn’t getting worn out by this, so what the hell is he upto with this? I just can’t figure it out...surely he isn’t just doing this without a real plan, is he?

Gold is the third highest Adventurer rank, so it can’t be that simple...right? It’s possible that this assumption is exactly the conclusion he wants me to arrive at. Which would mean that...he’s got something else up his sleeve.

Hm...this’ll take a big chunk of my Mana to cast, but I can’t just do nothing. That forest of earth spikes Spell I used before probably won’t work since he can just smash them...in which case, how about this?

Time for an Elemental Lava Spell! I slammed my palms onto the ground as I combined Elemental Flame and Earth to create lava, melting the ground in front of me before spreading it forward as fast and wide as I could.

This could inflict a whole lot of damage, but I don’t have the luxury of caring about that right now, I have no intention of losing this fight. I won’t be able to heal him since that’ll give away the fact that I’m a heretic, but there are Magic Items that can heal, I’m sure the Guild has some in their possession.

Hm? The ground isn’t shaking anymore...has he run out of steam? Because my lava hasn’t reached him yet, and somehow, I doubt this timing is a coincidence. I felt a slight sense of dread as the dust clouds began to clear...have I fallen into his trap somehow?

My eyes then widened as I caught sight of him, standing still as my lava rapidly spread towards him, seconds away from reaching and engulfing him.

"Whew, that was quite tiring...," He chuckled, as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead, before a smirk appeared on his face, "Now, then...Initiate Skill: Fatigue to Adrenaline Conversion!"

Oh, shit.

He took a couple of steps back and then shot forward before leaping straight ahead with immense force, cracks appearing on the ground around the spot he’d leapt off of, as he jumped right over the wave of lava and began to plummet down towards me.

He’s fast! As he closed in on me with his right fist drawn back and I began to spring back in alarm, I quickly opened a portal into my Pocket Dimension above myself as I realized that I wouldn’t be able to fully evade his punch.

He had already begun to drive his fist down, and unable to cancel out the momentum, his arm flowed right into my portal, as I backed away as fast as I could.

Sorry about this, but I’m gonna have to take away that arm. I then shut the portal as fast as I could in order to sever his arm, while he simultaneously began to pull his arm back in alarm, but he was too slow.

"Initiate Skill: Defense Wall!" He exclaimed, forming that transparent wall right beneath his feet and using it as a foothold and leverage to pull his arm back out just in time, my portal peeling off the skin on his knuckles as he jumped back with a pained grimace.

Tch, I failed. But I’m not done yet! I then swung my whip at his neck with a vicious crack, and as it closed in on him, he swiftly raised his right fist and deflected it with his glove.

Undeterred, I flicked my wrist across in an arc to swing my whip around and crack it down towards his left shoulder, but once again, he managed to deflect it, using his left glove this time.

I continued swinging my whip at him relentlessly in multiple directions, but he continued to deflect my swings with ease...damn it, come on!

Suddenly, as I swung my whip straight down at his head, he raised his right hand...and caught it, tightening his grip around it. Shit, I have to retract-...!

Before I could withdraw my whip, he swiftly gave it a rapid tug, and then next thing I knew, I was off my feet and flying towards him at an alarming speed, before I felt a tight grip around my neck and let out a sharp gasp as he caught me by the neck with his left hand.

D-damn...it happened so fast that I couldn’t even begin to retract my whip before he pulled me in towards him.

"Not bad, not bad at all. But you gotta know when to give up, and now is one of those times. Surrender," He remarked, as he slightly but deliberately tightened his grip.

"Heh...bite me, old man," I responded hoarsely as I gave him a smirk, before stiffening and extending my whip, which shot forward and pierced him through the right shoulder.

"Agh-...! Now you’ve done it!" He snapped, as he drew his right arm back, his veins popping...he can still move his arm even with my whip pierced through his shoulder!?

As he drove his fist towards my chest, I quickly opened a portal to my Pocket Dimension, right before he abruptly stopped his punch short...and I suddenly felt an immense force striking my stomach.

I let out a pained wheeze as my vision blurred upon impact and I got sent flying back several meters, painfully skidding along the ground before coming to a screeching halt...oww, that really fucking hurt, I’m skinned all over.

I grimaced as I felt a sense of nausea rising up inside me, before I let out a sharp cough and flecks of blood splattered out onto the ground. Well, that can’t be good...my stomach is in agony, the spot he struck me in feels like it’s on fire and ice cold at the same time.

That punch was a feint...he wanted me to use my portal, and while my attention was on his fist, he struck my stomach with his knee.

I felt dazed and nauseated, I couldn’t muster the energy to stand...damn it, looks like I’ve lost this-...huh? He’s not moving, he’s just standing there.

He’s wobbling slightly...and then, as I blinked, he began to fall, collapsing onto the ground as blood trickled out of his pierced shoulder. He...he passed out? But why?

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