“I-Is that so…?”
Sarah stuttered and seeing her reaction, Varik laughed out loud.
“The Hero is quite the talker, eh? Look at mighty Sarah blushing like a girl in her teens. Hahaha~”
Sarah glared at Varik.
If looks could kill, the poor man would have died by now, but as if he was oblivious to all this, he just continued to laugh and,
“I didn’t know you preferred younger men, no wonder you rejected all the men who appr— alright, alright, I apologize and I will remain silent for the rest of the day.”
Before he could complete, Varik raised both his hands as a gesture to surrender when he saw a sharp arrowhead right in front of his eye.
Sarah didn’t say anything and placed her arrow back in her quiver.
All this while, Kaiden didn’t say anything.
“Alright, enough chit-chat.”
General Deren spoke up, and in an instant, the three soldiers and Kael straightened their backs, waiting for his commands.
Deren then glanced at Kael and,
“Are you sure you wish to face three of them together? A Hero needs to choose his battles carefully. Acting rashly under someone else’s influence might lead to a fatal outcome.”
“I am confident.”
Kael nodded.
Seeing the confident look on his face, even Arlan was taken aback. He knew Kael was strong since he saw him win against Kaiden before, but that was a very close battle. He highly doubted Kael would be able to face two more soldiers who were just as capable as Kaiden in his current state.
Occupied in his thoughts, the commander stared at the Hero, only to see the latter looking at him with a provocative smirk on his face.
Arlan’s mouth twitched.
‘Go and die.’
He cursed in his head while the General nodded, acting obvlious to the two’s exchange.
“As you wish.
You three, go stand 100 meters to the north.”
Deren ordered.
The soldiers nodded and did as they were told. The next moment, Kael stared at the three soldiers with a wide grin on his face.
The Commander then stepped in the middle.
“Use of magic is prohibited. The battle ends when one side gives up or is unable to continue anymore.”
He laid out the rules and then,
“Begin.”
Varik rushed towards Kael that very instant.
Varik was a nearly 2-meter-tall towering warrior. His massive frame was enough to tell anyone that he relied on his strength.
As this giant ran towards Kael, his hands were clenched into fists, ready to deliver a crushing blow.
Behind him stood Sarah, who moved to the left with her bow in her hand. Her sharp eyes scanned the battlefield, waiting for an opening or an opportunity.
Kaiden followed Sarah with a shield and sword in his hands. For now, he had decided to protect the archer and observe Kael’s movements.
“Be careful, he is not weak.”
Kaiden warned with a grim look on his face.
“Yes, I know! He is the Hero!”
Varik laughed as he appeared next to Kael. Clearly, he didn’t take Kaiden’s warning seriously.
After all, there was no way Kael, who had just been here for a week, was stronger than him.
And he was correct—if they compared their strength, Kael was not his match.
But…
“Confronting him directly, huh? That’s a mistake.”
Arlan smiled.
“Indeed. We need to work on his judgment and instincts. Varik is stronger than him; direct confrontation is foolish.”
Deren nodded with a solemn look on his face.
Arlan, however, shook his head and laughed out loud.
“It was not Kael who made the mistake.”
“Hm? What do you mea—”
Deren wanted to question, but then, his eyes noticed something.
Kael’s right arm was covered with shimmering red scales as his Aura burst out with a fierce yet unknown energy. With a grin on his face, the Hero punched forward.
Varik, who saw that, laughed out loud, taking the attack head-on.
“Let’s do it!!”
Varik roared with excitement. His large fist collided with Kael’s scale-covered fist, and—
BOOM
Shockwaves spread throughout the battlefield, and the sheer force sent Varik flying.
Crack
“AAAggGGGGGhhHHHhHHH!!!”
Varik shrieked in pain as his fist, arm, and shoulder bones cracked, rendering his right arm completely useless.
“AAaagghhh!!!”
The soldier continued to scream in pain, doing whatever he could to subdue the pain, but nothing worked.
Kael stared at him for a while as his arm returned to normal.
[Skill: Draconic Strike]
[Description:]
[Covers the Host’s Arms with Draconic Scales, allowing him to enhance his strength for a short duration.]
[Effect:]
[Envelops the host’s arms in draconic scales.]
[Temporarily amplifies physical strength by converting mana into brute force.]
[Duration: 5 seconds.]
[Cooldown: 1 minute.]
This was the first talent-related skill he got when he reached level 5—a skill that enhanced his strength for five seconds.
And it was no normal amplification either—it relied on his Mana.
Since his Mana was 41, the skill increased his strength, which was 32, by 41, temporarily making it 73.
Even a giant like Varik only had 52 strength. In a direct confrontation, he never stood a chance.
What’s even scarier? This Skill actually didn’t use Mana, Kael could still cast spells if he wanted to. It was as if the Skill was using an entirely different source of energy that Kael didn’t know about.
“I told him to be careful.”
Kaiden shook his head. Then, he glanced at Sarah and—
“Don’t lose focus. Aim at him. This isn’t over.”
“Y-Yes!”
Sarah came out of her reverie and quickly fired a series of arrows toward the Hero.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh
The arrows whistled through the air, aimed directly at Kael’s torso. He spun to the side, barely dodging the first volley. However, a second set of arrows followed quickly, and this time, one grazed his left shoulder.
“Tss.”
He clicked his tongue in pain.
‘I need to close the distance.’
There were still 50 seconds left before he could activate Draconic Strike again. However, he couldn’t just wait till then.
Kael lunged forward. Even if Sarah was stronger than him, she was an archer. If he closed the distance, it might become easier for him.
However, before he could close the distance, Kaiden Blackthorn stepped in to intercept him.
Kaiden was a difficult opponent.
Be it strength, stamina, or speed, he was better than Kael in every possible way. The only advantage Kael had over him was his Mana. However, since he couldn’t use magic in this battle, that was meaningless.
‘Tsk, he did it on purpose.’
Kael cursed in his head as he stared at Arlan, who was smirking at him.
“Losing focus on the battlefield can be fatal.”
Kaiden’s calm voice was heard.
“Fuck!”
Kael cursed out loud as he barely dodged Kaiden’s sword.