’Damn... It’s like I’m the villain here.’
[ Of course you are. What the fuck are you talking about? ]
’Fuck me sideward, support me for once, you piece of shit. You said we were buddies so take my side.’
[ Oh... but I am merely telling the truth. ]
’...But is it actually true that he’s been training since he was two years old?’
[ Ask him, not me... ]
’...Fucker.’
Urek wanted to rip his own mouth open for being such a fool.
How could his snarky system ever help him when it came to actual combat?
It was just a total buzzkill.
"Are you certain you don’t wish to wield a weapon?" Jalen asked, brandishing his wooden training sword with effortless grace.
"You look utterly pitiful. Do not act arrogant, or I will snap your neck like a twig."
He continued his taunt, dragging a finger sharply across his throat to signal a death threat to Urek.
"Nah, I’d win."
"FIGHT!"
The sage bellowed, hovering above as he looked down at the two men standing in the center.
What made the elder narrow his eyes in suspicion was the fact that Urek wasn’t using any equipment.
Nothing at all. He was as plain as an empty sheet of paper.
’Who exactly is this rascal anyway? I can’t read a single thing off him, other than his unshakeable confidence and the peculiar way he handles himself,’ the old man mused, intensely observing Urek’s physique.
Because his eyes were uniquely blessed, he could vaguely sense the lingering threads of fate and luck surrounding any living entity.
He could easily perceive the faint glints, sparks, and shifting colors swirling around even a normal peasant in the streets.
Yet this young man felt like an absolute blank space.
No spark, no blinding light, nor a single shred of aura.
Just a vast void. It was profoundly strange...like an active anomaly in the matrix.
’I can see right through everything... I have no idea how my crybaby granddaughter managed to encounter this rascal. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I’m just playing along anyway. It’s always refreshing to witness something new.’
Fwoshh! Bam!
’Argh!! Shit, I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously, man.’ Urek was sent flying like a heavy sandbag as Jalen connected with a devastating kick to his ribs.
"Heh! You are all bark and no bite! Give me some actual thrill!"
Jalen roared, aggressively twisting his torso and spinning into a fluid combination like a human Beyblade.
Fwoshh!!! Boom!
Urek barely evaded the follow-up strike, instinctively ducking his head beneath the whistling arc of the wooden blade.
But before he could even draw a breath, a heavy blow materialized from his left flank.
Bam!
Urek was forced to violently block the incoming assault by crossing his forearms in a desperate defensive guard.
"Hah! You pathetic fool!"
’This extra is incredibly noisy...’
Urek could feel a sharp, throbbing ache radiating through his bones from the impact.
His current body was simply too fragile compared to the battle-hardened warrior executing forms in front of him.
Without a single shred of hesitation, Urek scooped up a massive handful of dirt from the arena floor and violently shoved it straight into the man’s shouting mouth.
"Pwegh!! Cough! Cough!..." Jalen choked, spitting and hacking frantically.
The elite disciple was utterly shocked that a pathetic amateur had managed to bypass his honed battle instincts just to shove dirt in his face.
"Boo! Loser! Don’t fight dirty like that!!"
"Don’t pull that garbage, man!"
"Plug that sand into his ass!!!"
The watching crowd erupted into a chorus of harsh boos and heavy trash-talk, thoroughly disgusted by Urek’s unrefined behavior.
That was absolutely not the way a future hero was supposed to duel.
’Heh... of course it’s my way.’ Urek didn’t give a damn about those delusional spectators.
They could go die in a ditch for all he cared; if given the chance, he would gladly shove another fistful of dirt down the guy’s throat.
"You don’t fight fair! I will slice you into absolute ribbons!"
Jalen snarled as he recovered his stance, re-adjusting his grip on his sword and preparing to cleave Urek’s body in two.
"Of course I don’t... I am a villain, after all," Urek murmured under his breath, ensuring he was the only one who heard.
Boom!! Boom!!
Shing! Shing! Shing!
’Alright, enough playing around. I am absolutely not letting my family jewels get sliced fifty-fifty.’ Urek shivered at the mere thought of the system’s penalty.
The deranged disciple’s eyes had already turned completely bloodshot after a succession of missed swings and narrow evasions.
Although Urek’s raw physical talent was practically non-existent, the deeply ingrained combat instincts of a top-tier, notorious antagonist were nothing to joke about.
Urek had already entirely memorized the predictable attack patterns of the pathetic man in front of him.
Delaying this match any further would just be tedious.
"Forty percent Shins—erm, no..." Urek muttered, catching himself before he accidentally invoked the overpowered characters of that famous manhwa, "Turret of God".
That man was too OP.
Then, the temperature in the courtyard plummeted.
The surrounding atmosphere turned ice-cold as the pressure in the air began to forcefully collapse toward the absolute center of the arena.
Up above, the old sage’s eyes glinted with sudden, genuine amusement.
’Hoh... what is this?’ the elder murmured, leaning forward, intensely curious about what the rascal was executing.
Just like before, he couldn’t perceive any tangible energy signatures, but there was undeniably an active phenomenon unfolding right beneath his nose.
"An abrupt power-up, you piece of shit?! Don’t even dream of escaping my Ultimate Grand Sword of the Oblivion Excavation!"
Jalen bellowed, unleashing his named technique.
"You talk too much..."
Urek materialized like a fleeting phantom, appearing directly in front of the disciple’s face before the strike could land.
"Ughh!!"
"Hmm... that’s exactly what I prefer. A silent target... however," Urek whispered.
His demeanor completely shifted in an instant; the playful, cheerful aura that had previously radiated from his body dissolved into a freezing, dreadful presence.
"Not quite as silent as a corpse."