On the ring, Everett gritted his teeth, desperately trying to pull his claws free.
But Raymond’s right hand was like an iron clamp, holding his claws tight.
"Since you won’t let go, then die!" Everett roared. His muscles bulged instantly, and terrifying strength pressed down on Raymond’s wrist.
Crack! Crack!
The ring beneath Everett’s feet cracked from the force.
But Raymond still stood there calmly, gently holding Everett’s two claws.
Seeing this, cold sweat trickled down Everett’s forehead. "What kind of monster are you?!"
Raymond shrugged. "Same as you. I’m also a new junior guard. By the way, how many copper coins do you get a week?"
Hearing this question, Everett was so mad he almost spat blood.
We’re in the middle of a fight, and you’re asking about my salary?!
Right now, the crowd around the ring was in an uproar.
"How does he have so much strength?" Milton’s eyes trembled, his whole body shaking.
"Maybe he’s been practicing the Holy Hall Body-Tempering Technique. His physique and strength have improved," Carlton said thoughtfully.
"Impossible! He’s only been training for a week! How could he improve this fast?" Hilton kept shaking his head, completely unable to understand Raymond’s progress.
Just then, Hal appeared behind them.
He watched as Everett kept pushing down with his claws but couldn’t break free from Raymond’s grip. He said in amazement, "This kid is definitely the top genius of the Holy Sword Empire! One day, he might even become the next Sword Saint!"
Hearing the words "Sword Saint," Milton, Carlton, and Hilton all showed looks of admiration and wonder.
Across the ring. Unlike Milton and his team’s excitement, Quentin’s face was dark and gloomy.
Raymond’s calm and relaxed attitude gave him a bad feeling. "This young man... is dangerous."
Right after he said that, the two on the ring clashed again.
Everett went all out. He only managed to break free from Raymond’s grip after activating his werewolf transformation.
Now, Everett was covered in white fur, like a three-meter-tall werewolf, his whole body bursting with explosive power.
The junior guards around had never seen a half-beast in beast form before. They all shrank back in fear.
Feeling the fear around him, Everett showed a look of satisfaction. "When a beast hunts, the best part is enjoying the fear of its prey!"
Then he looked down at Raymond, showing a row of sharp teeth, and grinned. "Stop pretending to be calm. You must be scared to death inside, right? In my beast form, my strength and speed both increase by 100%."
Swish!
A flash of white light cut across the ring.
Everett appeared again, high above Raymond’s head.
He spun his body wildly, like a drill, boring straight down toward Raymond’s head. "Die!"
Raymond was in danger, and his Swift Reflexes kicked in automatically.
He bent his legs slightly, pushed off with his right hand, and threw an uppercut into the air.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed through the hall.
The ceiling of the training ground suddenly shook. Large chunks of rubble fell to the ground, hitting the people below.
Quentin caught a piece of rubble and slowly looked up. He saw Everett half-buried in the ceiling, blood dripping down from his tail, staining the entire ring red.
No one in the training ground spoke. The silence lasted for a full minute.
It wasn’t until Raymond jumped off the ring, walked over, and reached into Quentin’s pocket to pull out the memory stone that everyone snapped out of it.
"Damn it! What do you think you’re doing?!" Quentin shoved Raymond hard.
But Raymond only swayed a little. Quentin was pushed back by the force of his own shove and stumbled two steps.
By the time he steadied himself, Raymond was already holding the memory stone in his hand. "Captain Quentin, sorry about that. I used a little too much force just now. But now, you lose."
At that moment, Hal, Milton, and the others all stepped up and stood behind Raymond.
Milton rubbed his hands together excitedly and shouted, "Quentin, get on your knees and call us Daddy!"
Quentin shot Milton a furious glare. His face went pale, then red. "Fine! You guys win this round. I’ll remember this. We’ll settle it next time!"
With that, Quentin turned and bolted out of the training ground like an arrow.
The junior guards who had come with him to cause trouble quickly followed.
As for Everett, still stuck in the ceiling, and the injured on the ground, Hal called some junior guards to carry them off and send them to the Holy Hall for treatment.
Inside the training ground, only Raymond and the four captains remained.
Feeling the eyes of the captains on him, Raymond sighed and came clean. "Alright, I’m Level 17 now."
Hilton heard this and kicked a piece of rubble away in anger. "Damn it! Seven days ago you were Level 15, and now you’re Level 17? Are you leveling up like a rocket or something?"
Milton grabbed the test crystal from the corner and set it down in front of Raymond. "You’re talking nonsense, kid. Give us a punch so we can see for ourselves!"
Raymond knew the captains didn’t believe he was only Level 17, so he just shrugged innocently.
But he didn’t refuse to test his attack power. He was curious about his own strength too.
Raymond walked up to the test crystal and threw a casual punch. The force was so strong it made the floor shake.
- [Punch Power: Bronze Stage, Level 2]
Raymond’s eyes lit up when he saw the words appear on the test crystal.
That was just a normal punch. If he used the critical hit technique he’d learned, the power would at least double.
Suddenly, Raymond felt the captains’ eyes on him again. He turned around and smiled at them. "I really am Level 17!"
Hal sighed. "I’ll take your word for it that you’re Level 17. But how do you explain the attack power of Bronze Stage Level 2?"
Before Raymond could answer, Milton spoke up, his face serious. "Raymond, your talent is insane. You need to keep a low profile!"
Carlton nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Until you’ve fully grown, you can’t let anyone know how freakishly strong you are."
Hilton frowned. "If that bastard Marcus finds out how talented you are, he’ll do everything he can to kill you."
The captains all looked worried.
Because Raymond’s performance on the ring had been way too flashy.
Within half a day, news that Raymond had beaten a Black Iron Stage Level 20 half-beast in just two moves would probably spread through the entire first floor of Abyss Prison.
When that happened, Raymond would be in danger.
While the captains were discussing how to keep the news from spreading, Raymond walked over to the rubble of the ring and pulled out Carlton’s longsword. "Actually, I wasn’t even going all out just now."
Carlton caught the longsword Raymond tossed back to him, his face full of shock. "What did you say? You weren’t going all out?"
Raymond spread his hands and explained the problem he was dealing with.
"You’re saying that because your strength is growing too fast, you can’t control it yet?" Hal pointed at Raymond, his finger trembling.
That was just infuriating.
Without even being used to this power, he could already one-shot a Black Iron Stage Level 20 half-beast.
If he did get used to it, what would he be capable of then?
"Wait! Since Raymond didn’t go all out just now, why don’t we help him out?" Milton looked at Raymond with a mischievous grin.
"You guys have a way to help me get used to this power quickly?" Raymond blinked, looking eager.
Hilton grinned and nodded excitedly. "Of course! Pushing past your limits in a fight - that’s the fastest way to master this kind of strength."
Push past his limits?
When Raymond heard those words, a chill ran down his spine.
Clang!
The iron gate of the training ground suddenly slammed shut. The four captains surrounded Raymond.
"Kid! To help you get stronger and master your power faster, the four of us will team up and give you some special training today!" Milton laughed.
"Don’t worry. We’ll keep our attack power at Bronze Stage Level 2, matching the punch you just threw!" Hilton patted his belly, his fat jiggling.
Then, the four captains all ignited their bronze-colored battle aura at the same time.
Seeing this, Raymond cursed them all in his head.
Four Bronze Stage fighters ganging up on one Black Iron Stage - and they were using battle aura too? How shameless!
"Watch out, kid!" Hal struck first, throwing a punch straight at Raymond’s face.
So fast!
It was Raymond’s first time fighting a Bronze Stage opponent, and he was shocked.
With the boost of battle aura, Hal’s strength was no weaker than Raymond’s.
They traded a punch, and their power was evenly matched.
The sight made Milton and the others’ hearts race.
"Damn, what a monster! Let’s all jump him!" Milton roared and joined the fight.
Milton wasn’t a strength-type swordsman. He kicked at Raymond, but Raymond slapped his leg away, sending him stumbling back. Milton cursed loudly, "Damn it! We both trained in the Holy Hall Body-Tempering Technique, so why are all the Holy Hall warriors I’ve seen weaker than Raymond?"
Hilton blocked Raymond’s path and grabbed both of his arms tightly.
The two wrestled against each other, but neither could overpower the other.
When Hal saw this, his eyelids twitched with shock.
Hilton was a big, fat guy - way stronger than Hal.
But just a few dozen exchanges ago, Raymond’s strength was only equal to Hal’s.
Now, in just a few dozen rounds, Raymond could go toe-to-toe with Hilton without losing ground.
Realizing this, Hal exclaimed, "At this rate, once Raymond fully masters his body’s power, won’t he be unbeatable at the Black Iron Stage?"
Bam!
Before Hal could finish his sentence, Hilton was thrown to the ground by Raymond with a shoulder toss.