"Him?"
Reggie glanced at the stark difference in size between Roland and the Half-Elf, then slowly shook his head.
"Forget it, Hobbit. You can spar with ..."
Seeing the Half-Elf’s expression grow even more tense, Reggie added with a sigh.
"Don’t worry, I won’t use my full strength. Just try to use what you’ve just learned."
His gaze shifted to the red-skinned orc.
"As for you, Freddy... you’ll practice with him. His na is Roland."
"Understood, Master."
The red-skinned orc, Freddy, had a sowhat wooden voice.
Seeing this, Reggie rubbed his throbbing temples, moved lightly to Roland’s side, and lowered his voice.
"Be careful, kid. This young one... doesn’t know how to hold back. See those guys over there?"
He gestured with his eyes toward several students who were sparring, their faces bruised and swollen.
"All his ’handiwork.’ But..."
The burly man clapped Roland on the shoulder.
"Since you managed to earn praise from Dean Graham, I expect dealing with this young one won’t be a problem for you. Don’t disappoint ..."
Looking at the aningful glint in Reggie’s eyes, Roland sighed inwardly.
’So, even with Dean Graham’s approval, my status as soone who got in through connections still makes the academy masters see in a strange light.’
’Still, this is fine...’
Roland casually took an unsharpened Iron Sword from the weapon rack.
The blade felt a little heavy in his hand, but under the influence of his [Steel Heart Resonance], the unfamiliar weapon instantly beca like an extension of his arm, as if he had wielded it in battle for years.
’If I show a little of my strength, it might be easier to ask this master for pointers on my skills later.’
As the thought crossed his mind, Roland looked up at the red-skinned orc, who was also weighing an Iron Sword in his hand. A gentle smile touched Roland’s lips.
"You’re Freddy, right? Hello."
"Hello, Roland..."
Unexpectedly, the Beastman’s reply wasn’t as gruff as he had imagined; instead, it held a trace of unease.
He tightened his grip on the hilt and asked in a low voice.
"Can we... start now?"
"Of course..."
Before the word had fully left his lips, a heavy STOMP echoed suddenly.
The next instant, Freddy’s figure was before Roland, wreathed in a fierce gust of wind as he swung his Iron Sword.
CLANG!
A violent clash of tal, far louder than any of the other students’ sparring, rang out.
The imnse force transmitted through the blade made Roland’s eyebrow twitch.
’As expected of a Beastman... his Power is astounding!’
In the span of a thought, the dull thuds of their exchange beca a continuous roar!
BANG! CLANG! BANG!
In the space of a few breaths, the clang of tal on tal rang out more than a dozen tis.
Although they appeared to be evenly matched, Roland’s face showed no signs of strain.
The Iron Sword in his hand danced as he nimbly dodged and weaved, analyzing the situation with ease.
’In terms of pure physical attributes, his Power and speed are nearly on par with my own. No wonder those other students got beaten black and blue. However...’
Tilting the flat of his blade, he once again precisely deflected the Beastman’s powerful but straightforward chop. The corners of Roland’s mouth turned up slightly.
’His Combat Skills... are far too crude.’
This duel with Freddy, the red-skinned orc, reminded Roland of his encounter with the Mutant Dogman.
It too had a powerful physique but was utterly ignorant when it ca to Combat Skills.
In their hands, an Iron Sword, a Dagger, or a Long Spear was no different from a swinging club. There was no technique to speak of, just a chaotic assault relying entirely on their superhuman Power and speed.
This style of fighting might work against an ordinary person, but against the Roland of today...
Gradually, the once-noisy training ground fell silent.
All the sparring students had stopped their training. Even Reggie, with his arms crossed, had gathered with the students to watch the contest of Power and skill at the center of the grounds, holding his breath in concentration.
In the center of the training ground, the sound of clashing tal was as dense and rapid as a torrential downpour.
Every heavy blow made the onlooking students’ hearts skip a beat, and they subconsciously held their breath.
The two figures in the center of the arena moved at incredible speed, the collision of their Power and swiftness stirring up visible currents in the air.
"Gods above..."
A human student muttered, his eyes glued to the lightning-fast crimson shadow.
"That monster, Freddy... has his Power gotten even stronger? I don’t rember him being this terrifying when he thrashed last ti!"
"No kidding! Just look at the chaos!"
An Elf student next to him, who still had a bruise on his face, rubbed his arm with lingering fear.
"That red-skinned savage is like a humanoid beast! Every swing of his sword creates a gust of wind. A single hit would break several bones! How is that new kid holding out for so long?"
"Holding out? He’s getting completely overwheld!"
A sturdily built student, who clearly also specialized in Power, crossed his arms. His tone held a subtle hint of jealousy, but it was mostly filled with respect for Freddy’s Power.
"The new kid’s footwork is decent, and he’s fast enough to dodge, but the difference in Power is just too great! He’s barely surviving inside Freddy’s storm of brute force. See? He’s not eting any of Freddy’s attacks head-on!"
"Exactly!"
Another voice chid in, full of awe for the powerful.
"Freddy’s monstrous strength is in a league of its own among our class! The last ti he sparred with Barton ’Giant Stone’, he caved in Barton’s Fine Steel Shield with just three strikes! Barton’s still laid up in the infirmary! This new kid... tsk. I’ll be impressed if he lasts ten exchanges."
"Master Reggie must have put him up against Freddy on purpose. He probably wants to put this kid who got in through the back door in his place, right?"
Soone guessed in a low voice, glancing over at Reggie, who stood at the edge of the field with his arms crossed and a solemn look on his face.
"Look at his build. He’s a whole size smaller than Freddy. There’s no way he can win."
"Definitely! Master Reggie hates people who pull strings more than anyone!"
The Elf student from before said with conviction.
"Just wait for the show. When Freddy goes nuts, he doesn’t know the aning of ’pulling punches.’ This kid’s probably going to be carried out of here!"
Unlike the crowd of students, however, a flicker of surprise passed through the eyes of Reggie as he stood by with his arms crossed.
His gaze was locked on Roland’s form. Though he appeared to be on the defensive, he was as steady as a boulder, and his eyes remained calm and sharp amid the fierce exchange.
Just as the whispers of the surrounding students swelled into a dull roar, and nearly everyone had decided the outco of the fight...
SCREEECH!
A sharp, piercing sound, entirely different from the previous muffled impacts, suddenly tore through the air.
Imdiately after, an Iron Sword shot out from the heart of their fierce battle like an arrow launched with imnse force. It whistled through the air, a streak of cold light, and plunged deep into the solid ground with a THUD.
The blade quivered violently from the montum, letting out a low hum.
Before the students could even see whose sword it was, another heavy thud rang out.
The red-skinned orc, Freddy, after being disard, didn’t hesitate for a mont. Instead, he took another step forward.
His clay-pot-sized fist, whistling through the air, shot straight toward Roland’s face.
At the sight of this, Roland’s brow furrowed.
It wasn’t because the punch posed any significant threat to him. Rather, he saw that the last trace of calm in Freddy’s eyes had vanished completely, consud by a primal, almost-crazed, bloodthirsty savagery.
Without a shred of hesitation.
Roland’s left hand caught the heavy punch, his grip like an iron vise. He instantly released his own Iron Sword, dropping low and sinking into his stance like an agile cat.
His right fist shot out, quick as a flash!
THUMP!
The dull thud of the impact landed squarely on Freddy’s stomach.
The savagery churning in the Beastman’s eyes vanished in an instant, like a snuffed-out Fla.
His eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the whites. He froze for a mont, still in his punching stance.
The next mont, his massive, mountain-like, blood-red body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
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