"Are you sure you want to do this?" Captain Jake asked with furrowed brows.
Ray nodded confidently, but inwardly, he wasn't that assured.
'I'm cooked, aren't I?'
Flinn, on seeing Ray, unconsciously flinched.
His mind flashed back to the night Ray dismantled both him and his friends in one go.
Ever since then, he had been afraid of him.
Heck. He switched classes because of him, not expecting to see the monster here.
But then, he calmed down.
'After seeing what Trisha did to that Aspirant, I'm sure she can put him in his place for me.'
Jake simply rolled his shoulders nonchalantly and stepped aside.
"Suit yourself. Just perform an interesting show for me."
Ray didn't reply as he stood a few metres away from Trisha, who didn't even pay him any attention.
It was like she was unable to see him for a moment as Ray shifted into a firm stance, eyes sharp and narrowed at the girl.
"Let the spar begin!"
'I can do this…'
Trisha vanished in a blur as she bolted toward Ray the moment the order left the Captain's lips.
She crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, materialising in front of him faster than he expected.
'Can I do this?'
Swiftly, the girl's fist streaked through the air, racing toward Ray's face.
Steeling himself, he pushed off the ground, distancing himself from the strike, which slammed into empty air with a dull thud.
Not wasting time, Ray lunged forward the moment his feet touched the floor.
His eyes locked onto the female.
He closed the gap with impressive speed.
His foot sprang forth, aiming for her chest.
Trisha calmly leaped to the side, avoiding the kick, which cut through nothing but space.
Without missing a breath, she darted forward.
Closing in again, she prepared to attack, only for Ray to smirk.
Like a serpent, his outstretched leg coiled back around, whipping through the air inches away from connecting with her.
Trisha's eyes widened briefly, but in the blink of an eye, she bent down, dodging the kick with sharp reflexes.
Ray swiftly leaped back in time, putting distance between them just in case of a follow-up assault.
It never came… or so he thought.
Because all of a sudden, Trisha exploded from where she stood, causing cracks to race through the ground beneath her feet.
She was now in the air directly above Ray, an axe kick descending toward his head from above.
'Are we even sure that she hasn't learnt combat before?'
He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid the kick in time as he was slightly slower, hence he shouted inwardly;
'System. Put three stats into my agility ASAP!'
[Done]
[AGI: 27>>> 30]
Ray's thighs tightened and stretched as he felt the surge of speed coursing through his veins, and with that burst of momentum, he was able to leap aside just in time.
Trisha's kick smashed into the ground.
BOOOM—!
The floor cracked violently, billowing dust and debris into the air and blinding everyone's view for a moment.
'That was close.'
Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Ray dashed into the dust, his leg arcing through the air, and for a brief second, the haze cleared.
A roundhouse kick from him connected with Trisha's rib with a loud crunch, sending her sliding backward in deep pain.
'I can't use any of my abilities or skills here, hence I have to rely solely on my physical capabilities.'
Trisha, on the other hand, was dazed.
Her hand instinctively clutched her side in blinding pain.
Disbelief was written all over her face as she hadn't expected the boy to land a hit on her—not even once.
'Did he grow faster?'
Not wanting to give her time to recover, Ray lunged forward under the stunned eyes of the other Aspirants.
They couldn't believe he had actually landed a hit on the girl.
Even Captain Jake was shocked.
Before Trisha arrived here, he had been notified of the transfer. Upon seeing her last name, he knew exactly who she really was.
The only daughter of a not-so-well-known legacy family.
And they excelled in combat, along with their abilities. That was why he created this twist today—to motivate his lazy students.
He knew none of them would land a hit on her at the sluggish rate they were progressing.
But right here in front of him, a student he hadn't paid any attention to actually did it?
That was quite unbelievable.
And now, he was lunging forward. Eyes locked onto the girl as he materialised in front of her.
His leg lashed through the air, racing past her face as she swiftly leaned backward, avoiding the kick… or so she thought.
That was because Jake's eyes lit up, recognising the maneuver.
He had demonstrated it just once in class and didn't bother revisiting it again since the Aspirants were unable to perform it properly and ended up injuring themselves.
So… how?
The kick raced past Trisha's face, but the very next second, Ray's leg hooked back, curling around her neck.
Then, with a sharp twist of his waist, the girl was lifted off her feet and smashed into the ground.
Hard!
"...."
Nobody said anything for a moment as their mouths fell open, staring at the devastating strike Ray had just landed.
Even with her neck pinned to the ground, Trisha swiftly twirled around, coiling her own leg around Ray's thigh.
'What the?'
Trisha twisted sharply, throwing the boy off his feet and smashing his face into the ground instead.
With blood dripping from her mouth, she sprang up and leaped away, putting distance between them.
Ray stood up quickly.
Before he knew it, the girl was nowhere to be seen—then she appeared right beside him.
He had sensed her earlier, but before he could react—
Crack—!
Thunk—!
Ray lost his footing as he collapsed with a heavy thud.
[Warning! Your leg has been broken]
[-8 Hp]
'Shoot!'
The pain was real and glaring—a clear signal that Trisha had used her technique.
But in his case, his leg wasn't as destroyed as the previous Aspirant's, with bones poking out of flesh.
It was just twisted at an unnatural angle.
Meanwhile, the girl calmly walked away.
A ringing noise echoed through the hall, signalling the end of the class, with Trisha continuing toward the exit.
"You did well. Keep growing. Maybe next time, you will be able to defeat me," she said over her shoulder as she exited the hall under the awed gazes of the other Aspirants.
'Sure.' Ray grinned widely despite the sharp pain coursing through him.
'And trust me, that next time is closer than you think.'
[Quest Completed]
[Host has managed to perceive the technique used and has grasped the concept. Good job]
[Rewards will now be distributed…]
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