A few minutes later, a wolf similar to his first opponent appeared. The wolf was about four feet long, reaching three feet in height. It was an adult wolf for its dimensions.
Its only difference was tiny white streaks in its fur. They looked similar to small lightning bolts running through their fur. Kayden voiced this observation to the scientist and the man explained:
"This is an authentic 2nd-rank gray wolf, your species has evolved to control lightning like you, and this causes your body to be slightly altered. Wolves in ninth rank have small lightning bolts swirling in their orbit." David looked excited as he explained.
The two opted for a second rank this time, as Kayden was already more developed in the mana path. They decided to start low, as normally magical beasts were insanely strong for their ranks. Hardly an apprentice mage can fight on an equal footing. This issue only goes away at mage rank with the addition of fast spells.
The wolf approached where they were. Its tail was lowered, showing submission to Cerberus. Within seconds, the two were standing ten meters from Kayden.
"Are you ready boy?" Kayden already had his katana drawn and nodded. "Then come on, Cerberus, send the beast to attack Kayden," David ordered his mate.
Hearing his order from Cerberus, the wolf cautiously advanced. It started circling Kayden and slowly got closer. The boy was already used to this technique and waited for the wolf to get closer.
In the past, he used false strikes and various cuts to win the fight. But time has brought significant changes to his fighting style, and his time against conventional mages has made those changes even more evident.
When the wolf was 5 meters away, Kayden used the focused beam to distract the animal. From the distance, the wolf managed to dodge smoothly, but when he turned to Kayden, the boy was already 2 meters away from him.
The wolf knew this was not a time to cower. He prepared a lunge for the boy. Its teeth were bared and its paws pushed the ground for its leap. At that moment, Kayden used a Pop Flash that caused the wolf to go blind.
The animal yelped but continued the attack with determination. Unfortunately for him, Kayden wasn't irrational enough to go head-to-head. The boy used acceleration on his legs, and for a moment, he surpassed the normal 4th-rank speed and dodged to the side.
His speed hadn't even reached rank 5 yet, but he was in an impressive middle ground. David couldn't remember seeing someone on his level with such high speed. Logically, if you consider families with high-level techniques, the boy was far behind. However, that was just his body being used with a low-level technique.
Like a breath, Kayden's katana swept across the wolf's neck and sliced thinly. The boy didn't need to damage an opponent he had already lost. The animal fell to the ground yelping and began to run away. Wounded and blind, his last concern was with that fight, his survival instinct screamed louder than anything else.
"Wow, that was fast Kayden, he didn't stand a chance against you." David was impressed, it was evident that Kayden had spent a lot of time gaining battle experience to get the most out of every skill he had.
Keeping the katana in its sheath, the boy thanked the scientist for his compliment:
"Let's try a 3rd rank now, David." Kayden wanted to go straight for the beast's fourth rank but decided not to try to bite more than he was capable of. Arrogance was the most deadly disease on the face of the earth.
David ordered Cerberus to bring another wolf. While they waited, he approached Kayden with questions about the heart's performance. Finally, he asked about his abilities and the element chosen by him.
"Lightning gives me damage for conventional mage spells and speed mixed with damage for swordsmen. I believe it was my best option. All my skills are the most basic of my element."
That was true. The Pop Flash could be made by an idiot with a little practice. Concentrated ray was also at the same difficulty level. His hardest skill was acceleration. But it just required a little more practice.
"You planned every detail, didn't you boy? Your fighting style and skills are almost like a killing machine." That was true at one point. Kayden only made investments in things that would pay off.
A few minutes later, the next wolf was brought before the two. Its body was practically the same as the previous one, the only difference being that its fur had even more white streaks.
"Kayden, be careful. At this level, they can use lightning on their paws and teeth. That's their only ability, but it can cause massive damage to your body." David warned as he ordered Cerberus to release the animal on Kayden.
Kayden didn't respond and concentrated on his battle. The inexplicable feeling was felt again. His heart sped up. The wolf was getting closer. It was pretty much the same battle mode as the previous ones.
Kayden has fought this type of beast hundreds of times. Using the same strategy, he went after the animal. It was practically a repetition of the previous fight, everything was going well. Kayden used the Pop Flash and the wolf was blinded.
So far, everything was running smoothly. But the world is not a strawberry. The wolf was much faster than the last one and was there before Kayden could dodge. Kayden had to abandon the idea of attacking him.
This caused the wolf to be able to regain his vision in time to see the boy approaching again. When Kayden's sword came down, the wolf was already springing against his arm.
By Kayden's minor miscalculation, the animal's teeth sank into his arm, breaking bone and muscle. This feeling was not strange for the boy. But even though he'd been through it dozens of times, he wasn't a fan of the situation.
Also, this time the boy felt his arm going completely numb. His sword still caught the wolf's side and threatened to cut him in two. The wolf backed away and began circling the boy.
Kayden had his heart pounding like crazy. His arm hurt like hell, even though it was numb. His head and instinct forced him to run. But he stayed. Your sword in just one hand. Incredibly, Kayden was having one of the best moments of the last year.
The adrenaline. The danger. Being close to death and feeling so alive was intoxicating. With an insane smile on his face, the boy advanced with just one arm. Using the same strategy as before, he attacked the wolf.
The beast was not an idiot and understood what was happening. It was even possible to see his eyes closing. Unfortunately for him, Kayden already had another plan. A concentrated beam shot from his knee toward the animal.
Out of his sight, he was hit squarely by the spell. This caused a small collapse of his movements. his mind lost control of his muscles by milliseconds. When he came to, he turned to Kayden in a panic and received a Pop Flash right in his eyes.
Maddened, the beast attacked the last position Kayden was in. It was easy for the boy to dodge and cut the animal's neck. Like the first one, this one ran wildly in a random direction.
Kayden collapsed to the ground and David rushed Daisy to heal the boy. Without the adrenaline, pain assaulted Kayden's body. He was unable to speak or think for a few moments. The pain was like an old friend that always comes back the same way. It didn't matter if you knew her deeply, it would always be like the first time.