The dominance I felt in this battle was even more exhilarating than when I had Tina powerless under me!
This gave Dennis an unbearable urge to mock Rein!
The next second, Rein suddenly heard the creature opposite him actually speak.
"Hiss, Rein... you're dead meat today!" Dennis said while his forked tongue flicked in and out.
The two continued to trade blows at high speed while talking.
"Me? I'm someone you'd never dream of."
After fighting for a while, it would seem both of their energies should have been greatly drained.
But, perhaps because of the potions he took, Dennis constantly maintained an excited state, several times more intense than hyperthyroidism. He felt an endless supply of strength in his body, enabling him to keep fighting.
Rein, on the other hand, was clearly starting to breathe more heavily.
This made Dennis even more triumphant.
"Remember, the man who killed you is Dennis!"
The next second, Dennis's onslaught came like a tide!
Rein recalled the Dennis he had met once before, not expecting him to have transformed into this ghastly figure.
Was there some connection between him and the bandit group?
And how did he end up ?
But soon, Rein realized that it didn't matter.
What mattered was that his opponent's stamina was exceptionally good.
This also meant that he could shear more experience from his adversary!
Although he was running low on stamina, it was perfect, as he had just become a fully-fledged wizard, which required a Spirit Attribute of over 30 points, and he was just short of that.
So, with hardly any hesitation, Rein added one point to his Spirit Attribute.
As his remaining attribute points went from 6→5, his Spirit also increased from 27 points→28 points.
Suddenly, a warm surge burst forth from his heart and rapidly spread throughout his body.
Instantly, all the fatigue in Rein's body was swept away!
Facing Dennis charging at him with full speed, Rein suddenly realized something.
The other party must have no idea that his desperate attacks would actually benefit Rein immensely.
God knows what the guy would feel if he ever found out!
So, with a slight smile, Rein met him at high speed as well.
The two were locked in battle once again.
This time, Dennis became more and more irritable as he fought, more and more impatient.
Rein was clearly running out of steam just a moment ago, and Dennis was close to winning; how had Rein suddenly become full of energy again?
After several more exchanges, Dennis couldn't help but ask:
"Hiss~ How is it possible! Shouldn't your strength be nearly spent?" Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
"Heh, I last longer, it's normal that you wouldn't know that," Rein casually replied.
Dennis could clearly tell that Rein was mocking him. His slit-like pupils narrowed as he attacked with all his strength.
Rein's chest, protected by a sturdy suit of armor called 'Water Film Steel Breastplate,' coupled with the Transcendent trait 'Iron Skin Lv3,' was unfazed by the continuous claw strikes. Naturally, Rein didn't take such attacks seriously.
Soon, Dennis's transparent form began to flicker, likely due to excessive energy consumption. He gradually shifted out of his 'chameleon' state, returning to his appearance covered with pale green scales.
"Just like a wild beast!"
"A bit faster! A bit faster and you might actually hurt me!"
"Come on, use your strength! Put some muscle into it, Dennis!"
Rein kept taunting Dennis with his words.
It wasn't that Rein was vicious with his words, he simply wanted to squeeze out the last bit of Dennis' strength.
Hearing Rein's occasional mockery and teasing, Dennis, whose mind was slightly affected by the continuous transformation, now had bloodshot eyes!
He practically used all his might, mustering the strength of a suckling babe, to launch an attack.
As Rein's understanding of the Kadar Martial Arts became deeper and more refined, he fought more and more smoothly...
Moreover, since Dennis was using claws, this allowed Rein to make some sort of comparison between fists and claws, which seemed to have certain benefits for learning the secret technique "Hundred Crack Strike" later on.
Dennis's body began to emit white steam, and his complexion turned reddish through the pale green scales!
Dennis, moving at high speed, suddenly staggered, his face changing color immediately!
Damn it! Dennis felt something inside his body burst suddenly!
Following that, he felt the strength in his body rapidly draining away...
It was as if his body at that moment was a balloon that had been punctured by a needle, rapidly leaking something.
Rein, on the other hand, had also stopped in place, watching as Dennis trembled nonstop, with scales and sharp claws starting to fall off all over his body...
Seeing this eerie scene, Rein chose not to continue the attack.
He guessed that the other party must have reached some kind of limit.
A physical breakdown?
Or some other reason, he wasn't very sure.
However, it was a bit disappointing — such a good "experience farming target" was gone.
In Rein's heart, there was actually a bit of regret.
If he had the choice, he would have preferred the other party to recover immediately.
Or maybe... the current strange state of the other party was just a prelude to some kind of transformation...
In that case, after the transformation was over, he could have another round of combat with him.
But wishes are always beautiful.
And reality is "regrettable"...
Seconds later, Dennis collapsed with a "thump," convulsing on the ground...
One minute later, a emaciated Dennis with white hair and an appearance of extreme aging appeared before Rein.
With a heightened sense of spirit, Rein felt that the other party's vitality was now almost exhausted, even the sound of breathing was faintly discernible.
Then, the system prompt suddenly appeared:
[Your skill, Tokadar Fist Technique, has improved, Experience +977]
[You have experienced a combat, Knight (Transcendent) Experience +89]
The experience given by Knight (Transcendent) wasn't much, but the lengthy duration of the battle and the use of martial arts made Rein's Kadar Martial Arts jump directly from Lv4 (77/1000) to Lv5 (54/2000)!
Seeing the monster ultimately turn into a human form startled the guards of the mansion, they gathered around and, after a careful check, reported, "Baron, the other party is dead!"
"Who would have thought it was a human!"
Rein nodded and said, "Take care of the body."
This body should be of great research value. He wondered if he would be awarded a significant number of Merit Points after handing it over to the empire.
Martial arts at Lv5, what an unexpected joy; just another 5 points to Lv10...
Rein turned to retrieve his two weapons, planning to return to his room for a short rest.
Then suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
Immediately after, he quickly turned around, looking toward a certain spot on the street under the night sky...
The mansion's guards, who were originally cleaning up the battlefield, also seemed to sense a shift in the atmosphere, and they all looked up in the direction of their Baron's gaze.
What appeared were a pair of gleaming plate armored boots, emerging under the streetlamp at the bend of the nearby street...