Chapter 228: Chapter 228 - Snaky Guy
"Can I use spells too?" William inquired, to which Adam responded with a nod.
"Yes, use anything and everything in your arsenal to land a hit on me. Treat this as a real life-or-death battle, where it's kill or be killed. So, approach me with the intent to kill."
Upon hearing this, William felt a twinge of unease. 'Isn't he taking this sparring session a bit too seriously? But then again, he is a professional killer.'
'Should I really unleash my spells on him? Maybe I'll start with hand-to-hand combat and only resort to spells if necessary. Still, I need to be cautious—my spells have the Penetrate trait. I don't want to accidentally kill the new instructor before learning something valuable.'
"What are you waiting for? Your enemy won't wait for you on the battlefield, nor will you have the luxury of time to think. So, come at me NOW!" Adam barked, his gaze sharpening with a palpable intensity that sent a shiver down William's spine.
'Whoa... Is this what they call killing intent? Now I understand why it's both useful and dangerous.'
William took a moment to crack his knuckles and stretch, loosening up before focusing on Adam, who stood 15 meters away.
'How should I approach this? Should I employ tactics, or just charge straight at him? For now, let's stick to the basics.'
Abandoning his internal debate, William sprinted towards Adam at more than half of his full speed.
'Hmm. He's opting for a direct attack. A bit predictable, but there's room for improvement. His speed isn't particularly impressive, but I can see he's holding back,' Adam mused as he observed William's approach.
Within three seconds, William was upon him. Instead of delivering a straightforward punch, he slid forward, attempting to tackle Adam. But Adam quickly anticipated the move and sidestepped to the right. Before William could recover, Adam delivered a light chop to his right hand and remarked, "You just lost your right hand."
William looked at him in confusion.
"I told you I would dodge and defend, not attack. But I didn't say I wouldn't point out your mistakes," Adam clarified.
William nodded, replaying his actions in his mind. Before he could fully process what had gone wrong, Adam interrupted.
"HEY! The fight isn't over yet. Why are you getting lost in thought?" Adam barked at him.
William quickly swiped at Adam's legs, but Adam nimbly jumped back, repositioning himself 10 meters away. William stood up and assessed Adam's stance before charging at him once more.
'He's coming straight at me again... but this feels like a diversion. He's likely going to veer left or... RIGHT.'
As Adam predicted, William sprinted directly towards him but suddenly leaped to the right, aiming a kick at Adam's face. Adam caught his leg mid-air and effortlessly tossed him aside, sending William sprawling 20 meters away.
Undeterred, William got to his feet and ran in a circular pattern, accelerating to 90% of his full speed. To an ordinary observer, it would have seemed fast, but to Adam, it was still relatively slow.
'Not too fast, but impressive for someone at his level. Let's see if he's concealing any other tricks.'
William dashed forward at nearly top speed, swiftly pivoting and launching himself at Adam. But Adam intercepted his punch and threw him once more.
"You didn't fully capitalize on that turn. The spin was a good idea—if you were up against someone inexperienced. But against a seasoned opponent, you need to be much faster."
Frustration began to simmer within William as he stood up and charged again, this time at full speed.
'Now this is more like it. He's not fast by my standards, but for someone at his level, his speed could be overwhelming.'
William reached Adam in a flash and aimed directly for his face.
'Don't be so predictable,' Adam thought as he prepared to dodge. But William swiftly redirected his punch towards the ground. Although the floor remained intact, the impact caused the room to tremble slightly.
As it was a surprising move, Adam wasn't able to keep his position straight for a moment and William took advantage of that and strike at his chest to only get blocked and thrown back right where he was.
Without pausing, William lunged forward, attempting to head-butt Adam. But Adam deftly jumped over him and, using William's own momentum, tossed him aside once more.
William tumbled nearly 40 meters before coming to a stop, groaning in pain. After being thrown around several times, his anger began to flare.
'Alright! To hell with holding back. I'm going to make him pay.'
William got to his feet and charged again, this time casting a Light Bullet spell. Small, bullet-like orbs shot towards Adam with impressive speed, but Adam dodged them with movements as fluid as a snake's.
'Light spells, huh? They're quick but lack power. Excellent for healing, but less so for offense.'
'But if used by the right mind, even something like a small knife can be fatal.'
As Adam continued to evade the projectiles, he noticed William closing in. Instead of attacking with his fists, William conjured a sword made of pure light.
'Good, he's adapting mid-fight. But he's forgotten something crucial.'
William swung his sword at Adam repeatedly, but Adam dodged each strike with ease. Suddenly, Adam caught William's hands, halting the attack.
"You should know better than to challenge a sword master in his own domain."
William struggled to free himself, but Adam's grip was unyielding. When William tried to apply more force, Adam deftly turned it against him, releasing him in a way that sent William stumbling backward.
"Once again, you've put yourself in a position where your opponent could easily end your life—"
Before Adam could finish, he had to leap to avoid a barrage of light bullets.
"Okay, not exactly honorable, but clever. And staying clever is what keeps you alive."
Adam commented, but William was too frustrated to listen. His thoughts were clouded as he desperately searched for a way to turn the tide in his favor.
'But how on earth do I do that when he's dodging so quickly and effortlessly? I've got to hand it to him—he's incredibly fast.'
'Maybe I should use that.'
William stood up, bending slightly as his right hand began to glow.
'What's he planning now?' Adam wondered, his eyes narrowing as he observed William.
Suddenly, William unleashed a beam of light—casting the spell Light Beam—directly at Adam. The spell was so swift that Adam, unprepared for such an attack, couldn't dodge it in time. The beam struck its target, causing a small explosion.
'I didn't kill him, did I?' William thought as he peered through the dissipating smoke, searching for any sign of Adam.
As the smoke cleared, Adam's slightly battered figure emerged. He coughed a little, then straightened up.
"Cough, cough... I have to admit, that was well-executed. But..."
Adam fixed his gaze on William, his eyes gleaming with resolve as his face etched a dark smile.
"Now it's my turn."