Chapter 131
『Warning』
This is a forced quest area. Entering without the proper qualifications may result in death.
Recommended qualifications: B-rank or higher combat skills, proficiency Intermediate Level 1 or higher; B-rank or higher psychokinetic abilities, proficiency Intermediate Level 1 or higher.
As Raul stepped into Zeinak’s training ground, the warning message appeared.
Unperturbed, Raul walked towards the statue.
Creak.
The dormant statue of Zeinak opened its eyes and summoned aura into its fists, shouting.
“Who dares disturb my slumber… hm?”
Looking curiously at Raul, who had come right up to him, Zeinak folded his arms and spoke.
“How interesting. A psychokinetic who has been acknowledged by Jeremiah.”
“Just fortunate.”
Raul replied.
“Fortunate, you say. Is the spear your main weapon?”
“I use whatever comes to hand.”
Zeinak smirked at Raul’s candid response.
Crack.
As Zeinak flexed his upper body, his muscles swelled up, transforming into a daunting figure.
‘He looks almost like my big brother.’
Had he been taller, Raul might have thought Zeinak was an ancestor of the Ashton household, but Zeinak stood at a modest 175 cm despite his muscular build.
“Come at me then.”
“Can I use any weapon?”
“It doesn’t matter. Everything is equal before my fists.”
Though his words might have sounded cheesy, the aura he exuded was no joke.
“In that case, I won’t hold back….”
Facing Zeinak, Raul clenched his fists. Knights typically trained in a variety of martial arts, and unarmed combat was one of the basics.
On the battlefield, if they lost their weapons, their final defense was always their own body. Unsurprisingly, Raul was also skilled in unarmed combat.
Among the Ashton household techniques, there was a family combat technique rated B+.
“Heh, you’re quite spirited. Don’t regret it.”
Whish.
Zeinak’s fist flew straight toward Raul. Raul didn’t dodge but instead swung his own fist to meet it.
Boom!
“……!”
From Raul’s inventory, a hundred throwing knives spilled out, orbiting around him in flight, along with a bastard sword, a longsword, and a 3-meter-long spear that hovered in front of him, all pointed towards Zeinak.
Although the statue of Zeinak showed no expression, Raul sensed a slight twitch in its fists, indicating surprise.
Zeinak clearly hadn’t expected someone at an intermediate level of psychokinesis to wield so many weapons simultaneously.
“…I’m astonished. Your psychokinetic abilities seem to be at an intermediate level, yet… But you do know that quantity doesn’t necessarily mean victory, right? Shall we begin?”
“Yes, I look forward to it.”
As Raul responded, Zeinak activated his own hidden psychokinetic abilities.
Fwoosh.
Flames began to blaze around his body, his fists enveloped in blue fire.
Boom.
With a powerful leap, Zeinak imprinted his footsteps on the training ground floor, almost appearing to teleport right in front of Raul.
‘As expected.’
Raul gazed calmly at Zeinak, his eyes unwavering.
Zeinak’s psychokinetic abilities included two types:
Pyrokinesis, allowing him to manipulate flames, and physical enhancement, boosting his strength and defense.
Coupled with master-level unarmed combat skills, the combination was overwhelmingly potent.
Boom!
Zeinak’s flaming fist, large enough to engulf Raul’s upper body, ignited the air as he swung it.
But no matter how powerful, an attack that doesn’t hit is futile.
Raul used his instant movement skill, Flicker (B), to shift himself into the air above the training ground.
Left behind on the ground were the hundred throwing knives and the three main weapons that began to move in earnest.
Whizz.
Like a swarm of bees, the hundred throwing knives surrounded Zeinak, repeatedly forming and dispersing clusters, targeting his entire body.
The bastard sword executed destructive slashes following the Bear Crush technique of Ashton swordsmanship.
The longsword employed Caldenas’s Infinity Sword, launching continuous strikes to exploit Zeinak’s openings.
From a slight distance, the spear executed various techniques from Fury Wave, thrusting towards Zeinak.
Crash! Clang! Thud-thud-thud!
Zeinak’s movements were indeed impeccable. Despite being attacked by over a hundred throwing knives and three weapons simultaneously, he parried and countered without retreating.
‘As expected, standard attacks won’t create an opening.’
Hovering fifty meters above the training ground, supported by psychokinesis, Raul nodded as he observed.
Just as Zeinak had said, sheer numbers alone weren’t enough to overpower him.
‘Time to up the ante.’
As Raul focused and drew upon his spiritual power, the throwing knives and weapons were bathed in a golden light.
Soon, sharp golden mana blades extended from each weapon.
Whoom.
The immense burst of energy seemed to make the very air tremble.
Fwish! Fwoosh! Crackle!
The weapons that had been easily repelled by Zeinak’s fists now carried mana, changing the course of the battle.
With each deflected weapon, Zeinak’s footing wavered slightly, creating openings.
The throwing knives and weapons began to graze Zeinak’s statue, chipping away at it and leaving marks.
“Hahaha! Excellent! This is a truly gripping fight!”
Though the statue did not bleed, Zeinak seemed to perceive it as such. A powerful aura gathered around his fists, emitting overwhelming pressure.
Ting! Bang!
Weapons that collided with his fists shattered their mana blades and were flung several meters away.
Raul quickly recharged the weapons and redeployed them into the fray, but cornering Zeinak like before was no longer easy.
As openings appeared, Zeinak thrust his fists towards the airborne Raul.
Whoosh!
Red flames, like blazing dragons, wreathed the flying aura, tracing a long trajectory as they soared towards Raul.
“Ugh.”
Raul, who had been relatively composed, frowned at the approaching heat, quickly stepping back on psychokinetic platforms.
However, the flame aura, acting like a homing missile, pursued Raul relentlessly. Another flaming aura shot up towards Raul in quick succession.
‘Tch, I guess there’s no other choice.’
Diverting about twenty throwing knives, Raul positioned them in front of his body. His eyes turned a golden hue as he focused on the incoming flame aura.
At the core of the blazing aura, he could see a densely concentrated mana aggregate.
“Go!”
Ten throwing knives, imbued with Raul’s golden mana, flew in formation like a flock of birds towards the flaming aura.
Boom! Pop!
Each knife struck the core of the aura in succession, and as the tenth knife lost its light and fell, the flaming aura dissipated.
‘One more!’
Raul repeated the process for the second flaming aura, but suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Fwoosh!
Instinctively using Flicker, he moved, leaving flames crackling on his power armor.
Thud.
“Tsk, you even dodged that.”
Zeinak, who had leaped into the air and landed, clicked his tongue in frustration.
While Raul was preoccupied with the auras, Zeinak had tried to attack him directly.
Swish!
Just as the weapons closed in on Zeinak again, he raised his hand and shouted.
“Enough. I concede.”
Zeinak’s flames and mana rapidly receded before disappearing completely.
Raul brushed off the flames and landed in front of Zeinak, asking, “Why did you stop? Honestly, I was about to be overwhelmed.”
“I would have liked to continue, but time’s up. Besides, you’ve surpassed the level I’m meant to evaluate, so further combat is unnecessary.”
“Ah….”
Immersed in the battle, Raul had forgotten it was an evaluation and that Zeinak was merely a statue.
In the end, since the Zeinak statue acknowledged defeat, Raul achieved his goal. However, his expression showed dissatisfaction.
‘If the battle had continued longer, I would have lost. I still have a long way to go.’
“I’m pleased to have met such an outstanding psychokinetic successor. I eagerly await the prowess your psychokinesis will achieve at the master level. But our connection ends here. I hope this aids you on your path.”
A hole appeared in the forehead of the Zeinak statue, revealing a round orb that floated out.
Raul accepted the orb, his eyes widening in surprise.
‘Why…? Wasn’t the hidden quest reward predetermined?’
The crude orb resting in Raul’s hand was three times larger than what he had received in his past life.
(To be continued)