Chapter 28—Messing with the Vital Points

The tension grew bigger as Valor's lips curved, serious but amused, seems like the passive kill he got has an intimidation effect. This caused the group to clutch their handles tightly and had their stances, ready to unsheath their weapons whenever the man in front of them move. Rein at his side was also surprised by this, like her, she knows Valor got something from that beta-mission—for her that is. Knowing that, Her adventurous spirit was activated for a fight, she slightly wished this tension break out so she can see his growth. But she knows it is very unlikely, Valor won't unnecessarily fight, especially in this kind of highly respected establishments. Unless it's a duel.

But within this situation, one of the adults spoke and reaped their attentions. In a snap, the tension vanished. "He's right Archie, you don't welcome someone with an insult. You welcome them with a fight". It was Thomson, an officer from the Hotrock—he was relayed orders to babysit the seven for their nine days stay here, along with two more officers to act as their guardians.

From the sofa, Rad, one of the guardians called him out, "Don't make a ruckus Thom, we're here to compete and win. Not brag and smug, we're not uncivilized hooligans," he reminded them.

"Don't sweat it, It's only a friendly sparring, besides..." Thomson then murmured, "That kid is one of the four we are wary of right? We can use Archie for inquiry, it seems like our info is a bit off-dated."

"Do what you like then," Rad replied and continued reading his book. Thomson then gave a thumbs-up to Archie, signing him with a wink.

Archie who saw that smirked, having his empty confidence fueled by the guardian's approval—He forgot about his stiffened self before and did what Thomson suggested. He drew his sword from his waist, then pointed the end to Valor's chest and announced loudly, "I Archie Ellvist challenge the fallen-assassin to a duel, the loser shall kowtow to the winner and say "sorry for my arrogance" three times." Every living being with ears inside the reception hall heard this, boosting Archie's pointless confidence when multiple eyes settled on them.

Rein from the side couldn't help but shake her head, she murmured, "I can't believe someone like this still exists in our era, Baseless arrogance fuels his every reason to move. Seriously, what is happening to the ellvist? How can they raise such a stinky person?"

Valor looked at Archie dead in the eyes, before he lowered his gaze to the metal-end, pointed against his chest—it seems to glint with the light coming from the ceiling.

He smiled as he decided his answer. He drew his hunting knife from his waist while he murmured to Rein, "You should go first to the room Rein, I'll be done here quickly." Archie not a meter away heard that, but he remained quiet as Valor quickly agreed by making their blades touch. The crowd around them now secretly have their eyes on the two, Intrigued by the duel, they silently watched the scene transpire.

Rein answered valor's regard before with a no, she disagreed with him and reasoned, "you want me to miss something interesting? Hell no I won't." Reaching her C-phone, She typed silently with a hyped smile, before her hand tilted the phone horizontally and began filming for future arsenal.

Valor didn't respond, instead, he proceeded to ask, "where's the arena?" Archie quickly responded with a smile, "this establishment has one, we can use that."

But valor remained quiet, as he pondered first, measuring the pros—he smiled when he unearthed a plan. "That's too time-consuming," he said with a smirk and continued, "how about the classic sparring where we'll let each other punch us freely on the face once so that we can measure our opponent's strength, before walking away three meters apart with blades sheathed on the waist, when the sign is made, we contest our skills and strengths by one swing—The blade nearest to the opponent's neck wins."

Hearing the rules, Archie squinted his brows in confusion. That sparring is made by blade bearers so that they can see who's dominant in terms of techniques, strength, and speed. Not for magic bringers that contest with casting time and quality of the spell. Without updated info, Archie still believes Valor has a kinked path—he thinks Valor is a magic learner, hindering his talent to wield blades.

So he asked, "A mage's advantage in a duel is the distance as they need time to cast before the enemy get closer, you're giving that away with these rules, Are you really that desperate to lose? Or you know you'll lose so you don't want to waste time." With an insult at the end, Archie asked in a taunting manner.

But Valor rebutted with a smile, "don't worry, I don't need to use any spell to defeat a lizard, My physical prowess and tempered skills are enough to beat a fire-breathing one."

"Oooh, Toasted pride." Rein commented to deepen the wound, and it was effective. The two saw Archie's jaws gritting in unreasonable anger, proving the foul person he is. "Fuck it then, if you want to be trashed badly then so be it. You go first and I'll shatter your skull when it's my turn." Archie displayed his cheek to Valor, hurrying him to punch them quickly.

Of course, Valor wouldn't let an opportunity slide, this let him escalate the events sooner. He heaved a deep breath and with no warnings, Valor punched the open face—fast and brutal. This surprised Archie, making him stumble on his feet as he was drowned with nausea when the rock hard fist landed on his face, The crowd watching them was also shocked by Valor's prowess, abnormal from the supposed magic learner they thought him to be.

"(Slayer) was used successfully, the attack dealt critical damage."

"Passive skill:(Six-pact spatial lock) activated on the opponent."

Archie swayed like a grass in a windy season, as the punch stung his senses, like how valor wanted it to be.

"That punch stung a knight's senses,"

"Aren't knights very oriented?"

"They are, but that kid has some serious talent in identifying vital points."

"The vital points, huh. The dots used by swordmen and pugilists when fighting, unlike mana flow, 128 points are already founded to the body—all have a different use when activated, like increase of muscle strength, or have hardened skin. Then by connecting certain points in the right arrangement; they can activate different unique buffs—If we do the math, There are vast arrangements of buffs that can be made. The only downside is when one point is hit directly— it stings and disables some certain function of the body."

"That kid hit the orienting point—resulting in the knight's confusion in standing still."

Discussion blossomed inside the crowd as they watch the knight try to regain his balance, no one dare to help.

Thomson in the crowd couldn't watch their representative wiggle on his feet any longer so he went there, grabbed Archie's shoulder, and slapped him on the other cheeks, balancing his senses once more. "You're humiliating yourself," said Thomson.

"He just got me off guard." Archie reasoned before he removed the guardian's hand on his shoulder, he then continued the sparring by going back to his initial position and stood in front of Valor, while Thomson went back to the crowd.

Archie then said with his stiffened voice, "It's my turn now." Valor just nodded for courtesy and showed him his cheeks, unguarded and free to hit.

Archie heaved a deep breath and readied his fist just in front of his neck, In one second, the crowd saw a red aura come out of the fist and surrounded it red, coating the hand to enhance his next attack.

The fist then flared up into a burning fist, flaming with vital fueled fire. 'I'll squash you with this!' he said in his mind, confident he can win.

Rein watching Archie charge his fist felt her anxiety going up, those who tread the path of magic and martial arts are durable and versatile with their magic-based body. This means, Simply not wearing one in a fight increases the probability of defeat in most cases, as they can only rely on their physical power. Which composes no ability other than simple movements, Valor would take the enhanced punch of a knight(A path) with his face alone.

"Haaa!" he shouted with his fist flared up, red with a little ting of yellow at the edges, Valor near him felt heat being emitted from the flaring fist. But instead of getting nervous seeing the flame which will soon be a burning punch, he still had the tack to smile as he waited for the punch.

"Burn with my punch!" Archie shouted from his lungs as he launched his burning fist, flaming through the air. While the crowd saw a fast red-line accelerating to Valor's open face. With his eyes wide open, Archie knows Valor will be rendered helpless if his fist landed. It may not be as tempered as Valor's first before, but his excels in brutal strength. Even the crowd knows what will happen if Valor took the punch, it will for sure crack his skull.

Seeing the punch's momentum, the crowd watched relentlessly as the strike traveled halfway their distance. Unable to decide if they shall stop the sparring midway, and caused lag to their mind.

One of them was about to jump in to save Valor but he was suddenly stopped in his tracks, no he wasn't stopped, he stopped himself.

As the punch traveled quickly, the expected collision didn't happen. Stunned with the unthinkable outcome—the fast-moving fist missed, one meter away Valor is where Archie's flaring fist went. He punched the air and the momentum he build up vanished.

The crowd's scrutiny on Valor's well-being was instantly forgotten and was quickly replaced with confusion, like the opponent himself who doesn't know what happened. Brows crossed, he looked at Valor in perplexity before he made an unjust claim, "you cheated! Why did you dodge my punch!" he suddenly impeached.

"Vital alteration; twisted eyesight," Valor didn't mind Archie's accusation and answered him with mere four words, but it cleared everyones' confusion; it's the name of his punch before that stung Archie's sense of direction, and also his sight.

"Don't worry, it should be wearing off now," he added and the image of valor that Archie's seeing slowly vanished, Valor then appeared one meter away.

"Where did this kid learnt this advance technique?"

"Charlotte for sure."

"Ohhh, that explains it all."

Trained by his mother's needles and his father's broad sword, he unearthed a technique of a higher grade. "Vital strike." by striking with his fist covered in mana, he can mess with someone's vital point and inflict certain effects on the opponent. But he can't use it in real battle as he is troubled in finding the vital points of a moving opponent—this technique needs precise strike and predicts where's the point going as they move with the muscles movement, but Archie's kind enough to stand steady and let him locate his points. Remembering her mother's techniques, he knows he needs a decade of practice if he wants to achieve mastery in this course of fighting style.

But he won't continue it as identifying points and messing with other's bodies isn't his ideal type of fighting, slashing them neatly and fast suits him better.