Chapter 46: The Test [Bonus]

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The Test [Bonus]

The man walked to the center of the room. He grabbed the table with the orb and dragged it to the side. Then he turned and faced Daniel.

"Ready?" he asked.

Daniel smiled. He walked to the center of the room. His hands were in his pockets. His posture was relaxed. He looked like he was taking a stroll through a park.

The man’s eye twitched. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to attack."

The man stared at him. His fists clenched. His jaw tightened.

"You’re not even going to raise your hands?"

Daniel shook his head. "Don’t need to."

The man’s face went red. His muscles tensed. He was furious. And that was exactly what Daniel wanted.

Daniel wasn’t planning on using his hands. He had set a trap. The man was too angry to think clearly. Too focused on Daniel’s smug face to notice anything else.

The man charged.

Daniel waited. Then, at the last second, he kicked.

His foot connected with the man’s stomach. The impact was thunderous. The man’s eyes bulged. His mouth opened. He flew backward, his body lifting off the ground, sailing through the air.

He crashed into the wall. The stone cracked. Dust fell from the ceiling. The man slumped to the floor, gasping for breath.

Lyra’s mouth fell open. Fluffy’s ears shot up.

The man pushed himself to his feet. His eyes were wide. Shocked. Disbelieving.

"No level two can do that," he muttered. "That’s impossible."

Daniel looked at Lyra. "Hey. Go get a bucket of water."

Lyra blinked. "What?"

"A bucket of water. This fight will end faster than I expected."

The man heard him. His face twisted with rage.

"You bastard!" he shouted. "I’m a stage two warrior! I’ve been training for ten years! You think you can beat me with one lucky kick?"

Mana surrounded his fist. Blue energy crackled and hummed. He ran at Daniel, his fist pulled back.

He threw the punch.

Daniel dodged. The fist sailed past his head. The mana exploded outward, sending shockwaves through the air. The wall behind Daniel cracked. A loud bang echoed through the room.

Daniel’s eyes widened. "What was that?"

The man stared at him. His expression was pure disbelief.

"Are you dumb?" he spat. "That’s mana. I channeled mana into my fist."

Daniel nodded. "I know it’s mana. But why is it stronger? The other guy I fought could only make his sword sharper. You’re sending shockwaves through the air."

The man’s face twitched. He didn’t answer. He just kept throwing punches.

Daniel dodged. Duck. Sway. Step back. The man’s fists flew past him, each one sending another shockwave through the room. Cracks spread across the walls. Dust filled the air.

Daniel counted in his head. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

After the fifth punch, the mana around the man’s fist flickered. Then faded. His hand returned to normal.

Daniel smiled. "Thirty-three seconds."

The man froze. "What?"

"You can only keep up the mana enhancement for thirty-three seconds. The other guy could go way longer than that."

The man’s face went red. His eyes bulged. His veins popped.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed. "You weren’t even focusing on the fight! You were just counting!"

Daniel laughed. "I wasn’t only counting."

The man stared at him. "What?"

"I was having a daydream." Daniel’s smile widened. A wicked, perverted smile. "Of me beating your ass in a cool way. Then Lyra and Fluffy fall for me. Hehehe. Then we play some fun games. Hehehe. I get some ropes. We do some role play. Hehehehe."

Lyra had just returned with the bucket of water. She heard the tail end of his words. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Fluffy was standing beside her. She didn’t understand either. She just knew it involved fun games with Master.

The man, however, understood perfectly. His face went through several shades of red. Then purple. Then white.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he shouted. "Why don’t you just grab her as—"

Daniel’s fist connected with his jaw.

The man’s head snapped back. His eyes rolled up. He collapsed onto the floor. Out cold.

Daniel laughed. "Now we’ll never know what he was about to say. Hehehe."

Lyra and Fluffy still didn’t understand the situation. They just stood there, looking at the unconscious man on the floor.

Daniel gestured at Lyra. "Bring the bucket."

Lyra walked over and handed him the bucket of water. Daniel took it. He looked down at the man. Then he dumped the water on his face.

The man sputtered. His eyes flew open. He looked up at Daniel. His expression was a mixture of fear, confusion, and lingering disgust.

Daniel smiled down at him.

"So," he said. "Did we pass?"