As soon as the instructor shouted, "Start!", a shimmering barrier manifested around the circle, locking both of us inside.
Jessica wasted no time. She charged at me, her massive hammer raised high above her head.
The ground beneath her cracked with each step as she enhanced her strength with earth mana.
swish!!
"Stone Breaker!" she roared, bringing the hammer down with terrifying force.
I barely had time to dodge, rolling to the side as the hammer smashed into the ground where I stood just moments before.
A small crater formed, dust and debris scattering in all directions.
"Tsk. Fast little rat." Jessica clicked her tongue in annoyance.
I quickly assessed the situation. She had overwhelming strength, but with a weapon that size, her attacks would be slower and predictable.
If I played this right, I could wear her down.
I jump back a couple of step.
"Not going to fight back?" she taunted with a smirk on her face, gripping her hammer tightly.
"Then I'll end this in one hit!"
She lunged forward again, swinging the hammer in a wide arc.
I ducked, feeling the rush of air as it barely missed my head.
This was my chance.
I dashed in close, driving my fist into her side, and It Did Nothing.
"Hah! You hit like a child!" she laughed, twisting her body and slamming her elbow toward my face.
'That damned elbow…'
Just as I had been weaving through her attacks, thinking I had the upper hand.
bam!
her elbow slammed straight into my ribs with the force of a warhorse's kick.
I didn't even see it coming.
For a split second, my vision blurred. My breath hitched. A sharp, unbearable pain shot through my side, like molten steel had just been driven into my bones.
I staggered back, nearly losing my footing.
'Shit—that actually broke something.'
I could feel it, that telltale grinding sensation whenever I tried to inhale.
My ribs had definitely cracked, maybe even fractured.
Jessica, of course, wasn't about to let up.
She was already swinging her hammer again, eyes blazing with determination. But even as she charged.
Boom!
my body was already doing its work, my blessing activating, mending the damage.
A deep breath.
A flash of light beneath my skin. The pain dulled, the broken bone knitting itself back together.
Jessica had no idea.
And that was her mistake.
She still thought she had the upper hand, still thought I was reeling from the damage.
She didn't realize I was about to end this fight.
My heartbeat quickened and my palms grew slick with sweat.
Jessica smirked, adjusting her grip on the hammer.
"Getting cold feet already?."
"Alright, no more playing around."
I clenched my fists. If I wanted to win, I needed a different approach. Direct attacks wouldn't work.
Jessica swung her massive hammer down at me once again, the sheer weight of it sending a gust of wind whipping past my face.
I sidestepped, just barely avoiding the strike as the ground where I had stood cracked under the force of her attack.
"Tch, stop running and take it head-on!" she growled, frustration seeping into her voice.
Without hesitation, she began chanting.
"[Earth Wall]"
The ground trembled as a thick wall of stone erupted between us, a solid barrier meant to halt my advance, A predictable move.
But barriers only worked if your opponent couldn't break them.
I clenched my fist through my knuckle gloves.
If she thought this wall would stop me, she was dead wrong.
With a single powerful punch, my fist slammed into the stone, shattering the brittle construct.
Cracks spiderwebbed through it before it crumbled apart entirely.
Dust and debris filled the air as I slid through the collapsing rubble, my eyes never leaving Jessica.
I launched myself at her.
She barely had time to react, raising one arm to shield her face, expecting a direct kick.
Exactly as I wanted.
Instead of striking where she was guarding, I twisted my body mid-air and swung my leg low, aiming for the back of her knee.
My foot connected with a sharp impact, forcing her leg to buckle.
Her balance wavered.
Seizing the moment, I kicked up a spray of sand from the training ground, sending a cloud of dust straight into her face.
"Gah—!" She coughed, stumbling back as she instinctively rubbed at her stinging eyes.
I didn't give Jessica a chance to recover. She was still reeling from the sand in her eyes when I stepped in and drove my fist into her Womanhood, just below her ribs.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as the impact sent a shockwave of pain through her body.
She staggered, barely able to stay on her feet. But I wasn't done.
Before she could react, I grabbed her by the collar, gripping tight, and with every ounce of strength I had left, I hurled her out of the circle.
She hit the ground outside the boundary with a heavy thud, kicking up dust as she rolled to a stop.
The training field fell silent for a moment before the instructor's voice rang out.
"Victor wins."
"Cursing me already? Come on, Jessica, you're supposed to be crushing me, right?" I taunted.
I exhaled sharply, my chest rising and falling with exhaustion. My muscles burned, my knuckles ached, but the match was over.
Jessica groaned as she pushed herself up, her face red with anger and lingering pain. She glared at me, rubbing her sore stomach, then scowled.
"You… you have no shame!" she growled, her voice laced with irritation. "Hitting a girl there-are you even human?!"
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, barely sparing her a glance.
"A win's a win," I muttered.
"You were the one talking big about crushing me, right?"
She clicked her tongue, still fuming. "You're the worst."
I smirked.
"Yeah, maybe. But I won."
Jessica gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she tried to process what had just happened.
She had lost. Badly.
And yet, what unsettled her most wasn't just the loss itself—it was how he had won.
Her eyes flickered toward Victor, who was still catching his breath, his posture relaxed, not a single trace of mana lingering around him.
Not once.
Not once had he used magic throughout the entire fight.
He had shattered her defenses, slipped through her guard, and overwhelmed her with sheer brute strength and precise, calculated movements.
Every attack had been deliberate, every feint perfectly executed to exploit her openings.
Jessica clenched her fists.
'What kind of monster fights like that?'
She had fought plenty of opponents before mages, warriors, even seasoned fighters from noble families who is her uncle but all of them relied on mana in one way or another.
Even if they were skilled in martial arts, magic was always part of their combat.
But Victor…
Victor had outmaneuvered her, outmatched her, and outclassed her without ever drawing on his mana reserves.
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
She glared at him, trying to find a hint of exhaustion, but all she saw was that same unreadable smirk.
"What the hell is this guy…?"
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