"Are you really going to win? Don't make me laugh."

[Your wounds are healing.]

The pain in my leg slowly faded, and I could feel the cut sealing itself. I returned my sword to my inventory and pulled out a different weapon. Well, it wasn't really a weapon - just a pair of gloves—The Gloves of Chaos.

I couldn't remember where or how I'd acquired them, but it didn't matter. They provided absolute protection against cuts and blows, never breaking or even taking damage. They were perfectly compatible with my abilities, and perhaps the feature I liked best was the claws, which could extend up to five centimeters from the fingertips. This feature suited my fighting style perfectly. It felt like they were made just for me. Or as if I had made them myself.

Xion watched as Damian pulled on his gloves. Now it was time to get serious. Using his fists instead of a weapon made Damian far more dangerous. His true strength came through his fists. In a way, the weapons he used seemed to limit his full potential. Each punch could hit with the force of an earthquake, and without weapons, he became even faster.

In the first round, Xion hadn't used all of his speed; just being a little faster than Damian's armed speed had been enough. But an unarmed Damian was as dangerous as a monster - a creature straight out of a fantasy novel. A beast that fought only with his body.

Normally, when people use weapons, they become stronger. Weapons are tools that help them strike faster and more precisely, so people train to master them. But Damian was different. He could master a wide range of weapons, and strangely enough, those weapons held him back. He is a weapon himself.

These thoughts, which always ended with the same conclusion, swirled in Xion's mind. But today he would defeat Damian. At least he hoped so.

"Well, are you ready?" Damian asked, clenching his fists. His confidence was written all over his face.

In the first round, whoever landed the first punch usually won. But the second round had different rules. All Xion had to do was land a single hit. Damian, on the other hand, had to fight until Xion could no longer continue - or until Xion surrendered. Xion cursed himself after every duel for suggesting this rule. But he didn't want to change it. Every duel, despite the beatings, made him feel stronger, faster, and more resilient. And besides, another part of him still wanted to see Damian's true power.

Shaking off his thoughts, he cleared his mind, took his stance, and focused. "I'm ready."

Damian grinned. "Alright, let's begin."

Just as in the first round, they vanished in an instant, colliding in the center of the arena. Damian blocked Xion's sword with his palms, absorbing the impact effortlessly. The sword shook from the impact, but Damian was unaffected. With both hands, he pushed Xion's sword back with a powerful thrust, sending Xion flying. As soon as Xion regained his balance, Damian attacked again.

A right hook came at him, but Xion parried it with the flat of his sword. Then, without delay, a left punch aimed for the head followed. Xion managed to dodge by quickly tilting his head to the left. Damian crouched low and swept his leg at Xion from underneath. Xion barely jumped in time to avoid the sweep. Before he could stabilize his stance, Damian spun around, balanced on one hand, and unleashed a powerful donkey kick. Xion barely managed to block the swift attack with his sword and arms, but his timing was off and the force sent him crashing to the far side of the arena.

"You blocked it, huh? Is that the best you can do?" I said, my voice dripping with provocation. I was genuinely surprised that he had managed to block at such speed. We were both faster than before, but I knew this wasn't his top speed yet. Despite my taunts, he didn't attack. Instead, he took a deep breath and assumed his famous stance.

Standing upright, Xion drew the hilt of his sword to his waist, raising the blade in a vertical position. This was his special skill - One With the Sword - a passive technique that had made him one of the best swordsmen on the continent - maybe even the best. His eyes began to glow a brilliant gold, and a transparent aura emanated from his blade. It was the 'Sword Aura', one of the benefits of his ability.

"I won't lose this time," Xion said, his voice filled with unwavering determination and confidence.

I needed to respond to that desire to win, to give him a fight worthy of his effort.

"Come on, then," I replied, ready for whatever he would throw at me.

Xion suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Damian, delivering a swift upward slash from the side. Caught off guard, Damian didn't jump away as he usually did. Instead, he instinctively dropped to the ground, dodging under the attack. Lying flat, he quickly spun on his hands and launched a swift acrobatic kick. Xion effortlessly dodged the blow and responded with a diagonal slash.

A normal person wouldn't have been able to react, especially while balancing on his hands, but Damian jumped out of the way with incredible agility, narrowly avoiding the blade. He immediately spun in the air and sent a flying kick towards Xion, but Xion managed to block it with his sword. Seizing the moment, Damian pushed himself away from the sword, creating distance between them.

Xion immediately lunged forward to the counter, but that brief moment was enough for Damian to gather himself and recover. As Xion slashed downwards, his sword charged with the increased power of his 'Sword Aura' and maximum speed, Damian met the blow with his palm. Despite the immense force behind Xion's attack, it wasn't enough to shake Damian. He caught the sword, pulled Xion towards him, and headbutted him.

The force of the blow stunned Xion and sent him reeling. Damian followed with a brutal uppercut that lifted Xion off his feet. As Xion's body hung in the air, Damian prepared for the next blow, aiming for his vulnerable midsection to finish the exchange.

A sharp and direct kick to the stomach. Blood spurted from Xion's mouth as his sword flew one way and his body another. Damian slowly approached his opponent who was lying on the ground. Xion lifted his head and looked at the man coming towards him. His vision was blurred. He was badly shaken. Forcing himself to stand, Xion staggered towards his sword, ignoring Damian. Damian stood still, watching him walk towards the sword.

"So you still want to continue? Fine. One strike will be enough." Damian said.

Xion bent down, grabbed his sword, wiped the blood from his mouth, and looked at his opponent. "Yes, one strike is enough for you to lose." Focusing all his strength, he prepared. Damian placed his left hand behind his back and extended his right palm towards Xion, getting into position.

Puff! Suddenly, Xion disappeared and slashed with his sword. It was the fastest and strongest strike he had made in the duel. He was sure that he had at least grazed Damian.

"Wow, that was impressive. My hand was shaking," Damian said after he had effortlessly blocked the attack.

"My turn."

Damian grabbed Xion's sword and lifted him into the air with it. He slammed Xion down brutally. The impact made cracks in the training floor. Blood gushed from Xion's mouth. His consciousness flickered off and on from the force of the blow.

"The second round is over. Ding!"

I reached out my hand to my friend who was lying on the floor. As soon as he grabbed it, I pulled him up. He didn't look too good. I might have overdone it a bit. I took a [Regeneration Potion M] from my inventory and handed it to Xion, who was still on the ground. " Chug it."

Xion took the potion I offered him and downed it in one gulp. Within two minutes, his body had almost completely regenerated, though he still looked like he was in pain.

"Sorry, I guess that last hit was a little too hard," I said, scratching my head a little embarrassed. I got carried away, but what could I do?

"It's fine. I'm not mad at you. Besides, I'm used to your beatings by now." His voice was sarcastic but calm. Yet despite saying he wasn't mad, his eyes looked like they could tear me apart. I had to smooth things over.

We headed towards the changing rooms. "Hey, let's do something after we shower."

"Like what?"

"What do you want to do?"

Xion looked at me with disappointed eyes. What did I say now?

"You're making suggestions but don't even have a plan." He sighed deeply. "Let's go to an internet cafe. But I'll be home before evening."

"Alright." Good, he's not mad at me anymore. I think. I hope. And it's OK to leave before evening because I have something important to do at night.

"Wait, what do you have to do tonight?"

"'Did you forget, idiot? Exams start next Monday."

"Shit."

I had completely forgotten about the exams. If I get bad grades again, I'll have to face my father's wrath and my sister's endless teasing. A complete nightmare scenario. But there's a small problem - my brain just doesn't understand school stuff. None of it makes any sense to me. And the teachers don't give extra points too. How I haven't failed yet is beyond me. Eh, screw it. I'll figure it out somehow.

We showered, dried off, and left the building. As we were heading for the school exit, something crossed my mind.

"Hey man, can I borrow your phone for a second? I need to make a call."

Without asking, he pulled his phone out of his right pocket and handed it to me. "Here, do whatever you need."

What a guy - just handed it over like that. I didn't waste any time and opened the contacts, scrolling down to the letter 'J'. 'Jessica Class'. I pressed the call button and waited. One ring... two rings... on the third, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe, it's me, Dami-"

Huh? She hung up as soon as she heard my voice. Seriously? Girls and their mood swings are unbearable sometimes.

"Khhhh. Kuhhh. Haha. PUHAHAHAHAHA!" The idiot beside me burst out laughing at my misfortune. He was laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach. Look at this idiot.

"Haha. Ha. Oh." He took a deep breath. "I haven't laughed so hard in ages. Khhss. hahahaha."

"Urgh. Yeah, yeah, keep laughing." It's like I took the beating for him an hour ago. He's laughing at my miserable state like some twisted villain.

"So what are you going to do now, Mister Rejected?" He was still chuckling as he spoke. I wanted to punch him in the face, but I couldn't. The guy just got his ass kicked and overdoing it would be a bit much.

As for the whole Jessica situation... I'll deal with that tomorrow. Hopefully.

.....

"Ha, that was fun. But remember how I carried you in the game?"

"I was in a bad mood, okay? Otherwise, I would have destroyed you."

"Sure, sure. Mr Declined."

I gave Xion a light slap on the back of the head.

" Alright, alright. I've had enough fun for now. I'll save the rest for tomorrow."

"Pfff."

We headed to a park overlooking the city and found a bench to watch the sunset. We must have both been exhausted from walking because as soon as we sat down we let out a synchronized "Ohhhh". We'd stopped at a shop on the way and bought two Cokes. I took them out one by one. As an extra, I also bought a new packet of cigarettes and a lighter. I unwrapped the pack, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to Xion.

"Want one?"

"Sure."

I handed him the cigarette and took another for myself, lighting them both.

"Puff."

We smoked slowly, in silence, just taking in the view. These kinds of scenic spots were perfect. A visual feast, really. And Xion wasn't the chatty type in such moments. He'd enjoy the scene to the full. Normally I'd mess with him, but this time I let it go. Let's call it my act of maturity.

After smoking two cigarettes each, the sun finally set and we left the park on our way home. As Xion's flat was on the way, I dropped him off at his door. We'd talked about random things on the way - nothing too serious. He was fun to talk to, and always had a way of making any conversation light and entertaining. It's one of the reasons I like him.

Just before he went in, I called out, "Hey. Sorry about today, man. Really. Get some rest. You can concentrate on studying later."

"It's no big deal. Really. I'll rest at home."

The bastard was still teasing me, but instead of getting mad, I just sighed and went home. He'd rest. I, on the other hand, had a mission to accomplish.

"Pffff. Another sleepless night ahead."