Eric crossed his arms in front of him as Mike's punch landed. The force behind it was too strong, causing his feet to slowly slide across the floor. Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his stance, held his ground, and tried to withstand the blow.

"Too weak, you're too weak," Mike laughed, increasing the force behind the punch.

Sensing himself losing ground, Eric widened his eyes and summoned all the strength he could muster to halt the blow, causing it to pause for a moment. It was all he needed. In one swift motion, he redirected the force and deflected the blow to the side, closing the distance between himself and Mike. With a rock in his hand, he aimed for Mike's neck.

But before the blow connected, a shield materialized in front of Mike, blocking the attack and possibly saving his life from having his neck snapped.

Eric clicked his tongue in frustration and swiftly jumped back, keeping a considerable distance from his opponent.

"You're too weak. You would never be able to break through the Mana Shield," Mike taunted, his grin widening as the blue light around him faded and he lunged at Eric. "Now stay in your place and let me smash you, you cowardly, slippery bastard."

Eric swiftly jumped back and rolled to the ground, dodging Mike's ferocious attacks. As the fight progressed, he became more accustomed to his body and his newfound abilities. His heightened perception and agility allowed him to react much faster to the attacks, significantly reducing the number of hits he took.

"You call me slippery for avoiding your attacks, yet you hide behind your shell like a turtle. I wonder which one of us is the coward." Eric taunted him.

Since his strength wasn't enough to break through the shield by force, he decided to resort to psychological tactics. He hoped his insults would unsettle the burly man, clouding his judgment and creating an opening for him to exploit.

"What did you say? You actually dare..."

His insults seemed to infuriate Mike. Veins pulsed across his face, and he stared at him with eyes filled with bloodlust.

"Yes, that's right," Eric smirked, not feeling the least bit intimidated. "Stop tucking your tail behind your legs and face me like a real man, coward."

The insults seemed to ignite a fire within Mike, and his attacks became even more ferocious. He swung his hammer like a tireless machine, relentlessly pursuing Eric.

***

Mike swung his Mana-augmented hammer in a wide arc, but his opponent effortlessly evaded it with a backflip and mid-air rotation before landing on his feet in an upright stance with a fluid motion.

"Is running all you can do?" Mike gasped, sweat trickling down his forehead.

What's up with this guy?

Mike didn't know if his imagination was playing tricks on him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the bastard was somehow getting faster as time passed.

No! A sudden thought crossed his mind. Could it be that he's not the one who's getting faster, but I'm the one who's getting slower?!

"No, there's absolutely no way!" Mike shouted before sprinting towards his opponent. "How can I lose to a thief?"

Mana surged through his legs, strengthening them and boosting his speed. He quickly closed the distance and swung his hammer with all his might.

His opponent looked startled, unprepared for the sudden burst of speed. Just as the hammer was about to strike, the opponent raised his arms and crossed them defensively.

"Ha, stupid move!" Mike grinned as the hammer collided with the opponent's arms, producing a resonating crack.

The force of the blow sent the opponent sliding across the floor on his back before he rolled over and stumbled to his feet.

How can he get up so quickly? Doesn't he feel any pain at all?

Mike was confused. How could his opponent keep getting up despite inflicting injuries that would render an experienced hunter helpless? If he were the target of those attacks, even he would be down for a few seconds before stumbling back to his feet.

And why does he look fine after being hit?

Mike watched with wide eyes as the bastard stood up and flexed his arms as if he hadn't just been hit by his heavy hammer that could crush the bones of unranked monsters with one swing.

Impossible! Impossible! Even Captain Marco wouldn't be able to escape unscathed under my attack!

After reaching a new rank, the body would undergo a slight change, and overall attributes would get a boost. But Mike was certain that even a rank 2 hunter wouldn't recklessly face his attack with his arms and escape unscathed on top of that.

Is he a monster?

"You know, I was wondering something."

Huh, what is this bastard blabbering about?

Mike looked at his opponent and found him standing straight, relaxed, without the tension he usually showed to avoid attacks.

Should I attack him while he talks? Mike considered the idea, but just as he took a step forward, he saw the opponent retreat. He clicked his tongue and used the opportunity to catch his breath. Even though he wasn't tired, the repeated swings of his hammer had weakened his muscles and slowed him down a bit.

"You really are a tough turtle to crack, aren't you?" The bastard said.

"What did you say?! I'm gonna kill you, you slippery bastard!" Mike shouted before lunging at his opponent with bloodthirsty eyes.

I don't care if Captain Marco wants to catch him. I will definitely kill this asshole!

***

Eric gasped and struggled to dodge Mike's fearsome attacks. He hadn't expected his simple insults to evoke such a strong reaction and so much hatred. He suffered several injuries as Mike managed to hit him several times just as he was dodging the swinging hammer.

Though the orb healed him, the more injuries he accumulated, the weaker he felt, and his reaction became a bit sluggish, causing him to falter in dodging some of the blows.

But as the fight progressed, he discovered something interesting as he fought back and forth with the burly man. His opponent would materialize the shield in front of him when he couldn't dodge a deadly attack, but sometimes he wouldn't; the burly man would take his attacks head-on, even though they were a bit dangerous for him.

Why didn't he use the shield to protect himself?

At first, Eric thought that his insults were working, affecting the burly man and making him face his attacks without relying on the shield, but he dismissed such thoughts when his opponent used the skill a few times even after his insults.

Confused, Eric's mind raced to find the reason. He felt that whatever the reason, his opponent's infrequent use of the skill was the key to his victory.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. Could it be that it wasn't that he didn't want to use the skill, but that he couldn't use it sometimes?

That was the only explanation he could come up with at the moment as he dodged those ferocious attacks.

I should test this...

***

"There's nowhere for you to hide!" Mike said as he closed the gap between them.

"Looks like this is it," Eric said, his voice weary as he leaned against the wall, his exhaustion evident as he panted, sweat dripping from his brow.

The burly man was truly a tireless machine, and the insult he threw at him only served to fuel his attacks. Now he was backed into the corner with nowhere to go.

"Huh, goodbye!" Mike grinned and closed the distance in the blink of an eye, leaping into the air with his hammer swinging in a wide arc aimed at Eric's face.

This bastard wants to kill me! Eric thought, but he was prepared.

This is it. It's only been a minute since he last used his shield, so he shouldn't be able to use it for another minute. This is my chance.

Pushing his movement speed to the limit, he bent his back almost 90 degrees, allowing Mike's attack to brush past him. The hammer slammed into the wall, creating a massive crater and spreading shattered cobwebs across it.

As Mike landed in front of him, Eric quickly stood straight back up. Without wasting a second, he clenched his fists, summoned all the strength he could muster, and delivered a powerful punch to Mike's chin. The impact caused Mike to release his grip on the hammer handle, light flickering in his eyes as his brain shook.

Seizing the opportunity, Eric followed up with an uppercut, lifting Mike off the ground with the force of the blow. Mike groaned, blood spurting from his mouth, and before he could regain his focus, Eric jumped and delivered a diagonal kick to his head.

***

The kick sent him flying backward through the air, his body spinning uncontrollably until he hit the hard ground with a resounding thud. Mike groaned in agony as he felt the impact reverberate through his body. As he struggled to push himself upright, his vision blurred and his head pounded with pain.

Just as he was about to fall, he felt a hand holding him up.

"Captain... Marco!" Mike whispered after his vision cleared and he saw the person holding him.

"You're done. The fight is over for you." Marco declared, not looking at him but at his opponent.

"But Captain, I'm not done yet!" Mike said, pushing himself back to his feet and staggering towards the bastard.

I'm going to kill him. I'm definitely going to kill him!

Mike clenched his fists as rage burned inside him. His eyes were wide and fixed on the bastard who had embarrassed him in front of Captain Marco.

"No! I said you're done!" Marco said flatly from behind him, sending a shiver down Mike's spine.

Spinning to face Marco, Mike met his gaze briefly before lowering his eyes. Even though he was nervous and sweat was dripping from his brow, he swallowed hard and mustered the courage to speak.

"Please, Captain, give me one more chance. I can still fight!" Mike said.

He couldn't afford to lose and waste the chance to pass the test. This was the third time he had taken it after failing twice before. If he failed this time as well, he'd have to wait a year for another opportunity.

"It was just a lucky shot. It won't happen again!" Mike insisted.

"Tell me," Marco said, facing him directly. "If I gave you more time, would you be able to beat him?"

"Absolutely!" Mike replied without hesitation. "I'll admit I was careless and caught off guard. But if I keep attacking him, it'll only be a matter of time before I take him down." Mike spoke confidently and motioned to the bastard. "Look at him; he's barely standing. It's just a last-ditch struggle."

The bastard was covered in blood from the wounds he had inflicted on him and could barely stand. His legs were shaking and barely holding him up. If he hadn't been leaning against the wall, he would probably have collapsed to the ground by now. It was obvious that the bastard was just pretending to look tough, using the time during their conversation to rest and restore some of his strength.

Mike was sure that if he kept attacking him, he would soon crush the bastard's skull.

"I see. So you think you've got this all covered up?" Marco remarked after hearing Mike's confident words.

"Yeah, don't worry, everything is under control here-" Mike started, but he was cut off before he could finish.

"You fool!" Marco cut him off abruptly.

"Huh, w-what? Why?" Confused, Mike could only stammer.

What's wrong with him?

"Haven't you noticed yet?" Marco asked with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

What is he talking about?

"Noticed what?"

"Sigh," Marco sighed, pointing at Eric. "This man right here has been fighting you equally without using Mana."

"What?!" Mike looked startled, realizing that he hadn't noticed that detail.

"This man is obviously not simple. Have you forgotten the arrows we had to dodge to get here? The fact that he's here means that he managed to do the same, and there are no injuries on him. Someone like you, who couldn't pass without protection, is no match for him."

"The only reason you were able to fight him is because you're using Mana, but how long will that last? You've been augmenting your body and using the Mana shield quite a lot. How much Mana do you have left? Would you be able to end the fight before you run out of it?" Marco bombarded Mike with questions, overwhelming him.

"That..." Mike tried to resort, but Marco continued.

"Unlike you, he's only used his physical prowess to fight you this far. If you run out of Mana before the battle ends, are you confident you can defeat him then? What if he used Mana as well? Won't he get stronger than you?"

"But..." Mike attempted to counter, unwilling to drop the matter easily. However, before he could continue, Marco looked at him casually.

"That's enough; you're done, and that's final. Or are you really going to talk back to me?" Marco's tone brooked no argument. The burly man struggled to regain his composure before bowing his head.

As he did so, his eyes darted to the bastard who had humiliated him, and pure killing intent flashed through his eyes. Then he turned and limped back towards Hawk.

"Well then..." Marco snapped his neck before looking at Eric. "I'll be your opponent!"