Returning to Nathan, he stood off against Ryzen Cain. A mixture of confusion and annoyance filled Nathan's face after hearing Ryzen's request to fight him.
"So you brought me here...to see how strong I am?" Nathan questioned.
"Yup, exactly," Ryzen confirmed. "So, anytime you're ready. Come at me."
"Tch, you brought me here and left my Lilith with that monster, Jack..." Nathan stated, and a pulsating artery became visible on his forehead, indicating his anger. "For that, I'm not going to fight you...I'm going to kill you!"
In response, Ryzen smirked.
So, this bastard is associated with the developer in some way. This means even if I could kill him, I'd be stopped somehow. That's what usually happens. Nathan thought. But I'm freaking annoyed that because of him, Lilith's all alone. I'll make him pay in the meantime!
Resolving himself to fight Ryzen, Nathan materialized a pistol in one hand and a longsword in another. Almost immediately, Nathan charged at Ryzen while simultaneously firing bullets at him with the gun.
As usual, Ryzen didn't need to move an inch for the bullets to miss, surprising Nathan.
Huh? I missed. How the hell did I miss? With raised eyebrows, Nathan thought as he approached Ryzen. Tch, no time for that...focus!
Nathan began swinging his sword at his opponent after regaining his focus. While Nathan was precise with his swings, aiming at vital areas on his opponent's body, Ryzen blocked them all with his arms.
"Hey, you're pretty good!" Ryzen complimented. "You didn't carelessly close the distance on your foe!"
Tch! Is this guy blocking my sword with his bare hands!? Nathan wondered with an annoyed expression. At least pretend to struggle and dodge my attacks--
Amid blocking his slashes, Ryzen saw an opening and suddenly attempted a quick right jab to Nathan's face. Not only did he perceive it and was shocked, but Nathan managed to weave the strike.
Fast! Nathan thought.
Nathan attempted to counter, but Ryzen immediately spun around and attempted a backhand to the side of his face. Realizing he couldn't counter, Nathan dematerialized his pistol and materialized a large, glowing red shield.
Upon impact, Ryzen's backhand sounded like a gunshot.
"Huh?" Ryzen uttered as he looked at his hand that connected with the shield. "That's weir--"
Ugh, that was the first time I got to try out the blessed shield that the blacksmith gave me... Nathan thought. But damn! Even though I blocked it with the shield, I still felt a lot of force...
Ryzen didn't let up and pummeled Nathan's shield with a flurry of punches, each compared to explosions in terms of sound. Ryzen's punches were so strong that Nathan was forced backward with a frustrated expression.
Ugh! Dammit! These punches are damn strong! Nathan thought. I'm not even wearing my armor...it'll be bad if I get hit directly!
"So, this shield reflects some of the force of my strikes, huh?" Ryzen questioned. "How interesting, but relying on others to help you is a bit..."
Attempting to cease Ryzen's pressure, Nathan switched out his longsword for several grenades, which he immediately tossed. Almost immediately, the grenades exploded, but Nathan protected himself with his shield.
Simultaneously, Nathan jumped back to gain distance on Ryzen, who was unscathed from the explosion and shrapnel of the grenades. Nathan then stored his shield in exchange for several concussion grenades, which he instantly tossed at Ryzen.
Like the frag grenades, these explosions exploded almost immediately; Nathan had pulled the pins on them and stored them before this fight, taking advantage of the suspended animation granted by his inventory.
BBBZZZZZZTTT!!
Multiple electromagnetic pulses suddenly expanded on Ryzen (who stood there) and Nathan used that opportunity to rush him again.
"Heh, I like that you never close the gap carelessly..." Ryzen stated as he rubbed his eyes, feigning disorientation from the concussion grenades. Ignoring his statement, Nathan suddenly materialized several of the blacksmith's special cluster grenades on Ryzen when he got close.
Simultaneously, Nathan hopped rather high in the air, even performing a backflip, to get out of the range of the explosions.
BOOOM!
Ryzen was engulfed in several large explosions, and Nathan reflexively covered himself with his arms from the resulting dust and shockwave.
This bastard talks so much. Can he still run his mouth after getting hit by that? Nathan thought. Those explosions are--
While he internally monologued, a bewildered expression formed on his face. As the flames from the explosion died down and the dust it brought up settled, Ryzen emerged unscathed.
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"W-What?"
"I can see you have good knowledge of your ability and combat. The super soldier war and your training with the NPC paid off, huh?" Ryzen stated. "But from what I see, you rely too much on means other than your own in battle."
"H-Huh?"
"Instead of using the weapons you got as nothing more than a tool, you're thinking the equipment you've received from others is necessary for your survival," Ryzen explained. "Those are just limitations for your growth, so allow me to help you."
Alarming Nathan, Ryzen dragged his right foot back and prepared to charge at him.
"Shit!" Nathan uttered as he materialized another pistol. Before he could fire, Ryzen instantly closed the distance and performed a powerful straight punch at Nathan's face.
With an impressive reaction, Nathan weaved the strike, but Ryzen anticipated this and instantly grabbed the back of Nathan's collar.
"Let me go--WOOAAHH!!!" Nathan yelled as Ryzen spun him in the air before tossing him violently onto a rocky hill. He tossed Nathan with enough force, causing him to bounce off the hillside, leaving a depression at the point of impact, and rolled violently across the ground.
"Cough* cough*...Ugh, I'm still alive...?" Nathan questioned as he slowly stood up. He never had time to catch his breath as Ryzen rushed up with another straight punch. Nathan quickly materialized the shield to block.
Even though his blessed shield reflected some of the force, Nathan was still sent hurdling into a mountainside, creating another depression. Nathan spontaneously coughed up blood after impacting with the mountain.
Ugh, why did I ever think I could kill someone like this...? Nathan internally questioned as his blood trickled down to his chin. He also bounced on several rocks on the mountainside before falling to the ground. This was the guy that Jack said stopped him from killing Amber or whatever her name was, so how the hell could I do it?
"You're shocked, but I'm sure you're also wondering how you're alive after those attacks. It's simple, all the hard work you've done to get stronger since you got your blessing paid off," Ryzen explained.
It seems he is around the level of some of the soldiers in the Enlightenment Program. He has good physical prowess, and he's not bad with his blessing despite having it for only a few months.
Tch, You don't have to tell me that. I'm getting stronger to protect Lilith.
"But, I know you were always strong, even before you got your blessing. You were stronger than most normal humans," Ryzen continued, much to Nathan's surprise. "You've had an unlucky life. Constantly being attacked by people because of your parents' crimes, right?"
Hearing that, a pulsating vein became visible on Nathan's forehead. "Hey, don't go saying unnecessary shit."
"You've constantly got in fights with classmates while training your body and muscles so you can always protect your dearest, Lilith," Ryzen said with a smile. "That life was forced on you because of your parents. How very unlucky--"
"Hey, you know quite a lot about my life. You are partners with the developer, after all," Nathan said as he interrupted Ryzen before he could finish. "Just like the developer, you say some annoying shit. Now I really want to kill you!"
Yeah, that's good! Ryzen thought as he approached Nathan. In response, Nathan materialized a grenade launcher and immediately began firing.
Multiple explosions littered the area as Nathan fired without ceasing. Unsurprisingly, however, Ryzen remained uninjured as he rushed through the explosion and appeared before Nathan.
What Nathan saw was Ryzen's fist inches away from his face.
Ah, shit...
BAM!
Ryzen executed a haymaker to Nathan's jaw. His strike was so powerful that Nathan was sent through a rocky hill. Fortunately for Nathan, the inside of the high ground was hollow, reducing the amount of solid material his body was forced through.
Like a ragdoll, Nathan violently bounced on the ground before finally stopping. Almost immediately, blood flowed out of Nathan's mouth and also his nose, which was broken.
S-Shit, Is this guy...Charles or something...?
Ryzen immediately hopped through the hole of the mountainside Nathan created when he was punched through, and stood close by.
"Yeah, you are physically strong. I mean, I didn't augment myself with energy, but to think you're conscious from these strikes, nice!" Ryzen commended. "But as strong as you are, you still have many things to learn. You have a great mentality of getting stronger, but two things are hindering the growth of your blessing: your imagination, and you're prioritizing other people's assistance over yourself..."
"Tch, I don't know...whether you're here to annoy me...or to help me," Nathan said as he slowly stood up again. "But, my main goal...is to get as strong as possible. To protect Lilith from bastards...like you."
Heh, there you go again...thinking about another person. Ryzen thought as he shook his head while scoffing.
"Yeah, you, who's never had luck, will get strong!" Ryzen declared. "I'll make sure of it!"
With that said, Ryzen suddenly rushed Nathan to deliver another punch. Due to his injuries, Nathan would be too sluggish to defend himself, and he knew it. Nathan watched blankly as Ryzen's fist closed in.
Damn it. Didn't this guy say...he was appraising me?
In a stroke of luck, Ryzen's fist never made contact with Nathan's face. Instead, Ryzen's fist was forcefully stopped. It was none other than the NPC who grabbed Ryzen's arm just in time. His presence shocked Nathan.
"That's enough, Ryzen," The developer, who also appeared on the scene, stated. "I gave you time to test Nathan, but you're going too far."
"Oh, I wasn't planning on killing him, ya know," Ryzen responded as the NPC released his grip.
"Yeah, yeah. You should hurry up and go," The developer advised. "I'm sure those little blessed soldiers are wondering where you are."
"Hmm, yeah, you're right," Ryzen agreed. He then turned his gaze to Nathan.
"Tch, what?"
"Don't worry. With a little tweaking, I'm sure you'll get much stronger," Ryzen assured. "You have it in you."
"...Just hurry up...and go," Nathan ordered with an annoyed expression. With a smile, Ryzen suddenly disappeared as he teleported away.
"Heh, you should be proud of yourself, Nathan," The developer said as he placed his hand on Nathan's arm. "Ryzen is insanely good at seeing potential. As expected of my game character--"
Before he could finish, Nathan slapped the developer's hand off his shoulder.
"Tch, don't touch me!" Nathan yelled. "Just bring me back to Lilith...quickly!"
"Lol, yeah, yeah,"
* * *
Back at the Enlightenment Program, Ryzen suddenly appeared before Kreuger. Much to his surprise, Ryzen noticed that Kreuger seemed annoyed.
"Tsk, where the hell did you come from?" Kreuger questioned. "Whatever, I don't care. Where the hell is that woman!?"
"Hmm? Who are you looking for?"
"It's Amber! She's nowhere to be seen!" Kreuger replied. "Damn it! There's no way she's that stupid to go out alone...while that monster, Jack, is looking for her!"
Huh, she went out, huh? Things are truly kicking off. Ryzen thought. Maybe I should help things move along, too.