Benjamin Blake's reasons were noble and righteous. Any passionate young person would readily agree. However, Barrett Walker, being a rational individual, calmly smiled and said, "Instructor, you wouldn't really want to challenge me, would you? What's in it for me? I wouldn't dare do anything without benefits."
"Are you afraid? The instructor is a true hero!"
"Haha! He's just scared, and he's talking about our training being three times as much as theirs. It's pure nonsense, probably a lie! He can't even endure such a small difficulty." Once Barrett Walker found a way to strike at Benjamin Blake, the crowd immediately began to speak and tease.
"Agreed!" Benjamin Blake did not expect Barrett Walker to not fall for it! He ignored the offensive remarks and instead looked at Barrett Walker seriously and replied, "No benefits, but you can beat me up. I'm annoying anyway! And even if you win, you can go to them!"
How could Barrett Walker refuse such temptation? Although he was secretly delighted, he maintained a calm facade, seemingly unaffected by the insults. He was the type of person who never held grudges; any grievances were settled immediately. He was determined to show them all later!
"Do you agree or not?" Benjamin Blake asked anxiously as he turned around. But as soon as he turned, a fist quickly hit his nose, reopening the wound from last night. Blood gushed out, and Barrett Walker exclaimed, "I've had enough of you." He followed up with another punch, but Benjamin Blake quickly dodged. Barrett Walker didn't want to gain the upper hand through a sneak attack and gave a series of sly and vicious moves, making the onlookers cringe. They worried that Benjamin Blake's bad mood might affect them as well.
"This person is shameless, daring to sneak attack."
"This is insubordination! He should be severely punished, preferably expelled for real!" The students, seeing that the soldiers were indifferent, became bolder, using vulgar language, dialects, and even some obscure languages, confusing everyone.
Barrett Walker paid no mind to the insults, as he was determined to rise above and apply pressure to himself. He saw the insults as the simplest form of pressure. His moves remained sly, and despite seeing Benjamin Blake's nose bleeding profusely, he continued to attack him relentlessly.
Barrett Walker pushed Benjamin Blake to the brink, leaving him unable to respond. Benjamin saw that Barrett's attacks were losing coherence as he grew tired, as offensive moves were more exhausting than defensive ones. However, he made no progress, so he taunted, "Haha! Can't hit me, huh? Oh well! You're weak, why don't you just do some needlework like a woman."
"You don't have much muscle, so stop showing off!" Barrett Walker, infuriated, increased the force of his attacks, like a last-ditch effort.
"Daring to hit my nose twice, take this!" Benjamin Blake deduced that Barrett Walker was agitated and weakened, and boldly shouted as he struck him, aiming for Barrett Walker's abdomen and nose. He wanted to retaliate for injuring his handsome face.
"Waiting for you!" Barrett Walker smirked. Benjamin Blake knew it was going to be bad and quickly defended his nose, but Barrett Walker managed to hit it again, causing it to bleed even more. However, Barrett Walker was taken aback when he saw Benjamin Blake's vulnerable defense and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying far away.
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The students' discussion abruptly stopped as they watched Barrett Walker with a foolish smile, and Fahl Weng and Lian Smith were the loudest in their insults. They were thrilled to see Barrett Walker and Benjamin Blake fight, regardless of the outcome. Only one person dared to challenge the instructor, and they could imagine how tough his life would be in the future. The students, with swollen faces, joined in the mocking, but now they couldn't do anything, not with their mouths nor with their hands, as they were still feeling the pain from their wounds.
"I've always heard buzzing in my ears, and now I know it's the two ringleaders of the troublemakers," Barrett Walker laughed and suddenly moved. No one saw how he did it, but suddenly, his palms were on their faces: first on the back of the head, then on the front, leaving a painful imprint on both sides.
Barrett Walker knocked the two men to the ground and looked at the group of disloyal followers who had already fled. The people who had been angrily shouting at him also fell silent, their eyes fixed on Barrett Walker as if he were a monster.
Benjamin Blake realized that Barrett Walker's victory was due not only to his sneak attacks but also to his intelligence. He used his mental inertia to his advantage. Benjamin was also amazed at Barrett's endurance. Although the cross-country training was child's play for them, the distance had taken its toll on him, while Barrett seemed unfazed. Benjamin realized that he needed to increase Barrett's training intensity.
Standing up, covering his nose, and having suffered consecutive blows, Benjamin felt extremely frustrated. His handsome appearance had been ruined. He glared at Barrett Walker and said angrily, "Now let's head down the mountain. Those who are late won't have anything to eat."
The group of students who had just reached the top of the mountain felt disheartened. They wanted to rest, but they were too late. Those who had already rested dispersed, having learned their lesson. They swiftly grabbed their belongings and ran down the mountain.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Benjamin asked, surprised to see Barrett Walker sitting on the ground, cleaning his rifle.
"I haven't divided my spoils yet! Why are you in such a rush to leave?" Barrett Walker glanced at the large tiger and replied nonchalantly.
"Do you really intend to sour your relationship with them? They don't understand you, after all," Benjamin sat down next to him. The soldier instructors had all followed the crowd down the mountain, while the stragglers were panting and climbing down. It was quite a comical sight.
"Why should I let them understand? You understand, and that's enough! As for how to divide the tiger, that's up to you," Barrett Walker swiftly reassembled his disassembled rifle. His movements were stunning, and if the students were still there, some of the girls might have swooned at the sight. However, there was only one clueless man, and Barrett Walker didn't care. He turned to Benjamin and said, "Give them an extra meal! This level of training is too much for the first time. Ordinary people can't handle it!" Barrett Walker took the bayonet from Benjamin's side and cut a large piece of meat from the tiger's thigh. He dangled it in front of Benjamin and said, "Consider this my compensation for using it as bait. I'm heading back now."
Barrett Walker effortlessly hoisted the 60kg load onto his back with one hand and carried his rifle in the other, shouting in an unfamiliar tone. He seemed even more rugged and bold than he had during the fight, devoid of the cunning and despicableness he had displayed earlier.
"Hey, you damn fool! I'm your instructor, and you want me to be your master? Hah! Just wait and see, I'll make you regret challenging me so fiercely! Damn it, I have to carry this tiger all by myself and give them an extra meal. I'm the only one being nice, screw them!" The students, who had run far away, could faintly hear Benjamin's angry muttering. The group shrank back, feeling the brunt of his anger. If only they could transfer it to someone else.