Chapter 38：You Lost

The middle of the camp was an empty field. It was a small area that was usually used by the guards of the Black Cat Business Guild to complete their tasks, like packing boxes and separating goods.

Currently, a burly man holding a long-handled heavy hammer was standing in the middle of the field. In front of him was a black-haired young man holding a sword in his right hand. Behind the young man was a long mark on the ground. The line had been left by the dragging tip of the young man's sword when the he had charged forward.

The two men were Hank and Sean, who were intent on dueling.

A gust of wind suddenly whipped around them, catching Hank's attention.

Hank could feel a strong wind suddenly rise, but there were no traces of airflow around him. The next moment, he noticed that it was not wind, but Sean's action of raising his sword and stabbing. Because the movement was so fast and fierce, it felt as if the motion could pierce the air. The airflow turned as it wrapped around the sword.

Hank's first reaction was that it was impossible!

His second reaction was to block Sean's attack.

The scene that he saw in his consciousness was dragged out. Whether it was traces left behind by the airflow spinning around the sword, or the action of stabbing the sword, they all appeared one at a time in front of Hank's eyes. The only thing he could do was to raise the heavy hammer in his hand and block the fierce attack that was headed towards him.

Clang!

The tip of the sword hit the surface of the heavy hammer.

Bang!

The airflow exploded against the surface of the heavy hammer.

Hong!

A vibration was emitted from the surface of the heavy hammer.

Sean and Hank were both shocked, but the only difference was that Sean was a little numb because he tried too hard, whereas Hank, who was defending, wholly felt the impact and explosive force of the power.

He unconsciously took a step back.

A second step naturally followed.

Hank, who had taken two steps back, turned pale. The expression in his eyes was no longer shock but fear. How could someone at a rank-two strength have such a strong explosive power!

Hank raised his massive hammer and swung it forward. However, the emptiness he felt made him realize that his attack had not hit Sean at all. The heavy hammer moved away from his face, and he noticed that the distance between himself and Sean was 10 meters again.

The situation seemed to be the same as when they first started the duel, but the others present knew that in the first round of the confrontation, the proud hero Hank had lost to the frail young man with black hair in front of him.

Hank's face turned pale. He did not dare to underestimate Sean anymore. He finally realized that Sean was a tough opponent.

One contact! Immediate retreat!

Sean did not have any thoughts on taking advantage of his success to continue attacking Hank. If he had been an ordinary person, he would have felt very excited and launched another attack immediately. However, not only had Sean not done what he expected, but he also quickly retreated to the distance. He had made up his mind not to attack impulsively. It made Hank uneasy because he was well aware of his weakness. If Sean had continued to rush towards him, he would have suffered.

Hank would only allow himself to suffer losses once.

"Are you not going to attack anymore?" Sean stared at Hank, as there was only one thought in his head. Right now, Hank was full of various weaknesses in front of Sean's eyes. "Since you are not going to attack anymore, it's my turn."

As soon as Sean raised his long sword, he immediately launched an attack. However, he did not use sprint. Instead, he rushed forward as Hank had earlier.

Sean's running did not have the same astounding aura as Hank's earth-shattering movements. On the contrary, it created enormous pressure that made people like they were unable to breathe.

Hank could not help but change from holding the heavy hammer with one hand to holding it with two hands. The expression on his face was no longer as relaxed as before. Instead, it was replaced by severe concentration.

If someone had told him a couple of years ago that a person at the rank-two strength would be challenging to deal with, he would have laughed at that person for daydreaming. But now, he felt that Sean was not just troublesome. Hank did not have the confidence that he was going to win.

Impossible!

As if he had suddenly sensed something, Hank was shocked. He had unexpectedly become timid!

He had rank-three strength, but he had unexpectedly become timid while facing against a man with rank-two strength!

It was impossible!

As if he was trying to deny something, Hank suddenly let out a cry of anger. He was like a ferocious beast trying to break free from the chains that bound his body.

He suddenly raised the long-handled hammer. With a ferocious expression, he fiercely swung it down towards the ground!

Boom!

A loud explosion sounded. The moment the heavy hammer touched the ground, an invisible ripple was emitted and spread. Everyone inside the camp felt the ground shake. It was as if there had been an earthquake. The ones who had not fully recovered from injuries were unable to stay standing when the impact hit them. They fell to the ground one after another.

The ground within 30 centimeters of the impact was full of cracks that formed a cobweb-like pattern.

Hammer Shockwave!

It was not a damaging skill. However, it could destabilize the enemy's center of gravity. It was especially effective when facing an enemy who was currently charging. However, the only drawback of the skill was that it did not differentiate between foe and enemy. That was the case for all skills that had a range limit.

After the heavy hammer landed, Hank raised his head slightly. Then, his hands began to lift the heavy hammer. He was convinced that Sean had lost his center of gravity, which meant that his drive had also been destroyed. The battle would return to both of them being on even footing. However, now that they were extremely close to each other, and Sean had used a long weapon, Hank was confident enough that he could quickly get rid of Sean. He did not want to delay the battle any longer. Making a quick decision was the real path for a strategist.

No matter what, Sean only had a rank-two strength!

The wind was back.

A gust of wind suddenly blew across Hank's left side. The steady airflow cut across Hank's cheek like a blade.

Why was there wind?

Hank was at a loss for a moment.

Why was there the smell of blood?

Why did it feel like something was flowing down the left side of his face?

Hank reached out to touch it. He felt something warm and sticky. When he opened his left hand, he saw that his palm was red. Hank quickly looked up in horror. Not even a shadow of Sean could be seen in front of him!

Impossible! How could Sean have not been affected by the Hammer Shockwave?!

Hank felt the wind again.

Hank reacted quickly. Due to his frightened mind, he had lost the ability to think properly. His physical reflexes were faster than his thoughts. Without looking back, he gripped the long-handled heavy hammer with one hand and swung it behind him.

Clang!

Another ear-piercing crash sounded, making everyone in the vicinity flinch.

Hank returned to his senses. He felt the force that was heading towards him on the other side of the heavy hammer. He knew that right now was not the time to think about why the heavy hammer did not affect Sean. Hank instantly increased his strength and quickly turned to face Sean at the same time. In terms of strength, he had confidence that he had the advantage. As long as Sean dared to attack him head-on, he had total confidence that he could crush Sean.

He could gain ten times the power from increasing his strength once!

However, when Hank began to increase his strength and was ready to pressure Sean with both of his hands on the handle, he suddenly noticed that at some point, Sean's long sword had been split apart.

The blade of the sword pulled off as a spark emitted from the grip.

Sean had skilfully gotten rid of the current created from their confrontation. He gently took a step back and turned his body and swerved around Hank's left side. Sean wielded his sword once again.

Because Sean had retreated and split his sword, Hank lacked a confrontational target. The sudden increase of his strength had instantly made him lose his center of gravity. His entire body moved forward a few steps, dragged by the heavy hammer in his hand.

Could he gain ten times the power from increasing his strength once?

It was just a joke!

When Hank faced Sean's attack again from his right side, the long sword in Sean's hand had reached the artery on Hank's neck. Hank could not care about anything else, as he heavily stomped his left foot, holding in the pain that had rushed up to him. His right hand clenched the long-handled heavy hammer, as he moved a step back. Using the end of the long handle, he blocked it in front of the artery in his neck. The handle got stuck within the trajectory of the attack from the position of Sean's sword.

However, Sean did not stop attacking. He moved his wrist slightly to the side, and the trajectory of the sword followed. The blade went right past the end of the handle, and a plume of sparks flew in all directions. The sword in front of Sean had gone past the handle of the hammer and successfully injured the left side of Hank's face.

Hank ignored the pain he felt in his cheek and let out a beast-like roar. He gripped the handle with one hand and lifted the heavy hammer a few inches off the ground.

Sean's eyes finally changed when he saw Hank's movements.

"Die!" Hank displayed a hideous smile, his lips curling back to display his bared teeth. His teeth were yellow and crooked, which added to the foulness of the expression.

The heavy hammer slammed into the ground, and his left hand grabbed towards Sean's head.

It was another Hammer Shockwave!

The skill came with a dizziness DUBUFF. Hank was able to wait until now to display the Hammer Shockwave deliberately, which was not easy, given his intelligence. Also, at such a close range, if the enemy became dizzy, it was easy to imagine what their fate would be.

Everyone who was able to fight for such a long time and remain alive had to be somewhat smart. Survival of the fittest had filtered out the ones who were too brave or foolish a long time ago.

The Hammer Shockwave was the only exciting feature Hank had, which made it a lot easier to predict what his plan was.

When Hank's heavy hammer was about to land on the ground, his left hand approached Sean. His fingers spread wide in preparation to grab Sean's hair.

Sean slightly adjusted his body and withdrew the long sword that was in his hand, pulling it back to him.

Boom!

Hank's heavy hammer landed on the ground, and plumes of dust rose into the air. The dirt and small sandstones on the ground jumped. An invisible ripple spread as smoke started to surge into the air.

Sean moved slightly as the strong wind swept through the air. His shadow and the long sword in his hand brushed through the air. The residue disappeared, and the light of the sword started to shine.

Hank's left hand finally reached out, but he grabbed nothing. His left hand passed through Sean's shadow.

Sean's sword was on Hank's throat. The cold blade made Hank feel the horror of death.

Crack.

A small sound was heard. The handle of the heavy hammer in Hank's hand broke off from the hammer's body, precisely where Sean's sword had cut. Hank stared at the broken hammer in terrified horror. His only hope at perhaps winning was gone.

"You lost."