Chapter 131: Stark VS Karl Spikeford

'Perception...' Stark finally decided to pay attention to the boy that was approaching him, his face indicating that he was ready to destroy him, but because he disrespected his father by not responding, but also to show everyone present that he was stronger than that 'bunny-masked guy'.

...

[Name: Karl Spikeford]

[Level: 124]

[Class: Warrior]

[HP: 87000]

[Strength: 3971]

[Speed: 3294]

[Stamina: 2012]

[Defense: 3825]

[Skills: Spike Eruption, Spike Armor, Quake Smash, Spike World, Brain Focus, Coverage, Attach, Spike Chains...]

...

There were much more skills, but it seems like the [Perception] skill only showed the ones that Karl used the most, or maybe they were the ones that he could potentially use during battle, he had never known how the skill selected the skills to be shown, but in all cases until now it had always worked perfectly.

But...

'Weak...' Stark tilted his head, he wasn't that impressed, and although Karl was only 16 years old, starting his academy life (meaning his true classifier start) in a month, it was still weak, too weak to attempt and stop Stark.

Karl was the type of people (and also because he was forced by his family) to grind and reach higher levels than anybody else in the small amount of time he was given, which was why he was at such a high level before entering an academy, a harsh comparison to Lana's poor level 63 as she was occupied with other things.

And yet... Stark felt like he could take him down in one hit, it was just a strange feeling, maybe his intuition got better?

"Aura Smash... MERGE!" he closed his eyes and began to focus, holding his right hand's wrist as to control his attack and not make it explode.

"Hey," Karl's deep voice rang in his ears, and the sound of his footsteps was getting closer, but Stark didn't open his eyes, after all... he could see Karl's aura even while they were shut.

"Spike Armor," Karl didn't waste time, stopping a few meters away from Stark and activating his skill, which made the sharp spikes cover his entire body, making it look very... unsettling, "Come at me, weakling!"

His father behind him laughed, his aura brimming with confidence.

Meanwhile, Stark was focused on charging up the crimson fists, it took some time and lots of control to do that as at first inside the memories museum, they would instantly explode in his fist.

After a while trying to make it work, he reached one simple conclusion: this perk was too strong, and even Stark, the host, couldn't handle it if he didn't train, which was why he spent the entire two days just trying to make it work.

[Target going left!]

'Huh...?'

Karl's figure was surrounded by a faint outline of Stark's crimson aura, and so his [Target Manipulation] activated.

As if an unknown force was pushing him, Karl was forced to go in the direction Stark pointed.

But that also meant...

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!!"

That he was heading straight onto the crimson fist.

~BOOOOMM~

He was hit in full force by the merged fists.

"-83723!" the damage output was phenomenal, almost high enough to kill Stark, and that was only since his [Spike Armor] and equipment protected him.

Karl was sent flying backwards, his body crashing onto the ground with a loud thud, and the spikes of his [Spike Armor] had been shattered, scattering onto the ground like needles.

[Karl Spikeford is knocked out!]

A giant panel appeared above his body for everyone to read.

'As I said, I would only take one hit to beat him,' Stark smiled as he turned his gaze toward Arthur again.

Surprisingly enough, no one else from the 'children' group attempted to fight Stark, maybe they got scared, the risk of losing to him too great after he knocked out Karl, who was considered a prodigy, in one attack.

'Stark!' Lana smiled warmly, happy that he had won.

But Aoki and Arthur didn't seem to have the same opinion, as the former took the [Arrow Quiver] with the [Arrows of Sierra] inside and took a step forward.

"I hope you don't mind us both having a duel?" Aoki smiled.

He already had his bow ready at any moment, and now that he had the [Arrows of Sierra], he got the complete advantage, as just a few hits from them could incapacitate even the strongest of classifiers, depending on who shot them.

So there is no way anybody would accept such an unfair duel-

"Sure thing..." Stark smiled back, but he didn't forget to add a few words to anger Aoki even more, "Brother-in-law!"

"..." Aoki's smile disappeared, Stark had noticed it, but every time he got closer to Lana, her brother would always grimace and be mad, he was extremely over-protective.

And so that last sentence got him mad, mad enough to want to get rid of Stark, and he would use the very same arrows he brought here to do that.