Chapter 134: 133 Duels Rose

```[Final Match: You have entered the final round. Sprint forward as much as possible, reach the end, and you will gain extraordinary glory and rewards. Mission Requirement: Advance round by round in the combat finals. Mission Completion Reward: Basic 100 points of universal experience (an additional +100 for each round advanced).]

Bai E blinked lightly, "Yes, sir!"

The mission always had a way of upping the ante at just the right time.

I want to advance too...

"Soldier 91B13! Facing Soldier Wil Moth*Benjamin!"

"Soldier 65A20! Facing Soldier 94A17!"

The presiding officer began calling out names one by one.

With more than two hundred combatants, fights would not proceed one by one. Additionally, the hand-to-hand combat between just two fighters didn't require much space; the arena was large enough to support over one hundred pairs of fighters battling simultaneously.

Among the soldiers selected from the New Recruit Training Group, Bai E blended in and was naturally matched against an opponent of the same level.

An evenly matched duel!

Bai E felt his blood boil.

He was becoming more accustomed to, and even beginning to enjoy, all the conflicts and battles he encountered in this world.

His opponent clenched his fist, boasting with a laugh, "Remember the name I gave myself—Zhou! I will climb over your body to ascend."

"Emmmm..." Read the latest on M V L

At the sound of the command gun, the officer ordered, "Begin!"

The two were only two meters apart; Bai E took the initiative to sprint.

With the step of an arrow, his Overlimit Drive burst forth at full power, his stamina burning crazily to supply him, and the combat mastery experience feedback from the player, which had reached 92 points, gave Bai E a bit of insight.

The punch, powered by a sequence of muscle movements starting from the thighs, carried almost the full force Bai E was capable of at that moment.

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The will to fight burned in Bai E's eyes.

"Bang!"

The dull collision of fist against muscle indicated that "Zhou" had some skill in combat, though he seemed somewhat foolhardy.

For a veteran artificial soldier birthed before Bai E, this grand selection evidently excited him. Faced with Bai E's punch, he didn't dodge or evade, choosing instead to withstand the blow head-on.

He crossed his arms to counter Bai E's punch in an attempt to block it head-on.

However... the slight sound of cracking bones went mostly unnoticed, but more apparent was Zhou being forced to hastily retreat three steps.

Combat prompts did not pop up every moment, and Bai E relentlessly pursued his advantage without regard.

Easily catching up with his steps, another punch charged with full force came from behind, smashing straight into the opponent's chest.

Zhou, wincing with agonizing pain in both arms, naturally wanted to dodge the monstrous punch coming from his adversary; however, his footing had been destabilized by the initial strike, and in his desperation, he could only try to block again with his arms.

"Bang!"

Zhou, unable to withstand the punch, was sent flying backward, soaring a good two meters through the air.

"..."

Only then did the delayed combat information emerge—

[You have used a close-range attack with a perfect exertion to knock down the target, gaining +5 combat mastery experience (+1) (this effect comes from the specialty—Overlimit Drive).]

[Current combat mastery experience 98/100...]

[You have caused 2 points of striking damage to the target! Causing the target to enter a "stunned" state.]

Bai E stared blankly at his fists, then at his opponent, who was now lying unconscious on the ground.

```

...That's it?

"95B27, victory!"

[Sub-mission—Finals, progress enhanced, current reward: Universal Experience +200.]

Among the more than a hundred matches that happened simultaneously, Bai E's battle was definitely not the most exciting, nor the most technically rich, but it was certainly the fastest.

Two punches, direct KO.

No maneuvering, all about the numbers.

"Are those all new recruits over there?" the highest-ranking officer watching the match asked his aide-de-camp.

"Yes."

"Hmm..." It's quite normal to see such a gap among new recruits, who can easily fall behind.

He didn't notice the specifics, but to resolve a battle this quickly, it must be either a huge disparity in basic attributes or a large gap in skills. He could pay more attention to that later.

Bai E, having finished the fight, stood in his spot waiting. The two punches hadn't drained much of his stamina, not even enough to trigger the automatic activation of his power reserves for recovery.

If not through deliberate training, in this world, the human body's power reserves only convert during rest in a non-intensive state, and only when it drops below a certain threshold.

Bai E was different; his Overlimit Drive managed that.

Refilled completely!

Bai E, who finished early, didn't idle but began to observe the other warriors around him.

The military didn't prohibit this; behind the seemingly rough treatment, there was always a profound intention.

Being able to finish a battle early was a skill, as was the ability to spot weaknesses in potential opponents while observing them.

Such skill was not only applicable in internal competitions but was also valuable when facing real enemies. Warriors who possessed such abilities deserved to reach the end and become the sole victor.

In Bai E's observation, many nearby warriors had excellent combat abilities, at least better than his own, which didn't seem quite right considering the loot boxes floating above their heads—

[??? (Human) (Ally) — Using "Lucky Strike" to kill may drop: Guaranteed (Fresh Meat*1800, combat experience 600 points); Possible (Proficiency: Burst)]

Nothing... hardly any difference from newly created artificial soldiers, and even less combat experience.

Is it because my own strength has increased?

As for other abilities... Bai E glanced casually, and it seemed that the lowest abilities listed in the loot options were at least level 3 proficiencies.

Does that mean level 1 and 2 proficiencies aren't even worth dropping?

That's really underestimating people!

But even those abilities deemed unworthy of dropping were demonstrated with techniques far superior to his own.

Bai E's own proficiency hadn't fully formed yet, but with an increase in combat experience, he had some insights into the essentials of fighting.

Attack, defense, movement... these are the core of combat.

Exerting force, exerting it faster; evading, using the strong points of your body against the opponent's weak points; movement, tying together the overall rhythm of offense and defense.

Pure exertion of force is just a small part of combat proficiency. Perhaps that's why when he trained purely in exertion techniques, the task only gave 20 points of combat experience.

And now, even those warriors from the New Recruit Training Group, their displayed techniques were far superior to his own.

Without missions or teachings, Bai E had to rely on his own eyes to observe and learn.

[You are using your Insight Ability to observe your opponent's weaknesses...]

Even a long duel must end at some point, and under the rule against relentless evasion, every match concluded fairly quickly.

"Next match, 95B27, versus..."

Bai E blinked, snapping out of his mental brainstorming, and looked toward his opponent—Rose.