NOVEL WEB Chapter 54: Chapter 53
Chapter 53 - When Instinct Meets the Beast Star (POV: Zagan)
Kaen's body in my grip isn't moving at all.
His chest is still, no breath going in or out. His eyelids are shut tight like someone who's already...
"Shit!" I mutter, panic setting in.
My heart's pounding hard.
"Don't tell me he's actually trying to kill himself and using me to do it?!"
If he's really dead, I'm screwed. The Ganesha familia will punish me hard for killing a fellow prisoner.
Cold sweat drips down my temples.
My hands are shaking as I slowly loosen my grip on his throat.
Maybe I was too serious earlier.
Maybe his skill doesn't work like he said.
Maybe... no, there's no way he's...
whoosh!
A fist shoots straight at my face with terrifying speed.
Years of trained reflexes save me. Both my palms slam together in front of my face, blocking the punch that should've crushed my nose.
CRACK!
The impact makes both my hands shake violently.
Pain shoots from my wrists all the way to my shoulders.
Cold sweat immediately soaks my back.
For some reason, I feel a little scared.
"Damn... if I'd been even a second slower, my face would be destroyed," I whisper, backing up a few steps.
But Kaen's eyes are still closed.
His body moves like a puppet controlled by invisible strings.
And that's when I realize: I'm not the hunter anymore. I'm the prey.
His breathing is still irregular, like someone who's still unconscious.
But even before my brain can process what's happening...
whooshhh!
A side kick aimed at my ribs. I dodge by jumping back, but the tip of his foot still grazes my chin.
A sharp sting spreads across my jaw.
His attack actually hit me?
"Fuck! What the hell is this?!" I shout, continuing to back away from the barrage of punches and kicks coming at me.
Every movement Kaen makes is so perfect, flowing like water that can't be predicted.
There's no pattern I can read.
His attacks come from impossible angles, like his body doesn't follow the laws of martial arts.
So incredibly athletic, even though every movement sounds like joints cracking, like he's not used to fighting in this style.
I set up in tiger stance, my favorite position that's gotten me through dozens of fights.
Both hands curved like claws, ready to attack or defend.
"Kaen!" I shout while dodging an uppercut that nearly tears off my chin.
I'm genuinely terrified. If that had connected, I don't know how many teeth I'd lose.
"Wake up, bastard! Your skill is working!"
No answer.
His eyes are still closed, but his body keeps moving with terrifying precision.
I try attacking him with tiger claw, the technique I've trained until it became instinct.
Left claw toward his stomach, right claw to his chest. The combination that always works to disable opponents.
But Kaen, or whatever's controlling his body, dodges with incredibly elegant movement.
His body spins like a dancer, letting my attacks pass right by, then counters with an elbow to my ribs.
crack!
Sharp pain stabs through my chest.
I feel a rib crack.
Bloody spit comes out of my mouth.
"Cough Impossible..." I mumble with blood in my mouth, backing away, left hand clutching the injured rib.
"I'm the Captain's student. I've reached the peak of Lock Level 1. There's no way I'm being pushed back by a rookie adventurer!"
But the reality is, I keep retreating.
Every attack I throw is easily dodged or deflected.
Meanwhile, every one of Kaen's attacks finds a gap in my defense.
My fighting style is rough like a wild animal: claws, strikes, explosive movements that rely on brute force.
But Kaen's fighting style...
Fuck.
He's like flowing water.
Every movement is perfect, elegant, and deadly.
A straight jab hits my stomach.
I'm pushed backward, my back slamming into the cell wall.
Before I can get up, a left hook lands on my left cheek.
THUD!
My head jerks to the side.
The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. My vision gets a little blurry.
"Shit... shit... shit!" I shout in frustration, trying to get up.
Trying to endure the pain.
But Kaen doesn't give me time.
Combinations keep coming. Jabs, hooks, uppercuts, elbows, all with perfect timing.
I can only defend passively, covering my face with both hands, hoping this storm will pass soon.
I'm starting to regret following his suggestion for this experiment.
Now my life's in danger.
Every punch feels like a hammer hitting my body.
The already cracked rib hurts even more. My left eye is starting to swell.
My lip is torn in several places.
"Captain..." I whisper in my heart, "besides you, no one's ever made me feel this hopeless..."
No. Even when I fought the Captain, he'd at least let me hit him a few times.
But not Kaen.
I can't do this anymore.
My body's beaten to hell. Blood streams from my nose, mouth, even my ears.
Kaen stands in front of me, eyes still closed, waiting like a killer about to deliver the finishing blow.
"ARGHHHH! DAMN IT!"
I back up until my spine hits the cell wall.
No more room to dodge.
Kaen stands before me, his fists ready for the next attack.
In desperation, I try one last attack: a leap with both claws forward, the technique that once sent opponents flying hard.
SLASH!
But Kaen just steps aside easily.
THWACK!
An uppercut slams into my chin from below.
My head snaps back until it hits the stone wall.
Blood sprays from my mouth, my vision spinning.
"No... impossible..." I whisper as I collapse to the floor.
My whole body aches.
Gasping for breath, my eyes seeing stars.
This is the first time... I've been beaten by a rookie adventurer.
Kaen still stands before me with those empty eyes.
His hand slowly rises, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Shit... am I gonna die here?" I croak.
Rage starts burning in my chest.
Rage at my own weakness.
Rage at this situation.
Rage at my helplessness.
I can feel my whole body rejecting this reality.
My heart feels like it's about to explode. Every muscle in my body tenses.
And that's when... something inside me... cracks.
My fingertips start feeling warm. Thin red light slowly appears, wrapping around all ten of my fingers.
The aura I've been trying to reach for years finally emerges, not with pride or happiness, but with deep anger and frustration.
This is it.
Lock Level 2.
But I'm too angry to feel happy.
"Hehe, Now..." I mutter while slowly getting up, red aura dancing at my fingertips.
The burning feeling in my chest turns into an urge to fight back.
I'm not just defending anymore.
"Let's see who's stronger."
With speed that surprises even me, I lunge forward.
Claws wrapped in red aura slash horizontally toward Kaen.
SLASH!
This time it hits!
Horrible claw marks appear on his chest.
Kaen is thrown against the cell wall, his body hitting the hard stone with a sickening sound.
Small cracks appear in the wall where his back impacts.
But I don't stop.
All ten of my fingers now emit bright red aura like light blades.
Power flows through my body, but it's not happiness I feel. It's rage burning even hotter.
"TAKE THIS!" I shout, lunging again.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
I unleash attack after attack.
Kaen tries to dodge but now I'm faster.
My claws leave trails of red light in the air, cutting with deadly precision.
SLASH!
One slash hits his shoulder.
Blood starts dripping.
SLASH! SLASH!
Two more slashes across his chest. His shirt tears, revealing shallow bleeding wounds.
"How's it feel to get beaten?!" I shout, continuing my assault.
But that fear turns into wild adrenaline.
I grin cruelly.
"I'M ZAGAN BLACKTHORNE! THE CAPTAIN'S BEST STUDENT! NO WAY I'M LOSING TO A BRAT LIKE YOU!"
But even as I attack with full power, there's something bothering me...
Why can he still stand?
He should be down by now.
Kaen...
He's still dodging with movements too perfect for someone unconscious.
Especially with his eyes closed!
How can he avoid my attacks without seeing?
And what's even more disturbing...
THWACK!
Suddenly a punch hits my stomach from the side.
I didn't even see when Kaen counterattacked.
"What?!"
THWACK! THWACK!
Two more punches to my ribs.
The power behind those punches...
Different.
Harder than before.
I back away hastily, red aura still glowing on my fingers.
"Impossible... his strength increased?"
"Getting stronger? Isn't he a rookie adventurer?"
My power is now at Lock Level 2, which means it's equal to a Level 2 adventurer who received a god's blessing.
Did Kaen lie?
He's not actually a rookie but a Level 2 adventurer?
Damn you, Kaen...
You tricked me!
If there was fire in my eyes, I'd breathe it out.
At Kaen standing tall before me.
The wounds I made on his body seem to have no effect at all.
His eyes are still closed, but now there's something different.
Something that glimmers.
I swear I saw him open his eyes for a moment then close them again.
Thin blue light starts appearing around his body.
"No... impossible..." I whisper with deep horror.
That light gets brighter.
Denser.
And far... Far stronger than my aura.
"HE'S ALSO LOCK LEVEL 2?!" I shout in disbelief.
Isn't he an adventurer who received a god's blessing?
How is that possible!
But before I can react, the air changes.
Like atmospheric pressure increased tenfold.
BOOM!
A force hits my chest like lightning. My body is thrown against the back wall with power far beyond anything I've ever experienced.
Even stronger than the Captain's punches when he held back his strength to Lock Level 2.
My ribs crack loudly and my chest caves in.
My back hits the wall so hard it forms spider web cracks, even cracking sounds come from inside my body.
Incredible pain spreads through my whole body.
"ARGHHHHH!"
Blood spurts from my mouth.
My vision spins, but I can see Kaen walking slowly toward me.
Blue aura now envelops his entire body, far brighter and more terrifying than mine.
"No... this is impossible..." I mumble, trying to get up.
I'm so scared...
This guy really wants to kill me...
I'm going to die!
I try to stand but my body won't obey. Every movement sends stabbing pain like knives.
Kaen stands before me.
His hand raised, wrapped in blinding blue aura.
And then the rain of punches begins.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Every punch is now wrapped in blue aura far stronger than mine.
Far denser.
Far more deadly.
My face, chest, stomach, everything becomes a target.
The pain exceeds normal human tolerance.
Blood spurts from my mouth and nose with each impact.
"ARGHHHH! STOP! STOP!"
But Kaen doesn't stop.
Like a punching machine, his hands keep moving with a rhythm that never slows.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
I try to raise my hands to protect my face, but my strength is gone. The red aura on my fingers fades and finally disappears completely.
Back to Level 1.
However I just reached Level 2, I haven't trained to control my power yet.
Back to being weak.
"Captain..." I whisper in despair.
"Forgive your useless student..."
My vision starts blurring.
Consciousness begins fading.
And the last thing I see...
A giant fist wrapped in blinding blue aura appears right in front of my face.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, bringing total destruction.
That aura...
So bright.
So powerful.
Even the Captain never showed power this strong when he was at Level 2.
"Is he... also... Lock Level 2...? Or even... higher...?" I whisper in a voice barely audible.
Most importantly, isn't it only me and a few captains who know the training method?
Is it because I'm in prison that I don't know the method has been used by many people in Orario?
That fist gets closer.
I close my eyes, accepting fate.
Not because I'm scared but because... there's nothing more I can do.
BOOOOM!
The sound of the final impact echoes in the narrow cell.
Then everything goes dark.
All that's left is silence and pain slowly fading with my consciousness.
But in that darkness, one voice echoes in my head.
A suspicious voice that slowly turns to fear.
"This method... who taught it to him? Who spread it?"
There's only one person who could spread it.
But he...
No way...
It's not him... right?