NOVEL WEB Chapter 195: TRAINING?!!
Ali was already in front of Logan. He hurled a punch, his fist flaring with hot suffocating fire.
Anyone else and they would be doomed by that single punch. But even after that monstrous speed, Logan was able to react.
He quickly put up a water barrier. Ali's fist slammed on the barrier breaking it instantly. Though the fire was extinguished, the sheer force behind the punch didn't decrease a bit.
Baam!
It landed squarely on Logan's chest, sending him flying like a rag doll.
Thud! ....Thud!... Screeeertch!
After landing, he bounced once, then skidded back and hit the ground.
Before he could even raise his head, Ali was already there throwing another kick, air bursting at its heel.
But Logan still dodged it somehow. Ali's kick missed its target and hit the wall instead.
Baam! With a loud explosion, a crater was created where Ali's kick had landed.
A few metres away Logan was standing with a hunched back, panting.
"Why does it feel like you are after my life, master? Don't tell me you can't let go of a treasure," Logan exclaimed.
"A treasure like that means nothing to me. But don't you think I have seen enough to know when someone is holding back? Enough with this already. Just let it loose completely, will you?"
Logan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Your eyes sure are sharp master. If that's what you want then here it comes."
Bending his leg like a coiled spring, Logan jumped. He soared high up. Then, with a flip, he started falling. His hands flung backward releasing fire bursts continuously. He was shooting downward like a meteor.
Ali had his eyes locked on Logan. He was waiting to see Logan's new trick.
When Logan was twenty metres high above the ground, he manipulated the gravity with all his force. It was multiple times stronger.
Ali felt the pressure. His knees were almost about to buckle.
Almost....
Even in that pressure, he still had his usual demeanor. No sign of tension, fear. Just excitement.
When Logan was just ten metres high, his right palm sparkled. Lightning started to buzz. And an ember-like fireball grew huge, enveloping that lightning spark.
Lightning -fire combo ball. It was brimming with destructive energy.
Ali's hand finally moved. With a casual wave, he formed a wind barrier surrounding him.
Booooom! Logan's combo sphere crashed on Ali's shield. A loud explosion erupted. Dust and debris clouded the whole arena.
Outside the fighting arena, in the main hall of the hunter's guild.....
It was still very early in the morning. Only a handful of hunters were scattered across the wooden tables. Some were slurping soup, some tearing bread and chewing slowly, and a few just sitting idly, waiting for their party members to return.
The place was unusually quiet—at least until the tremors had begun half an hour ago.
Rumble! Again.
The cups and plates rattled. A faint vibration ran under the floorboards. Heads turned instantly toward the direction of the fighting arena.
At first, no one spoke. But as they continued nonstop, curiosity grew stronger than silence.
"Oi, Elizabeth," one of the hunters finally called out, raising his voice over the creaking wood. "What the hell is going on in there? Feels like the ceiling's about to come down."
Elizabeth stood behind the reception desk, arms folded. Her usual calm face didn't give away much, but even she had to glance toward the way that led to the arena now and then. "Guildmaster is in a training mood today," she said evenly.
"Training?!" another hunter scoffed. "It seems more like he is in a rampaging mood. Did he eat something you cooked?"
A few hunters at the same table couldn't help but burst into laughter.
But it didn't last long. Another quake rippled through the hall, making the lanterns sway. Dust trickled down from the beams above.
Elizabeth's tone sharpened. "You guys should pay more attention to clearing dungeons. Or else the guild master may use one of you as his next sparring partner."
That last statement alone killed the urge of the few bold ones who had started rising from their seats. They wanted to go to the fighting arena and steal a glance.
But now....
They hesitated, then slowly sat back down, though their eyes still flicked toward the door, restless with curiosity.
Who would want to spar with a human-faced tsunami?!
The tremors didn't stop. If anything, they got worse.
And suddenly....
Ba-booooom!
This time, the whole hall lurched. Several hunters jumped up, their hands flying to weapons out of sheer instinct. A plate slid off a table and shattered.
One muttered nervously, "If this is training… then any more of it, the whole guild might vanish."
Elizabeth's lips pressed into a tight line. For the first time, her eyes betrayed shock. "Master… what sort of training is this? Anymore of it and we may have to start looking for a new building."
______
Inside the arena....
The smoke from the last explosion still hadn't cleared.
"I must have gotten him this time. There is no way he would come out of that unscathed." Logan murmured. But a hint of doubt still lingered. And that doubt turned out to be true.
Before Logan could even react, a palm touched his back lightly.
But the sheer force!
A wind bomb blasted him away. He was hurled in the air. He was still off balance. But could feel the danger already. Another fireball was closing in toward him, just a hairbreadth away.
Logan failed to put up a barrier, and it slammed cleanly into his body.
Bam! Whoosh!
He crashed in the gallery, creating a huge crater. Dust and smoke flew upward.
Ali's body landed on the ground without disturbing even the dust. Staring at Logan's direction for a while, he started marching toward him.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Logan couldn't move. His clothes were tattered, breathing unevenly with difficulty, a trace of blood on both the corners of his lips.
He could feel Ali's approach. "So that's what an S-class level feels like. Still a long way before I reach that stage."