Fighting stronger Phantoms was a popular practice for becoming stronger and testing one's strength.

Even though Adam had done it several times, he still remembered his sparring match against Damien. It was a defeat that taught him a lot.

Now, he found himself on the other side for the first time, although even at the K2-Level, a Phantom had enough power to teach weaker Phantoms something.

Adam had little experience in this, and it was unknown whether he was a good teacher, but it wasn't as if he had a great desire to delve into it.

The young man and girl practically forced him to fight them, so Adam decided to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"We... We lost?" The girl muttered in disbelief.

She could clearly see Adam's aura. He wasn't trying to hide it. Now, his power was at the same level as theirs.

"But how? How could you catch my arrow if you are equal to us in strength? If another K3-Phantom had been in your place, he would have been seriously injured at best!"

Adam shrugged and, clenching his fist, snapped the arrow in two.

"It's all about energy control. If I were in your place, I would have put much more energy into that shot, enough so that no one of the same strength level could block it with their bare hands. Something like that."

The young man stood up as he touched his neck with slight concern.

'Damn, I didn't even have time to defend myself when his needle was at my throat! I lost in just a second!'

Thump!

The young man hit the ground as he stared at Adam.

"I guess there's no point in asking for a second round?"

The girl bit her lip. She wanted to fight Adam again, but they weren't stupid. They could see that he wasn't interested.

Adam was about to leave, but... at the last moment, something made him change his mind.

'Tsk, if I leave now, I'll be thinking about their sad looks for the rest of the day. Agh... I have to learn how to say no to people, although this time I can relax a little.'

"Alright, let's do it one more time." Adam waved his hand. "Think about what you're doing. If you can hurt me, we'll end with your victory, otherwise, I'll leave before you succeed."

Joy filled their eyes, but they quickly regained their serious expressions and prepared for the next round.

'Hah, so that's how I looked to Damien, Erik, and the others?' Adam thought as the young man and girl discussed their plan of action. 'Well, let's consider this a warm-up.'

...

Adam agreed to fight them a few more times, but he wasn't going to teach them anything, at least not as actively as the instructors did.

He just defeated them time after time, using his superior energy control, reflexes, and experience.

Moreover, he didn't need to use many abilities to knock them to the ground. For this task, his fists, needle, and white threads were enough.

Sure, Adam didn't use more powerful abilities, not only because it required a lot of energy, but also because he didn't want to hurt them.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Time after time, the young man and girl found themselves on the ground, but they kept getting up and attacking again.

They no longer discussed their tactics before each round. They just improvised and changed their plan based on the situation.

"Oh, so now they've decided to wait for me?" Adam smirked as he saw them go into full defense mode. "Fine, that shouldn't be a problem!"

He didn't know if it was a trap, and he didn't really care. He just lunged forward, ready to end it all right here and now.

Step. Step. Step.

With each powerful step he took, a powerful tremor ran through the ground. When he was right in front of them, the young man's eyes lit up as a multitude of roots emerged from the ground.

However, instead of immediately grabbing Adam, the roots moved upward, covering them under a dome.

"Hmm? They want to trap me in a cage? I don't think that's going to work."

Adam was about to attack, but at that moment, a multitude of green thorns appeared on the roots, and the girl shot upward.

Her arrow split into several pieces, creating five floating air rings. The wind currents grew faster with each passing second as sharp, blade-like leaves appeared among them.

Adam remembered his words and realized what they wanted to do.

"Hah, you decided to hurt me? Alright, let's see if you can do it!"

He turned to grab the young man and the girl and knock them to the ground. But, at the last moment, the young man thrust his sword into the ground as a green stream of energy shot upward, creating several protective layers of dense wood in front of him.

Sure, Adam could easily cut through each barrier with his needle. He knew how to break barriers like no one else.

Well, he didn't have time for that.

A hail of thorns and blade leaves rained down on him, intent on inflicting at least one wound.

One of Adam's main weaknesses was that he had no defensive abilities. He couldn't summon a shield to block the thorns and blades.

Still, considering what his new ability was capable of, he had an idea.

"If I create a portal right in front of me, I can redirect the thorns to another place and thus protect myself, right?" Adam thought as his fingertips twitched. "Then I should do just that!"

He was about to summon the Staff of Defeat, but... as soon as the first energy flow headed toward his hand, his face contorted in pain.

To use this ability, he had to be in good condition or, even better, in his peak form. Considering that he had woken up just an hour ago, that was not the case.

Moreover, he was now at the K3 Level. The amount of energy and power required for the Staff of Defeat put such pressure on his body that in less than ten seconds, all his bones would break and his heart would explode.

It was a big mistake on Adam's part. He had never lowered his power before, so he wasn't prepared for this.

'Fuck! What should I do then?'

At the same time, the young man and girl exchanged glances. They hoped that at least one of the hundreds of thorns and blades would be able to wound Adam.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

At the same moment, several dark lines appeared from the other side as the long needle cut through all the barriers.

The young man gulped when he met Adam's cold gaze. He felt that the time for games was over, and now things were getting serious.

Thump!

Adam rushed forward like a shadow, crashing into them.

They didn't have time to react as he grabbed them by the shoulders, and in the next moment, they were on the ground.

"GRH!"

Blood spurted from the young man's mouth as the girl grimaced from the sharp pain in her shoulder.

Adam raised his needle for the next attack, but in mid-motion, he stopped. He remembered in time that this was not a real fight and the two youths in front of him were not his enemies.

"Oh, looks like I went a little too far. Are you okay?" Adam sighed as he helped the girl up.

She nodded. "Yes, don't worry, I'm fine. We understand you had no other choice. What's more..." Her eyes lit up. "When we fight monsters, we easily endure much more serious injuries! This is nothing!"

Adam turned to the young man who, for some reason, was smiling broadly even though a trickle of blood was running from the corner of his mouth.

"Seems we're not as bad as we thought, right?" He grinned, pointing to Adam's forearm.

"Hmm?" Adam raised an eyebrow as he looked down.

Above his wrist was a short cut, shallow and superficial, but a single drop of blood flowed steadily down his arm.

"Hah!" Adam chuckled. "So you win! What else can I say? Well done!"

After a brief exchange that Adam tried to end as quickly as possible, he finally headed back into the spire.

The young man and girl bowed deeply.

"Thank you so much!"

"It was a valuable experience! For both of us!"

Adam scratched the back of his head with a satisfied expression. He didn't want to admit it, but he was pleased to hear that.

'Well, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. But, that's it! I've stayed too long!'

Step. Step. Step.

Almost running, Adam headed for the top of the spire where several people from the Gamma Division were already waiting for him.

"Mr. Adam, are you ready to return to the Citadel?" The woman asked him while her partner prepared the teleport for operation.

Adam nodded deeply.

"Yeah, I've been in the Tarnished Lands for so long that I feel like I've forgotten what civilization looks like."

The corners of the woman's lips curved upward.

"I've heard that Izardo is a fairly developed monster city. However, nothing can compare to the Citadel."

Adam shrugged.

"Maybe, but what I saw in some places..." He remembered Norax playing the gaming console. "Was unexpected."

Soon, Adam found himself on the platform as the woman bowed, holding one hand to her chest.

"Thank you for your service, Adam Vinter. We look forward to your return to the Dead Lands next time."

Adam grinned widely as his frame distorted under the effect of the teleport.

"Rest assured, it will happen soon! I am not at my strongest yet!"

The woman narrowed her eyes, and in the next moment, Adam disappeared.

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