11 Chapter 11: Intense Battle

[Shave: Instant Movement]!

Adrian used his strong leg muscles to push back forcefully against the ground, narrowly evading the cold blade that ambushed him from the shadows.

"You really live up to the rumors, Instructor Yamanbako. You almost got me just now."

Adrian wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead.

"I taught you those Six Styles! Don't be too arrogant, you little devil!"

The mountain witch's expression suddenly turned cold as her seemingly unavoidable strike missed?!

How is that possible?

Adrian responded casually, "You laid the foundation. And who says a student can't surpass the instructor?"

"Don't get too cocky! Shave!"

The furious Yamanbako used the Rokushiki and rushed forward, glaring angrily. She held a fine katana in her hand that made a chilling and eerie sound, as if she wanted to split Adrian into two with a heavy slash.

Seeing this, Adrian decisively drew the standard long knife from his waist, resisting Yamanbako's continuous onslaught without hesitation.

What a joke? Compared to punches and kicks, swordsmanship was his specialty, you know?

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

In the dim alley, two blurry black figures engaged in a frenzied battle, their forms only becoming slightly clearer when their powers clashed.

The sparks from weapon collisions created a crisp sound and scattered around like red starlight, dazzling onlookers.

Adrian was less agile than the hunched mountain witch, but he had superior skill in 'Paper Art'. This skill allowed him to sense air movements caused by Yamanbako's techniques, helping him defend or evade dangerous attacks.

Moreover, Yamanbako specializes in assassination and covert attacks; frontal confrontation is not her strength!

As time passed, Adrian gained the upper hand, skillfully using his swordsmanship with terrifying force in each strike—slashes, chops, cuts, stabs. His movements were fluid and displayed a carefree, artistic style.

Ding!

A heavy blow from Adrian struck Yamanbako's blade. A sickly flush quickly passed over her face, and she couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

In terms of strength, Adrian was still superior to Yamanbako.

Yamanbako was furious and shocked. She pushed away Adrian's blade and sternly asked, "Adrian, when did your strength reach this level?"

In Yamanbako's memories, Adrian was just a clever kid with a slightly better head. He was fast at learning things but didn't have any outstanding qualities. Even after two years, his frontal combat abilities only reached the mid-tier of the reserve squad.

Before, it was surprising enough for Yamanbako that Adrian defeated Dawson head-on. However, unexpectedly, even when she intervened, she couldn't take him down. She found herself at a disadvantage in the midst of the battle!

"Instructor Yamanbako, do you not realize that your voice is unpleasant?"

After enduring two years, Adrian finally spoke. It felt like he had taken a refreshing bite of ice cream on a scorching summer day.

"Dawson! Let's attack together!"

Yamanbako, unable to bear it any longer, ordered Dawson to attack. She noticed Dawson's injured right fist but saw that his overall combat ability hadn't suffered much.

"If we fight together, we might be able to quickly take down the traitor, Adrian!"

"Is it finally the time?" Adrian's eyes flickered slightly.

In fact, his original plan was just to obtain maps of the nearby sea area and some basic supplies from the local bigwigs, and then quietly leave alone on a boat.

In that case, the World Government won't make a big fuss by issuing a wanted poster to capture him.

Being a pirate isn't as wonderful as you might imagine, okay?

I didn't expect Dawson to follow me directly before I could take action. Not only that, he was followed Yamanbako.

"This should be the worst situation, right?"

Adrian smiled bitterly but fortunately, he has a contingency plan for situations like this.

During the month before they arrived at Cirian Island, Adrian, who stayed on the ship, didn't pass the time idly.

After successfully advancing to a 'Formal Swordsman,' and gained not only basic attribute improvements but also advanced techniques in Intermediate swordsmanship practice.

In 'Intermediate Swordsmanship Training,' the amount of experience gained doubles, and each session can earn 80-100 experience points based on proficiency.

Over the past month, the dedicated Adrian has accumulated 2.6 million experience points through his intense practice.

While this amount may not be sufficient to level up his professional rank, it is extremely suitable at this moment for upgrading skill levels!

After thinking quietly for a moment, Adrian decided, "Allocate the experience points to 'Shave' and 'Paper Drawing'! Increase strength by 6 points and agility by 13 points!"

Simultaneously, the panel displayed feedback information.

[Six Styles: Shave]Level 8 (0/100w)!!

[Six Styles: Paper Drawing]Level 6 (24w/50w)!!

Strength 70, Agility 70, Remaining Free Attribute Points 61!!

Yamanbako and Dawson positioned themselves in front and behind Adrian, enclosing him.

"If you want to escape using Moon Step, feel free to give it a try," challenged Yamanbako.

Dawson just silently stared at Adrian, blocking his retreat.

Adrian replied with words that no one understood, "Escape? I don't have a skill like log-off or escape. Besides..."

[You have triggered a C-level emergency mission [Freedom]!!]

[Mission prompt: Guide the people to freedom!]

[Mission requirements: Successfully escape]

[Mission reward: Acquire a skill or expertise from an enemy]

"I really, really want to see what expertise looks like!

This is my first time seeing this thing!

Adrian took a deep breath and enters a focused state for battle.

"Rankyaku: Renge" (Storm Leg: Lotus Blossom)

Yamanbako didn't hesitate and launched the first attack. Instead of confronting directly, she kicked several times, creating hundreds of small wind blades that surged towards Adrian and Dawson.

"Atama Kenpo: Shigan" (Finger Gun - Fist Cannon!)

At the same time, Dawson attacked without dodging or avoiding, launching an assault towards Adrian's back.

A pincer attack!

"Shave!"

Adrian's figure moved like a ghost, swiftly positioning himself behind the witch. The sharp increase in his level, coupled with a nearly one-fourth boost in agility, allowed him to easily evade the pincer attack.

"How is this possible? Such speed!"

The witch, surprised by Adrian's sudden speed boost, felt a bone-chilling sensation from behind and was almost unable to react.

"Watch me, Life Return: Hair Bind—"

"Sudden Flow Slash!"

In the corner of the field of vision, a fleeting cold light suddenly burst forth, as if the scene was replaying itself.