36 2.25

To read up to 15 chapters ahead: https://www.patréon.com/SlyOW

-------------

Chris' basement made me feel ashamed of mine. His was a proper fighting facility, with areas catered to every member of the team.

And right now, the entire team was here, staring at the small sparring ring. I was in there, along with Erik, who had wanted to fight me ever since he had arrived.

He had only just asked, but I had seen it in his eyes that he had been anticipating this.

As a result, I was quite hyped about this. I did not expect Erik to win, I was far stronger than him as the Fists of Randagulf boosted my Muscle Density to 600. As for Erik, he had 200 at best, with his Qi.

However, Erik was a martial artist, so I expected him to be a good challenge.

My sword set against a nearby wall, Erik and I stood across from each other, him in a stance I could not name, and me in what my experience told me was the best stance.

"Begin!"

Chris' dry voice signaled the start of the fight as Erik leapt toward me, his right fist shooting towards my face. The punch used nearly all the muscles in Erik's upper body, and I could also see a faint aura covering the fist.

Personally, I sucked in terms of techniques and martial skills, simply because I had never learned any. However, thanks to the Genetic Constraint, I had become much more attuned to my instincts, and although I was best when under the state of broken Genetic Constraint, some of it had carried over to my normal mode.

Although Erik's fist was strong and fast, the difference in Stats was immediately felt as I easily stepped to the side, and in that moment, I knew I could end it. One quick punch, wherever I hit, would end the match.

Listening to my instinct, I took a small step, planting my right foot into the ground, and started moving my right fist in what looked like to be a powerful punch. That, however, was only a feint, as my left leg suddenly struck out like a whip, aimed for his legs.

Erik, seeing my fist start moving, had instantly pulled up his arms, in order to protect himself from the punch. That completely blocked his vision, and he got hit by my kick, completely unprepared.

I had restrained my power, so he only violently got slammed to the ground. Had I not, I felt like I might have broken both of his knees.

In a single move, the fight was over, and not gonna lie, I felt disappointed. I expected something better. It's not nice to throw dirt on teammates, but he barely felt any more skilled than the bandits in Skyrim. Had he faced Loraine, Erik probably wouldn't have lasted more than ten moves before getting killed.

Erik stayed on the ground for a moment, catching his breath as he looked stunned from the fall.

Offering my hand, he took it, and got back to his feet. I said, "The difference in stats is a little too large for now, I'm afraid."

That was me being nice. Even if I had weaker stats than him, unlocking the Genetic Constraint would be enough to kill him in a few moves.

Against all expectations, although he was better than the average person, he wasn't a very good martial artist.

Looking at him, he seemed a little disheartened, and I wasn't really sure of what to say. Some would probably say I should have comforted him, but he isn't going to survive by being comforted… What the hell, let's be nice for once.

"Don't worry, I have also been fighting to the death continually, and unlocked a power that helps with martial arts. You just need some practice, and we will be sparring equally in no time."

I patted his shoulder as I said that, and for a moment, a flash of a smile appeared on Erik's face, before he returned to his cold countenance. Cold, or constipated, depending on whom you asked.

With that small episode over, the entire team started their own training, with me left not sure of what I should start with. Sarah was in her own corner, earplugs as she read the Spell Book for 'Frostbite'. I immediately crossed her, since talking to her would only annoy her.

There was also Erik, who was hitting away at a punching bag. Maybe going to talk to him right away wasn't the wisest either. So I turned to the firing range, where the last two were hanging.

"Stupefy!"

*Bang*

"Stupefy!"

*Bang*

Chris had his shotgun, and was continually firing at the targets, showing quite the impressive precision as he shot the moving targets with near perfect precision, hitting them in the chest 9 times out of 10. His experience in the army definitely showed, while his increase in Stats helped him deal with the recoil of the continued firing.

On the other hand, Jonathan wasn't doing so good.

"Stupefy!"

A red light fired out of Jonathan's wand, moving through the air with great speed. However, it completely missed the immobile target that was but five meters away from the caster.

It harmlessly hit the wall, flickering out of existence without damaging the wall in the slightest.

An idea coming to me, I approached Jonathan, who stopped himself from firing another spell as he looked at me and asked, "Can I do something for you?"

Pointing my finger at his wand, I said, "It's been a while since I last watched Harry Potter, but Stupefy only stuns the target, right?"

Misunderstanding the meaning of my question, Jonathan quickly explained, "Yes, but it was the only Spell I managed to pull off after trying the different ones I saw on the Internet. Although it isn't lethal, paralyzing the victim will surely be useful in our missions."

Shaking my head, I said, "No, I'm sure Stupefy will be useful. I'm not criticizing your choice. Rather, I have an idea for your training, and mine."

His uncertainty turned to curiosity, so I added, "Would you use it on me?"

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and revealed, "I haven't yet learned the spell to unbind whatever I hit with Stupefy. I'm not very proficient with the Spell, so I'm not sure I will be able to stun you for long, but if I do, it could be uncomfortable."

Furrowing my brows, I ordered, "Do it."

He shrugged, and pointing his wand at me, he chanted, "Stupefy!"

Accompanied by a wand movement, a red light once again shot out of his wand. It was quite fast too, as I barely got to get a glimpse of it before it reached me. He was only a couple of meters away from me, but it was still an impressive speed.

However, it seemed that the wand movement had messed up with his precision once again as the spell, instead of going for my chest, hit me in the left arm.

I suddenly felt my left arm stiffen up, and everything below the shoulder was nearly impossible to move. It felt a little familiar to my fight against the Frost Troll, when it mangled my legs.

I could still somewhat feel my arm and move a little, but using it in any meaningful way was a big no.

Glancing at Jonathan, his face looked a little constipated as he muttered, "I meant to hit the arm…"

Rolling my eyes, I used my other hand to suddenly punch him in the chest. Not expecting it, he took a step back, drawing in a wheeze as he struggled to breath.

"What the hell!"

Turning to walk towards the firing range, I said, "We will be training together. I will start fifty meters away from you, and do my best to reach you. My incentive to not get hit is your stunning spell. As for your incentive to hit me, you just experienced it."

Jonathan obviously had something to say about the training I had thought of, but I did not leave him much of a choice as I reached the agreed distance, and started running at him.