14 The First Collision
----
"If that's how you feel, let's do something about this. I have a very good idea, why not fight me," Apollo declared. Unlike before, his gaze was calm—frigid, in fact. But behind that, a madness burned as he continued to stare directly into Axel's eyes.
Yet, Axel found this matter laughable.
"Fight you? Haha, are you stupid? Do you want to be hurt so badly?" Axel laughed hysterically as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever. Murmurs sounded amongst the other children as they made fervent conjectures; even Aaron interjected.
"Apollo, don't. You will just be hurt. He can wield at least 30 Zuls."
He was well aware of this fact, so Apollo nodded his head. However, his expression showed he wouldn't calm down unless he did this. After all, the one before him was the crux of his mistreatment.
"I know that Aaron, but I've had enough of his bullying. Unless I confront him, I'll continue to get walked upon. I at least need to stand up for myself! Otherwise, I won't hear the end of it."
Apollo's childish voice filled with emotions as he grabbed his rags of clothing. Meanwhile, Aaron's heart clenched with pain. However, the other children simply snickered. They grew up knowing might is right.
It was then Aaron made his decision. He clenched his fist while glaring at Axel, "Then, we fight together Apollo. If you are going to stand up for yourself, then I will stand with you."
Both of them nodded before exiting the Dining Hall. But, Aaron turned back when he didn't sense any movement behind him "You had all those words, are you coming?"
Naturally, Axel couldn't stand him trampling on his pride like this. He gestured to his group as they all left the Dining Hall. While outside was darkening, it wasn't to an extent that prohibited sight.
Eventually, the entire group of children inside the Dining Hall left and headed towards the training area. They were nothing short of curious; they needed to know how things would turn out and it would provide excitement.
"Fine, you both can come at me. It's not like either of you are stronger than me," Axel chuckled. His provocations were childish, but neither Apollo nor Axel paid attention to him.
On the other hand, Aaron whispered words of encouragement to Apollo, "Don't worry about what happens, just fight to your heart's content and let out your frustrations."
"I will." Apollo nodded without delay. From his resolute gaze, it was clear he meant what he said. The question was—could he deliver?
Meanwhile, the commotion of all the kids reentering the training ground caught the attention of the adults. Standing outside the gates, they silently watched. As a matter of fact, Ashur was present with disturbing punctuality.
"Mm? A scuffle between the children? I wonder what happened that it escalated to this level."
A female voice replied, "Oh, it's my son and...Apollo? Wait, it's Apollo? What are they doing?!"
"Oh you're right Cynthia, it is indeed that little twerp Apollo," Ashur grinned. Similar to Axel, he seemed to have it out for Apollo. To feel strong, he liked to prey on the weak.
Not long after the others, Danyul appeared as well. However, his thoughts sided more with Cynthia, "Should we end the commotion before it escalates?"
"No, don't do that. That little twerp needs a beating. Let's just stop it right before it gets out of hand," Ashur shook his head.
Although he didn't fully agree with this decision, he remained silent about this matter. Differently, however, he focused on the inconsistencies with Apollo, 'Since yesterday, this fellow feels different. He doesn't feel as timid...he just feels—angry.'
Nevertheless, the signs appearing on Apollo; Azridan was pleasantly surprised by them. As a result, Azridan added his own thoughts.
[Although it isn't advised at this moment, what the hell. Since you have help, you might as well fight against your oppression. Though I will warn you now, be prepared.]
〈System Alert: Battle Guidance Mode activated!〉
〈System: Your movements will be influenced by the system since you are unfamiliar with combat.〉
[Lad, you have never fought before. So listen to my instructions. There is a chance if you listen to me while fighting with this other young boy.]
"Okay."
〈System Alert: Combat Mission received.〉
「Quest Name: First Fight
Information: The basics of fighting are a foreign concept to you. However, that is all about to change. Take part in your first fight ingraining the thrills of fighting into your soul.
Task-
-Attack under the Guidance Battle Mode. (0/1)
-Land 3 clean blows on your opponent. (0/3)
[«Bonus Task»]-
-Beat your opponent to triple your rewards.
Rewards-
- 300 Experience. (Bonus Task Multiplier = 900 Experience)」
...
"How do you want to do this? Weapons, or hands?" Aaron asked.
A shrug was all they received. Truth be told, Axel didn't care what the others used. The only thing he wanted to do now was for everyone to bear witness as he trampled over these two.
[Use the staff, you've been training in it for two days. The movements should be relatively better than without it.]
Needless to say, Apollo obliged and picked up the training staff. Surely enough, it was the same one he used for daily training.
"That training weapon isn't even a decent one. Pfft, 2 Zuls? Come on. Is that all you can wield? What an idiot. Why would you even challenge me when you're like this?" Axel smirked. After seeing this, the disdain he held for Apollo grew.
Suddenly, Axel made his move. Before they could respond, Axel dashed towards them. Aaron was well aware of the power gap, thus, he shifted in front of Apollo, and raised his guard.
A muffled thud sounded as Aaron's appearance turned serious. His forearms felt slightly sore from the one blow but he had to deal with it. Quickly, he lowered his body and performed a sweeping kick.
Fwoosh!
Axel dodged by jumping into the air with a light tap of his foot. But, this wasn't just a one on one.
[Now!]
Without delay, Apollo sidestepped out of Aaron's shadow and thrust the staff at Axel's chest. At first Axel was surprised by Apollo's cunning move but then smirked. 'This little crap can't hurt me.'
Axel straightened his hand before chopping towards the middle of the staff.
Crcccckk!
The training staff snapped in two pieces. However, this didn't come as a surprise. Aaron spun and delivered two quick kicks which Axel blocked with each hand and utilized them to push away.
Meanwhile, Apollo looked at the staff broken in two halves before looking between Axel and Aaron. What he saw was different from usual. General information popped up on the two!
「Name: Axel
Health: 43/45
Cultivation: Rank 4 Mortal (31)」
「Name: Aaron
Health: 33/39
Cultivation: Rank 3 Mortal (27)」
'They have no levels, so I guess that is exclusive to me.'
Unfortunately, Apollo didn't have any more time to observe the display because Axel overpowered Aaron. Ending their exchange with a sharp kick to the chest. For a while, Aaron tumbled and slid backward until he stopped.
After regaining his balance, his gaze turned to Apollo before pouncing once again.
Although he knew he was no match, he was ready. Apollo held the two halves of the broken staff and accept the assistance of the system, entering a battle-ready stance. Additionally, Azridan chimed in, offering his input on the possible outcomes.
[He will mostly likely toy with you. There is a possibility your limbs will be his focus.]
Due to Azridan's familiarity with battle, Apollo took the words to heart. He remained vigilant. In due time, Axel's dangerous kick came.
Surprisingly, Apollo pulled a tactic. According to Azridan's input, he checked the blow by lifting his leg with a small hop. If not, the difference in strength would be enough to cause a fracture.
"Oh? That lad Apollo is moving in a way to mitigate the force Axel is using. Where did he learn that?" Danyul mused.
"Hmph, that doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact his body is weak. For that very reason, Axel will end up winning even in this 2 to 1," Ashur rebutted.
On the other hand, Cynthia remained quiet as she observed the fight. Her attention was divided on both Apollo and Aaron.
〈System: -3 Health.〉
〈System: 15/18 Health remaining.〉
Although he followed the instructions, the sheer difference in force still caused Apollo to wince after the blow. In response, he executed a few retreating steps. But, while doing so, he observed Axel's incoming punch. Once again, he rose a guard and performed the same maneuver.
Wham!
Axel's punch landed on Apollo's crossed arms which sent him flying away promptly after. He tumbled for a while until he stopped next to Aaron.
"I think we should stop it now," Cynthia voiced. This fight wasn't well matched even if there were two of them. It was time she stopped it.
However, Ashur refused. "Wait, no one is terribly hurt. Let them vent their frustrations. It's just the harmless fight of kids."
Both Danyul and Cynthia looked at him with narrowed eyes as he said this. They wanted to know what his angle was, there was nothing necessarily exciting take place. Yet, he seemed to be enjoying this too much.
