Do I have to continue?

Arnold had a somewhat distressed look on his face, and his tattered combat suit had not been replaced yet when Clark called him over. With his skill for healing flesh, his injuries from the encounter with the Scale Beast had already healed quite a bit.

"It's nothing," he replied.

Clark gave a slight smile and then pointed to Dirk, who seemed to be lost in thought not far away.

"Come on, you two, spar with each other."

"Me spar with him?"

"Clark, are you crazy? I might accidentally slap Dirk to death!" Arnold exclaimed, his face filled with suspicion as he looked at Clark.

Was Clark going to kill his own people? No, it should be that Clark wanted me to teach Dirk a lesson and make him learn something. But I can't! If I accidentally injure this kid, Clark will surely demote me. Should I pretend to be severely injured and not yet recovered?

Clark could see the thoughts racing through Arnold's mind and wore a bemused expression. He found it amusing that Arnold could come up with so many thoughts in an instant, but he thought that they were just misplaced.

"It's fine; just give it your all. If anything goes wrong, I promise not to blame you," Clark reassured.

Arnold rubbed his shiny bald head, hesitated for a moment, and nodded. As for Clark's remark about giving it his all, he chose to ignore it.

"Alright, Dirk, let's have a sparring match here!" Arnold stood relaxed in place, signaling for Dirk to make the first move. With his level of defense, Dirk wouldn't be able to harm him even if he tried to attack. 

Arnold had already decided that, at most, he would give Dirk a symbolic kick later, which he figured was probably what Clark wanted – for Dirk to learn a lesson. Little did he notice the brief glint of amusement in Clark's eyes behind him.

After being awakened by Arnold's loud call, Dirk slowly raised his head and nodded in acknowledgment to Clark.

"I was saying, Dirk," Arnold continued in his talkative manner, oblivious to the changes happening beneath Dirk's feet.

The next moment:

"Boom!"

"Shadow Assassination!"

Just as Arnold was still standing carelessly with his hands on his hips, the ground beneath Dirk instantly crumbled. The light twisted, and a faint wisp of black mist rose upwards.

Damn it! Arnold's eyes widened as he suddenly felt a chilling presence behind him.

"Backstab!"

"Swish!" The blade pierced through the flesh. Dirk, who had mysteriously disappeared, reappeared behind him, striking with both hands in a reverse thrust, causing a deep wound from which blood began to flow.

Dirk, who had a background as an elite soldier, far surpassed Arnold in combat skills. In the instant before the battle began, he had already determined the perfect moment to strike.

"I... am injured? I was stabbed by a crappy dagger?" Arnold roared. Even if he was slow, he realized why Dirk's behavior had suddenly become so strange. Unbelievably, when did this kid become an awakened one?

"Bear Transformation!" Arnold dared not underestimate Dirk any longer. He instantly transformed into a two-meter-tall black bear and swiped behind him. However, his massive paw struck empty air, hitting only a fleeting shadow.

"Direct Thrust!" Dirk, like a phantom, reappeared in front of the black bear, bent forward, and thrust forcefully. Sensing the injury on his chest once again, Arnold quickly turned his body and swung his massive paw. Yet, in an instant, he felt a sharp pain in his lower leg.

"Ahhhh!"

Arnold was furious, feeling that Dirk was everywhere, like a phantom, and every attack only struck shadows. Although Dirk was only at Tier 0, his strength had been largely nullified by Arnold's constitution, but even so, it made Arnold somewhat apprehensive.

If this continued, he feared that Dirk would slowly whittle him down with each cut. In just a few breaths, the massive bear's body was covered in countless small wounds.

"What kind of power is this?" Sandra asked Clark, her voice cold, as she couldn't hide her curiosity.

Clark smiled gently, and he couldn't resist patting her head as he spoke, "Abyss Infiltrator: Assassin!"

"Agility-based profession, skilled in stealth, evasion, and one-hit kills."

"However, there is still a gap in strength between Dirk and Arnold. Plus, the bear transformation's defense makes it difficult to inflict damage, which is why the fight has reached this point."

"Sandra, who do you think will win?"

Sandra thought for a moment and quickly gave her judgment.

"It's a powerful profession. If Dirk can maintain this speed, he will wear Arnold down."

"Arnold can withstand the attacks in his bear form, but he can't handle the impact."

"And don't pat my head."

"It will make me go bald."

Clark's right hand, which was ruffling her head, paused for a moment. Then he continued as if nothing had happened.

There was just no way around it; Sandra's head felt incredibly good, and Clark couldn't resist the urge to keep patting it. It was as smooth as a cat's head, and especially considering that this head had once belonged to a Tier 3 powerhouse from his past life, the Lord of Cadavers, the "Reaper of the Dead"!

Tsk, this treatment might only be enjoyed while Sandra is still weak. Ignoring Sandra's suppressed hostility, Clark continued to watch the two in their battle.

It seemed that after he completed their "transaction," Sandra had become much closer to him, or at least, she wasn't as aloof as before.

"Ah, ahhh!"

"You motherf*****r!"

Not far away, Arnold was furious, swinging his right hand wildly in a frenzy, trying to hit Dirk, who kept flashing in and out like a fly. However, it was all in vain.

His bear fur was singed as if he had been through a wildfire, and sparks occasionally flew off his body. Though Dirk couldn't break through Arnold's defense while he was in his bear form, every one of his strikes and punctures managed to penetrate the defense and rattle Arnold's internal organs.

In less than half a minute, Arnold had been stabbed by Dirk at least sixty times. If it weren't for his high defense and his higher level than Dirk, he probably would have turned into a hornet's nest by now.

"Prepare for my Fallen Strike!"

Just after Dirk had completed a reverse thrust, he heard Arnold roar, and he couldn't help but be surprised. He instinctively flashed to the side.

However, the expression on Arnold's face, who had been suspicious after being stabbed with a dagger, suddenly revealed a hint of cunning. He then activated his Berserk Charge skill. His target? The big G!

As the skill activated, a red light instantly covered his entire body, and like a high-speed train, the massive bear body sprinted off into the distance.

"I'm out of here!"

"Do I have to continue?"

With the high-speed charge, Arnold appeared a hundred meters away, loudly complaining.

"My pants have been stabbed through!"

"Dammit! Where did this kid learn his moves? Every attack targets my vitals, it's like he wants to snap my roots!"