Chapter 297: Pain

The boy then looked at Asher, tightened his grip around his sword, and took a deep breath to calm himself. He slowly steadied his breathing before finally preparing himself.

Then, he held the sword with both hands and strode toward Asher, keeping his eyes fixed on him. His steps were steady, and his expression remained serious.

Asher looked at the boy calmly, with one hand free and the other holding his sword. He didn’t move from his position and simply waited for the boy.

The boy continued approaching until he finally reached Asher. Without wasting any time, he raised his sword and slashed downward, aiming directly at Asher’s skull with all his strength.

Asher calmly moved the hand holding his sword. Before the boy’s blade could reach him, Asher easily deflected it by striking the sword near its hilt.

The boy’s attack was deflected, but he immediately continued attacking without giving Asher any pause. He swung his sword repeatedly, changing the direction of every strike.

However, Asher easily deflected every attack with only one hand, while the boy continued using both hands. Despite having the same strength and speed, the boy remained at a disadvantage.

Asher deflected another strike to the side with a simple movement of his sword. He then casually yawned and said, "Too boring."

’He is still playing with me. Just how? We have the same speed and strength, and he isn’t even using both hands. Then why can’t I win?’

The boy became increasingly frustrated as he watched Asher casually defend against every attack. He couldn’t understand how Asher could remain so relaxed despite their equalized physical abilities.

Asher deflected one more strike to the side, causing the boy’s sword to move away from its original path. Then, Asher instantly raised his free hand and formed it into a fist.

The boy immediately noticed Asher’s movement. His expression changed, and he quickly shifted his sword into position, preparing himself to block the incoming punch.

However, the expected punch never came. Instead, Asher suddenly lowered his body slightly and kicked the boy directly in the stomach while the boy was preparing for the punch.

The kick struck hard enough to make the boy stumble backward. His body lost balance, and he struggled to regain his footing while trying to understand what had just happened.

Before the boy could recover from the kick, Asher’s fist was already in front of his face. The boy barely had enough time to react before the punch struck him directly.

Asher’s fist hit the boy’s face, striking his nose and forcing his head backward. Before he could even properly register the pain, Asher’s other fist followed immediately.

The second fist came upward in an uppercut and struck the boy’s chin. The impact forced his head upward, and his teeth rattled from the sudden force of the attack.

The boy’s grip on his sword loosened, and the weapon slipped from his hand before falling onto the ground. He immediately tried to reach down and pick it up again.

However, Asher didn’t give him any chance to recover. Before the boy could properly react, Asher moved forward and began throwing punches toward him without giving him any pause.

The boy stumbled backward under the continuous attacks and eventually fell onto the ground. He was badly beaten, barely able to keep his eyes open as he struggled to remain conscious.

The only thing the boy could properly feel at that moment was pain throughout his body. His breathing became heavier as he tried to move, but his strength had almost disappeared.

Asher looked down at the boy for a moment and then simply muttered, "Weak."

He then raised one hand and fired a mana bullet toward the boy, instantly ending the fight. The boy’s body disappeared from the virtual world.

His sword also disappeared along with him, and the traces of the battle vanished from the ground as the simulation reset the area.

Asher then picked up his own sword from the ground. He had thrown it there earlier when he decided to stop using it and fight the boy with his fists.

As soon as the boy was eliminated, the color of the barrier returned to green. Asher glanced at it briefly before checking the remaining time.

There were still six minutes left until the next round began. Since nobody else had entered the area yet, Asher decided to use the remaining time to rest.

Asher sat down inside the special area and relaxed for the next six minutes. He closed his eyes and remained completely calm while waiting for the timer.

The time passed quickly, and as soon as the timer finally finished, Asher stood up from the ground and looked toward the map displayed in front of him.

There were now only ten special areas remaining on the map. That meant eight more students would be eliminated during this test, leaving only ten students to move forward.

Asher briefly looked over the map and checked the locations of the remaining special areas. He didn’t spend much time thinking about which one to choose.

After finding the nearest area, Asher simply turned in its direction and started moving toward it without any hesitation.

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Training Room

Everyone watched the entire fight silently, their expressions filled with pity for the boy who had just been eliminated from the test.

The room remained quiet for a few moments before Elisa finally spoke. She looked at the simulation screen and said, "Decrease the pain level to 50%."

The staff member in charge of the simulation immediately nodded and adjusted the settings. The pain level was reduced to 50% of what the students would normally have felt if the situation had been real.

Inside the test, Asher continued moving toward the nearest special area. He encountered several beasts along the way, but none of them were able to touch him.

Asher easily dodged every attack thrown toward him and defeated each beast without using much of his stamina. He continued moving through the forest without slowing down for long.