Chapter 56: Against the Odds

As soon as the teacher signaled, Detlev dashed forward. His speed clearly showed he had leveled up since the last time Max met him. At that time, the speed of his punch could be easily detected, and Max had avoided it without any effort. The current speed, however, was clearly higher. Detlev had definitely leveled up and applied a few Attribute Points into Agility rather than Strength.

However, what Max was thinking at this time was not about his opponent's speed, but rather what kind of Class the man possessed. Since Detlev had used his fists the last time they faced each other, Max guessed he must be a [Brawler Class]. Alternatively, he had simply refused to use his Class weapon, thinking Max was not worth it.

While Detlev crossed half the stage, Max only took two steps. His speed would not match his opponent's. Since he did not bring his weapon, he prepared to use his fists as well. To compensate for the speed of his enemy, he would have to heavily rely on the technique he had trained for.

[Martial Arts]

This martial combat was not the result of a lack of talent in his Awakened Class; rather, Max was very much interested in martial combat from his childhood. The main reason for his fascination toward this art was his father. His father had awakened a weird Class called [Martial Sovereign]. However, the rumors were that this Class had chosen him solely because he was very interested in martial arts since childhood. People believed that this Class was tailor-made and bestowed upon him just because of his love for martial arts.

Growing up watching his father's relentless training, Max was fascinated by this art. Though he had started his basic training at the age of seven, he could not even call himself an intermediate in martial arts. He only knew a few types of fighting techniques to an extent where he could call himself an expert; other than that, Max was not as knowledgeable as his father.

Max took a third step just as Detlev was already in the middle of swinging his hand toward Max's face. Though the speed was great, Max was currently expecting the attack, so it was not a surprise strike that he would not tackle. With great speed and an evil smile on his face, Detlev threw a punch to finish the fight in a single attack. Since he already had great Strength, now combined with Speed, he could finish his enemy off in a single punch.

However, the evil smile quickly waned as his punch missed, merely brushing his enemy's ear. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of something closing in fast toward his chin.

Crunch!

After avoiding the punch, Max lowered himself and drove his lead elbow upward in a brutal uppercut, catching Detlev squarely under the chin. The impact snapped Detlev's head back with a sickening crunch. However, the attack did not knock him unconscious. This was understandable; currently, Max's Strength was only at 9. Compared to his opponent, who must have reached at least Level 8 or Level 10, Detlev possessed greater Vitality and Endurance. A single attack would not be enough to defeat the opponent.

The shockwave of the impact rocked Detlev. He held his jaw, shock written all over his face. He could not believe what had just transpired. His punch should have landed on his enemy; instead, he was the one get attacked. Realizing he had taken a hit from a guy considered untalented, a person without merit who had joined the academy through the back door, something inside Detlev snapped.

A sudden, blinding rage took over him. The surprise in his eyes turned into pure, ugly anger. A deep, angry growl escaped his throat. The veins on his neck and forehead popped out as his face turned red with shame. Completely forgetting his objective, he became reckless. Roaring like a wild animal, Detlev charged forward.

Max, who had expected this outcome, had already put some distance between himself and Detlev. Since he could not match Detlev's speed, the only way to tackle him was to maintain distance, anticipate the attack, and prepare to avoid and counter it.

Blinded by rage, Detlev rushed forward with great speed, swinging his fists wildly. He was growling like a rabid dog. The punches were heavy; if even one of them were to land on Max, he would definitely be injured. Because he had already anticipated this flurry of attacks, Max moved a second earlier, avoiding the punches merely an inch away from landing. However, since these were blind, rage-fueled punches, it was twice as hard to predict their next direction.

Although no punch managed to land on Max, he was continuously pushed back until he reached the edge of the stage. Even then, the raining punches did not stop.

There was one more rule the arbiter teacher had forgotten to announce: if a combatant were to exit the stage, it would also be considered a defeat. Max's heel was currently hanging off the edge of the stage.

The gathered crowd sitting in the side stands watched the battle in suspense. This was especially true for Moon and her group. After Max had ignored them, the group had stayed in the canteen until they heard the commotion that Max was going to duel with Detlev. Upon hearing the news, they had quickly rushed to the arena to watch the fight.

"Where is Max's weapon? Why is he not using any skill?" Anne asked in confusion.

"Max is still not defeated because the guy has not used any skills yet. If he used his skill, Max would have already lost," Steven noted.

He noticed Detlev had not used his Inborn skill; he was currently utilizing pure raw Strength, something the Brawler Class took pride in doing.

"I do not know what has gotten into him," Moon said as she intently watched the battle.

Meanwhile, the flurry of punches continued, leaving half of Max's foot hanging off the edge of the stage. Max could do nothing but concentrate on the punches to find some opening or pattern he could exploit. However, the attacks were fast, and all of his effort went solely toward avoiding the strikes. Currently, he was simply waiting for the punches to slow down, or for Detlev to do something reckless that would grant him an opening to attack and escape.

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As expected, the speed of the punches eventually slowed. However, Detlev's rage increased several folds after realizing his attacks had failed to land. Suddenly, his eyes shifted to look around. People had gathered in the stands. They were currently watching his fight, and they had all witnessed his inability to land a single hit.

He ground his teeth. If he did not maim Max, he would suffer the humiliation of being unable to defeat or even land an attack on the most untalented guy in the entire academy. Everyone would laugh at him. He could not even face his friends; they would no longer respect him, nor would they obey him. And if news of this were to reach his family, he could not even imagine what would happen.

Realizing everything that would happen to him if he let his anger get to his head and failed to defeat his opponent, Detlev calmed down. He slowed his swings and fell back from Max.

Surprised by this sudden behavior, Max moved away from the edge of the stage as he eyed his opponent. The guy seemed to have calmed his anger, and the scornful smile on his face had disappeared. Instead, Max saw a strange expression. Was that determination? He was confused by this sudden change.

Detlev looked around and saw a large group of people currently viewing the battle.

"I have to admit, you surprised me," Detlev said, squaring his shoulders. "What level are you?"

"I am Level 4," Max replied without hesitation.

"I am Level 10," Detlev revealed. In a single week's time, he had constantly participated in Dungeon raids and worked hard to level up.

Hearing this, the crowd started to discuss and murmur about the Level disparity. How had Max escaped a flurry of punches from an opponent who was six levels above him?

Suddenly, a doubt began to grow in everyone's mind. Was Max truly an untalented guy who had joined without merit?

This doubt had only grown larger when Max performed a stunt called Healing for Vote, sparking a rumor throughout the academy that he could heal any disease. Most of them had thought it was a mere ruse, that the academy was putting on an act, similar to how they had bent over backward for Max to let him join without any merit.

However, after witnessing his reflexes and his ability to dodge a flurry of near-hit attacks, they started to reconsider. Were all those things they had dismissed as rumors, such as the numerous nobles visiting the academy to seek Max's help, actually real? To be honest, no one had believed this rumor. But now, a thought occurred to them: what if it was true? What if the nobles, and even the old nobles, truly came seeking Max's help?

Meanwhile, Max found himself in a difficult situation. He currently did not possess any offensive skills that could be used without a weapon, and he had yet to learn any Mana techniques that could be utilized without one.

He had yet to learn any of those things. He had solely agreed to this duel believing his opponent would grow angry and make a mistake; by utilizing that mistake, he could win. But looking at the current situation, he had very little chance of defeating a calm guy who could think clearly, furthermore one possessing the strength of being six levels above him.

I could use the bow I got from the seniors as a reward that I kept in the storage, but that seems too flashy, Max thought to himself.

He was not going to use an otherworldly weapon; doing so would create a lot of issues. He still believed that news of him using a strange weapon would spread all over to the Royals, and they were going to investigate him sooner or later. Therefore, he was not going to use it and make things easy for those Royal officials.

His martial arts techniques were very limited. All he could do was avoid punches. Without knockout power or a major blunder from his opponent, he would not achieve a victory. This sudden change in his opponent's behavior made the situation difficult for him.

Well, not everything goes according to plan, Max thought as he readied himself for the battle.

He considered trying to draw the duel, since he held a significant advantage due to his low Level. However, in the next second, his opponent's fist started to steam as heat began to exude from it.

[Scorching Fist]

Well, that looks like a solid and dangerous skill, Max thought, watching his opponent's fist turn red.

"Be ready to fall!" Detlev said, taking a firm step forward.

[Guardian Aura]

Max activated his Healer Class defensive skill; it was the final skill to be activated within his Healer Class.

Click.

With a sensation, the skill activated. Dark green healing magic shrouded him, clinging closely to his skin.

[Guardian Aura] Skill Proficiency: 2%

Description: Emits a protective aura that reduces incoming damage for all allied targets within its range for a limited duration.

It was a wide-range skill that could be applied to multiple people or a party. Similar to [Paradise Field], which healed allies, this skill granted protection to his allies. Since he did not have a weapon, he could use this skill to protect himself from the fist that would otherwise burn his skin upon contact.

Although he now had a chance to protect himself from a Level 10 attack, he still lacked the power to knock the guy out. He needed the right time to strike, and he had to accomplish it with a single attack.

With that determination, Max walked confidently, ready to dodge the scorching fist flying toward his face. Max crouched down, avoiding the punch, and attempted the same move he had used earlier. However, while he was in the crouching position, he saw his opponent's knee driving upward, aiming right for his chin.

Shit, how did this guy suddenly become clever? Max thought.

The sudden change in his opponent completely baffled him and disrupted his plan. What could be the reason for this shift?

Although the knee was flying toward his face, Max did not attempt to defend himself. Instead, he thrust his hip and body forward, putting every inch of his Level 4 Strength into driving his elbow directly at his opponent's chin to knock him unconscious.

Boom! Crunch!

A sickening boom and crunch resounded as the two attacks landed simultaneously. The sheer impact forced both of them to stumble back two steps before falling flat on their backs onto the stage floor. Everyone in the stands jumped to their feet, believing the collision had knocked both participants unconscious.

For a few seconds, both fighters remained perfectly still, until one finally moved and sat up.

It was, of course, Max. His [Guardian Aura] had tanked most of the impact; the attack had merely pushed him backward, causing him to fall on his back. His skills were inherently strong, a fact he had realized long ago when he first learned about Salvation. That was the exact reason why he did not back down or attempt to defend against the knee strike; he knew he would not be knocked down. Realizing this was his only opening, he had pushed all of his strength into a strike powerful enough to knock out a Level 10 person.

Max stood up and waited for the teacher to announce the victory, as his opponent did not wake up even after ten seconds had passed.

"Winner of the duel: Maximus Bransford, Class 1A," the teacher finally announced.

The crowd in the stands stood in pin-drop silence as they stared at Max on the stage.