Chapter 137: Accidental Combat Genius Voomie

It was another hot day, and once again the Foundation Year Class A-1 students gathered for another practical session.

Today’s lesson was [Combat and Duel Practicals].

Standing before them was their instructor, Axel.

With a lean build, sharp features, and a friendly-looking face that somehow still carried an air of danger, Axel swept his gaze across the class and gave a faint nod.

’Quite a talented batch...’ he thought.

Or rather, the potential these children possessed was unusually high.

"So, can anyone tell me, what is combat?" Axel began.

"It is an honorable battle!" one student answered confidently.

"Good, anyone else?" Axel asked.

"Combat is fighting!" Bonjour declared loudly, prompting several other children to raise their hands.

"It’s protecting people!"

"It’s defeating your enemy!"

"It’s winning!"

Axel patiently listened to every answer before nodding.

"All of you are... somewhat correct, but let me make one thing absolutely clear."

His expression became much more serious.

"Combat... is a dog fight."

The children blinked in confusion.

"Huh?" Gurney Fizzlebottom scratched his head.

"So... the dog fights in my neighborhood are officially called combat?"

A terrible misunderstanding was born.

Axel, naturally, remained completely unaware.

"The most important thing in combat is the result," he continued.

"The winner survives, while the loser doesn’t. We humans are complicated creatures, we experience hesitation, fear, anger, pride, hope... and every one of those emotions is reflected in the way we fight."

He slowly walked in front of the class before continuing.

"So why do I call combat a dog fight? Because once a real battle begins, it becomes cruel and ugly. There are no beautiful victories and you won’t fully understand this today, but once you step into the real world..."

Just as he was about to continue his speech, a loud voice echoed from somewhere nearby.

"WOOF! This Acid Man is insulting the entire dog community! D-Don’t cover my mouth—!"

"Can you be quite? Aren’t we suppose to just watch, you even promised me lady Voo-"

Axel abruptly stopped speaking.

Although the children couldn’t hear the voice clearly, Axel’s enhanced senses caught every single word.

A vein bulged on his forehead.

"Come out," he said calmly, though his voice was infused with Aura, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

A moment later, a familiar panda and an equally familiar fat dog awkwardly emerged.

The students immediately recognized them.

Axel looked toward Voomie.

"A talking dog? Whose beast are you?"

"Who’s human are you? You insulted the entire dog community! I won’t forgive you, woof!" Voomie immediately puffed out her chest.

Several question marks appeared in Axel’s mind.

For a brief moment, he genuinely questioned whether this creature could even be classified as a dog.

Still, a talking beast that interrupted his class was the perfect opportunity to make an example.

"Hello, sir," Jojo hurriedly stepped forward with an awkward smile.

"My friend simply misspoke, what she actually meant was..."

"No more explanations," Axel interrupted before Jojo could finish as his gaze sharpened.

"You interrupted my class, so you will fight me. Naturally, I won’t use my full strength, but I’ll personally show you why combat is called a dog fight!"

"I’ll fight you too, woof! I am a real dog after all!" Voomie barked angrily, refusing to back down.

***

Caelum and Paul immediately tried to stop the situation, but their efforts proved futile.

For some unknown reason, Axel simply refused to back down.

Despite being the teacher, he was arguing with a dog.

Caelum couldn’t help but feel that the instructor was being rather petty.

Just to be safe, he decided to play one of his trump cards.

"Teacher," Caelum called out seriously.

"Princess Anastasia is also watching and if a random dog gets beaten up in front of her, she might feel sad. After all, Voomie seems to know the Princess."

Hearing that, Axel instinctively turned toward Anastasia.

Coincidentally, at that exact moment, Anastasia and Voomie were looking at each other.

"..."

Axel hesitated.

If the Princess really cared about this strange dog then perhaps, he shouldn’t go overboard.

Still, a light beating or two should be acceptable, right?

’If one person attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven,’ Caelum thought, interpreting the a cultivation proverb in his own unique way.

Because, he had a dog and Anastasia had a chicken.

It fit surprisingly well.

Axel took a few steps back before raising one hand.

"You may make the first move."

The students immediately became excited as a genuine dog fight between a human and an actual dog was happening in front of them.

Nobody had expected today’s combat class to become this entertaining.

"Hmph! You’ll regret this, woof!" Voomie barked confidently.

The two stood exactly one hundred meters apart.

Without wasting another second Voomie charged.

She wasn’t merely overeating ever since arriving on the Earthly Plane.

Although she consumed enough food for five people every meal... She had been training, mostly mental training!

’Lucky Dog Rolling Dash!’ She proudly named the technique while charging.

The next instant, she tucked in her head and limbs and her round body instantly became a fluffy ball rolling forward at astonishing speed.

The layers of fat covering her body acted as natural cushioning, allowing her to roll without suffering the slightest injury.

’A rolling dog...?’ Axel looked slightly disappointed.

Having traveled across the continent, he had encountered many terrifying dogs.

Some of them could even tear apart powerful Experts with ease.

Especially those monsters living inside that infamous valley.

Compared to them, this dog looked rather ordinary.

He casually reached out, intending to stop Voomie with one hand.

But then... His foot slipped.

"...?"

Even Axel himself froze, he was a Peak Master. There was absolutely no reason for him to lose his footing.

Before he could understand what had happened... a tiny ordinary fly buzzed past his nose.

"Ah... ah... ashuoo!" He sneezed and his balance became even worse.

Just then, Voomie reached a small stone protruding from the ground.

The tiny rock happened to be at the perfect angle at the exact perfect moment.

And using it as a ramp, she launched herself into the air, still spinning like a furry cannonball.

Axel had only just recovered from his sneeze as he raised his head, but it was too late.

BAAAAM!

Voomie’s fluffy body smashed directly into his face at full speed.