It was two in the afternoon.

Drew had finished his first ice skating lesson at Wyn Dojo and then made a run for the Crow’s Eye. The lesson was intense, as a former Intergalactic Champion Figure Skater ran it. Still, luckily, he was able to keep up thanks to his exceptional balance and flexibility, as indicated by the several praises he received from the instructor. However, it would take a bit more time before he could get used to the movements, which was okay for now.

On the way to Yerburn, Drew ensured no one was tailing him. Since he was now Mid-E Rank, his senses were much sharper than before, to the point where he could hear an insect buzzing as clear as day from twenty meters away. Plus, thanks to his training from the Crow’s Eye, even if someone secretly followed him, he could lose them quickly, especially in Ozwarth, his home turf. Additionally, there were Crow’s Eye members, former Winter Servants, aside from Jay, hand-picked by Neilson, looking out for his safety 24/7, and Gerald was always on call on the other end as a last resort.

However, given how many people were on his tail, all of the preventive measures were insufficient, especially against the desperate Obtainer obsessed with the Phantom Rifle. Hence, whenever Drew began working the Crow’s Eye, he would have to take a different secret path just to get there without being caught. So far, it’s been working out perfectly for him. Still, he doesn’t know how much longer, considering how powerful the Obtainer was compared to Heartman.

However, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about this.

Today, he would be going up against Elias seriously. Just thinking about it made him ecstatic. The Elias he interacts with at the Academy versus the Hunter were two completely different people. Like Drew, Elias hid some of his skills when showing them to the friend group, but with the Hunters, he was ruthless and wouldn’t hesitate to kill if necessary.

How funny this entire situation is. Drew laughed to himself. We’re both terrible liars.

Nevertheless, Drew could finally use all the tools in his arsenal.

The doors to one of the Crow’s Eyes’ arenas opened.

Unlike at night, it was quiet, with hardly any spectators besides The Commissioner and his party, Neilson, Jay, and a few Executives.

Standing near one of the weapons racks, Elias had his back facing toward Drew, who was dressed up as Dealer 3960. In his two hands was a custom weapon; a cross between tonfas and pistols would be the most accurate way to describe it. Its long silver body acted as the barrels of the pistols and handles where the triggers were forged out of Titanium Alloy.

So, this is the weapon Elias plans on using during the selections. Drew said to himself as he marveled at the craftsmanship of the weapon. It’s got both long and short-range coverage. Ideally suited for that guy’s needs.

“Fascinating weapon you have there.” Drew cocked a grin as he made his way over to the rack Elias was by. “What is it?”

“The thing that will bury you into the ground,” Elias responded coldly.

The Avian snickered, retrieving his all-classic short sword and buckler.

Why don’t you look at that duality?

“Yesh! Frosty!” Drew pretended to shiver, twirling his blade around, getting a feel for the balance. “Are all you Hunters like that?”

“To Underworld dwellers. Especially you.”

“Aw~!” The Dealer laughed, walking away from Elias to the middle of the Arena. “Aren’t I lucky to be getting special treatment?”

“Shut your trap.” Elias retorted, following Drew in suit.

Amused by witnessing more of this side from his friend, Drew whistled.

“Wow, okay then~!”

>>>

Jay, sitting above the Arena, glanced over to Drew and Elias, who were going at each other’s throats even before the spar had begun.

Like Drew, he was surprised at how Elias acted outside the Academy and the friend group. Never would’ve thought that a popular and amicable guy like him would also have such a cold and vicious side.

His gaze narrowed as he watched the Young Master and Elias get ready. The timer counting down till the match begins.

He wondered what precisely the Human was hiding from everyone.

>>>

Tick.

In the final second, the zero clicked.

Bang!

The loud sound akin to a gong resounded through the Arena.

Elias’s pistol-tonfa hybrid weapon crashed down on Drew’s shield coated with an extra layer of bone-chilling Ice Otrio.

Since he could finally use all his Abilities, Drew could block Elias’s strike more quickly than he could back at Wyn Dojo. However, that didn’t mean he could stop it completely. Just that strike was enough to push his arm a few centimeters.

The Avian guided the weapon, letting it slide off his buckler, then jumped back. At the same time, the Human delivered a mighty swing with his other weapon where Drew once stood.

In a split second’s judgment, shards of ice materialized in the air and sped toward Elias. Elias, who had anticipated the attack, sidestepped outside the trajectory of the shards. Their cold, icy blue pieces pricked Elias’s skin as they shattered on the ground.

Much better judgment than at Wyn Dojo. He tried to replicate Sylvia’s move of using unexpected, explosive power to strike first. He also is taking a more efficient approach to utilizing his Otrio. Drew commented internally, deciding to take the opportunity to close the distance between him and the young Hunter. [Speed] on his eyes to keep up with my movements. A wise choice.

Instantaneously, Drew appeared before Elias. His shortsword came towards the Human’s throat from the front. It was an unconventional move for normal Scouts, which caught Elias off guard. However, that didn’t stop the Human from deflecting it with the back of his weapon.

“Don’t you dare blink on me, Mr. Ryhard!” Drew cackled, watching Elias twirling his other tonfa into pistol position and pulling the trigger. A powerful silver bullet aimed at the Dealer’s abdomen, leaving the steaming barrel at nearly point-blank.

Drew activated [Aegis]. A light blue panel materialized, deflecting the bullet to the side of Elias's body.

Elias’s eyes widened as the panel vanished, and he gnashed his teeth.

That Ability…it’s the same as that annoying bird’s. Change of plans.

With that, Elias pulled the trigger again. Two bullets escaped the chamber, curving towards Drew’s head.

Clang!

The bullets were sliced in half by the Avian’s shortsword.

“You’re still playing defense, Ryhard!”

Hearing the Dealer’s infuriating voice, Elias decided to charge forward.

The Dealer is definitely more skilled than Drew in every aspect as a Scout. Speaking of which, what did Birdo tell me again?

>>>

Fastback to a few days ago, Elias found himself sitting on his bottom again. His tonfas clattered against the ground of the enclosed training room. A familiar shortsword pointed at the back of his neck for the nth time.

“You’re getting better at covering your weak points, but a disconnect remains between your offense and defense.” The green-haired Avian spoke, sitting in front of Elias. “There’s a major difference in doing it as a mid-ranger versus a close-ranger.”

“How’s that?”

“When you use your pistols, those projectiles you fire are your form of offense and defense. However, when you’re fighting in close proximity, not only is your weapon an asset, but so is your entire body. You already have the control to become a balanced fighter. I can tell as one myself. What you lack is how to put it all together. Your gears aren’t in sync.”

“Then how do you suppose I resolve this issue quickly?”

“Trust yourself a bit more. You’re indecisive and often refrain from doing things for fear of failure.” Drew beamed, bending down to Elias’s level. “Just take that leap, for goodness sake!”

>>>

Elias clenched his hands harder around his weapons. Against someone like the Dealer, any extra thoughts would act as nothing more than a distraction. He would have to move decisively, as Drew mentioned to him.

He’s always annoyingly correct.

With that, Elias swung one of his tonfas toward the Dealer’s head, causing him to lean back. Then, in a fast millisecond, a hot bullet aimed at Drew’s abdomen escaped from the chamber of the other pistol-tonfa weapon.

However, even in that awkward position, the Dealer managed to twist his body out of the path of the bullet, using the arm with his buckler planted on the ground to guide him back up.

But Elias’s attack didn’t stop there.

A light shard made from condensed Otrio materialized in Drew’s line of sight, obscuring his vision of Elias, whose weapon was aimed at the Avain’s torso.

With his shortsword reinforced by Ice Otrio, Drew managed to deflect it. However, he could feel with that one strike that his arm was about to pop out of its socket. With his current physique, there was no way he could tank one of Elias’s attacks head-on. That would be the equivalent of sending him to the hospital in critical condition.

It was much easier to avoid his attacks in the past since Elias rarely fought in close combat. Now that he was taking advantage of the arm strength he had cultivated for almost a year and his skills in utilizing pistols, Elias had become an even more significant threat.

Then again, Drew only had himself to blame for contributing to the awakening of the beast before him. Nevertheless, the Human before him was a friend and one worth maintaining a good relationship with.

However, before he could regain his footing, a small bump formed by Earth Otrio pressed under the Avian’s foot, causing him to stumble back.

Shit!

Elias’s tonfa got closer to his head.

Utilizing the movement from his fall, Drew bent his legs, staggering them slightly apart, and raised his buckler above his forehead.

BAM!

The weapon came crashing down on Drew’s shield. Along with [Polarity], the surface of the buckler started to cave in. There was no way he could deflect this attack smoothly.

I’m seriously gonna pay for this tomorrow.

With a quick pumping motion with his arm, the Dealer determined that it was better to abandon his shield. With one arm free, Drew quickly rolled out of the way. The metal plate that once protected his arm had been pushed into the ground by Elias’s heavy strike, denting the floor completely.

For the first time in a while, Drew was getting pushed back.

Before he could proceed with his next move, a loud beeping noise resounded throughout the Arena.

Time was up.

The Avian let out a sigh of relief. If things had gone any longer, Drew might’ve lost completely.

“I believe I’ve sorely underestimated your prowess, Mr. Ryhard.”

“Arrogant Crow.” Elias spat, turning away from him altogether. Even though Drew couldn’t see his expression, Elias felt his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Every second of that spar, the Human felt like he was fighting with his life on the line. Every strike the Dealer made was efficient with almost deadly accuracy. Even with [Speed], Elias was barely able to keep up. To top it off, the Dealer was even more sturdy than Drew because he could take on some of his strikes and guide them to minimize damage to himself. In contrast, Drew would try to avoid them altogether. On top of that, the ungodly flexibility that could get him out of sticky situations was something he’d never seen, especially towards the end of the spar. Elias couldn’t even guarantee he’d come out as the victor if it had gone on for a minute longer.

However, there was no way he could say that, not before the Crow’s Eye, at the least. Regardless, the Dealer and all the other Executives were the perfect people for Elias to practice on.

The Commissioner, watching from above, came down to greet the Orange-haired Human. He had to admit, Neilson picked out a good talent this time. The fight he had just witnessed was not something normal E-Rankers could pull off.

Students from the top Academies are built differently. I don’t know where the Dealer was trained, but his movements are too sophisticated to be someone from Yerburn. Is he also a student at Star or some other military academy?

Drew's expression turned dark as the Commissioner, and Elias departed from the Arena. There was still much room for improvement.

“I should try using my Ability a little more.”