?As the initial bell rang to signal the beginning of ss, everybody began moving towards their first period ssrooms–all except for Noah, who was standing in the same spot when Emily began walking on ahead.
The hazel-haired, blue-eyed girl turned around, tilting her head, "Noah? Are youing?"
There was a disturbed look on his face as if he realized something dire, though he wore a reassuring smile for a moment.
"I''ll catch up. I forgot I lent Miguel my notes yesterday," heughed.
Emily smiled and nodded, "Oh, alright. Just make sure not to be tardy!"
"Sure thing!" He waved her off.
The moment she was out of sight and the students had entered the school buildings, he turned around with a serious look present on his expression.
''Somebody''s watching. Is it the same person from yesterday?...This time, I''m not letting you out of my sight,'' he thought.
["Absolute Sensory"]
As the recon spell expanded throughout the area, he was surprised to find it immediately locked onto a registered ''hostile'' force, finding himself even more surprised that it was now quickly approaching.
"--!"
Like a bolt of lightning, a figure swept in, spearing towards him as the concrete shattered. It was only through swift thinking in tandem with his hyper-reflexes that he reacted and defended against the merciless attack.
["Absolute Barrier"]
He held the chromatic shield in front of him, defending against a shining, goldennce that was wielded by a silver-haired man in a ck suit, who wore apletely deadpan expression.
"Ah, so you defended against that? I gave this method of approach a seventy-percent chance of sess; it seems today is not my lucky day," the man said calmly, still thrusting the golden weapon forward.
''Who the hell is this guy?!'' He wondered.
The impact caused him to slide back as his boots dug up the concrete in his path, though this was clear to him it''d lead to unnecessary annoyances with drawing attention to himself, so he released the barrier and grabbed onto the enigmatic attacker''s sleeve.
"--?" The silver-haired man in the ck suit held a perplexed expression.
["Spatial Warp"]
He transported both him and the unknown man to an area he knew was deserted–an abandoned construction site in the east sector of the city.
["Assess"], he invoked the spell while looking at the man. Though what he found was surprising above anything else he expected.
[Victor] [Divine Armory System]
[Level: 80]
[Strength: 8000]
[Constitution: 8000]
[Mana: 2000]
''His stats…they''re high. He has a ''System'' like me as well? There are others?'' He deduced.
The silver-haired man in the ck suit adjusted his sses, relinquishing his goldennce as it momentarily shifted into a liquid before reforming into a ymore.
"You''re capable of teleportation? There is no doubt that power haphazardly wielded by a child must be extinguished," Victor said.
Noah clicked his tongue, snapping his fingers, "Try me."<novelnext></novelnext>
["Absolute Freeze"]
In that instant with the simple gesture, he brought time to a still, though he was somewhat surprised that it managed to work on the mysterious System wielder.
''Even if he has high stats, it doesn''t matter in the end–my spells are unbeatable,'' he thought.
As he took his time approaching his frozen opponent, he stopped just in front of him before rearing his fist back, throwing a full-power strike geared straight at the bridge of Victor''s nose.
He didn''t stop at just one; he unleashed an array of strikes before relinquishing his hold of time, allowing it to resume as each blow manifested simultaneously.
THWAM.
"--!" Victor''s eyes momentarily widened.
The powerful strikes in session resulted in a small burst of shock waves, knocking the golden sword-wielding man. After being blown through one of the abandoned pirs of the construction site, the mysterious man picked himself up.
"Huh?" Noah let out.
It was a wakeup-call to see the man getting up casually, though he had a bloodied nose and a couple bruises, he was rtively fine, save for his shattered sses that he looked annoyed to discard.
"Super speed?...No, that was much to ''instant''--time maniption, I take it? I see now," Victor mumbled to himself.
Seraphic, golden liquid manifested around Victor, surrounding him before encasing his body in it, forming into a solid form of shining armor that was perfectly molded for his body.
[Victor]
[Level 80]
[Strength: 12000]
[Constitution: 15000]
[Mana: 5000]
Noah was surprised to find such arge jump in stats when the man wore the armor, prompting him to let his Creator''s Grimoire to flutter through its pages as he readied himself in response.
["Absolute Enhancement: Strength"]
[Strength: 12000]
He was able to match the [Strength] stat wielded by the man, though it was merely in preparation, he found the golden-armored figure mercilesslyunching an assault before he could properly react.
"--!"
A narrow dodge allowed him to avoid being pierced through the eye by the radiant de wielded by the Divine Armory System wielder, leaning back as he watched the exuberant sword pass just above his iris.
In response, heunched a strike against the man''s breastte, only to find it having little effect as the impact resounded through thevish armor.
''No effect?'' He thought.
"You''re too reliant on your own stats–is this your first time being met with opposition?" Victor said before swinging his de swiftly.
A sh etched itself across Noah''s chest in a diagonal cut, drawing blood as the young man winced.
"Ngh…!"