《Zero and King》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Wha¡­what is this place?!¡±


    The sound of the bustling street assaulted his ears. Norman stood at the pavement watching the scene before him in bewilderment, as unknown but familiar vehicle passed by him at a speed so fast that he barely realized. He wandered why he felt that this vehicle is familiar, have he seen it before? Maybe he had forgotten about it? He observed his surroundings and went into further shock. The buildings around him are tall, stretching up as high as his eyes could see. He didn¡¯t think to see such tall buildings at this place, he would normally see at most three-story houses.


    What a weird place. He continued his observation and notice people walking briskly to their destination wearing odd clothes. At the same time, the clothes were familiar to him. Confused, he wandered down the busy streets to explore this strange world.


    ¡°Norman, long time no see!¡± A cheerful voice called out to him.


    A girl cheerfully smiled as she approached him, waving her hands to catch his attention. Her long hazel hair shined brightly under the embrace of the sun. Her eyes seem to sparkle with happiness. Like the others, she wore odd looking clothes and at the same time, enchanted him with her beauty.


    He cocked his head sideways, pondering if he had met her before. But it was to no avail. All of a sudden, his vision turned blurry as purplish-red lights obscure his eyes.


    <hr>


    ¡°Arggh¡±


    Norman woke up with a pang of pain in his head. It took him a moment to realize, whatever that had happened just now was all a dream. He rubbed his eyes and found tears trickling down. It was a surprise to him when he saw the moistness on his hand after he wiped his eyes. What was that dream? He found himself unable to recall what was the dream about, it was a fleeting dream drifting to the back of his mind, never to resurface. What followed next was a huge commotion at his doorstep.


    ¡°Norman, hurry up! We¡¯re gonna be late for the ceremony!¡± The bubbly and cheerful voice interrupt his thoughts, bringing him back to reality.


    ¡°One moment!¡±


    Although Norman replied, the door to his bedroom slam open and he had finger pointed at him, ready to do some reprimanding.


    ¡°Get out of your bed now, or else we¡¯ll be punished by the director!¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­alright Yato¡­¡±


    Norman¡¯s face tensed up when he heard it. The director is known to be very strict in the house. His punishments had struck fear into many children in this Orphanage ¨C The Grimore House, some of them sends shivers down his back. On the second thought, when he saw his best friend with bed hair, he knew he had overslept like him. What¡¯s worse is that his tunic is a mismatch with his skinny pants, giving him a beggar appearance with his bed hair. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how you dressed up for a ceremony¡­


    When they entered the ceremonial chamber for the first time, the intricate designs on the dome shaped ceiling and the carvings on the walls were the first to catch their attention. Colorful Murals on the wall further back depicted a figure with a white hood covering the profile and behind it was a landscape of trees, lakes and fields. It is more symbolic for honoring the god compared to the one in the house. Wide and long chairs are lined up horizontally on both sides of the room, providing a spacious feel but it was erased by the occupants of his peers.


    Many of his peers are gathered here to undergo the God¡¯s blessing. It¡¯s a ceremony to awaken the ability dormant in them upon reaching the age of 12 in the year. This ceremony is held for centuries but nobody knows why it has to be at age 12. Despite the mystery, it is essential to awaken them since more of the dangerous Soul Eaters has appeared. The cities have to gather as much manpower to fight and defend the citizens. And by citizens, they are the people whom had their abilities diminished in the passage of time or none to begin with.


    A huge blue crystal stood at the center of the room captivating everyone with its dazzling beauty. The God Crystal. It is told to be a crystal created by God, Sirius. It has the power to evaluate and awaken the ability in the bodies of 12-year-olds. That is what makes it scary to most of us. It has the power to determine someone¡¯s fate and status in this city. The same would apply to the other cities as well.


    As Norman took a glance around the room, he noticed hooded figures on the second floor overlooking them. Their grey hoods were covering the surfaces of their face, one would probably find them suspicious. But, since this is a ceremony, that factor is unlikely as it would be disrespectful towards the royal church and it would be a crime to do so. Thus, under the assumption of being part of the staffs, he continued his observation.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Oh, gloomy boy Norman has come! Hahaha!¡±


    Upon hearing that remark, Norman had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knew what is about to come. He turned around and send him a death stare.


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t give me that look, Shit face.¡±


    He glared back with disdain, face full of pride and superiority. His voice has contempt aim towards Norman as if he couldn¡¯t bear seeing the sight of him in this place.


    True enough, he has the qualities to do so since his skills from swordsmanship and knowledge, has been recognized as one of the best in the Grimore house. His name is Nathan Grimore, one of the twelve saints of the house. Not so much as a saint with his attitude.


    Soon, the bells rang in succession and their chimes resonant in the air signaling the beginning of the ceremony. A man walked up the stage where the participants will stand and have their abilities awaken and evaluated. He stroked his white goatee as he took a quick glance over the gathered twelve-year-old kids. Even that quick glance shook them with sweat trickling down their backs. It was a kind of glance with an overpowering feeling behind it as if he is a razorback lion (a beast known to be ferocious and deadly among ability users) and paired with his robust body, he is the embodiment of power. This man is none other than the director of the Orphanage, Matthias Grimore.


    ¡°Soon, everyone here is going to have their dormant ability awaken in them. The older generation will pass on the torch of defending the city onto the younger generation. So, don¡¯t be discourage when you awaken your ability. Every single one of them plays a role in defending the city. This is an important task to every one of you here. Keep that in mind.¡± After giving a lackluster short speech, the man descended from the stage. Even so, this speech has a strong power behind it, giving everyone the chills.


    However, in the eyes of Norman, the tone behind the speech has a hint of superiority behind it as if looking down on everyone and he knew exactly why. The power of a noble rank ability, its rank is so rare that the chances of being born with it is one out of ten thousand. The power of a noble rank ability can devastate thousands of commoner rank ability user. It is a strong asset in the military and one of last resorts in defending the city. These users are usually given a knight status when they are older, gaining fame and wealth. A status that everyone would dream of but is out of reach.


    ¡°The ceremony will now commence!¡± The staff overseeing the crystal announced.


    ¡°Hey, Norman what do you think my rank will be?¡± Yato smirking asked.


    ¡°Probably a commoner rank.¡± Norman raised his shoulders with a face of who can say?


    ¡°Sarah Grimore, rank: Commoner¡±


    ¡°Zack Grimore, rank: Commoner¡±


    The following awakening had resulted in the crystal glowing in a cyan color; signifying the ability ranked as a commoner. As time passes, more and more of their fellow orphans are awaken with their powers. Those whom have yet to awaken them has an encroaching nervousness in their minds. However, a change in the crystal shock the life out of everyone, changing the tense atmosphere hanging over the orphans yet to awaken their power. The crystal was glowing bright red as if it was trying to dye the room red.


    ¡°Nathan Grimore, rank: Noble¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Both Norman and Yato gasps with disbelief on their faces as everyone either have their mouth agape or have the same reaction as Norman and Yato. Everybody was stun stock still upon hearing the result of a certain individual. The supporters of Nathan or admirers were the firsts to snapped out of it and cheered for him. Gradually, the entire chamber is filled with cheering and congratulations for Nathan, giving birth to a new upcoming knight.


    Despite of this celebration, some of them were having the opposite reaction. They are the victims of Nathan¡¯s bullying and his antics. Norman is one of them and a bitter expression hung over his face, erasing the mask of disbelief. Being his only friend, Yato knew what he is thinking. It probably goes like this¡­


    Shit, I¡¯m pretty much screwed for life.


    With his pessimistic mindset, Norman could only expect the worse to come in the future. Although Nathan is showered with praises, the ceremony has not ended and will have to continue onwards.


    ¡°Next! Yato Grimore, step up!¡± The staff called out to him, still in a jolly mood.


    ¡°Good Luck Yato.¡± Norman gave a thumbs up to him with a wide smile, Yato nods.


    When he places his hand on the crystal, the color changes and turns into the same color as the rest whom had gotten commoner rank ¨C cyan.


    ¡°Yato Grimore, rank: Commoner¡±


    The commotion from the previous evaluation has finally died down and the process moves on.


    Damn it, if only Nathan ability is a commoner rank, I would be safe.


    Norman couldn¡¯t help but think back on the previous evaluation, even so, he gave Yato a pat on the back after he descend from the stage. Just when Yato was about to take a seat, Norman was called out. Finally, it is his turn.


    Norman ascend to the stage where the crystal is waiting for him. He closed his eyes, praying for the best after he saw his friend¡¯s thumbs up as a form of encouragement. Placing his hand on the crystal, a change occurs. This change brought upon a different effect on the atmosphere compared to Nathan¡¯s. The crystal has turned completely white. There is no hint of any color except white.


    ¡°Norman Grimore, rank: Null¡±


    Again, everyone was in aghast when the result was announced.


    ¡°huh¡­null¡­rank?¡±


    Muttering these words, a grim future awaits him.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Null¡­rank?¡±


    The word null is incomprehensible in Norman¡¯s mind. Nobody has ever thought someone in this ceremonial chamber would get a Null rank ability. It is the worst possible outcome for someone like Norman who is a target from Nathan¡¯s bullying. Norman was shock stock still as everyone have a varying reaction. Contempt, pity, hatred and disgust surfaced deep within their hearts.


    Silence filled the air; the tense atmosphere prevents anyone from making any actions until¡­


    ¡°Hmph, I knew it¡­Norman is a low life Null rank. What a disgrace.¡±


    To no surprise, Nathan is the one who started the disdainful remark. Obviously, he is going to take the chance to shame one of his targets. Murmurs and whispers spread around the crowd with disdain on their faces.


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe we were living in the same house as someone like him¡­argh disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, turns out the gloomy boy is a null rank, heh what a loser.¡±


    ¡°I agree man, I hated him.¡±


    ¡°Pity the guy, he is going to be the main target.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rough¡­¡±


    Each and every whispers and murmurs passed around can be roughly heard by Norman. These hurt him deeply as if knives were stabbed into every inch of his body. A total opposite of Nathan¡¯s shower of praise. His face grimaced when he thought about the pitiful comments, the main target, no the main target of the entire house, to shame and look down upon. It shows how undesirable this rank is, a rank which makes no contribution to protecting the city yet they work on jobs like agriculture to support them. But there is more capable individual whom can do a better job than them. A sad fate falls upon those whom have a null rank ability.


    Unable to bear such pressure, he tried to leave the stage but his legs were rooted to the ground. The sheer overflowing emotions deep inside him is about to burst out at any moment. A 12-years-old kid has to face such humility, it is too cruel. He has no choice but to face the harsh reality. This reality is heavily weighing on his shoulders as if he is carrying a boulder on his back.


    The staff from the church looked at him, expecting him to step down. But seeing as he still stood there, he became disdainful of Norman. Someone who does not know his place should deserve a punishment. Yet, his legs didn¡¯t budge a single inch. It is not because he chose not to but he couldn¡¯t move at all, the pressure bearing on him is too heavy to even take a step forward.


    However, his steps were lightened as if the boulders weighing him down was cut down in half as Yato came forward to extend a helping hand. A ray of hope appeared shinnying brightly for him, guiding him out of this mess.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Norman.¡±


    The smile on his face remained the same even with his rank being the lowest of the low. It spurred him to walk forward, little by little, leaving the stage of despair. They walked down the path to the exit. Scorning Gazes continued to land on their backs, particularly Norman. Their chatter continues on even after they left.


    Unlike the kids in the chamber, the adults could only shake their heads of disappointment. Some would hide their disdain in the presence of this children but once they are gone, the other side of them will be unleashed. A few of them would actually show it on their faces. It is an event which is a torn in the history of the Orphanage¡¯s awakening ceremony. It is a huge blow to Matthias Grimore¡¯s face.


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    The director, Matthias Grimore, roared out a command, silencing the crowd with just a single word and instructed the continuation of the ceremony. The staff from the church continue the ceremony as the previous evaluation left a mark in everyone¡¯s mind.


    On the second floor of the chamber, the hooded figures disappeared into the shadows after witnessing such an event. This has gone unnoticed while they were distracted by the director¡¯s command.


    <hr>


    On the following day, a notice was given out to the ability users to attend 3 months of lessons before leaving the Orphanage to attend the Academy. The early sunrise is filled with activity as every child in the house wakes up and go through the everyday routine of doing chores. However, there is an exception, the 12 years old have to attend their classes. It has been a traditional in this house, when a child of a coming age gone through the awakening ceremony or the God¡¯s blessing, they will have to go through a 3 months course to learn about the city, the hierarchy, swordsmanship and the state of humanity. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    In the dorm room of the Orphanage, a boy fiddled with his fingers on the edge of his bed. Eyes full of worry and eyebrows arched downwards as if he is in deep thought. Yato approached him with a grin on his face and sat beside him.


    ¡°You got to relax, you worrying doesn¡¯t make this situation any better.¡±


    ¡°But¡­Yato, I am pretty much a target now. I can¡¯t help but feel nervous and scared.¡±


    Yato sigh as he looks at the pitiful Norman in distress. He took a moment to think of what to say but none came to mind. With all things considered, he is helpless in comforting someone stuck in this kind of scenario. All he could do is to go with his guts and say what comes to mind.


    ¡°Even if you are scared, afraid, terrified, you got me to be there for you. Afterall, we are brothers, am I right?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts, if all comes to shoved and things turns to the worse, I will protect you. It is the duty of a big brother after all. Hehe.¡± Yato chuckled and caressed his messy black hair roughly, giving a form of encouragement to his younger brother.


    Although it did not clear the nervousness in him, it still cleared some of it away.


    The morning proceeded on as the recently awakened ability users are ushered to the main hall for a briefing about the classes they are going to attend. Just when Norman was about to step foot into the hall, one of the caretakers, Gildon, beckoned him to come over. He is in charge of assigning duties to the kids of the orphanage.


    ¡°You will not be attending the classes with them, you are to do your chores assigned to you from now on.¡±


    Gildon stated coldly and handed a piece of paper with a list of chores that he had to do. On it, the number of chores he had to do surprised him as it almost covered the entire page. It is the most he had seen while doing the chores in this orphanage in his whole life. Yet, he couldn¡¯t get rid of the feelings from yesterday¡¯s event. Is this the treatment I will receive from being a null rank?


    There is a total of 20 chores to do, an absurd amount especially with so many orphans doing their part of the duty and he guessed that the commoner and noble rank would get lesser chores to do. A while later, he guessed it correctly when he comes across a meeting between the commoner rank ability users and Gildon.


    ¡°Oh wow! There¡¯s only 5 chores to do in here!¡±


    One of the commoner ranked ability users exclaimed excitedly when he took a brief look over the list of chores assigned to them. It is four times lesser than Norman and it is the lowest he has heard. Jealousy and anger flooded his face upon witnessing the difference in treatment. Damn it! Even though these emotions are ready to burst out, he had to contain it as this is the reality.


    ¡°Hey Norman, how are you holding up in your chores?¡± Yato noticed Norman at the corner of his eyes and asked him without a voice coming out from his mouth. Clearly, it is to avoid getting caught by Gildon for not listening his briefing.


    Norman could only put on a smile to answer his question, a way to clear the worries that Yato held for him. Soon after, he walked away hiding behind a mask of smiles and proceeded on with his work.


    While working on his duties, he overheard rumors about a recent attack on one of the cities closest to the Capital from a group of younger orphans. A huge numbers of soul eater breech through the walls and invaded the city of Osmos, causing a great number of casualties and even deaths. The knights assigned to protecting the city had to take action. There was even a war against the soul eaters at one of the districts.


    What he heard next sent him into deep thought.


    ¡°From what I heard, there were eye witness and one of them said ¡®the soul eaters looked human like us, they were wearing hoods and each of them possess strong abilities. Maybe they are actually human? I heard them talking our language and saw one saved a child.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that absurd to think soul eaters are humans?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true...but then again, we were taught that soul eaters are creatures created by god to cleanse and test humanity. So, we have to do our duty to defend against this threat.¡±


    Soul eaters are humans?! Upon overhearing the conversation, the tugging feeling in his heart has been cleared as he came to realization. What if...


    ¡°Hmph, pathetic! To see a fellow peer to actually turn out to be a null ranked. Gloomy boy Norman, you are such a disgrace.¡±


    ¡°Urgh...¡±


    Just when he was thinking about an incident a few years ago, Nathan comes forward to shame the poor Norman. He gritted his teeth as he tried to contain the surging anger deep within him. But Nathan continued to provoke Norman with more hurtful comments and disgrace him even further. The surrounding kids were watching the spectacle as they whisper among themselves.


    The whispers drown out the noises around him, listening to the remarks about him, he felt humiliated. The anger in him is about to burst out into a rampage. Veins are popped out against his skin; his bod shakes not in fear but in anger. His eyes were bloodshot red as he gritted his teeth roughly and glare daggers at Nathan.


    ¡°What are you staring at, shit head.¡±


    Norman stood his ground and puffed out his chest, arms raised ready to fight. The crowd were in an uproar when they saw this. A fight was about to breakout between a noble and null rank, the opposite ends of the spectrum are about to fight.


    ¡°Oooh, you wanna fight eh? A powerless, worthless shit like you?! Hmph, what a joke! I will put you in your place!¡± Nathan was anger by his actions and prepared himself to thrash the weak null rank user. Deep contempt was evident in his eyes looking down on such a small being.


    The fight began, catching the attention of everyone and the director of the Orphanage.

 Chapter 3

    The battle of the weak and strong


    The whispers and ramblings from the crowd drown out the sounds around Norman. The raging fury in him continues to grow as he stood his ground with clenched fists, and challenged Nathan to a duel. It is a duel for his pride, no matter if he is a null ranked ability user or not.


    Despite knowing he is at a disadvantage due to the power difference, he made a decision to fight even if it is a foolish choice. Nathan had a smirk on his face when he heard the bold challenge and looks down upon him in contempt.


    After accepting the duel, Nathan readied his stance. There is about 3 meters between them as they prepare for the fight in the hallway. The crowd continue to gather around them, ever increasing.


    A fight between the weak and the strong. Of course, naturally the strong would win but what the crowd came to watch is the thrashing of the weak. A torn in their system, a rank that is even lower than commoner rank is widely unacceptable.


    Reality is cruel yet Norman have the courage to challenge Nathan and go against reality. Unarmed, he had to face an ability user superior to a commoner rank. He was nervous to the bones but he can¡¯t take this lying down when he was provoked time and time again. He had his stance readied with legs spread out shoulder width apart, lowered to a half squat position. Both fists are out in front of him, the left further in front of the other. It is a martial art stance taught in the Orphanage as part of the curriculum when he is not of age yet for the ceremony.


    The duel is nigh with both users at their position but it was stopped by someone from the crowd.


    ¡°Wait!¡± A boy with curly hair and dark deceitful eyes stood out from the crowd. ¡°Since Norman doesn¡¯t have an ability, he will be at a disadvantage so how about giving him a weapon.¡±


    The one who made the suggestion is one of Nathan¡¯s followers, Kuram. He is someone despicable doing some of the dirtiest work for Nathan and is a scheming bastard known to all of the victims of Nathan¡¯s bullying. If he is making a suggestion, it is most likely not good.


    ¡°Yeah, I agree. Give Norman a handicap.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    The crowd soon followed along with the suggestion of a handicap for the weak Norman. To Norman, it would be a reasonable suggestion but on the other hand, this could go another way around where everybody would take joy in him being beaten down continuously over and over again.


    A messed-up scenario which defy morals in his words. No, what is morals in this world? None of this makes sense to him at all, the logic going through everyone¡¯s mind does not click to what morals is to him. However, with whatever coming next, he has to bear the suffering.


    With everyone¡¯s insistence, Nathan accepted it and had Norman to possess a weapon, having a slight chance of winning though it is impossible in everyone¡¯s eyes.


    Although this handicap doesn¡¯t change the fact that Norman is going to lose this fight and be beaten as cruelly as possible, there won¡¯t be pity for him as it is expected to happened to those who oppose the powerful. This is the responsible of a higher rank ability user to punish those lower whom oppose him. This is the logic, the moral in this world.


    ¡°I will give you another handicap, if you are able to withstand my attacks for three minutes, you win. But, if you are unable to withstand it, you lose.¡± Nathan declares his second handicap with a cold glare, capable of causing extreme chills all over Norman.


    Both of them took their place once again, this time Norman have a sword on his waist, kept in the scabbard, ready to explode out to attack when he unsheathes his sword. The air turned silent and tense as both of them are on standby.


    The crowd watch with anticipation. It was then the silence was broken by the first move made by Nathan as a strong gust blows everyone away with a bright golden light emitting from his body. Dust was blown away as well, obstructing their sight.


    It was at that moment, Nathan rushed out from the cloudy dust with a shining golden glow emitting from his body. A huge sword came flying downwards onto Norman.


    Clang! With little to no time to react, Norman manages to unsheathe his sword in time to block the vertical slash. On the attacker¡¯s body, the glow appears to form a shape covering his body like an armor. In fact, it looks like an actual armor of translucent golden light. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Urgh...¡± Norman groan when he blocked the attack. It took him half a second to realize that the sword Nathan is wielding is made of the same material as his armor; a translucent golden light.


    The strength behind that strike was enough to put him on his knee. Argh, what strength. So, this is the ability of a noble rank...this...is too...overpowered!


    ¡°Hmm, what a surprise! A weakling is able to defend my attack, I wonder how you handle this!¡±


    He kicked off the ground and sprint towards Norman in high speed. He lowered his sword, prepared to swing it for another vertical slash but this time it is the bottom up.


    Norman was barely able to catch that movement and adjust his sword upwards, prepared to strike vertically downwards. In his mind, he knew that even if he tried to oppose the direction of his strike, he will lose in the game of strength. Therefore, he decided to do this.


    Just when Nathan¡¯s swing was about to blow his sword away, he changed his direction and swing his sword in the same direction as Nathan at the last minute and jumped away while doing so, dodging the vertical slash.


    The crowd was in an uproar when they saw this exchange. They were in amazement from watching this spectacle. An unexpected turn of event. A weakling was able to stop a noble rank attack, not only once, but twice.


    This fight has become even more entertaining as the show of the weakling being beaten down cruelly has transform into of a mouse struggling to survive from a cat¡¯s fury of attacks.


    ¡°Damn You!¡±


    Nathan was extremely furious with the outcome; a weak null rank was able to not only parry his attack but dodge his next. Furthermore, he is one of victims that he often picked on and bullied. This has stained his pride as one of the superior ones.


    As a victim of Nathan¡¯s bullying, Norman has accumulated the experiences of his fighting style and movement.He has learnt how to dodge at the right timing and make it looked like it has an effect on him. These experiences had led him to his decision during the previous exchange. You can say it is a perk or a blessing in one way or another.


    Taking advantage of the loss momentum, he decides to strike Nathan at his weakest. His opponent quickly noticed his change of stance and whipped out a round shield from thin air, glowing the same as his equipment. What a surprise he has given to Norman, he has a shield made of the same material as his armor. Adding to that, his shield is rock solid as if it will never break.


    Contrary to his expectations, Norman was disappointed of his lack of ability even in swordsmanship. He figured his swordsmanship although is inferior to Nathan, he could at least land a blow to regain his pride but it ended in a failure.


    The fight continued on as Nathan unleash a series of unrelenting and furious strikes on his opponent. His face blushed in fluming red anger, eyes full of hatred towards the lowly one who hurt his pride. His blows are swift and heavy as each strike pushed Norman back a few steps at a time, barely blocking his torso.


    Seconds became a minute, Norman is full of blood and sweat. His shirt was ripped during the clashes leaving a couple of cuts and wounds on his body. He pants heavily while he meets the onslaught of strong and devastating slashes with blinding speed. At this point, he couldn¡¯t rely on his eyes or his past experiences any more. He could only gamble on which side is he going to attack next.


    One thing left his mind during the brief moment when he decided to make the decision to gamble, I hit my limit.


    It was during that moment he realized this, a threshold, an obstacle, a giant wall stands before him. It is the limitations of a human body, one would have this issue being a null ranked user as he will be a normal human being. No special power or abilities at all, just a plain normal human being.


    The person before him is a noble ranked user with an ability classified as one of the strongest and has surpassed the limitations of a human body. One word to describe this would be ¡®Monster¡¯ or ¡®Inhuman¡¯. Like him, everyone else in this room are monsters except for those whom are not of age yet but they are potential monsters. This realization hit him hard.


    Against such a monster, can he even imagine to win a fight against them? This question has led him to go with next action. After the one-minute mark, he changed his style of dodging and parrying to just dodging. If you can¡¯t win against a monster, run. That¡¯s the answer he arrived upon. There is one thing to take note of, whether his stamina is enough to last.


    As soon as he does this, Nathan turned into a demon as his face is seething in anger and lost his patience of keeping up with his cowardice, discarding his shield. Although he is filled with hatred, he is actually calm in his mind. Coming up with new ways and angles to strike, the pressure on Norman increase tenfold.


    ¡°Urgh...¡±


    Faced with this predicament, he has to rack his brain even further as the level of attacks increase with the added feints. It has become a mind and reflex game, though he will lose in terms of speed, he has to make up with his brain.


    The two-minute mark reached, and it happened. Nathan launch a horizontal attack aiming at his abdomen. Norman reacted accordingly and jumped backwards. The horizontal attack then changed it trajectory half-way, becoming a thrust. Low and behold, it was a feint.


    What! He screamed inwardly when Nathan shifted his attack to a thrust. It was like how Norman shifted the direction of his sword to be the same as Nathan and avoid the game of strength. It startled him and fell for it. The direction it was pointing at was the chest, a counter with death looms over him.


    ¡°Shit...¡±