Crowne and Ruth faced each other. They were already prepared to fight. The training room was spacious and made from tough material. It was difficult to destroy. It could be used for a serious battle. Even by an S rank adventurer.

Aside from the two of them, there were three more people inside. They were there as witnesses that this fight was real. Not a setup to let Crowne rise in rank. The three of them were guild staff. They whispered to one another.

"Who do you think will win?"

The man was immediately stared at by his two coworkers. "Are you stupid? Do we even need to question that?"

"I was just asking."

"Your question is stupid. If you want to ask something, think about it. For example, you could ask 'how long can that young man last against Sir Ruth?' That makes more sense," his coworker complained.

The man scratched his head. "Hahaha. Sorry."

"I think he will last only ten attacks."

"Isn't that too short?" He stroked his chin, judging Crowne's ability only from his appearance. "I think he can last at least five minutes. At most... seven or eight minutes."

"Oh, interesting. You look highly at that young man. But according to the information, he is just a C rank adventurer. What can a C rank adventurer do against Sir Ruth who is an S rank? I am sure he will last only ten attacks."

The two of them had different opinions about how long Crowne would survive, but they both agreed on one thing which was that Crowne would lose this battle. However, one statement from their coworker shocked them.

"That young man will win," he said.

Both staff members immediately turned with wide eyes. It was an answer that made no sense to them. Lasting five minutes was already a great achievement. To win? It felt impossible.

"Why would you say that?"

The staff member was silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled and lowered his head slightly. "Because he is my master. I know quite a lot about him," he replied.

"Master?"

The two men turned toward Crowne. Then they looked at their coworker again. They could not believe those words. But after thinking again, they remembered that this coworker only joined the central guild staff three days ago. He was new.

"How did that happen? Weren't you previously a B rank adventurer? You are even stronger than that young man," his coworker asked.

The staff member lifted his gaze. He watched Crowne for a few seconds before turning to his two coworkers.

"I only reached B rank one day before becoming staff. And my purpose in joining as staff is to follow Sir Ruth. He promised to train me if I work well in the guild," the staff explained.

His two coworkers frowned. They were confused by his explanation. It was strange and made no sense. But they did not deny what he said. There was a possibility he was telling the truth, especially because his face looked very serious.

"I will become strong and will return to Sir Crowne. I do not want to be a burden to him again," he added.

The two coworkers looked at one another. They shrugged their shoulders, confused. However, they tried to believe their new coworker.

"If that is true, how sure are you that young man will defeat Sir Ruth?"

He stroked his chin. "Maybe seventy percent."

Their eyes widened. "That is a big number."

**

Crowne held his Dwarfwood Chainblade. He inhaled and exhaled slowly. His opponent was not someone easy to defeat. Ruth was an S rank adventurer who was still active. Although he was often busy with guild work rather than hunting monsters.

"You may use all your beasts," Ruth said.

Crowne shook his head. "I will fight with my own strength. This will be a good moment to judge how strong I am. I have never met a human stronger than me so far," Crowne replied.

Ruth laughed. "You are truly arrogant, young man. You are using me as a measurement tool." Ruth took his stance. He was the best hand to hand fighter in the Central Guild. "If you are really that strong, then prove it. Do not disappoint me."

Crowne nodded and took his stance as well. He breathed deeply and exhaled. He was ready to fight whenever Ruth wanted. His eyes were sharp and firm. He was very serious.

"Move first!" Ruth said.

Crowne nodded and pushed his body forward quickly. In just one second, he appeared in front of Ruth. He swung once. Ruth gave a slight smile when he saw that slash. He moved his foot. Then he stomped on the floor.

Draaang!

A powerful pressure pulled Crowne's body downward. It slowed his movement. Ruth channeled mana into his hand. Then he launched a punch forward. That punch created a strong explosion of magic energy.

Baaam!

It was too fast. Crowne was shocked. He wanted to move, but the pulling force of Ruth's technique stopped him. When the attack approached, Crowne quickly used his skill.

[Wind Step Slash activated!]

He avoided the explosion, but his movement did not go the way he wanted. His mobility was greatly restricted. In just a few seconds, Ruth launched another punch. The mana explosion moved quickly toward Crowne again.

Crowne inhaled and slashed the energy blast upward. When his weapon touched the explosion, Crowne's body was pressed downward. He almost could not deflect it.

He stomped his foot on the floor and channeled a huge amount of mana into his legs. He pushed his body upward.

Woosh!

The explosion was deflected upward, but to his shock, three more explosions were already close to him. He clicked his tongue. Ruth was not giving him any opportunity. He was being attacked continuously.

"Damn. He is really serious," Crowne complained.

This time he dodged the attack. He used his movement skill. But the moment he appeared behind Ruth, his eyes widened. Ruth disappeared instantly. This happened the moment Crowne appeared behind him.

When Crowne turned, his eyes widened again. "Damn."

BAAAAM!

A punch hit Crowne's back. His body flew and crashed to the floor. Crowne quickly rose, but Ruth was already in front of him. Ready to punch again. Crowne was stunned.

"He is not giving me any opening," Crowne muttered.

Baaam!

The punch hit Crowne's chest. His body was thrown violently. He crashed into the wall and felt his ribs crack. When he tried to stand, Crowne vomited blood. Ruth had completely overwhelmed him.

Experience never lies. Ruth stood in the middle of the training room. He stared at Crowne. "Where is your confidence from earlier?" Ruth mocked.

Crowne wiped the blood from his mouth. He stood and stretched a little. He steadied his breath. Then he raised his weapon toward Ruth. Crowne grinned. His spirit was still burning.

"This is what I hoped for. If you were not this strong, I would be disappointed," Crowne said.

"Oh, interesting. I thought you would give up, but it seems you have strong mental fortitude," Ruth praised.

"I do not know if this will hurt your feelings or not, but there is someone stronger than you that I must fight. Of course I must defeat you, because if I lose here then I will die when I meet that person," Crowne explained.

Ruth was slightly offended. Crowne's words were impolite because he compared him with someone else. Ruth believed that very few people were stronger than him. They could be counted on one hand.

"Who is it that you want to defeat?"

"I do not know, but he is very strong. And my companion is chasing that person. Sooner or later, I will meet him. When that time comes, I hope I am already strong," Crowne replied.

Ruth frowned. "Do I know that person?"

"We are not close. How would I know? Besides, that person wore a cloak during our first encounter," Crowne answered.

That made Ruth even more curious. But this was a fight, so they could not talk too long. Ruth was ready to attack again, and Crowne was doing the same. Crowne channeled mana into the tip of his toes.

"Prepare yourself!"

He pushed his body forward. He used wind element to boost his speed. In one movement, Crowne appeared in front of Ruth. The same movement again. Ruth smirked.

He punched forward. "You are too predictable."

But when he punched, Crowne suddenly vanished from in front of him. What remained was only a dagger tied with a chain.

"Oh, interesting."

Crowne appeared behind Ruth. He pulled the dagger. It spun rapidly. The movement was unstable and almost slashed Ruth's neck. But Ruth had speed equal to Crowne. He appeared one meter away.

He took his stance and channeled magic energy into his hand. Flames wrapped around his right fist. He punched, sending a fiery blow toward Crowne.

"I will not be defeated that easily," Ruth said.

"Me neither," Crowne replied.

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