CHAPTER 59: DUEL WITH A B RANKER: LAST ASSESSMENT (2)

Chapter 58

’Holy hell! Who the hell is he?! Shit! He landed the hit. But how? Hold on, how many minutes?’ Max thought as he quickly scanned the room, his eyes darting around until they landed on a timer hung high on the wall, one he hadn’t even noticed before.

The timer, which must have been ticking down earlier, had suddenly stopped. Max’s eyes widened as disbelief consumed him. He simply couldn’t make sense of it.

’Twenty seconds?! He freaking landed a hit in just twenty seconds? I...I...I thought the whole sequence had been going on for minutes. Crap! He is a monster I say, a monster.’ Max thought in horror, his gaze locking with Jake’s for the briefest second. Jake tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curving into a knowing smile.

’Yup! A monster.’

’Holy fuck! I...I...I couldn’t even see anything that happened. How fucking fast did these guys even move?’ Joe thought, his entire body trembling both in shock and in fear.

His knees looked ready to buckle, and his lips quivered as if words might escape without permission. ’They were so fast, like streaks of light zipping around the place. I couldn’t even keep track of a single blow. Is it only me? Am I that weak?’

’Crap! That was fast... crazy fast. I only saw flashes of limbs, fists and legs flying. Then in the next second, bam! Ben is skidding backward with blood trickling from his mouth. How insane is this guy?’ Zach thought, his face paling as he replayed the scene in his mind.

His eyes unconsciously drifted toward Max. ’When I met the gray-haired guy, his charisma and cockiness gave me the impression that he was the main character of a story.

But now? If I were writing a novel, Jake would be the true protagonist because what the hell did I just witness?! Can anybody even top that? Can anyone here match him?’

"Congratulations." Ben spat crimson droplets from his mouth, staining the floor, and straightened his posture as he stared at the still-grinning Jake. "You pass. Kindly move to the side."

"Hope you aren’t really hurt? I’m sorry if I hit you too hard. I tried to hold back as much as possible." Jake said, his voice carrying an almost childlike sincerity, his grin softening into genuine concern.

’The hell is he saying, that he tried to hold back?! It felt like he was going full force right from the start. But then again, come to think of it... he didn’t even transform into his hybrid form. Neither did I. If we both went all out, would I have even stood a chance?’ Ben thought, staring at Jake with a conflicted mix of respect and irritation.

"I’m fine. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before." Ben replied flatly, though his chest still burned from the impact.

Jake’s face lit up instantly. "Great," he muttered, before casually walking off to stand in the corner, his presence radiating an easy confidence that only made the others feel smaller.

"Next." Ben called out, his tone sharp and commanding.

A loud sigh echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention. Zach stepped forward reluctantly, his every movement stiff and hesitant.

"I will be your next opponent," he declared, forcing his voice to remain steady even though his legs betrayed him, trembling uncontrollably under the weight of his own fear.

"Yeah, whatever." Ben said dismissively as he waved his hand. "You want to transform or what? I don’t have all day, make it quick."

Zach inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling as he summoned the courage to proceed. Then, with a determined motion, he pulled his shirt off, revealing a surprisingly well-toned but still slender frame. His breathing deepened, each inhale louder than the last as if he was pulling something from deep within himself.

Within seconds, his body began to change.

From his shoulders down to his fingertips, sharp protrusions began to sprout. Long spikes, each nearly three times the length of a toothpick, pushed outward from his flesh, lining his arms, shoulders, and even the sides of his face.

His skin stretched and shifted to accommodate the transformation, yet strangely, no blood flowed from the emergence of the jagged extensions.

Now, his body was an arsenal. Arms, face, even his shoulder blades were riddled with spikes that glinted faintly under the room’s light as he took a stance in front of Ben.

’A porcupine, huh? How fascinating,’ Max thought with a raised brow, analyzing Zach’s transformation with sharp curiosity.

"Ready?" Ben asked, his tone carrying more boredom than intimidation this time.

"I should be asking you that," Zach roared with forced bravado, his voice louder than his confidence. "Because I’m going to be bringing the heat!"

And with that, he bolted forward, spikes gleaming dangerously. Ben could only shake his head, muttering under his breath as he braced himself.

"At least be original." Ben scoffed as Zach appeared in front of him, swinging his hand as though it were a club or bat.

The hunter leaned back smoothly, narrowly avoiding the swipe, then tried to counter by driving a kick into Zach’s abdomen. But just as his leg extended, he froze in surprise.

Spikes retracted from Zach’s back and instantly reappeared on his stomach, a bristling wall of sharp points waiting to impale his foot.

Seeing the trap, Ben quickly leapt back, but Zach was already following up. The applicant’s fist, bristling with spikes, shot forward in an attempt to smash into Ben’s face.

For a split second Ben thought he had escaped cleanly, but he realized his mistake too late. With a sharp whistle, four spikes shot out of Zach’s knuckles like projectiles, slicing through the air with terrifying precision.

Ben stood his ground, eyes narrowing. He lifted his fingers with astonishing control and began batting the spikes away, each flick precise and swift. The sharp projectiles fell uselessly to the ground one after another, like toothpicks knocked from the air.

’Crap! I thought he would be easy bait after seeing Jake toy with him. But the hell is this? He’s swatting my spikes like they’re mere flies!’ Zach thought, frustration filling his mind. His arms blurred as he fired spikes in rapid succession, his body trembling from the sheer effort as if he were a living machine gun.

BAM!

Ben suddenly burst forward, weaving through the rain of spikes. His movements were so fast that he looked like a phantom, shifting side to side with uncanny precision. The spikes barely missed his body, tearing through the air where he had been a fraction of a second earlier.

Zach clenched his teeth. Enough was enough. He quickly clapped his hands together, and the spikes covering his arms fused into a single massive weapon.

A thick spike, the size of a pestle, formed instantly. With a furious roar, he hurled it at Ben, the weapon slicing forward with double the speed of his earlier projectiles.

Ben’s smile widened. He bent his knees and sprang into the air just as the giant spike thundered past, smashing into the ground with such force that the floor cracked open. A deep crater erupted where Ben had stood, the shockwave rattling the room and sending dust swirling in every direction.

The hunter didn’t waste a moment. He kicked off the air, accelerating down like a rocket, his body blurring as he homed in on Zach. His fist cocked back, aimed squarely at the applicant’s chest, ready to end the duel in a single decisive strike.

"You can’t dodge that well in the air," Zach muttered with a grin, his eyes flashing dangerously.

With a swift motion, he launched a dozen spikes straight at Ben mid-descent. The projectiles screamed through the air, forcing Ben to twist sharply and land back on the ground. He spun and swatted the incoming spikes in a storm of movements, his hands and feet a blur as the shards ricocheted away.

BAM!

Zach darted forward at the same instant, appearing directly in front of the hunter. His spiked hand lashed out in a deadly arc, aiming for Ben’s skull.

But Ben’s reflexes held true. He ducked low, slipping just under the slash. For a brief moment, victory seemed his—until...

TCHWK!

A piercing whistle cut the air. A single spike shot toward Ben’s head at frightening speed. He leaned backward at the last second, but the spike skimmed across his cheek, tearing skin. A thin line of crimson welled up, a droplet trickling down as the sting registered.