Chapter 38: Spar
[AN: Sorry for these past crappy chapters, I had a lot on my plate recently, I can't really focus, as an author, I am ashamed of myself. Sorry about that.]
The Next Day,
Grand Cayon, Shurima's desert,
On the field, two figures could be seen, Poppy and Jayce.
"I see that you manage to learn Flash, although not the pinnacle of the technique, I'll make it a pass." Poppy said, lying through her teeth. Yes, lying.
Who is she kidding? Do you know how long it takes for a normal person to learn the technique? 5 YEARS! Even for her, it took about a year, under the tutelage of her guild master! How long did the kid take? 5 days? 6? What kind of monstrous talent is that?
If she wasn't shameless and overcomplimented the kid, wouldn't his head shoot through the cloud? There is a saying; There will be higher clouds above the highest. She had seen many geniuses who ruined themselves from their own success, she doesn't want Jayce to be one of them.
Jayce nods, after experiencing despair and faced death, he never gets ahead of himself; the world is vast, the universe is even grander. He has the system, but he's not invincible. He had read an uncountable of novels where the MCs get themselves in sticky scenarios, all because of their ego. He must be humble and stay lowkey until his strength reaches its peak.
"Although training is good, battle experience is even more important. Today onward, you will only be sparing with us." Poppy said. The person Jayce will be facing is a dangerous individual, learning more skills would do more harm than good. He must hone his skills and experience battles.
"Yes!" He shouts.
"Good, then..." Her aura became dangerously low, then...it burst.
*Rumble* Waves of murderous intent crashed into Jayce, making his knees almost buckle.
'Ho? He held on... That's impressive, I mean he almost experienced death before,' Poppy thought, usually, her killing intent would have made one goes unconscious instantly, besides certain special individuals, normal people wouldn't last long against her aura.
'Over and over again, I'm tired of this... Not again, not anymore, I WON'T RELENT!' He had enough! The feeling of weakness, he doesn't want to experience it anymore! The time he was punctured by the beast, the time when he got hallucinated by a demon, the time when he was pushed around by the council, he had enough!
"Mhm!" A snort came out from Jayce as he also released his aura, a special aura.
"HASOHOKU!" He exclaimed. A black-like circular sphere enveloped him, spreading outward, met head-on with Poppy's.
'Haoshoku: beginner.'
'Description: A special aura that only those possessing characteristics fitting that of a "King."
Usage:
Beings lower than your rank: 100% chance of getting unconscious.
Beings at your rank: 100% chance of getting stunned, 50% of getting unconscious; reminder: those that possess a characteristic of a king cannot be unconscious.
Being above your rank: 5% chance of getting stunned, 0.1% of getting unconscious; reminder: unapplicable to those who possess a characteristic of a king.
Cost: Depending on range and duration. (500 stamina/ Km, 250 stamina/ min.)
*BOOM* Both aura clashes.
*Crackle* Green and black lightning erupted from the collision, spreading to the surrounding, the earth beneath them cracked, dust flew everywhere. The sky above them darkened, black clouds gathered; the scene is very apocalyptic.
"HAHA, GOOD! I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T SUCCUMBED TO THIS, COME! LET US FIGHT!" Poppy roared with laughter, her battle intent soared. If he couldn't handle this much pressure, does he deserve to be the chosen one?
She charged toward Jayce, wielding her hammer. She adjusted her aura to be a little higher than his, a peak Level C-rank!
"Heroic Charge!" She roared, charging toward Jayce with fast speed.
'shit' With a little push, he jumps up toward the sky, thinking that he would have dodged her, but.
"Flash..." Poppy said as she disappeared from the spot, reappearing behind him.
'Shit!' Jayce sensed her reappeared, so he hastily turned around, but it was too late
Poppy rammed him down toward the ground from midair with her Heroic Charge.
*BOOM* They both crashed down, with Jayce absorbing the impact.
*Puah* He spat out blood
'90% / 100%'
'!' That shaved 10% of his Health! Even with his defense of a high D-rank!
"Rule number 1 kid, don't focus on their body, focus on their aura. I can see that you relied too much on the enemy's body movement with your superior sensing skill." Poppy said, getting off him.
"Yes!" He nods, not denying her claim. He relies too much on his fire proficiency, he thought that with the ability to sense body heat, he would be invincible, but reality slaps him.
He closes his eyes, with his Haoshoku still activating, he uses its power to sense and track Poppy's aura. Although it's costly to use the ability, as it costs 300 stamina to sustain for every minute, he has no choice. Without the aura, he is vulnerable to Poppy's, plus he can use this to train and hone his sense, killing two birds with one stone!
'3670/3970' Time is against him!
His aura surges, the surroundings turn hot as fire emerges from his mouth.
"Fire Dragon-slayer Magic: Fire Dragon's Roar!" Torrents of fire rushed out of his mouth, rushing toward Poppy.
Fire Dragon-slayer magic: Fire Dragon's roar.
Description: Release enormous amounts of fire toward the target.
Cost: 200 AP
Cooldown: 20 minutes.
"HAHA, Good move." Seeing the fire rushing toward her, she just laughed, not even bothering to budge as she shouted.
"IRON AMBASSADOR!" A shield appeared and enveloped Poppy.
'Come!' She posed a defensive stance as she watch the fire coming toward her.
*BOOM* The fire and her shield collided, making an explosion of flame! Dust flew everywhere.
'Did I hit her?' Jayce thought as he stared at the blazing flames.
'SHIT!' He then felt a sense of danger, his aura surged once more.
"Gura-Gura no mi: Gekishin" Jayce shouted; a spherical bubble covered his, emitting vibrations. He turned around and punched.
*BOOM* His punch met with Poppy's, he held on for a few seconds, but alas, even if Poppy lowered her strength, an attack of a peak C-rank is not something he could defend.
*BANG* His body was propelled straight through the ground. Making a spider-web crack on the earth's crust.
"Not bad kid," Poppy said, hiding her left arm.
'This kid! He's becoming more refined by the day!' She lamented as she swallowed the urge to spit out blood. Yes! That attack made a number on her! She has no defense against the vibration that was emitted from Jayce's punch! The vibration messed up her organs and bones, but it quickly healed.
"Again!" She shouts, rushing toward Jayce once more.
The two kept battling, back and forth. Every clash, Jayce kept spitting out blood, but he kept going.
…
"Will he be, okay?" Caitlyn, who is in the distance observing the battle with a worried expression. She asked Orianna, who was beside her.
"He is fine, how about you focus on your training?" Orianna said in a cold robotic voice.
Caitlyn pouted but didn't say anything, crossing her leg, she continued with her training.
…
"Ohuuhuhuhu, the boy is extremely talented indeed." A man using a binocular said in another distance, far from the training ground as he observed Jayce and Poppy He was the same guy that "hallucinated" Poppy the other day!
"Who are you?" A voice suddenly sounds behind him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone