Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Nesario made a similar sound when he shattered the strength testing equipment with a single punch, and Angelia observed a lot during the subsequent endurance test.

'This move is similar to doping; it gives him a burst of power in the short term, but he'll subsequently lose his form. If I can hold on for this round, I win.'

Angelia is a highly competitive and proactive person.

If you don't intend to take action, then just watch quietly from the sidelines; but once you choose to act, then you must win!

"Teacher, I'm going!"

Neltharion's figure seemed to move even faster than his voice; by the time Angelia reacted to the sound, Neltharion was already in front of her.

Thump—It felt as if my arm had been hit by a land vehicle; the powerful impact came from the shield.

Nesario's punch was at least several times more powerful than before!

'How could it be so terrifying!?'

Angelia was somewhat incredulous. She had only witnessed this level of power in a small number of elite troops, and those guys were all pillars of their respective countries.

Nesario's talent is too one-sided!

If only a fraction of his physical talent were transferred to his Originium Arts, Angelia believed—he would definitely have a chance to become a Steam Knight, or at the very least, a powerful figure on par with the Tower Knights... Wait, this kid doesn't seem to be a Victorian.

Alas, another unfortunate thing has happened.

Angelia had a lot of random thoughts during that moment of mental breakdown, but she quickly came back to her senses.

Thud—another heavy blow!

Angelia had already braced herself with both hands as a shield, and the one-handed sword she had been holding was long gone. She dared not attack at this moment, for a slight misstep could result in her being defeated by Neltharion's punch. Defense was the only option at the moment.

Nesario did not stop his attack. He and Angelia began to compete in physical strength, with one side holding up a shield for defense and the other standing still to deal damage.

Thump-thump-thump——

The muffled thuds grew faster and faster, causing the hearts of the surrounding audience to beat faster as well, and no one present was willing to look away.

The first half of the competition was filled with incredible and spectacular technical challenges; the second half shifted gears and began to showcase the limits of the human body—faster! Stronger! More power!

clang--!

With a different sound, the brass knuckles in Nesario's hand shattered completely; this thing was not suitable for head-on collisions, its original purpose was to strike flesh.

The fact that it has been able to persist in such a high-intensity competition demonstrates Victoria's formidable industrial strength.

"Stop... get a doctor."

Neltharion threw the shards in his hand to the ground, along with the blood flowing from his fingertips; a knuckle duster and shield—a normal person's hand bones would have been severely damaged long ago, but Neltharion only had a few scratches, which shows how terrifying the strength of his hand bones is.

His hidden claws, having grown to such an extent, must have long since become weapons of mass destruction!

The doctor, who had been nervously watching the battle from the sidelines, finally found his chance to shine. He quickly stepped forward to give Neltharion emergency treatment. Anyone with common sense would think that Neltharion's hand was definitely injured at this moment, and the doctor was even more so. Knowing the strength of the human body, he knew that the force-bearing surfaces of a shield and knuckle dusters were different. The force of knuckle dusters was borne entirely by the knuckle joints, and the huge recoil force could break the fingers!

"It wasn't me, it was her. She probably has a fracture or a bone crack. She couldn't exert any strength from the beginning and was only able to support herself with her shoulder. Really... it was just a test, was it really necessary?"

"How embarrassing... I couldn't even fight back."

With a clang, the shield, bearing numerous marks, fell to the ground, and Angelia slowly sat down, supporting herself with her right hand.

Judging from the way he was grimacing, a bone fracture was definitely present.

Such a scene, when witnessed by everyone, immediately caused a huge uproar.

A brass knuckles clashed with a shield, and the end result was a fractured hand behind the shield?!

"Monster! This guy is definitely a monster!"

"If we have another sparring session in the future, we must send the fastest one to deal with him."

"Don't forget how they performed at the beginning. No matter how fast they are, they can't dodge that kind of attack."

"Ah...it seems the only way to deal with him is with Originium Arts?"

"..."

Nesario paid no attention to the surrounding chatter; he was more curious about how Angelia had blocked his attack, as she seemed completely unharmed at the time.

"Teacher, you used Originium Arts, didn't you?"

"...Oh dear, I've been caught. Sorry, I cheated."

Angelia showed absolutely no remorse! She unleashed her magic without hesitation in a pure melee combat setting!

"What kind of spell is it?"

"Actually, it's nothing. Look—this protective suit on your chest is filled with materials that can activate Originium Arts. Your punch was absorbed by the special material, but this thing can only absorb two punches at most. The power is too great."

"..."

"When a normal person senses fluctuations in Originium Arts, they would choose to retreat and observe. You didn't even notice. Originium Arts... go practice more, it will do you good."

That's all I have to say.

Angelia was taken to have her wounds treated, while Nesario returned to the group, once again basking in the admiration of everyone, including the senior students.

But he's not in a good mood right now; in fact, he's in a bad mood.

Angelia defused the crisis with a simple trick, even having the strength to retaliate. He, on the other hand, could only rely on his superior physical abilities to fight back, although he still had some trump cards up his sleeve.

But the other side is the same; Angelia didn't use Originium weapons or special spells, so it's hard to say what the outcome would be if the two sides were to fight to the death.

Nesario can kill Angelia instantly at close range, but if he can't get close, he will definitely be annoyed by all kinds of Victoria Originium weapons.

'It is necessary to master a special energy attack.'

Chapter Twenty-Eight: New Equipment

"Fischer, how is your talent in Originium Arts?"

"Test results are the standard."

"But I've heard that Vayvan's talent for Originium Arts is pretty good."

"Is your Originium Arts quite good?"

"..."

Inside the dormitory, Nesario and Fisher met in the living room. The former was searching for information about Originium Arts, while the latter was reviewing his upcoming lessons.

After three days of living together as roommates, the two became very familiar with each other. Neither of them found any unacceptable bad habits or flaws in the other, so becoming friends was a natural progression.

Unfortunately, Fisher and Nesario were not classmates, which greatly reduced their chances of acting together.

Nesario reviewed his match with Angelia. Although he ultimately won, Angelia's Originium Arts left a deep impression on him.

What could have been a quick battle was prolonged by Originium Arts, giving Angelia a chance to counterattack.

This is just a low-level Originium Arts technique. If he were to encounter a monster with exceptional talent, would Nesario still be able to win so easily?

'It is indeed necessary to understand this power; even if one cannot awaken it oneself, one should at least know how to deal with it.'

"Fischer, since you're not good at Originium Arts, what is your specialty?"

"Disguise, intelligence gathering and analysis."

"spy?"

"I prefer to call them intelligence agents."

"...It seems I need to put a lock on my room."

"Good homework."

I initially thought Fisher, with his skinny arms and legs, would be a mage, but it turns out he's a spy within a spy. That makes sense, as Teacher Angelia said—those with talent in Originium Arts all go to the Warlock Academy.

"You have absolutely no talent in Originium Arts, so it's very difficult to improve in this situation. It's like multiplication; zero multiplied by any number will still result in zero."

"Has word already spread that my Originium Arts are terrible?"

"At least, many people have heard that Class 10 has a melee fighter who can overpower the teacher, but his Originium Arts are those of the idiotic and vicious Vayvan."

"..."

Nesario couldn't refute it, because these rumors were true.

The idle chatter ended there, and the two began to focus on the books in front of them, with only the soft sound of turning pages filling the room.

As time passed, it was time to sleep.

The two returned to their room to wash up and go to sleep.

Nesario lay on the bed, his energy depleted from the day's exertion—the berserk mode, the intense battle... Although his stomach was full, he was still exhausted.

Nesario had a feeling he would sleep very well that night.

......

The heat and dryness—an unpleasant feeling came from all around, as if my body were sinking into sand.

Nesario opened his eyes—dazzling sunlight greeted him, and all around him, the desert, rocks, and sparse vegetation created a lifeless environment.

Most of the vegetation was a withered color, except for the cacti along the roadside that maintained a vibrant green. Of course, apart from the cacti, a typical desert plant, many other strange plants grew along the roadside, on steep cliffs, and in bushes. They were colorful, and I didn't know what their purpose was.

"This is......"

Nesario could clearly feel the hot wind brushing against his cheeks, and he could even feel the ground trembling slightly. The sand in his hands was warm to the touch.

No mistake! I'm back!

His heart began to pound, and Nesario felt his blood was much hotter than the surrounding temperature.

"So, where is my prey?"

Although Nesario was restless, he was also well aware that it would be extremely dangerous for him to face the monsters empty-handed, so the most important thing at the moment was to find himself a set of equipment.

'Steel armor...no, there's something better.'

Neltharion began to imagine the appearance of the Odogaron in his mind. This ferocious and swift beast had long been deeply rooted in Neltharion's mind. Even though Neltharion had not "seen" it for decades, its appearance was as clear as if he had just seen it for the first time.

'Crimson muscles, crisscrossing muscle lines, layers of horny armor, protruding sharp fangs, double-layered, sharp claws...'

Nesario felt his body being enveloped, and he could feel a weight on his shoulders and arms.

When he opened his eyes again, a splash of bright red suddenly appeared amidst the swirling yellow sand—it was Neltharion himself.

He had already taken off his pajamas, and the armor he wore made him look like a god descending to earth.