Chương 34: Heroes [IV]

"How dare you, you orphan bastard!" Jake bellowed, charging at Michael while swinging his war hammer around.

Michael stepped back just in time to dodge the heavy blow by a hair's breadth, and immediately closed in upon sensing his opportunity.

He knew Jake wouldn't be able to pull the hammer back fast enough to defend himself, so he had to capitalize on this opening.

But Jake wasn't entirely stupid.

Well, he was. But not entirely.

As soon as Michael got close, Jake's war hammer rippled like it was made of clay and reshaped into a double-headed axe with a shortened handle.

Before Michael could even react, Jake whipped back the axe in a reverse swing, bringing the blade whistling toward the protagonist's neck.

Clang—!!

Michael's longsword barely came up in time to block. The force of the blow rattled through his arms, forcing him back several paces.

Jake relentlessly pressed forward. As he moved, the axe melted into liquid metal, coating his arm and solidifying into a massive silver gauntlet.

Without hesitation, Jake drove his gauntleted fist forward into Michael's chest, sending him staggering back another couple of steps.

Michael coughed through gritted teeth. He glanced down and noticed the crack in one of his orbs deepening.

Then, he lifted his gaze and saw Jake barreling toward him again like a mad bull.

This time, Michael didn't meet him head-on and instead slipped around his opponent.

After all, Jake's extreme weight made him slow on his feet. The better strategy here was to best him in speed.

So, displaying his superior agility, Michael appeared behind Jake and thrust his sword toward the fat boy's exposed back, aiming for a decisive strike.

Clang—!!

But just before the blade could land, the silver metal of Jake's gauntlet flowed up his arm and over his shoulder, hardening into an armor plate that covered his back.

"What the—?!" Michael muttered, eyes wide in surprise as Jake whirled around, trying to catch him.

But Michael had already leaped back, putting distance between them as he took a moment to assess the situation.

It was then he noticed the plain black Card floating above Jake's shoulder. The Card had a glowing silver glyph etched into its surface.

"Ah," Michael smiled as if he had solved an interesting puzzle. "So, that's your Origin Card? I didn't get to see it the last time we fought."

"We never fought!" Jake growled, sounding breathless from having to move so much. "You sucker-punched me from behind! That won't happen again!"

He wasn't wrong.

When Michael fought Samael and his group, he took Jake out first with a sneak attack when his back was turned to him.

Was it cowardly? Sure.

But Jake and his friends were the ones bullying him! And there were ten of them!

If anything, he was the victim there!

Michael had to even the odds somehow. He had to take a few of them out by surprise if he wanted to win that fight.

"Well, it won't matter," Michael scoffed in a calm voice. "You're still dumber than I gave you credit for."

"What did you say?!" Jake screeched like an angry hippo, his face getting redder.

Looking at him get all worked up, Michael tried to suppress a chuckle. Just a few days ago, making Jake this angry might have been a death sentence for him.

But now? Now Michael only felt pity for the beating he was about to bestow on this pig.

"Your Origin Card is strong," Michael commented matter-of-factly. "I get why you're always so confident, despite not being the least bit athletic."

"What?! Are you calling me fat, you bastard?!" Jake roared with indignation.

Michael suppressed another chuckle. He wasn't lying, though. Jake's Origin Card was indeed strong.

From what Michael could guess, Jake's power let him summon a silvery metal that he could shape into weapons or mold around his body as armor.

It was a highly versatile Origin Card, ideal for both brutal offense and solid defense.

And given that Michael's sword hadn't even left a scratch on the armor plate when he struck Jake from behind, the silver metal's durability was clearly exceptional.

All first-year Cadets were at [C-Rank], which meant they could only use Common-grade Items.

Michael's own sword was also Common-grade, but he had been infusing his strikes with bursts of Spirit Essence — a feat no ordinary [C-Ranker] could manage.

In theory, his attacks should've been much stronger than those of the average Cadets in this arena.

Yet, Jake's silver metal had stopped his blade.

That meant weapons of the same grade as Jake's rank wouldn't be able to deal much damage to his silver metal.

Yeah, his Origin Card was definitely powerful.

No wonder this guy's always so cocky, Michael mused.

But that didn't mean Jake had a shot at winning.

A sly smirk crossed Michael's lips. "Your buddies didn't tell you how they lost to me in that fight, did they?"

Jake's eyes narrowed, his fury barely contained.

Michael was right. Jake had been knocked out early in that fight, and when he woke up, he found himself in the school nurse's office.

He'd asked his friends what happened, but none of them gave him clear answers. Some were too shaken, others were just as confused, and many didn't want to talk about it.

He would've asked Samael, but he was admitted to his family's hospital. And just two days later, Jake heard about Samael's banishment.

So the entire thing was a mystery to him.

Their group was strong. They'd fought plenty of teen gangs in their city, countless Awakened kids their age… and never lost.

Samael was the strongest among them.

Jake had never seen his best friend lose a fight. Not once.

So how could a powerful group like theirs be beaten so badly?! And by a single boy no less?!

Some of his friends had fractured ribs, others had broken bones, and many were bruised from head to toe.

Samael himself had even been in a coma for a full day!

How could one guy have done all of that?

Jake didn't know. But he refused to believe that some pathetic nobody was stronger than him!

Him!

The son of the Flazer family! It was impossible!

Michael's smirk widened as a flicker of silver light flashed over his shoulders.

Jake tensed, realizing the fight was about to escalate. "So, you're finally bringing out your Origin Card? Fine, bring it on! I'll show you the difference between us great nobles and pathetic peasants like you!"

Michael finally let out a chuckle he had been holding. "Oh, no. I'm not bringing out my Origin Card…"

The light over his shoulders faded… and Jake's eyes went wide with shock.

There, floating above that peasant's shoulder was a plain black Card, engraved with a glowing silver glyph.

…It was Jake's own Origin Card.

"...Wh-What?" Jake stammered, his quivering breath came in a stunned whisper.

"I'm bringing yours," Michael continued, dismissing his sword. He raised his hand, and an orb of silver liquid metal, smooth as mercury, formed in his palm.

Then, the metal swirled and shifted, morphing into a spear in his grasp.

"By the way," Michael said, inspecting his new weapon casually, "have you ever heard the story about the unstoppable spear and the unbreakable shield? Let's see if your power can defend against your own power."

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