Chapter 396 Relentless Pursuits, A Painful Disparity

Though he had never witnessed Kieran in action before, Hugo had it on good authority that Kieran's battle prowess should be remarkably high for his level. After all, the guy had reached Lord status in record time.

Reaching Lord's status in record time was a feat that required ample personal strength to accomplish.

After all, it'd be difficult to rely upon others to complete that task.

Hugo could also feel it—like he was in the presence of a slumbering beast, waiting to be awoken and unleashed.

However, the depth of the slumbering beast was something that remained unknown to him. All he could do was feel the vague presence of this instinct; he couldn't pinpoint or specify its limits.

Not that he wanted to.

Once this sensation had arisen, Hugo's expression changed from one of slight disappointment to sheer intrigue—how heated could this battle become, and what could he expect from this young man?

As if beginning to answer the questions Hugo had begun to ask himself, Kieran sprung into action with a sudden Phantasmal Flicker.

It might have taken ample time to reach his ideal form, but now Granted, this was the naked human eye of a player. In that regard, NPCs should not be grouped with players; that's where issues that he was there, his limitations were relatively thin.

"Oh? What a quick movement technique you've employed," Hugo remarked.

However, as he spoke, his eyes traced the trajectory of Kieran's movements, which should have otherwise been invisible to the naked eye.

Granted, this was the naked human eye of a player. In that regard, NPCs should not be grouped with players; that's where issues arose.

That became especially true when referring to an Awakened NPC.

Of course, Kieran noticed Hugo's eyes were following his rapid movements, making him knit his brows. 'Is this realm of movement speed not enough to become even the slightest bit of an opponent for him?'

Curious and wanting an answer, Kieran acted upon his next impulse.

"Grand Stomp!"

Once his body came to an abrupt halt, Kieran exploded forth with a new burst of momentum, instantaneously closing the gap separating him from Hugo. At the same time, he swung Crimson Ashrune in a beautiful arc that any master of the sword would take a moment to appreciate.

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Unfortunately, Hugo was not a connoisseur of the sword.

What he loved was battle.

All Hugo did was a simple downward swing in retaliation, but the might of the attack carried with it all of the force of a speeding freight train!

Bang!

A strange ripple spread from the point of contact. Despite the density of his bones, Kieran felt a terrible aching in his wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder!

If not for the power of Blood Mania supporting his body, Kieran felt like his arm would have been rendered useless even with the benefits from the Imprint of Might.

"Come on, boy! I thought you were supposed to be some kind of Berserker. Where's the brawn and undeniable strength you're supposed to embody?" Hugo questioned, his expression flashing with disappointment once more.

This brief shade of disappointment didn't go unnoticed, but Kieran didn't let it bother him too much. "It's hard to display my strengths when I'm going against an opponent like you."

"Excuses," Hugo snapped back. "Like I said before, a real Platinum Adventurer can last five minutes in combat. Based on what you've shown me thus far, you're not ready for the responsibility. The weight of it would be too great."

Hearing this, Kieran couldn't help but furrow his brows with a somewhat bleak look in his eyes. Unlike being a Gold Adventurer, Platinum Adventurers could commission dangerous tasks, which all required power in the middle levels of an Advanced Being.

'I may have experienced an early change in my Constitution, but I still lack the change in my actual physique.'

Kieran's current condition was similar to when someone was due for a promotion, and one of the higher-ups mentioned in passing that he was promised the promotion.

However, while being promised the promotion, though others may view and treat him differently, the actual promotion still needed to take place.

This was Kieran's situation.

Many of his stats were influenced by his current strange state, yet he didn't have that physique change that could completely cement his growth in power.

Nevertheless, Kieran did not intend to give up or abandon his current attempt at becoming a Platinum Adventurer.

Besides, Kieran felt that doing all this would produce other benefits.

After all, Hugo wasn't the usual administrator of the ceremony; he was simply the only one available at the time.

Bang! Bang! Clang!

Seconds after settling the issue with his arm, using a Vim Restoration to neutralize the pain and discomfort he felt, Kieran rushed in, employing his battle prowess to its fullest extent.

As he dodged one of Hugo's swipes with his axe, Kieran responded by unleashing a Blood Pulse.

"Mountainous Press!" Hugo said calmly, but his voice boomed.

In response, the energy of the Blood Pulse froze in its tracks. It then quickly descended to the ground, where a heavy pressure flattened it until it became useless.

This pressure was fleeting, but Kieran understood it was genuine Awakened Aura, which meant that Hugo was beginning to transform the Mana accessible to him.

Though this effortless neutralization of his attack should have deterred Kieran, it didn't. As he battled against Hugo, Kieran found that many of his skills were experiencing rapid growth.

This was partly due to one of his traits as a High Human, but it was also due to the War Crest of Champions in his possession.

When both of these advantages acted in tandem, the effects were remarkable, allowing Kieran to make great strides in his progress with a significantly reduced amount of work.

Of course, the difficulty of it all was still immense.

It didn't cut down on how seamless his execution needed to be. It simply reduced how many times such actions needed to be performed.

"It's becoming better! But... it has only been one minute," Hugo boomed, his voice echoing throughout the area.

"Then let's keep going! Who said we needed to stop?" Kieran replied back, panting through each of his words.

It wasn't his skills that drained him; it was the damage he received from each of Hugo's attacks, forcing him to either use Death Avoidance or Vim Restoration.

What Kieran learned about these skills, however, was that as their level increased, they grew more demanding on his Stamina.

In fact, the toll of a single Vim Restoration was approaching the feeling of using the Imperfect Blood Armor ability once! And it had been at least a month since he did so, yet the sensation and image were seared into his mind.

'Is Blood Mania perhaps evolving too fast? No... that shouldn't be the case. If it were, the Advancement Quest wouldn't ask that I help it evolve again. This is most likely what it should feel like. Meaning, this is another challenge of wielding the class,' Kieran surmised.

As he considered the reason for Vim Restoration's growing burden, Kieran executed a Surge Step, stomping the ground with incredible force.

After being catapulted several meters ahead, he turned and used Accel Shift to abruptly rotate around Hugo's body.

Unlike before, however, Kieran didn't pause his actions.

During his rotation, he extended and used a lancing motion complemented by his spin. Most would finish this kind of attack challenging to read, but Hugo narrowed his gaze and retreated a few steps.

'Interesting. What he lacks in actual power, he makes up for in unpredictable and refined techniques. Though it seemed like he was about to attack at one point, the angle of his blade and the grip he's using, he can change targets at a moment's notice,' Hugo thought, inwardly praising Kieran's actions.

On the other hand, Kieran's expression darkened somewhat. 'Not even these compound techniques work? One clean attack—that's all I'm asking for.'

Fueled by his desire to cut Hugo, even if it didn't inflict much damage, Kieran rushed in, beginning a relentless barrage of attacks similar to the thuds of heavy winds beating on one's window during a storm.

"How relentless. Your endurance and force are remarkable, considering your lowly State of Being. In this regard, you're pretty much an Advanced Being. Sadly..."

Bang!

Hugo suddenly twisted the haft of his massive axes, slamming its butt into Kieran's stomach. Amidst the thundering of a hollow explosion, Kieran slid back tens of meters, his eyes widening.

At that moment, Hugo finished his sentence, "You're still outclassed when it comes to every other department."

"Being outclassed is fine," Kieran wheezed as he replied. "But that doesn't mean I'll relent."

After giving himself close to a pitiful second to adjust, Kieran stormed the impenetrable fortress known as Hugo once more. Their series of collisions lasted close to thirty seconds this time.

And in that time frame, Kieran unleashed every "low-rank" skill at his disposal. Even the simultaneous six Blood Waves were useless in breaking through Hugo's defenses.

For a moment, Kieran considered using his other skills, but a question bothered him. If he pulled out powerful skills, would Hugo reciprocate?

After all, this wasn't necessarily a test of skills.

Hugo was aware that Kieran possessed some powerful skills. Rumors of his accomplishments during the Gladiator Coliseum were talked about even amongst those in the Adventurers' Guild.

"Come on. Show me that adaptability. A Platinum Adventurer's main skill is adaptability. More power is inevitable and will come eventually. I want to know if you have that survival instinct within you," Hugo said.

Unlike before, he was the one to initiate the advance this time. Kieran ducked and swayed in response, barely getting successful reads on Hugo's sudden movements.

However, the more he read, the more accustomed he grew.

Eventually, though it was rough and the aftermath remained painful, Kieran channeled his blood into forging a Tensile Blood Swath. Whenever Crimson Ashrune met Hugo's axes, Kieran felt like his elbow would threaten to snap.

Fortunately, he was smart enough to fortify his arm with the blood ribbon, using it to last.

Soon... the five minutes arrived.

"Surprisingly... you have passed. And you were smart not to use any large skills," Hugo said, casually leaning his axe against the ground.