Min Ha-rin was a Champion, and the treatment she received befitted that title.

At least on Combat Island, individual strength was placed above law and order. This meant that gaining the title City Champion in this land was a very big deal.

In addition to the mansion they were in earlier, she was also given her own private training grounds. And there were probably many more unseen benefits besides those.

The arena in the center of the city was extremely large. To put it into modern terms, it was several times the size of an indoor gym.

Naturally, this large space wasnt just one large battleground.

Instead, not counting the space allocated for spectators, it was separated into eight small arenas.

As the Champion, Min Ha-rin had the right to use two of these arenas as she pleased. Of course, this was only applicable when there were no scheduled fights, but it was an amazing privilege nonetheless.

It was in one of these very arenas that Min Ha-rin and Lukas stood, facing each other. There were no spectators.

If there were any, they were already sent away.

Min Ha-rin looked at Lukas with a slightly worried expression.

Ill let you make the first move.

Lukas words rang out in her head once more. Nevertheless, Min Ha-rin found that she couldnt easily draw her sword.

Was she intimidated? That would normally be the case, but now, she was hesitating for an entirely different reason.

Min Ha-rin knew just how powerful her master was.

However, she didnt think her master understood how much stronger shed become.

In fact, that was true. Lukas wasnt sure exactly how strong Min Ha-rin was at that moment. He also didnt know exactly what shed gone through over the past five years.

Though their conversation had stretched over an hour, it still wasnt enough to fully convey the hardships and desperation shed experienced.

At that moment, Min Ha-rin even thought about showing him her status window.

[Min Ha-rin]

[Level: 67]

[Title: Snow Flower, Great Mages Disciple, Untamed Survivor, Champion of the Arena, One who has witnessed Five Islands]

[Occupation: Magic Swordsman]

[Race: Human]

[Skills: Magic(Lv.7), Swordsmanship(Lv.8), Magical Swordsmanship(Lv.5), Superior Toughness(Lv.5), Adaptability(Lv.4), Untamed Killing Intent(Lv.6), Fire Resistance(Lv.3), Poison Resistance(Lv.5), Survival Skills(Lv.6), Cooking(Lv.5)]

In this world, level signifies ones overall strength.

When she first arrived, Min Ha-rin had only been level 27, but now, it had been raised by 40.

That wasnt all.

Her magic level was now 7-stars, she had regained part of her former swordsmanship ability, and her magical swordsmanship was near perfection.

In addition, she had many skills that would all play a role, large or small, in the fight.

On the other hand, what did Lukas have?

His 7 star magic was all.

That was why Min Ha-rin was concerned.

if I were to win

Would it be a form of disrespect to her master?

Would it affect their relationship and cause things to become awkward?

Nevertheless, these worries all vanished a few moments later.

Piht-

Because Lukas disappeared.

Min Ha-rins eyes narrowed in an instant, her gaze sharpening.

Blink.

It was a spell that could be used to cross a short distance.

For a 7 star Wizard, covering the distance between them was something that could be done in an instant. But Lukas didnt come directly to her location. As if to test the waters, he was slowly covering the distance by a series of Blinks.

No. Rather than that.

He is closing the distance to a Magic Swordsman?

She couldnt understand.

For Wizards, it was common to fight from a distance, and in a limited area like the arena, it would be even more difficult to maintain that distance. But now, Lukas was doing the exact opposite of that.

Was he trying to catch her off guard?

If that was the case, then Min Ha-rin felt that Lukas was looking down on her too much.

The calmness that had been developed over thousands of life and death battles wasnt something that could be shaken by a simple unexpected situation.

Paht!

Deciding to stop hesitating, she drew her sword and rushed towards him.

She had a vague understanding of the intervals and distance traveled with each Blink, so she felt she could predict it.

Every 0.7 to 1 second, he would move a distance of about seven steps.

He must be up to something.

But there was no way that she, a Magic Swordsman, would avoid a close combat opportunity with a Wizard.

Min Ha-rin swung her sword after predicting when Lukas would appear with his next Blink. The Scarlet Killament, a sword made from the fang of a mutant Dragonling, released an intense burst of heat as it rushed forward.

Piht!

And just as she predicted, Lukas appeared. While performing his blink, Min Ha-rin had suddenly appeared in front of him, but there was no change to his expression.

Shik.

Then Lukas disappeared again.

Only this time, it wasnt Blink. Instead, Lukas moved so quickly that it seemed like his entire body had disappeared. He crouched down as low as he could, before shooting up like a spring.

Paak!

!?

Subsequently, Lukas fist struck Min Ha-rins face.

Min Ha-rin stumbled backward, a drop of blood rolling from her nose.

There is a saying that making the first move leads to victory.

Then she heard Lukas soft voice.

But making the first move is not always enough. Only when the first move is successful can your victory be assured. In battle, the most important aspect is the initiative, and your ability to control the fight.

Ugh

Min Ha-rin finally regained her balance. Lukas physical abilities were unexpected, but that was only because it was a surprise attack. It wasnt at a level where she couldnt even react to it.

Min Ha-rin silently cast a Magic Missile.

In an instant, five Magic Missiles charged towards Lukas, each one aiming for a different vital point. Even though her mind had been shaken and she was in pain, her aim was still accurate.

Nevertheless, it still wasnt enough.

Bang bang bang!

The Magic Missiles all exploded without even being able to touch Lukas. This was because they were blocked by Energy Bolts that suddenly appeared from behind Lukas.

No.

Not suddenly.

It was clear that this spell had been cast beforehand, it was just that he hadnt used them.

He had probably cast it while using Blink.

Right. The reason he hadnt immediately closed the distance between them with Blink was that he was casting Energy Bolt as well.

I didnt think enough.

Shed never stopped to wonder why he was using Blink so many times.

Min Ha-rin swung her sword and struck an Energy Bolt that was rushing towards her. But that spell wasnt the only one.

Clang clang clang!

Each and every one of them was only a weak spell.

Just like Magic Missile, Energy Bolt could only be considered a 1-3 star spell.

Nevertheless, if the number reached tens or hundreds, with each one targeting a vital spot, then it was a different story altogether.

Kuk!

Min Ha-rin grunted as she constantly swung her sword at the incoming spells. But Lukas didnt let up. He continued to pressure Min Ha-rin with his fists, feet, and sometimes even his head, making sure to always keep a close distance.

I cant think.

Min Ha-rin bit her lip.

She had completely lost the initiative.

One second.

If he had just one second, she was sure that she could regain her composure and change this situation, but she couldnt find any gaps. Weak spells continued to bombard her as though a dozen Wizards were supporting Lukas.

Nevertheless, she couldnt ignore them. No matter how weak these spells were, they were still powerful enough to break skin and damage blood vessels. The only areas Lukas kept aiming for were her vital points.

It was only then that she finally realised.

The period where she had the highest chance of winning had already passed.

Its different.

Different from fighting the Dragonlings or the Fighters.

Lukas fighting style completely shattered her prejudice against Wizards.

There were some similarities with her own occupation, Magic Swordsman, in that it made use of both magic and martial arts, but that was it.

In the end, Magic Swordsmen were nothing more than humans who used two different skills. In other words, if they focused on magic, then swordsmanship was simply a support, and if they focused on swordsmanship, then magic was the support.

But that wasnt the case for Lukas.

He was using magic and martial arts simultaneously, almost as if he had two brains.

While this might sound simple, such a task was incredibly complicated. Even the most intelligent humans might not be able to replicate such a scene. To put it into more understandable terms, it was more difficult than drawing ten different pictures with each of your ten fingers.