Thwack!
"Oof!"
A painful blow to his face. The world turned upside down for Sir Neumann.
What just happened?
He was dazed at that moment. But it didn't last long.
Sir Neumann quickly recovered himself and immediately figured out the predicament he was in.
Okay. He blocked my attack. And not only that, he struck back at me! Is this for real?
Time seemed to have slowed down.
He saw the drops of blood slowly flying in the air. It was his that came out of his mouth.
That's when he realized that his mouth felt numb. The blow must have busted his mouth.
That punk did that to me?
Crack! Sir Neumann found himself gritting his teeth.
He quickly moved, spreading his legs wide to get a stable footing.
He lowered his back just in time to avoid falling to the ground.
"Ahhh!" As soon as he balanced his body, he shouted out loud.
Then, he drew out the mana from his manaheart. It spread all over his body. Feeling the energy coming back to him, he pulled his sword to his embrace and wielded it high.
It was his counterattack. But it was immediately blocked again. Clang!
"Oh, would you look at that? You attack right away. I did the same to Sir Ulrich the last time, and it completely knocked him out."
"Grrrā¦!"
The wide shovel head was blocking the long sword.
But Sir Neumann wasn't going to give up.
He shifted the movement of the sword when he saw that the attack didn't work.
He took a step forward and gave his sword a twist.
Clatter! The sword and shovel clanged noisily as the two metals hit.
Time to lose your shovel!
Just then, Sir Neumann immediately devised a plan in his head.
He would hard press his sword against the shovel. Next, he'd rotate it twice and give a strong jerk just in time for Lloyd to lose the shovel. Next, he would trip Lloyd in the leg to the ground.
He thought it was a surefire method to neutralize Lloyd.
But he failed to realize one important truth in life, and that was that everyone had a brilliant plan until they were destroyed.
"Tsk. Are you trying to neutralize me? Nice try," Lloyd said defiantly.
Clatter! Just as soon as Lloyd finished speaking, the sword and shovel froze midair.
To be more technically correct, it was Lloyd who willed the shovel to stop, which made the sword halt, too, as a result.
Then something happened. The powers in Sir Neumann's manaheart started to get sucked out like a tide.
His power flowed out from the manaheart down to his arms and to his swordā¦
And it streamed from the sword to the shovel just like a liquid flows along with the straw into one's mouth, like the way the spilled water gets soaked in the dry tissue.
Sir Neumann's mana was getting sucked out of his body into Lloyd's shovel.
"What is this?!"
Frightened, Sir Neumann attempted to pull his sword back in a hurry. But he couldn't pull it away.
He found himself moving slower than usual because he couldn't use his mana.
It was as if he had become an ordinary civilian at that moment.
While this was happening to Sir Neumann, Lloyd charged toward Sir Neumann at a speed only a low-level sword expert could have.
"I am so relieved," Lloyd muttered under his breath.
"...!"
Zoom! With that, Lloyd simply and easily narrowed the distance with Sir Neumann.
"You!"
Sir Neumann essayed to brandish his sword with the sheath on.
But Lloyd was faster. Swish!
"...!"
Sir Neumann glanced at the shovel handle coming in his direction.
And a second later, he felt a searing pain in his nose. Crack!
"Ack!"
Did my nose break? He wondered to himself.
He couldn't open his eyes because of the searing pain around his nose.
He involuntarily took three steps back, staggering.
Lloyd didn't stop there. Feeling more tenacious, he charged forth.
"I was a bit worried actually," Lloyd said nonchalantly. "I've never tested whether a single circle can take the mana of a low-level sword expert."
"Arggh!" Sir Neuman shrieked and frantically swung his sword down.
It was his way of counterattacking. He felt a tad portion of his mana restore at that second.
But Lloyd defended the attack with his shovel in a breeze, and despair clouded over Sir Neumann's face again.
The tiny bit of mana left in the sword got sucked into the shovel once more!
This is nuts!
Wham! Lloyd swung his mana charged shovel and slapped Sir Neumann in the face.
His face jolted to the side, blinding his vision.
Such a thing had never happened before.
Sir Neumann had never imagined that this was even possible in real life.
That punk isā¦ absorbing my manaā¦
Sir Neumann was starting to understand what was happening.
But that pitted him into much further dismay.
How can he absorb another person's mana? And how can he use it as hisā¦? How???
He felt cheated. It was unfair.
But he was no quitter.
He struggled to get back to his feet and continued to attack him. But it was in vain.
The more he struggled, the more concerned he became.
Must be confused, eh? I'm sure you can't wrap your head around this. That's why you're losing. You spent the last month goofing around, simply being overly confident that you're going to win. But I didn't! Lloyd thought to himself.
In the past month, Lloyd strictly analyzed the opponent he was going up against.
He predicted all the possibilities in the duel.
He covered everything, from A to Z, to ensure that he would win.
And now, he was seeing the fruits of his efforts.
Clang! Thwack! The shovel nimbly moved in his hands just within the right distance.
It didn't leave his line of balance.
He moved just enough as he defended the incoming blows of Sir Neumann.
Just then, his left foot moved forward. He then stretched out of his shovel head. Next, with a simple jerk of his wrist, he slapped Sir Neumann in the face with the back of his shovel.
Lloyd's heart pounded like it had never pounded before.
It was possible because of the mana circle formed around his heart.
Ziiing!
The first weapon Lloyd was equipped with for the duel was the mana circle, which he formed using the Asrahan Core Technique.
The mana circle fiercely rotated around his heart, using his opponent's mana as fuel.
The rotation around his heart caused it to pump more violently.
The organ pumped fresh blood to all the organs in an explosive manner.
The blood was mixed with the mana emanated from the mana circle.
So this is the power of the single circle.
It was truly amazing. Lloyd hadn't expected it to be this powerful.
He imagined that it would only lightly weaken Sir Neumann after absorbing his mana. But it did more than that. The power in his body far exceeded his expectations.
It allowed Lloyd to use Sir Neumann's power without any difficulty.
Sword experts are amazing.
Lloyd felt like he had become a superhuman.
He realized how powerful knights like Sir Neumann were.
So the second weapon Lloyd prepared was a steel shovel.
Clang! Clatter!
The steel shoved forcefully moved in his hands, blocking Sir Neumann's swinging sword.
His shovel looked like a shield attached to a javelin.
People may laugh at the weapon, but shovels are amazing tools.
Anybody who used the shovel in the military knew how useful the tool was.
It was more than useful.
If you found small weed roots while digging, you just simply had to hold the shovel straight and scoop them up. One swing was enough to pluck small bushes and roots.
It was like an ax in that sense.
There's more. Lloyd was aware that shovels were historically useful weapons in wars.
It was used in the gruesome trench warfare on the Western Front of World War I. Shovels were widely used even in the battle of Stalingrad in the 2nd World War.
They came in handy during the hand-to-hand combats. One powerful swing was enough to slice a helmet in half and crack your opponent's skull.
Aside from these, the item was used in various ways.
The shovel head can be used as a shield because of its width. And you can lock the opponent's weapon with its base and pull it hard. The sharp point of the head can be used as a spear. And you know what happens if you hold it upside down and stand on the shovel head? You can make it into a pogo stick!
The shovel was a truly versatile tool, and Lloyd was a master at handling the item.
It was his trustworthy companion when he became a pet to a senior rank in the military.
It was always there for him, even when he was in construction earning his tuition.
That was how familiar he was with it.
And on top of that, he created new talent skills with the RP he recently amassed.
That was his third weapon.
The Tool Apprenticeship Skill: (Shovel), which he had spent a grand total of 40 RP to gain.
Ding Dong!
[Tool Artisanship Skill: (Shovel) has been activated.]
[The tool and I are one! Today's all about shoveling!]
[Skill Level: 1]
[When using the shovel, you use 10% less of your stamina.]
[Shovel movement speed has increased by 5%]
[Shovel power has increased by 5%]
[Your chances of the shovel slipping from your hands have decreased by 20%]
The shovel was his go-to tool, and the skill enabled him to use it more efficiently.
So this third weapon was perfect for him.
And my fourth and last weapon is this.
Clang! Clatter! Lloyd brandished his shovel again, impeccably parrying the thrust of his opponent.
The shovel moved only as far as Lloyd's line of balance in his body.
Each movement was simple, brief, and measured. It couldn't get any more efficient and practical.
Unbeknownst to everyone present at the scene, Lloyd was using a skill that went perfectly with the shovel. It was the bayonet exercise any military men and women would be familiar with.
Whoosh! Clang! Thwack! Crack!
Lloyd moved aside and stabbed toward the right.
Sir Neumann retreated as he brandished his sword.
Lloyd defended his lower. And he engaged.
When Sir Neumann stepped back, Lloyd easily stepped forth.
He swiveled to the left and held his shovel straight in defense.
At the same time, he kicked Sir Neumann in the crotch.
When he saw his opponent get flustered, he knocked him in the temple with the shovel handle.
Bam!
"Argh!" Sir Neumann staggered back.
Lloyd smiled, panting for air.
It's working. The bayonet exercise.
Contrary to popular belief, the exercise wasn't useless.
It was believed to be useless because it had become so common in the military. But its origin dated back to the short sword technique from Europe in the 18th century. With that foundation, the old technique was mixed with boxing steps. And eventually, after the two World Wars and then Korean War, the exercise was reborn with much more finesse.
So, in short, it was actually a practical combat exercise.
And you see, it goes perfectly with the shovel!
Lloyd had seen a plethora of his comrades exercise with shovels. Actually, he was one of them.
And he added the basics of sword fighting he'd learned from Javier into it.
The result was amazing.
The mana circle of the Asrahan Core Technique.
The versatile steel shovel.
The apprenticeship skill that let him get used to shoveling.
The practical bayonet exercise mixed with Javier's teachings.
All these four power weapons Lloyd had prepared for the duel created a dynamic synergy.
It worked to unilaterally dominate and crush Sir Neumann, who had walked into the duel unprepared.
"Arggh!"
Thwack! Sir Neumann staggered when the handle hit him in the temple.
But he wasn't spared a second to fall down.
Lloyd leaped forward andā¦
Thwack! He smacked Sir Neumann's waist with the flat surface of the shovel.
And not enough with that, he struck down the latter's soles with the pointy edge of the shovel. Smack!
"Ackā¦!!!" Sir Neumann was beginning to lose it.
He fought back, only to get his mana absorbed.
Then came the strange shovel throwing unpredictable attacks one after another.
Lloyd's maneuver with the shovel felt too easy in his eyes.
And each of his movements was clear-cut and precise, never giving time for a counterattack.
This is not happening!
Anger surged in his heart. It blew his fuse.
Most of the people in the fiefdom were gathered here watching the fight.
And he was getting beat by a rookie. Making things worse, he was getting crushed by someone who was holding a shovel
Iām going to kill him. I'm going to kill him!
Just then, Sir Neumannās eyes gleamed with dark bloodthirst.
He didnāt give a damn whether this was a duel.
The rookie who humiliated him in front of everyone had to be punished. He needed to end this bastard by any means.
Accidents happen all the time!
A simple thrust of the sword may pierce into a heart.
A random brandishing of the sword may slash oneās neck.
It happened on a regular basis.
And even if such things were to happen in this duel, Sir Neumann was confident that he would be exonerated.
This fiefdom is going to go under soon anyway. I'm just going to leave this rathole earlier than scheduled! A new master and I'll be living in riches! Who cares about an accident that happens in a duel? What could I do? Itās a duel, for goodness sake! They canāt punish me.
His mind was set. After the duel, heād go into hiding. He would just need to leave this fiefdom earlier than planned and go find a new master.
Once the plan materialized in his head, Sir Neumann tightened his grip around the sword.
Then, he brought his hand to the sheath.
He pulled it out. Swish!
The long sword that was encased in the sheath revealed its sharp blade. And without any second of hesitation, it charged in the direction of Lloyd. It aimed at his heart.
āAhhh!!ā
This attack was more menacing than the others, and it was intended to kill.
The audience shrilled in surprise.
Baron Frontera sprang to his feet in surprise.
But Lloyd was composed.
Ha. So what if you pull your sword out?
He did feel the murderous vibe Sir Neumann gave off.
But no matter, he thought to himself. His attack was laughably slow.
And the many blows prior to this moment had sapped him of much energy.
He may be carrying an extraordinary sword, but Lloyd was way too agile and stronger to let this pathetic attack get to him.
Lloyd had already anticipated that Sir Neumann would opt for violence.
I've been waiting for you to do this.
Clatter! The steel shovel calmly parried.
And the weapons were in a bind, just like Sir Neumann tried to do a while ago.
Clang! Clang! The two weapons hit and pressed against each other.
Lloyd suddenly tugged and took the sword. He wrenched it off.
āEh...?ā
Swish! The long sword was hurled in the air.
It dug into the earth ten steps away from them.
ā...ā
Silence fell over the training center. Hundreds of people gazed at the sight in shock.
Sir Neumann had lost his sword, and Lloyd was pointing at his face with the shovel.
Lloyd, however, wasn't done here.
āYou think the battle will end if you space out? Hm?ā
ā...!ā
Thwack!
Everyone's eyes slowly traced the shovel being lifted high in the air.
The shovel then descended at lighting speed to strike the face of Sir Neumann.
Was Lloyd striking the opponent to blow off some steam?
No, he wasnāt.
Iām just getting started now.
Lloyd was bent on taking out the spoiled apple from the barrel. He was going to cut the problem at its roots.
First, I need this traitor to confess.
Lloyd's eyes flashed with anger as they stared at Sir Neumann.
