The novice attacked at once, but the blow he struck was so slow and clumsy that even with Arran's diminished strength, he easily deflected it. A moment later, Arran's blade came to a stop against the novice's throat.
Arran was stunned. He had defeated his opponent in a single attack, and with such ease that it almost seemed impossible.
The novice looked no less stunned than Arran. "How did you…"
"Pathetic," Tuya said. Then, she extended her hand toward the novice. "Pay up. One Essence Crystal."
"Pay up? But I thought…"
As the novice fruitlessly tried to escape Tuya's extortion, Arran found himself bewildered at what just happened. By all rights, he should have been defeated easily — even if the novice was slow and clumsy, he was still far stronger than Arran.
Yet somehow, Arran's every movement had been frighteningly accurate, with a level of control that was completely new to him.
