A man in his thirties, dressed in skin-tight leather armor. Judging from the curves of his body and the fit of the armor, it was probably a custom-made object of fine value. The bulges of his solid muscles were faintly visible beneath the gaps in his armor. His hand, as large as half of Li Lin's face, somehow managed to grip the tail end of the horsewhip. His bald head, glistening under the sunlight, music shining with a menacing sheen, stood between Li Lin and Nieder Steward. The scars crisscrossing his face twisted into a grotesque smile of contempt, presenting a terrifying countenance.
"Don't get too cocky, boy."
The sudden appearance of the bald man and his hoarse voice, similar to a cat toying with its prey, rubbed on the nerves of everyone present except the conflicting parties, spreading a shivering chill amongst the crowd.
Anthony Joly: A bodyguard, a thug, a bully... and part-time professional killer.
Those who have seen the traumatic image of a person being ripped in half could never rid the splattered blood, protruding organs, nauseating stench, and the scream that seemed to tear both the air and the heart from their memories. The sight of the bold head reflecting the oily sunlight and the cold smirk left behind bloodstains. The horrific image buried in their memories was automatically revived, leaving a sour taste, shattering everyone's good mood, ultimately haunting the sleep of the witnesses in their nightmares.
"Ripper" Anthony Joly, a notorious mad dog under Francois Monet, was a nightmare representing "terror" and "death" in the eyes of people doing business in the market.
"The Nieder steward is a gentleman known for his polite speech. It appears that you, boy, do not prefer to play along, do you?"
The straining whip made a squeaky sound, a distressing creak that undoubtedly indicated the increasing tension at both ends of the whip nearing the whip's maximum stretch limit.
"To be honest, neither do I prefer to negotiate through words."
With a flippant voice contrary to his ferocious face that created an eerie discord, the moment the audience got distracted, Joly, who had grabbed the whip, was no longer standing at his original position. With the reactive force from thrusting his bulky body towards the ground, the unchanging pulling force at the other end of the whip amplified his speed and impact.
Smartly using the principle of a slingshot, his enormous body was hurled directly at Li Lin like a stone shot by a catapult. With a force sufficient to shatter a teenager's skull stored within a fist as large as a baby's head, this force when combined with the strength of the entire body's muscles and the speed of body movement. There was no doubt in his mind that once he lands his punch, the boy's head will shatter with a pleasing "crack," spraying brain matter and blood all around. A dreadful grin crossed his face at the thought of killing him so fast that he won't have time to react or utter his last words, while his brain matter and the grey matter splashed across the corridor.
As the distorted fantasy of the pleasure similar to nun's pleasure began to grow clearer, Joly anticipated the intoxicating thrill with a tingling sensation, he swung his murderous fist, just like he had done numerous times before.
His fist indeed made contact with flesh, but the gruesome spectacle that Joly yearned for did not appear. Young yet thriving words incongruous with the bald man, pricked his nerves, scratching his eardrums.
"Yo, mister. Haven't we done anything to warrant killing?"
Standing in front of Joly, a body more substantial, muscular, and proportionate than some adults blocked his path. His left palm held the fist that had destroyed numerous skulls and limbs. Behind the stand-off between palm and fist, the carefree young man showed his white teeth, smiling fearlessly at the beater.
"Boy, are you in a hurry to benefit from my guidance?"
The brown pupils danced with malice, had a gaze could become physical, there would undoubtedly be numerous blades pointing towards Thor in the air.
"Ah... that... Mister, my mother always reminded me to be polite and amiable."
"Huh? What are you trying to say? Are you going to complain to your mother and get me a lecture?"
"But my mother also told me - 'Don't be courteous with a scumbag, beat him up!'."
The fist slicing through the air was aimed directly at the scarred face. The experienced middle-aged beater raised his left hand as Thor lifted his shoulder, and his open palm intercepted the boy's punch like a flash. As he was about to ridicule the boy's presumption, an unexpected force struck his palm, the quick compression towards the cheek, and before his surprise set in, his left arm put in more strength to resist the unusually powerful force, finally his fist stopped just before his palm hit his cheek.
"Don't underestimate adults! Boy!!!!!!!!!!"
Like a beast whose meal had been disturbed, Joly roared in anger as his body underwent a drastic transformation the moment the "switch" was turned on. His dark skin began to glow with a dim red light, and his muscles swelled rapidly as if they had been injected with something. Unlike the slack, lifeless meat filled with water, the overly defined muscle lines left one speechless. The fist that Thor had been pushing back little by little proved that those muscles had indeed increased in strength.
Incredulous surprise appeared on the faces of the elf. A "Wisdom Species" capable of competing with Thor in terms of strength — apart from Li Lin, who defied categorization, they witnessed its existence, yet they could not comprehend the clearly unnatural mutations on that human's body.
The opposing muscles and bones made a creaking sound. The ground, bearing the weight and the reaction forces of the waists and hips of two powerhouses, slightly sunk.
"What are you slacking off for! You fool, Thor, if you lose to that bald idiot, I won't forgive you!!!"
Freya jumped onto the carriage railing and shouted loudly. Whether it could be considered cheering is something better left unquestioned...
"Who are you calling ...!!!!!!!!!"
Stimulated by the peculiar encouragement, Thor turned beet red, his forehead's thick blood vessels pulsating in a dramatic fashion, as if it was about to burst open the next moment and splash boiling blood.
Under a dignity overwhelming enough to suppress a bear, his muscles bulged unusually, so much so that his physique almost left human boundaries. His regressed arms were pushed back again.
"You fool ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In response to the counter-encouragement (?), his strength multiplied several folds. The heavyset body of the middle-aged man could no longer stand its ground. Despite the shadow of a huge rock sweeping over Nieder and the thugs, the dull thud and thick smoke clouds resulted from the collision blurred the silhouette of the man who bore close resemblance to a dangerous species.
The intense blush had become the dominant color on his face due to his overexertion, and his heavy breathing took in the much-needed oxygen to replenish his stamina. His alert eyes were locked onto the spot filled with smoke and dust.
The second confrontation with a foe beyond his understanding caused not only a massive adrenaline rush, but also revealed something that he had never experienced while sparring with Li Lin.
The savage breaths, the feeling of heat and cold sticking to his skin, the sharp pain - it was the aura of dangerous species within the valley, fighting for survival or resisting to their last breath. His human adversaries radiated a discordant, mad strangeness.
When a human crosses the line of legal rules, ethical morals, and every boundary, their malice and killing intent are a thousand times more dangerous than a hungry wild beast. For the first time, Thor, who had always been at harmony with nature, was confronted with the negative aspects of human society. The dark aura, conflicting yet somehow aligning with the law of survival in the natural jungle, made Thor feel uncomfortable. Coupled with his opponent's sudden change in physique and the corresponding increase in strength, Thor was left confused. Opting against further pursuit, he focused on recovering his strength while calmly assessing his opponent's next move.
The young elf's experience in combat was still somewhat shallow. Whether he was executing an assassin or wrestling with an advanced combatant, the ultimate goal was to put the opponent down, but the details of the operation had significant differences. The unfamiliar battlefield and the need to conceal his identity constrained Thor's power and courage.
From the very beginning, this fight posed too many disadvantages for Thor.
Luckily, there was someone on the scene who could correct Thor's course and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
"Well done."
Along with the sensation on his shoulder, Thor received a gentle encouragement.
"Let me handle the rest."
Li Lin's tone and smile were so calm it was impossible to discern his intentions. His undisputed statement made Thor glance at his unchanged smiling face and squint his brows. With a childlike huff, he muttered:
"I haven't lost yet."
"This isn't about winning or losing, or about saving face. It's simply too boring and unfair for you to keep entangling with a constantly cheating coward."
"Hey, kid, have you noticed?"
The abrasive metallic sound of the heavily-armed man disrupted the conversation between the young men. His shiny, bald head emerged from the slowly settling dust; his scarred face wore an arrogant smile. The physical force that Thor had demonstrated seemed to have done no harm to Anthony Joly.
If a large dangerous species were to suffer the same impact from being thrown and landing, it would most likely lose its ability to move temporarily. But a human who, obviously, had never learned or applied the technique of ukemi (Note: a set of techniques one can use to land safely when thrown) stood up as if nothing had happened and quickly prepared for the next attack – this was by no means a "normal phenomenon".
"An 'Enhancement Series' of magic or instruments?"
With the help of the knowledge of magics he learned from the Black Dragon, the young man, now wearing a mocking grin, revealed the truth of the anomaly under everyone's gaze.
The bald man, whose secret was exposed, didn't show any sign of disgrace or regret. Instead, his foolish smile deepened.
"So, you can perceive mana, huh? I never expected a hillbilly like you to have the ability to sense mana. I used to think that only retches like elves and pigs couldn't perceive and utilize such a great power!"
"You bastard...!!!"
No matter how well-mannered, as an elf, one could not stay quiet and be insulted along with his entire race. The young men around the carriage tensed up, their weapons, gripped in their hands, revealing a glimpse of bloodthirsty fangs.
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Interlude Commentary Time:
Nidhogg: Hello everyone! I am Nidhogg the scholarly Black Dragon! I'll represent everyone and ask your questions!
Li Lin: Pretending to be cute can't disguise your hundreds of years, Nidhogg.
Nidhogg: No way! No way! No way! Could you, please, explain to us, Master Li Lin, what is ukemi?
Li Lin: Simply put, when thrown by an opponent, ukemi allows you to use your momentum to reduce the impact, preventing injury from falling on rocks or uneven ground, while quickly recovering to a combat-ready position. That's what ukemi is.
Nidhogg: That sounds awesome! Are there any key points to it?
Li Lin: There are many techniques for ukemi, such as side roll, back flip and technically, the "koi-fish belly flop" is also a form of ukemi. Practicing ukemi in everyday life, such as in basketball, can minimize injuries. Of course, it is most commonly used in martial arts training as a technique to avoid injury when you are the "punching bag".
Nidhogg: Thank you for explaining, Master Li Lin!