Under the pressure August glanced in the direction where Leopold and his lackeys were, seeing three of them unconscious, noting the foam emanating from Leopold's mouth.
'What is this pressure?' August wondered.
"Aurora, go inside the beast space," he instructed, allowing Aurora to retreat to his beast space.
'It's coming from behind me; it feels like a beast is staring at me,' he muttered, feeling the approaching presence and the mounting pressure.
'Is it some kind of mana?' he pondered.
'Who would have that much mana to release like this?' he questioned further, baffled by the immense power.
'Let's try something out,' he decided, gradually releasing his mana from his core, enveloping and strengthening his body to resist the pressure.
After gaining some resilience to the pressure, he moved swiftly, leaping forward until the pressure eased, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, when he glanced back at the source, shock washed over him.
"It's that bald man from the counter," August remembered, recognizing the imposing figure who had granted him a week-long pass.
Unaware that he had spoken aloud, August noticed the man's forehead vein bulge in response to being called the "bald man."
"You're quite adept at controlling your mana to resist my pressure," the man said, his voice tinged with irritation.
"Do you understand that fighting here without permission is not allowed? You're supposed to obtain authorization for a duel," the man stated, arms folded across his chest.
"Yes, I know," August replied.
"So, why did all four of you fight?" the man pressed.
"It was just a friendly duel," August lied through his teeth.
"You claim that engulfing the entire room with poison is part of a friendly duel?" The man's eyes twitched at August's lie.
"We're newly awakened beast tamers, so mistakes are inevitable," August explained.
The man's eyes twitched even more at August's words.
'I shouldn't provoke him any further,' August thought, as he observed the ominous black energy emanating from the man, as if he was going to erupt like a volcano.
Crack! "So, that's it? How about this: if you can withstand my one punch, I'll let you go without any penalties," the man proposed, cracking his knuckles.
"Hell no, do you think I'm stupid? I don't want to die young," August shot back, instinctively taking a step back.
"So, you agree then. Let's get started. Be prepared," the man declared, tightening his fist and adopting a combat stance, one leg forward and one arm back.
"When did I ever agree to this?" August questioned, but the man pressed on, undeterred.
'Damn, this crazy bald head isn't backing down,' August cursed silently.
"Enough of this nonsense," August decided, assuming a combat stance. He concentrated, drawing out all his mana from his core to fortify his body, focusing particularly on his arms. With a swift motion, he drawn his Shadowstrike blade, enveloping the entire blade in shadow mana. This was the blade's Phantom Aura ability, which, due to its hefty mana requirement, he had refrained from using until this moment.
"Now, that's the spirit. Here I come," the man exclaimed, sprinting towards August with such speed that his movements became a blur. A devilish smile stretched across his face.
"Huff," August exhaled sharply as he brought down his blade with all his strength. The collision between the black blade and the fist sent a shockwave rippling through the air, causing August to stumble backward and slide. Desperately, he dug the tip of his blade into the floor to halt his momentum.
"Huff! Huff!" August gasped for breath, feeling the strain of the exertion.
'It's insane how much strength he can muster without even using mana to enhance his body,' August thought, his hand numb from the impact. 'At least my blade didn't break,' he sighed in relief, grateful that his highest-ranking item remained intact.
"I'm genuinely surprised to see you withstand my attack. Though I barely tapped into 10 percent of my power" the man remarked, genuine surprise in his tone.
"Are you ready for round two? I'll use 50 percent of my strength," he grinned, as if he had finally found a worthy opponent.
Hearing that, August felt like his heart skipped a beat, but at the last second, he heard new footsteps approaching.
Bam! A hand sliced down onto the bald man's forehead, as if his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
"John, are you harassing a child?" A beautiful voice emanated from the woman who had just sliced the crazy bald man, though her expression was undeniably intimidating.
"Jenna, I've told you not to hit the back of my head every time you're angry. I might end up becoming stupid," John complained, rubbing his head.
"You're speaking as if there's even a shred of intelligence left in you. Why did you release your mana? Because of that, some people on nearby floors fainted. And here you are, picking a fight with a boy who isn't even half your age. Are you a child who needs caretakers to look after you?" Jenna said in one breath, leaving John speechless and unable to counter her accusations.
August, who had been enjoying the show, received a side-eye from Jenna, prompting him to quickly avert his gaze.
"And you," she continued, her tone firm, "you'll receive a one-month ban for engaging in a fight without permission."
"No, I promised him I'd let him go without any penalty," John declared, standing firmly between Jenna and August.
Observing his resolve, Jenna relented on that issue, but then she dropped a bombshell. "Fine, but you'll be stationed at the front counter for one month from now on," she declared firmly. Upon hearing this, John sulked, clearly unhappy with the consequence.
Pointing at the fainted Leopold and his lackeys, Jenna asked, "Are they your friends?"
"No," August answered without hesitation.
*******
After arriving home, August couldn't shake off thoughts of the fight with Leopold. He realized the battle could have been won swiftly if Aurora possessed a powerful attack ability or a counter to Leopold's beast abilities. 'I should fully utilize the ability extraction feature by extracting beasts with ice elements and reptilian traits for Aurora to enhance her abilities,' he resolved.
After showering and changing, August went to the kitchen to meet his mother.
"Mom, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Ah, Aug? What is it? What's on your mind?"
"I've decided to go to Glacia for at least a week for some training with Aurora."
Sophie grew concerned as thoughts of potential dangers for her child crossed her mind, but seeing his eyes brimming with adventurous spirit brought a smile to her face, reminiscent of her husband's own adventurous gaze.
August noticed the worry in his mother's eyes. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll be fine," he reassured her.
"Hmm, I completely forgot about those recruitment letters from the prestigious academies," Sophie quickly changed the subject, sensing the mood growing somber.
"Send them to me in the mail, I'll look them over on the way," August suggested.