"Sir, are you serious? Even with his power sealed, his experience and mastery of mana are far beyond yours,"
Ekapal said.
"Don't worry. It's not like we're fighting to the death,"
I replied, trying to reassure him.
I needed to test the full extent of my Rank-2 abilities, and NightShade's federation master was the perfect opponent.
"Let's change locations. Ekapal, find a suitable place,"
I suggested.
Before Ekapal could respond, Baksa Boo interrupted.
"We can use our federation's fighting arena."
We got into the NightShade federation master's car and arrived at their federation in just two minutes.
It was conveniently close to our company, which made it ideal for support in case of emergencies.
"This is our federation headquarters,"
Baksa Boo announced.
At first glance, I wasn't impressed.
The building was square-shaped, with chipped walls and uneven ground that gave it a rundown appearance.
I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
But as we stepped inside, my opinion changed.
The interior was spotless and well-maintained, with high ceilings and a sleek, modern elevator.
It was a stark contrast to the outside and left me genuinely impressed.
The inside of the building was completely different from the outside.
It felt like the interior was worth a hundred times more than the exterior.
The elevator stopped on the third floor.
The space was huge, and the view took me by surprise.
At the center of the floor was a large, circular fighting stage.
Surrounding it were raised seats for the audience.
The ceiling was incredibly high, giving the room an open and grand feel.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
I said, unable to hide my excitement.
"I'm not surprised,"
Ekapal replied.
"This is a Gold-graded federation. It must seem less impressive compared to your former workplace."
Ekapal used to work for a Diamond-graded federation, which had to be far grander than this place.
"Boss, you might not know this, but non-combatants like me aren't usually allowed in areas like this. Only high-ranked members get access,"
Ekapal explained, his tone filled with envy.
It was a strict rule in every federation.
Unless you were part of the federation or an official Explorer, you couldn't enter certain areas.
"This is my first time seeing an arena like this,"
I admitted.
"I've only visited public arenas, and they're nowhere near this big."
"This is my first time in a Gold-graded federation too. It's really impressive,"
Ekapal agreed.
I turned my attention to the arena, where two fighters were locked in combat.
One wielded a sword, while the other used a spear.
Both were at Rank-4.
Their movements were so fluid that their attacks looked more like a dance.
The sword user had the upper hand.
"Welcome!"
a deep voice interrupted.
A tall, broad man approached us.
He was in charge of training the federation's new recruits.
Baksa Boo, the federation master, introduced us.
"Why are you here, federation master? I thought you were negotiating with a company,"
the man asked.
"He's the company's boss,"
Baksa Boo replied.
"We're here to borrow the arena."
The man nodded and quickly cleared the fighters from the stage.
People in the crowd began to whisper and glance our way.
"It's the federation master. Do you think that guy is the new recruit?"
"Is the federation master going to fight?"
"Quick, let's record this!"
It was clear Baksa Boo was well-respected.
The crowd made way as we stepped onto the stage.
Baksa Boo and I faced each other in the center.
"For this match, I'll limit my power to Rank-2,"
Baksa Boo announced, extending his hand.
He smiled confidently, as if this was all a game to him.
I readied my sword, determined to give it my all.
The audience murmured among themselves.
"Is the federation master really fighting him?"
"He's probably just Rank-2. The federation master is holding back."
"The difference between Rank-7 and Rank-2 is enormous. Even if the federation master limits himself, he's still way stronger."
"How long do you think it'll last? Ten seconds?"
"No, maybe three seconds."
I stood in the center, waiting for Baksa Boo to make his move.
But he didn't attack.
He just stood there, completely still.
I couldn't believe it.
Was he underestimating me?
I decided not to hold back.
"Shadow Style: Shadow Slash!"
I shouted, sending my attack toward him.
But the attack shattered before it even touched him.
"This is our federation's defensive Skill, Battle Barrier,"
Baksa Boo said proudly, standing with his hands on his hips.
A yellow glow surrounded him.
"Unless you use an extremely strong attack, this barrier will block anything."
I was stunned.
No one had ever blocked my Shadow Slash before, yet Baksa Boo did it effortlessly while using only Rank-2 power.
I wanted to understand how he did it, so I tried again.
"Shadow Style: Shadow Slash!"
This time, I focused on observing him.
Just before my attack hit, Baksa Boo calmly said,
"Battle Barrier: Golden Bell."
-BAM!-
I realized how he was blocking me.
He condensed his mana precisely where my attack was about to hit, strengthening the barrier right before impact.
His skill and experience were incredible.
His mana control was far beyond anything I'd seen before.
"Kid, here I come!"
Baksa shouted as he rushed toward me, his fist glowing with a green aura.
He was definitely a fist user, and blocking his attack wouldn't be easy.
I had to rely on my speed to dodge.
I managed to avoid his punch and swung my sword toward him, but he was faster than me.
He quickly moved to my side and threw another punch.
It was clear that Baksa had a lot of experience in fighting.
He dodged my attacks like he could predict exactly where I would strike.
I had no choice but to back away.
Baksa didn't let up.
His punches came fast and relentless.
I had to use my sword to block most of them, but even that wasn't enough to stop the force of his attacks.
Each hit pushed me further back.
I could feel the impact through my body every time he landed a blow.
Defense was all I could manage at this point.
"This is the end, kid!"
Baksa shouted, raising his fist high.
I could sense the power behind this strike.
He was going all out, and there was no way my sword could block it.
If I tried to defend with my sword, I'd lose.
"Hah… I thought I could win just by relying on my Sword Skill,"
I muttered to myself.
"I underestimated what it means to fight a Rank-7+ warrior. Looks like I have no choice but to use my Cryomancy Skill."
I raised my hand and focused my Ice energy.
"Ice Wall!"
I called out as a thick wall of ice formed in front of me, ready to block Baksa's powerful attack.