Chương 186

The training ring set up in the basement of the Guild Hall was a large area carved directly into the rocky foundation. Smears of blood and other fluids were visible all around, and while the place was kept in enough condition to be usable, it was clear that it belonged to a much rougher faction than the Sanctum. The sounds of disgust coming from behind him confirmed how right he had been in that judgment.

"Moon Mother, it smells worse than the stables!" Luna whined, and Orion could see that even Pauline and Dorian, who were more resilient, were wrinkling their noses at the state of the facilities. The crowd that followed them was not as sanguine about it, hollering bets at each other and teasing Red Mane for challenging a little kid.

The promise of violence was enough to attract the adventurers like moths to a flame, and the entire guild population had poured into the basement, filling almost every empty space around the ring and leaving just enough room for the Sanctum's contingent, which was oddly considerate. Then again, these people probably do this enough to have established rules for it.

"Fifty bronze coins on Red Mane!" a dwarf shouted, waving a tankard.

"The boy looks like a stiff breeze would knock him over."

"Fifty bronze? Come on, live a little!" another shouted, pulling out two silver coins.

"I'll bet two silvers on Red Mane. A good warrior never loses against a mage." More bets came in after that, some higher, some lower, but it was clear that most of the spectators believed he was headed for a quick humbling. Once, that would have been enough to anger him, but he now possessed the ability to analyze the situation calmly. Some of them have dismissed me entirely, but others have noticed Pauline, even her rank, and still chose to bet against me.

That means either I still look like a baby, which I suppose is possible for rough and tumble folks like these, or that this Red Mane isn't just all talk. Fortunately, he could solve that mystery fairly quickly. [Kaelen "Red Mane" — Ironbreaker] Class: [Totem Ravager] [C-rank] Level: 84 Body: 381 Mind: 98 Attunement: 65 Traits: [Momentum Engine] [C-rank]; [Berserker's Rage] [C-rank]; Internal Mana Manipulation [D-rank] And there was his answer.

Red Mane was a tier two warrior, so technically still within Orion's means, but his Body score was high enough that if he got hit once, he'd be toast. And that wasn't all. His Mind and Attunement were lower, clearly not his focus, but still high enough to be noticeable. I guess there's a reason he's still alive as an adventurer at his age. I need to stay out of a melee fight, or he'll just steamroll me.

As things stood, he'd need to adapt his usual strategy because he seriously doubted he could withstand everything the guy would throw at him, and he still lacked a good option between low-power Tier One spells and overpowered ones like [Gamma Ray]. I'll need to see how resilient almost four hundred points in Body makes him before I break out [Gravity Cannon], but this might not be all that bad. I needed a fight to test a few ideas I had anyway.

"Get to your position," the receptionist said loudly enough to quiet the rowdy crowd. Red Mane gave him one last assessing look, probably noticing that Orion wasn't particularly intimidated even now, before taking his place, and he followed shortly after. The receptionist took one last look at them both before raising and then lowering her hand.

"Begin!" she shouted, hopping behind the ring line as a ward flickered to life. For a man of his size, Red Mane's speed was startling. He exploded forward, kicking up a spray of dust, and closed the distance between them in an instant. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The iron axe he'd grabbed from the stands, blunt though it might have been, was still swinging at full speed, aimed at Orion's midsection. If that hit, he would pay for it.

It was a combination designed to end the fight instantly, and against a typical mage, it would have succeeded. They would have panicked, tried to cast a shield, and their defenses would have been broken by the overwhelming kinetic force. Just as the axe was about to connect, Orion triggered a modified burst of [Cruising Flight]. Suddenly, he was free from gravity and friction, meaning he only had to jump, aided by the same energy Red Mane was using for his blow, to fly back.

The axe whooshed through the space he had occupied a fraction of a second before, and Orion drifted five feet to the right, hovering just inches above the ground. A few strands of white hair drifted where he'd just been, as Red Mane adjusted the trajectory mid-blow to try and land even a glancing attack, but he wasn't fast enough.

Still, the man didn't stumble, using the momentum of the miss to spin around, turning the failed strike into a backhand swing with the haft of the axe, leaping toward him with the force of it. It was the attack of a man who knew exactly how to wield his weapon and body to be as deadly as possible, and although his goal wasn't to kill Orion, he clearly aimed to humble him.

"[-g]." The spell was just a whisper, but it still took hold quickly enough to once again stymie Red Mane. The axe struck the invisible wall of warped gravity. It didn't halt but slowed significantly, like moving through molasses, and the sudden deceleration disrupted his rhythm. Orion then did something he knew would get him a scolding. He closed the distance, ignoring all principles of magical combat, and charged into Red Mane's guard while the man was struggling with the heavy axe.

Placing his hand on the plate, he cast [Gravity Cannon], directing the spell matrix to target the entire artifact. A dull roar echoed through the room as Red Mane was knocked off his feet and flung backward, flying twenty feet through the air before crashing into the ward, which flickered under the strain. The crowd gasped, clearly surprised that such a reversal was even possible, but Orion knew it wasn't over yet. Red Mane groaned and shook his head, but he still pushed himself out of the debris, his grin gone.

His eyes focused now, the playful look replaced by a piercing glare.

"Alright," he grunted, rolling his shoulders. A red aura began to steam off his skin, indicating that his [Berserker's Rage] was activating.

"You've got some tricks. Let's see how you handle this." He slammed his foot into the ground, causing the sandy floor to ripple like water as a shockwave tore through the ground and air, aiming to knock Orion off his flight spell. Shifting higher was the work of a moment, but it soon became clear he had only played into his opponent's favor, because he saw the axe spinning toward him a moment later, forcing him to drop back down and tank a portion of the shockwave.

Orion was knocked back just as he had done to his opponent, but he managed to regain control mid-flight, reorienting himself enough to avoid crashing into the wards. By the time he looked up, mildly dazed from the blow, Red Mane was already moving, closing in with his bare hands, aiming to grapple. If he caught up, no magic would save Orion from being crushed. His mind raced, weighing his options. He could throw a flashbang, but Red Mane might just swing blindly.

He could use a more powerful spell, but that risked causing lethal damage. Not one to give up easily, he pointed his index finger directly at the leather strap holding the other's breastplate together.

"[Null Laser]," he muttered, throttling the power as much as possible. A thin, sickly grey beam of light hissed from his fingertip, hitting the reinforced leather buckle, and the material simply vanished, its molecular bonds breaking instantly. The breastplate, now unsupported, slid down Red Mane's torso, tangling his legs mid-charge. The big man stumbled, losing his balance, and Orion decided to take full advantage of that by casting his gravity spell again, this time on himself.

He spun on his heel, channeling the mana into his right leg, and although he wasn't a martial artist, with a Body stat of thirty-seven and enough mass to match a tank, even for just a moment, he didn't need to be. He swept Red Mane's legs out from underneath him, feeling enough resistance to wonder if he had actually succeeded in casting his spell, but a moment later, he was through, and the man was flipping in the air. Before the adventurer could scramble up, Orion was on him.

He didn't try to grapple, knowing he would lose, and instead placed his knee on the center of Red Mane's back and pressed the tip of his finger against the base of the man's skull, channeling [Infinite Laser] to make it glow with enough heat to warn him off any sudden movement.

"Yield," Orion said. His voice wasn't loud, but in the sudden silence, it felt like a shout. Red Mane froze. He could feel the pressure building at the back of his neck, the sheer density of the mana threatening to spear through him. He tried to push up, but Orion increased the gravity on his own knee, pinning the giant down with the weight of an anvil. For a moment, he wondered whether he would actually have to shoot.

The man would probably survive it with just some bad burns, given his Body score, but that didn't mean he wanted to escalate things, especially since he needed the man's knowledge. Then, Red Mane tapped the ground. Orion dispelled the spell instantly. The heavy burden lifted, and he rose, extending a hand to the fallen man. Red Mane rolled over, spitting out a mouthful of sand. He looked at Orion's outstretched hand and up at his face. Then, a bark of laughter burst from his chest.

"Hah!" Red Mane grasped Orion's hand, his grip like a vice, and hauled himself up.

"By the heavens, lad! I felt like I was fighting a greased eel." He dusted off his pants, seemingly unconcerned by the loss, then pointed to his fallen breastplate.

"And that... that was nasty. Expensive, too. You owe me a beer for the repair."

"I'll buy you two," Orion promised, relieved that the man wasn't holding a grudge. Red Mane grinned, slapping Orion on the shoulder hard enough to make him stagger.

"Deal! A mage who can take a hit and dish it out without running away? I can respect that." The receptionist quickly regained her composure, stepping back into the ring and waving to attract everyone's attention.

"The show's over, you vultures! Pay up the debts you've accumulated, or you might find a bounty with your name on it!" Groans and the clinking of coins filled the air as bets were settled. Red Mane turned back to Orion, his expression sobering slightly.

"You fought well," he said, lowering his voice.

"You wanted to know about the girl, Selene, right?" Orion nodded.

"I spoke to her about two hours ago," Kaelen said, picking up his axe.

"She came in looking for a specific contract. Something nobody else wanted to touch because it's tedious and dangerous."

"Which one?"

"The Blind Man's Bluff," Red Mane said, his eyes serious.

"It's a water-logged cavern system out by the western peaks, near the Horned Lake. It's said it used to be a smuggler's den, but it was flooded more than a century ago by an angry witch." Orion frowned.

"What's in there?"

"That's the thing," Red Mane said, scratching his beard.

"Usually, it's just giant eels and crabs. But lately, there have been strange reports, and a few people who had quests around those parts have gone missing. The Guild put a low-level bounty on investigating the source. I offered to go with her, but she only wanted the info. Paid well for it, too."