Chapter 217 — Test of Mettle

Chapter 217: Chapter 217 — Test of Mettle

Chapter 217 — Test of Mettle

The Graveborn carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the manor.

Victor and Zack stepped out, and the moment Victor got a proper look at the estate from up close, he realized his earlier estimate had been completely wrong.

The mansion was enormous.

From the entrance, he’d thought it was perhaps two or three football fields wide. Standing directly in front of it, it somehow seemed even larger.

And the mansion wasn’t the entire estate.

Several other buildings stretched out behind it. Farther back, Victor could make out what appeared to be a private market, along with barracks, beast stables, farmland, and several other structures he couldn’t identify from this distance. People moved between them along paved roads, making the entire estate feel less like a private residence and more like a small town.

Just how far does this place stretch?

Victor turned toward the sparring field and saw Daniel already heading toward them.

"Ah! Victor! Zacky!"

Daniel approached with his usual smile.

"You finally made it."

"Thank you for having us," Victor said.

Daniel laughed. "Dinner won’t be ready for a while, and we’re not having any serious discussions until we eat."

He gestured toward the sparring field.

"Why don’t we head over there for a bit?"

"Okay. No worries."

The three started walking, with Victor following slightly behind Daniel.

Now that he was seeing him without all the armor he’d worn in Basement Level Five, Victor realized just how large the man actually was. Daniel was tall, with broad shoulders, thick arms, and a powerful build that made it obvious he’d spent years training his body.

At the same time, there was nothing brutish about his appearance.

His red coat was well-fitted and elegant, his sword rested comfortably at his side, and his bright red hair had been tied neatly into a ponytail. Everything about him made his status as a noble obvious.

Yet that strange charisma remained.

There was something about Daniel that made him easy to talk to.

Victor still hadn’t decided whether he liked that.

They reached the sparring field, where two men were already fighting.

Victor quickly estimated their cultivation. One was around Rank Four Spirit Gathering, while the other was Rank Five. The Rank Four fighter used a longsword, while his opponent fought with a spear.

The swordsman rushed forward and swept his blade low, aiming for the spearman’s legs.

The spearman jumped over it.

While still in the air, he twisted his weapon around and brought the butt of the spear down.

Thud!

It struck the swordsman directly in the forehead, sending him stumbling backward.

Victor raised an eyebrow.

The spearman almost looked like he was playing with him.

Daniel laughed.

"Justin! Quit messing around and finish it already. We have a guest."

Justin glanced toward them.

"At once."

Something in his posture changed.

He shot forward before the swordsman had fully recovered and drove a kick into his stomach. The man stumbled backward, and before he could regain his footing, the shaft of Justin’s spear slammed into his temple.

His eyes rolled back.

He collapsed unconscious.

Victor stared at him.

That’s a spar?

For some reason, it reminded him of the Lava Rock Monkeys. They’d had a similar understanding of what constituted friendly training.

Apparently, knocking someone unconscious was perfectly acceptable here too.

Victor couldn’t help smiling slightly as Justin grabbed his unconscious opponent and dragged him away as though nothing unusual had happened.

Daniel turned toward Victor.

"So, Victor."

Victor immediately became suspicious of the smile on his face.

"There’s something we do at the Graveborn estate before a guest is allowed inside for dinner."

"And what’s that?"

Daniel’s smile widened.

"We test your mettle."

He gestured toward the field.

"See how you handle yourself in a spar."

Daniel stepped closer.

"What do you say? Fancy a quick one?"

Victor glanced toward Zack, who gave him a small nod.

He hadn’t come here expecting to fight. Part of him didn’t want to. He was here to investigate Daniel and the Graveborn family, not entertain them.

But another part of him was already getting excited.

Over time, Victor had slowly been forced to accept something about himself.

He enjoyed fighting.

A lot.

Maybe it was cultivation. Maybe constantly risking his life had changed him. Perhaps it even had something to do with the Black Phoenix bloodline.

Victor didn’t know.

But whenever someone offered him a real fight, something inside him came alive.

And Daniel was Rank Eight Spirit Gathering, far above Victor’s Rank Two. Even if Daniel suppressed himself, Victor was curious to see how large the gap between their actual fighting abilities would be.

"All right."

Victor smiled.

"Let’s do it."

Daniel laughed. "Good!"

He stepped toward the sparring field.

"I’ll suppress my cultivation to Rank Two Spirit Gathering. No techniques."

Victor considered the terms for a moment.

"Works for me."

They entered the field, and several people nearby stopped what they were doing to watch.

Victor moved into position.

Then, without thinking about it, he bowed.

Daniel paused.

So did Zack.

Victor immediately realized what he’d done.

The gesture had become natural during his time with the Lava Rock Monkey clan, but humans in the Tower didn’t share that tradition.

Daniel’s eyes lingered on him for a moment.

Victor straightened.

Whatever.

"Ready?" he asked.

Daniel’s smile returned.

"Ready."

Neither drew a weapon.

This would be hand-to-hand combat.

Victor was perfectly fine with that.

For several seconds, neither of them moved. A faint breeze passed across the field, carrying the distant sounds of footsteps, beasts, and quiet conversation from around the estate.

Daniel stood loose and relaxed.

Victor watched his shoulders, hips, and feet.

Then he stepped forward and exploded into motion.

Daniel’s expression changed.

Victor closed the distance almost instantly and sent a fist toward his face.

Daniel blocked it, but Victor’s second punch was already coming.

Then the third.

Daniel stepped backward as Victor continued pressing him, the surprise on his face obvious.

Victor wasn’t fighting like a fourteen-year-old.

His fundamentals had been sharpened through months of training with Monkaster, followed by real battles where a single mistake could mean death. His stance remained stable, his movements tight, and very little energy was wasted.

Daniel threw a punch.

Victor shifted his head aside, letting the fist pass his cheek before immediately countering with two quick jabs.

Daniel moved backward.

Victor followed, stepped in, and swept his leg low.

Daniel jumped over it.

Exactly as Victor wanted.

The moment Daniel’s feet left the ground, Victor jumped after him. His body twisted in the air, and a spinning kick slammed directly into Daniel’s stomach.

BANG!

Daniel flew sideways and struck the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

The sparring field went quiet.

Victor landed smoothly.

Daniel rolled forward and pushed himself back onto his feet. He looked down at his stomach, then back at Victor.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

But there was something different about it now.

Daniel had expected him to be good.

He hadn’t expected this.

Victor could see the interest growing in his eyes, and that told him everything he needed to know.

So that’s what this is.

This wasn’t simply some Graveborn tradition.

Or at least, that wasn’t the only reason Daniel had suggested it.

He was testing Victor.

He wanted to know what Victor could do.

Victor understood that perfectly, but he wasn’t particularly worried. His fighting ability wasn’t something that directly proved he’d been to the Sanctuary.

There was no reason to hold back.

Daniel rushed forward again.

Faster this time.

His elbow came spinning toward Victor’s face. Victor raised his arm and blocked it, feeling the impact travel through his shoulder.

Daniel immediately followed with a punch.

Victor slipped aside.

Another punch came from the opposite direction, followed by a kick toward his ribs.

Victor stepped back just far enough for it to miss.

Daniel didn’t give him room to breathe.

Punches, elbows, knees, and kicks came from different angles, but Victor remained controlled as he blocked, dodged, and countered whenever an opening appeared.

Still, something had changed.

Daniel wasn’t smiling quite as casually anymore.

He began slipping feints into his attacks, changing his rhythm and attacking from awkward angles as he tested Victor’s reactions.

Victor caught on almost immediately.

So he changed too.

He stopped chasing the openings Daniel wanted him to see.

A punch came toward his face.

Victor started to move, then stopped.

Daniel’s other fist swept through the exact space Victor would have entered.

Their eyes met.

Daniel smiled.

Victor returned it.

Neither needed to say anything.

The spar continued.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Sweat gathered along Victor’s forehead, and his breathing grew heavier, but Daniel still wasn’t overwhelming him. Even with his cultivation suppressed, however, the man’s experience was obvious.

Every few exchanges, Victor noticed something new—a slight change in stance, a delayed strike, an opening that was actually a trap.

Daniel was learning him.

Victor knew it.

So he kept changing.

A combination he’d used twice never appeared a third time. When Daniel adjusted to his footwork, Victor altered his rhythm. When Daniel started anticipating his counters, Victor stopped countering.

Neither man was simply fighting anymore.

They were studying each other.

From the side of the field, Zack watched in silence.

His expression had slowly changed as the spar continued.

Six months ago, Victor had struggled against Alex. Zack remembered that clearly.

Now he was watching an entirely different fighter.

Cultivation could explain his speed, strength, and endurance. It couldn’t explain his timing or how naturally he read attacks. And it certainly couldn’t explain how a boy who had struggled to fight properly six months ago was now exchanging blows with Daniel Graveborn as though he’d been doing it for years.

Another piece had been added to the puzzle.

Somehow, Victor made even less sense than before.

On the field, Daniel threw another punch.

Victor redirected it and immediately countered.

Daniel blocked.

Victor attacked again.

Nearly twenty minutes into the fight, Daniel finally jumped backward and raised both hands.

"That’s enough!"

Victor stopped.

His chest rose and fell steadily, and sweat ran down the side of his face, but his eyes remained fixed on Daniel.

If anything, he looked slightly disappointed that it was over.

Daniel stared at him for a moment before laughing.

The boy looked like he could keep going.

He shook his head and walked forward.

"You’re something else, Victor."

Victor smiled.

Daniel extended his hand, and Victor took it.

The friendly smile was still on Daniel’s face, but his eyes remained on Victor a moment longer than necessary.

Victor could almost see the questions turning behind them.

The more Daniel learned about him, the more questions appeared.

Victor released his hand and walked back toward Zack.