Chapter 141 Type of combat by the strongest

As they entered the arena, Kai noticed that the Vice-Chairman was nowhere to be seen. However, the man hadn’t been his primary concern in the first place.

He now had two people watching him, one of whom had personally witnessed him fighting the Void Monarch.

The problem was that Kai had never told Adam about his secret ability to temporarily grow stronger in response to threats against his family.

So, yes, he was caught in a rather awkward position.

"What kind of training do you feel would suit you, Hunter?"

Kai didn’t need to think for long before he shrugged.

"I usually go monster hunting whenever I want to train. Traditional gym workouts have never really been my thing."

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had visited a gym regularly for more than three days.

Much like Jean, he wasn’t particularly fond of conventional exercise. Unless there was some excitement involved, he simply couldn’t bring himself to work out.

"Combat training, then?" Adam remarked as a tablet suddenly appeared in his hand.

The entire facility was devoid of furniture, save for the strange-looking equipment and terminals installed at various corners. The arena itself was roughly the size of Kai’s previous house.

"Allow me to introduce you to a Hunter’s favourite toy."

Adam gestured towards a platform a few feet away from Kai.

The floor shifted, and a machine emerged from beneath it.

Standing approximately two and a half metres tall, the machine possessed a humanoid frame, sturdy arms, and surprisingly well-defined facial features.

It looked more like a cyborg than a conventional robot.

"Sir... um, is that a Level-Five bot?" Hannah asked from the side. "Wouldn’t that be a little overwhelming for someone’s first session?"

Kai raised his eyebrows before turning towards Adam.

"Hunter, these training dolls possess natural resistance to elemental attacks. They can withstand and redirect physical blows, converting the absorbed energy into kinetic force. Additionally, they learn their opponent’s movements as the battle progresses. Once they’ve adapted to someone’s fighting style, taking them down becomes considerably more difficult."

He paused before adding, "They’re specifically designed to withstand the extreme training methods of S-rank Hunters."

Kai hummed thoughtfully.

"You won’t mind if I break it, right?"

Adam offered a faint smile before glancing at Hannah, who happened to be looking at him as well.

Strangely enough, both of them seemed considerably more excited than Kai.

"There shouldn’t be any problem with that, Hunter Kai."

Kai nodded.

"Then give me as many as you can."

Adam pursed his lips before activating the remaining fifteen bots.

Soon, all sixteen machines were ready.

Adam and Hannah retreated to a safe distance from the arena, where Kai was already bouncing lightly on his feet, stretching his neck and preparing for the upcoming fight.

"Doesn’t he need any armour?" Hannah wondered aloud.

These machines were nothing like ordinary monsters that charged blindly at their opponents. They could analyse incoming attacks, redirect their force, and gradually adapt to their opponent’s fighting style.

Even Hannah, who was considerably experienced, preferred to face only one at a time. And even then, she needed more than three minutes to defeat a single unit.

It was only natural for her to wonder whether Kai needed some protection.

"He has fought every battle without wearing any," Adam replied with a faint smile.

If the rumours were true, and the account provided by the woman beside him was accurate, this session was going to be quite interesting.

"Are you ready, Hunter Kai?"

Adam called out.

Kai raised his thumb in response.

Taking a deep breath, Adam pressed the Engage button.

All sixteen bots came to life simultaneously.

[Target locked.]

[Engaging.]

Their mechanical voices resonated through the arena.

One of the machines immediately moved towards Kai, approaching from behind.

THUMP!

Hannah flinched as something struck the wall right beside her head.

She instinctively looked down.

A metallic head rolled across the floor and came to a stop near her feet.

It belonged to the very bot that had charged at Kai.

It had been decapitated before it even got the chance to adapt.

Another bot lunged at Kai from the right, a blade forming along its arm.

Kai caught the blade before it could come down on him. He pulled the machine towards himself, seized its face, and...

SCREECH

...ripped it apart.

THUD

The machine collapsed, its faceplate torn away. It continued to twitch and crawl across the ground, barely functional.

Kai dusted off his hands and looked at Adam. "Can you change their difficulty?"

Adam slowly lowered his gaze to the terminal.

Expert Mode.

There was only one difficulty setting left.

The one designed to kill.

Adam turned up the heat, and two bots immediately launched flaming spells at Kai from opposite sides.

The flames converged on him, but before they could engulf him, Kai appeared directly above one of the casters. A familiar sword was already in his hand as he brought it down, cleaving straight through the bot’s skull.

SHLINK

Its front half fell forward, while the rest of its body remained rooted to the spot.

Kai landed on his feet, only for another wave of flames to surge towards him.

"That’s surely going to burn," Adam muttered. Kai had no room to dodge this time.

"I don’t think so..." Hannah murmured, an excited smile spreading across her face.

Kai charged straight through the flames and slid past the bot.

THUD

A moment later, its head rolled off, though the spell continued pouring out for several more seconds.

The remaining bots converged on him, flanking him from both sides.

They wielded advanced weapons and spells, the kind that would put even a veteran warrior to the test.

Kai tilted his head and muttered, "Let’s see what this skill can do."

[Activate Skill: Dash.]

He crouched, and for a brief moment, everything fell silent.

"Huh?"

To Kai, the world had shifted.

But in reality, his Berserk state had amplified Dash to such an absurd degree that everything around him seemed to crawl.