Chapter 107: Fight

Zaid stared at him and then pointed to the books. "Did you do that, too?"

This time, it was Luke Shawn who stepped forward to confront him. "I did that."

"On my orders, of course," Kael declared, making it clear who was in charge here.

Zaid nodded. "Did you kidnap John?" he asked.

Kael frowned. "John? Who’s John?"

Luke smirked. "That’s the guy who tried to stand up to me earlier, Mr. Kael," he said, then looked at Zaid. "Kidnap him? I’m just taking him back to where he belongs. That’s all."

Kael knew who he was talking about, though he didn’t care.

"I see. Property damage, emotional distress to my friend, and kidnapping as well... That comes at a high price. Where do you want to start?"

Kael’s eyes widened; though his expression was mocking, his tone of voice turned to anger. It was the first time this guy had ever defied him.

"A little freighter dares to talk to me like that..." Kael raised his hand and grabbed Zaid by the collar.

Zaid leaped a step back just before he was grabbed, stepping out of his reach. "You want to fight? Kid, I think you’re forgetting who the big brother is here," he sneered.

Kael’s hand froze in midair. He wondered how this guy had managed to dodge him, but he smiled coldly.

"Well... I like that. A little freighter dares to challenge me—I think this is the first time. I want to see what you’re capable of." Kael shoved Luke Shawn aside to take control. "If you manage to withstand or dodge three of my blows, I’ll pay for all the damage."

His footsteps were heavy, but Zaid just laughed.

He told Erick to stay back and waited for Kael.

’If I make this guy hate me, that juicy Rank B talent of his will be mine at a very low cost,’ he thought.

Even with what he had now, he could buy it.

But to do that, he needed to win here.

Kael stepped on a piece of debris, and it shattered beneath his feet. His left hand struck Zaid in the stomach. Although he was no martial arts expert, his movement was extraordinary, and his speed far exceeded Zaid’s.

The blow cut through the air without losing any of its power. It sent strong gusts of wind flying in all directions, but it missed its target.

Zaid took a step to the side and nimbly moved into a more advantageous position. ’I thought he’d be stronger, but it seems he’s a Rank D.’

In a way, it made sense. Kael is only 16; in another four years, he’ll surely be a Rank B, if things go well for him.

But this was something Zaid was grateful for.

Kael was surprised by the well-executed move, but instead of pausing to think, he became even more frantic.

"Why are you running away, you little bastard?" he roared, leaping toward him and slamming into the ground in the process.

Zaid spun around and dodged the attack with ease, but this time he took the opportunity to strike back. His blows were light, but well-placed. Even Kael found it difficult to move his arms.

After the second attack, Kael didn’t strike back immediately.

"A freighter can’t do that," he said.

He wasn’t the only one surprised.

Luke, Jackson... even Erick.

They were all in shock.

Did the academy’s weakest fighter dodge two blows from Kael, the genius of the Zachary Family?

Erick got excited... "Come on, Zaid, keep it up! You just need one more!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

Kael ignored him. He stared intently at Zaid from head to toe and widened his eyes.

"You... You really did manage to awaken."

He looked at the floor. Although Zaid had tried to hide his power—and succeeded—there were still traces on the floor showing that his power had increased dramatically as he moved, leaving some strange grooves that would be difficult to make in concrete.

Zaid didn’t answer. In any case, it didn’t matter whether they knew it or not—they were always going to give him trouble.

But his silence and the evidence beneath his feet served as confirmation for Kael.

"How...?" Although he wanted to ask, he noticed his heart was racing, so he calmed himself down, and once again his cold demeanor came to the surface. "I’ll take you to your family. You’re awake? Good—your family will be happy to hear that." He sneered.

Zaid scoffed. "Family? What family? I don’t have a family."

"We’ll see about that." A thin, pointed crimson spear materialized in his hand. At that moment, the energy around him shifted dramatically. "This is the final attack. If you manage to dodge it, I’ll pay for everything," he declared.

Zaid frowned... ’Blood Spear... So he plans to use his Primary Talent.’

That was troubling. And he wasn’t the only one surprised.

Luke, Shawn, and Jackson exchanged glances. It was the first time Kael had ever had to use his talent to win a battle. Had Zaid—that Zachary scum—really awakened?

Kael quickly pulled his sword back and, with the tip pointing forward, swung it in a horizontal arc. A beam of reddish light formed around the swing, covering the entire room. It was so powerful that Erick, Luke, and Jackson had to shield themselves.

Zaid stood defenseless before him...

Yet his eyes stared intently at the power.

’If this hits me, it’ll break several of my bones.’ The attack was deliberately aimed at the chest, because Kael knew he couldn’t kill him by breaking his neck. He was also more likely to hit the chest.

It was a planned move.

Despite that, Zaid smiled gently."

’After seeing those reformed talents in the shop, I wondered if my talent might also have something I don’t know about... That snake said it was able to create a loop because it stole some of my time, and that snake is my Scavenger. Can I do something like that?’ he asked himself.

Maybe he couldn’t create a loop... but his talent did have some hidden aspects. Not just his father’s and brothers’.

[Scavenger has been upgraded to Rank C]

[Talent: Scavenger – Rank C]

| Talent Type: Soul Talent.

| Concept: Devourer.

| Talent Effect: You can process Monster Essence and Primordial Essence from the corpses of beasts that have been killed by others within a 1-hour timeframe.

| Concept Effect: You can devour small fractions of your present time in specific situations such as: Attacks. Attempts at deception. Negotiations, etc. The stolen time can be added to an action or a circumstance.

[]