Chapter 54: Power Corrupts.

Hie eyes were sharp as he said, “I have to stop taking orders from people. I don’t want to tolerate bosses of any kind any longer. I want to be the boss calling the shots.”

The worm could hardly believe its ears. It couldn’t believe that Alexander was contemplating killing the abnormal being that could read minds and do extraordinary things.

It was speechless for a while. After recovering its senses, it said, “I guess Tessa was right when she beat you yesterday and said you were getting cocky. It seems power is really getting to your head.”

This made Alexander laugh out loud and say, “I guess she was right.”

Behind him, Jessy was wondering why he was laughing. But she kept her inquiry to herself.

Alexander spent a few minutes walking over to the training center. He didn’t notice how much time passed because he was talking with the neighbor in his head.

When he arrived, he saw Robert and Barnabas already training. Robert wore gauntlets and punched a straw dummy. Barnabas swung a hammer against an anvil over and over again.

He walked over to the Small Boss that Tessa introduced him to yesterday and said, “I’m here for training.”

The Small Boss, Lancelot, shook his head and said, “I heard you got into a fight this morning. For such a bad fighter, you sure like to get into scuffles a lot.”

“It makes me wonder if you feel hungry at all. ‘Cause if you feel hungry, you shouldn’t be going around wasting energy on fights.”

The worm immediately said in agreement, “This guy is smart. You should listen to him.”

Alexander ignored the worm and said to Lancelot, “If I become a better fighter, I won’t be injured so much. I will regenerate less, saving me a lot of energy.”

“That’s true,” Lancelot said, nodding. “It is very true that your skills need a lot of work.”

“I saw your fight yesterday. That fellow you fought with was a decent fighter. I bet he has some gang background and can fight.”

“As for you, you were flailing around like a child. You were reactive and clumsy. The only reason you could draw with him was your superior physique.”

“You were stronger and faster. If not for that, you would have been soundly defeated.”

“A draw? I thought I won,” Alexander asked skeptically.

Lancelot rolled his eyes at him as he replied, “It was at best a draw.”

“You had your mouth to his neck, and he was hammering your skull. In a few more blows, he would have cracked your skull open and killed you.”

Shaking his head, Lancelot said, “It would have been a close victory if you snapped this neck and beheaded him. But you were not trying to behead him at all.”

“You were too busy drinking his blood and didn’t even notice that he was about to reach the most vulnerable part of your body,” he said, pointing at his skull.

“If he gained access to your brain, he could crush it, and it would be over for you. So do you still think it was a win for you?”

“You have a point,” Alexander said, conceding begrudgingly.

Then he said, “This is why I need your training. Please, when can we start?”

“Wait a minute. We have some things to go through first. I have some questions for you,” Lancelot said as he watched Robert strike the dummy while prancing about like a deer.

“What do you think is the most important goal of a fight?”

Alexander shrugged as he said, “Winning the fight?”

“That’s right. The goal of a fight is to win the fight and defeat the enemy,” Lancelot said, nodding.

“But what is the goal of a skillful fighter? What is the mark of a skillful fighter?”

“Winning the fight skillfully?” Alexander said.

In response, Lancelot snorted and said, “What makes the fighter skillful, though?”

“They fight well,” Alexander said, giving it another shot.

“I’ll just tell you,” Lancelot said, chuckling.

“The mark of a skillful fighter is efficiency. To fight well is to defeat the enemy with as little effort as possible. I believe that’s why we fight with weapons, not our bare hands.”

“Ah, I see. That makes sense,” Alexander said, nodding in understanding.

Hearing this, Lancelot smiled as he said, “I’m glad that you agree.”

“Not many people believe that to be the case. Some people think that the defining feature of a skillful fighter is one who can defeat the enemy at all costs.”

“They also believe that the purpose of a weapon is to be as destructive as possible,” he said, glaring at the green-skinned Apostles who were training Barnabas.

He didn’t hide his disdain for the other party at all. His voice was dripping with scorn as he said, “That Frank fellow is a brute. His skull is as thick as his club.”

“He lets his weapon wield him and prioritizes the destructive power of weapons. How utterly despicable.”

Alexander struggled not to laugh. He tried and tried, but a chuckle still escaped from his lips.

When Lancelot heard him chuckle, he turned to Alexander and narrowed his eyes. “You do agree with me, right?”

“Of course, I do,” Alexander said immediately, nodding.

He didn’t think that a weapon being as destructive as possible was mutually exclusive with being a skillful fighter. In fact, he was sure that a destructive weapon would help him win the fight with as little effort as possible.

But he had a feeling that Lancelot didn’t want to hear his opinion about this. He also understood that Lancelot prioritized the wielder, while Frank prioritized the weapon. So even though he didn’t care either way, he still told Lancelot what he needed to hear to start the training.

Lancelot scrutinized him for a while longer. Then he went back to looking at the green-skinned Small Boss.

After glaring at his philosophical enemy for a few seconds more, he said, “Since you agree with me. I will train you.”