Axel made the first move against the oppressor by dashing forward, with his arm all ready to swing a punch, but his opponent was ready as well.
Although, Axel's plan wasn't to land a successful hit. His plan was to miss. He intentionally pulled back his punch and as just as expected, the other guy ducked and emerged on the other side.
Axel was a smart fighter, he had to be, especially when he had no clue what ability this guy possessed or how strong he was because his collar tag was turned off.
'Crap… I have no idea who I'm picking a fight with' The unsettling thought crawled at the back of Axel's mind. The oppressors tag was unfortunately turned off. Axel couldn't see his level.
He obviously didn't predict this because normally, collar tags had to stay on at all times, broadcasting each student's level for safety and fairness.
He hadn't imagined anyone would have the guts or the arrogance, to walk around or fight with theirs off.
Axel, However, had his on display, for his opponent to see. Big mistake.
"Ha! Pathetic," His opponent mocked, staring at his tag. "A weak Lumina 3 like yourself is picking a fight with me? I wonder where you weak asses are getting balls from. Don't worry, I'll make you run back to your supplier with your tail between your legs."
The student pounded his fists together as he prepared for a fight.
Axel knew this guy wasn't just bluffing for nothing. He would need to be at a higher level compared to Axel to sound so confident.
Confidence like that only came when you know your opponent was beneath you.
"Pl–please man!" The other student, Kyle, who was being bullied earlier pleaded from behind Axel. "I don't know you and I don't need you fighting for me."
'Thanks for your concern but I'm not really here for you.' Axel thought grimly.
That was true, Axel was here for the level up he was promised, not heroic acts. But Kyle didn't know that.
"He's going to break your bones, He is a Lumina 5." Kyle revealed, his voice cracked just saying the words.
"Come on Kyle," The other student chuckled darkly. "You didn't have to tell him that, but no matter…I'll break his bones either way." The other student bragged.
'Lumina 5?! Damnit! I wished someone warned me earlier!''
Axel's mind spiralled at the thought of going up against someone like that, but even with this knowledge, he still refused to back down. He already started the fight so screw it, he might as well finish it.
Axel noticed something though, it was obvious that this guy had the upper hand because he was stronger, but yet, even with all his bragging, he refused to make the first move. He was practically inviting Axel to attack first.
'He wants me to attack? That's irresponsible but whatever. Fine.'
Axel lunged again, this time leading with his knee. It was aimed straight at the student's jaw. Fast and precise.
But the moment before impact, something happened.
The student's skin rippled, like liquid metal solidifying. His veins darkened and a dark liquid went from his neck down his arms, like a black sheen crawling across his body. Within a blink, his entire form had transformed into something metallic and rough textured.
The instant Axel's knee connected…
*Crack!*
Pain shot through his thighs from his kneecap.
"Argh!! Goddamit!!!"
[-5 HP.]
[Warning! System has detected a minor fracture to the Knee…]
[...]
Luckily a fractured knee was all he got from that.
'GODDAMNIT! 5 HP?'
Axel thought as he staggered back, clutching his knee. It felt like he'd just rammed it into a wall of solid steel.
The student grinned and as spoke, his voice carried a deep metallic sound.
"You like it? My ability is called Carbon Skin. Turns my body into solid graphite, denser than steel, harder than rock. You can hit all you want, but you'll just end up breaking yourself first."
Axel winced, sweat dripping down his temple as he steadied himself, then he thought about it.
'Graphite…'
He had heard of defensive type abilities, but this... this was insane. No wonder the guy was so confident.
'He wasn't joking when he said he was going to break my bones….I thought it was a figure of speech…'
A figure of speech wasn't going to help Axel at the moment if he didn't figure out a way out of this.
For the first time in the match, Axel realized this wouldn't just be about strength. He would need to outthink him, or he was royally and utterly screwed…
***
Axel gritted his teeth, trying not to show the pain in his leg. The guy in front of him stood still, his whole body was still dark and rough like he was carved out of black rock.
Every little movement made a scraping sound, like sandpaper rubbing together.
"Come on," the graphite guy taunted, tapping his chest with a dull thunk. "Hit me again."
Axel didn't move. His knee was still throbbing, and he knew another direct hit would shatter it. He had to think. Graphite, yeah, it was hard, but what else? He had seen something like this once on one of those old movies he used to watch.
Graphite wasn't invincible!
'It's hard, but it cracks under pressure… or heat. It can't handle both at once.'
Axel had no fire ability, nothing like that. But he had something else, a bit of speed. He could use momentum. If he couldn't break the surface, he could target what wasn't fully covered yet.
The student rushed forward suddenly, throwing a heavy punch.
Axel barely dodged it, the fist smashed into the ground with a loud crack. Bits of stone flew up where the impact landed.
'He's strong… but slow when he's like that,' Axel thought. 'That coating makes him heavy.'
Axel ducked under another swing, then another. It was a good thing Axel took fighting lessons when he was young because by now, he would have been badly bruised
However, each hit that missed him wasn't entirely fruitless, the shockwave that came from the air from the strikes was enough to sting his skin.
[-1 HP]
[-1 HP]
The guy laughed the whole time because he was enjoying every second of it.
"Stand still! You can't dodge forever!" the student yelled, charging again.
Axel sidestepped and kicked his ankle. It barely made a sound. His foot bounced off like he just kicked a boulder. The student barely flinched.
"Damn it," Axel hissed, jumping back before the next punch came.
He needed a weak spot, somewhere the graphite didn't cover properly. His eyes scanned quickly, the neck, maybe? The eyes? Then he saw it:
Fine cracks forming along the student's arms, tiny lines that shimmered when the light hit them.
'There it is. The armor's strong, but it's not stable if he keeps moving that fast.'
An idea clicked in Axel's mind as he paused for a moment.
'I need to distract him with something'
Axel looked at the ground, it was broken and covered in dust, then he looked back at his opponent.
'It can work..'
It was a risky idea, but it was all he had at the moment. He knew if he didn't use his intelligence, he would lose…
***