The black beetle flying above the sky should have been noticed by now, as it was visually jarring against the bright white sky.
However, no one noticed it, as the people below it were all fixated on the ongoing duel on the training ground.
Storm of Lightning and Sword were about to crash into each other. The spectators held their breath, their eyes locked at the impending clash.
Just like humans, the beetle was also spectating the duel. It flew around until it was satisfied with a spot and locked its position by hovering in the sky.
***
'I could see it.'
'The compound vision of the beetle.'
'The image was blurred, but I could see it!'
'It was slow!'
A beetle could perceive motion five times faster than a human!
Brand had immersed himself in the vision of the beetle. He was now looking from the beetle's perspective.
It was just a hair's breadth moment before Karl's attack landed on his chest.
Karl looked at Brand with eyes full of shock. Brand had closed his eyes, and… grinned!
Karl was confused. He felt a sense of dread that he couldn't afford to ignore. He felt as if Brand was eyeing him like a predator instead of him.
Brand deliberately led his brandishes to converge, and focused its range to intercept Karl's thrust. Each swing of the sword gradually pinning against the trajectory of the spear.
"Was this even possible?!" Karl screamed out the air in his lungs, unable to accept this. This would mean that Brand had a superhuman reflex?
"It's not reflex, it's eyesight," Seraphine exclaimed proudly. As if Brand's achievement was her own.
And then it happened. The sword clashed with the spear. The wooden spear shattered as it touched the tip of the blade, denying the lightning storm that was supposed to carry its weight.
It was as if… the lightning had struck the earth.
Unmoving.
The wooden sword was still intact even after the storm faded. Only a small piece on its tip splintered, turning into a flickering light.
***
"No shit…" Lena cursed while watching. "There was really a lurking master within."
Unlike the other young warriors who only saw storms, Lena could see what happened within the storm. She could see Brand close his eyes and grin at the last moment.
She remembers the grin back in the oasis. Brand could 'see' her palm coming from the top of his head. But the strangest part was that he was calm!
She looked at the expression worn on Karl's face. Yes. It was exactly that, except she managed to hold down her intent.
Karl wasn't as lucky.
All the young warriors who were watching the match gasped in shock. Watching their captain lost was one thing. But the way it happened was peculiar. Brand changed the trajectory of his swings at the last moment.
If they could see Brand closing his eyes during the interception of the attack, they would freak out even more!
Karl just stared at his shattered spear with a blank expression.
Brand didn't approach him. He gave Karl some space. Even the other young warriors were just looking from the sidelines.
Brand quietly cracked his fingers while his fingers were reattached. While he was waiting for Karl to recover, he checked the notifications from his GHOST System.
[You have won against a strong opponent!]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[The world acknowledged your effort. +15 Karma Points.]
[Bonus: + 5 AGI]
"That's nice! Additional stat points!" Seraphine exclaimed.
"The rewards were indeed great." Brand nodded.
After defeating Karl, he leveled up two levels at once. He couldn't level up even after killing so many monsters. The reward of fighting and winning against a stronger opponent was huge.
The rewards were directly proportionate to the difficulty of the adversity faced.
It would be even better if the GHOST System would reward him with a skill as well. But he was content with the current rewards.
Scarab Shell, which he got from the Scarab Swarm's adversity, was such an overpowered skill when he set it up properly in combat.
He was grateful to Seraphine for convincing him to take on the challenge.
But it seemed that even defeating Karl wouldn't earn him an Achievement.
'Let's check the status later.'
Karl walked towards him while cracking his shoulders. He had already recovered.
Brand looked at him and was fascinated by the sight. He couldn't help but feel admiration for the young man in front of him.
Karl was looking at him with eyes full of determination. This was not the expression of a man who had just lost. He was a warrior with a hunger for battle.
He was a well-known prodigy in the tribe, from what Brand gathered through the conversation among the villagers and young warriors.
He earned the title of Captain at such a young age through his effort, talent, and personality.
The other young warriors had come out from the training facility and gathered in the open field to pay respect to both fighters, Brand and Karl.
Their fight left a deep impression on them.
Honestly, Brand felt lucky that the rule of the battle was in his favor
Had it been a real weapon, he would had only after the first clash, left with heavy injuries. He couldn't keep up with his speed at all.
Well, it was thanks to the beetle's vision. Brand made a mental note to himself to experiment on various uses of the beetle in combat later on.
Karl smiled at him, but his eyes were burning with fighting spirit. He seemed to know that Brand had already started doing imagery training on the battle earlier. Just like he did.
"I have lost." He declared, placing his hand on his chest.
Brand followed the custom of the tribe and placed his hand on his chest as well.
"I have gained."
Both warriors had exchanged their greeting, and the others went back to training.
Karl tapped on Brand's shoulder. "Well, it did make sense that you could deflect my attack."
While Brand was wondering, Karl winked at him and left without saying anything, with only a wave goodbye.
Curious with his demeanor, Brand looked behind him. He felt a chill suddenly, or hot instead? He started sweating.