"That's a good fight…" Hayden muttered to himself after he defeated the first opponent of the trial. He had no idea how many opponents he had to defeat but he was starting to get excited.
After all, this was certainly the best method to keep his battle sense awake since he had been living in this quite peacefully.
This was a good training regimen for him!
In any case, he didn't have that much to think about as the battlefield shifted, and the open field was replaced by a dense forest instead.
The area's temperature dropped as Hayden confirmed the changes in his surroundings. Soon, the faint sound of rustling leaves filled the air.
'Am I going to deal with an assassin this time?' Hayden thought as he didn't expect that each trial would have a theme in it.
He originally thought that opponents would just get summoned in the same arena.
"Not so fast…"
Before Hayden could fully adjust, his Lens detected some movement and warned him… At the same time, a figure emerged from the shadows of the forest.
It was an agile, cloaked assassin wielding twin daggers!
The assassin had actually blended perfectly into the environment like a phantom, but his Lens was simply too sensitive. Any type of camouflage could be seen through by this incredible piece of technology. As long as his stamina was not being consumed, he could use his Lens to its full limit!
Thanks to that, there was no way he would miss an ambush aimed at taking his life…
'This one's faster,' Hayden thought as he confirmed that it was indeed stronger than the previous spearman. His Ocularis Lens immediately analyzed the opponent's movements and attack patterns as he did his best to dodge or parry its attack.
Whoosh~
The assassin dashed forward with its daggers aimed to attack his throat and the other was posing to strike his abdomen.
'Come!'
Hayden's past life as a soldier kicked in. He recalled training in close-quarters combat and how to handle agile opponents with knives as their weapons.
This would not defeat him at all!
Furthermore, the Lens also projected the assassin's likely attack patterns, giving Hayden a split-second advantage!
Hayden parried with his sword, but the force from that strike was still strong enough to push him back…
Unfortunately, he still had such a weak body despite not having to worry about his stamina.
The assassin also didn't expect Hayden to be thrown by that stab but it quickly reacted and spun, launching a series of dagger slashes while moving in circles…
'Hmph… You think you can just overwhelm me with attacks now that you know that I'm weaker?' Hayden's movements were extremely calculated dodging the assassin at hair's breadth.
Nonetheless, with the Lens to predict each strike, he was able to counter with minimal effort. Unfortunately, he couldn't heavily injure the Assassin as he could only give some light scratches on its body.
'This is like fighting a ghost,' Hayden mused as he continued to focus on his opponent…
'I should show some opening to catch him off guard.' Hayden thought as he swiftly feigned a stumble, baiting the assassin into overcommitting.
'Great… It still works no matter which world I'm in.' Hayden smirked as the assassin pounced on him. Hayden sidestepped and delivered a swift strike to the back of the opponent's neck with all of his might.
Thud!
Just like that, the assassin dissolved into mist, leaving Hayden alone in the forest.
"Next!" Hayden said as he felt glad that he was not getting tired at all. He wanted to continue battling and ensure that his combat skills would not become rusty at all.
As if he was heard by the Orb of Trial, the forest faded and it was replaced by a rocky canyon.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Hayden then heard the heavy steps of his opponent. His opponent this time was quite massive. He seemed to be an armored gladiator. The person was carrying a towering shield and a spiked mace.
The gladiator's movements were slow but it was simply because it was carrying heavy equipment.
'I can't kill this thing with my weapon.' Hayden thought and just like that, his sword changed.
Its blade even seemed to be made of black iron alloy.
'Ahh…'
An idea immediately popped into his mind as he tried to think of a firearm or something that could make his battle easier.
Unfortunately, the Orb of Trials didn't respond to his thoughts as it seemed that it could only modify his sword.
'Whatever…'
"So, are you waiting for me to attack this time?" Hayden thought. Well, it was definitely possible with how heavy his opponent was.
In any case, Hayden's Ocularis Lens had already started scanning for its possible weaknesses.
Hayden moved around his opponent to observe its full body armor but he just confirmed that the armor was nearly impenetrable…
Nonetheless, his Lens highlighted gaps at the joints and the visor.
Seeing that Hayden was still not attacking even after some time, the gladiator finally moved and charged at him…
'You're getting impatient, huh… Alright.'
As soon as the opponent got closer to Hayden, it started swinging the mace in a wide arc!
Whoosh~
Hayden ducked, and he felt the air when the weapon narrowly missed him.
He rolled to the side and smiled…
'I can't match his strength, but I can outmaneuver him. He's simply too slow…'
Hayden circled the gladiator, using his agility to stay out of reach. The Lens projected the gladiator's attack patterns, allowing Hayden to anticipate each swing.
After a few exchanges, Hayden spotted an opening.
He darted forward, aiming his sword at the gladiator's knee joint.
The strike landed, causing the gladiator to stagger.
Hayden followed up with a thrust to the visor, and the gladiator collapsed, dissolving into mist.
As soon as he defeated this opponent, Headmaster Mensa could no longer keep his calm within his office!