This burly man radiating a savage aura made Kraugel feel genuinely threatened—the sheer pressure of his Magus stabbed through the air...
[ Report ]
[ I can confirm that the aura you're sensing is「Lord Ambition」]
"So there's no other choice, huh..."
"Kwhaahaha! That's exactly how we should be—think fast, think simple, and never make a mistake." — Elkin
In the blink of an eye, he gave a swift hand signal to the dozens of white-armored beast knights, ordering them to form a wide circle. Edora stepped inside the circle as well... Meanwhile, from between the spectators, Gumi and Elova watched the fight unfold.
"Papa's definitely gonna win, hehehe~!" — Elova
"What are you saying?! My Master's the one who's gonna win, just wait and see!"
"Nee~ Gumi, why do you call that man your Master? Did you make some kind of contract with him or something?" — Elova
"Eh? Hmm... nope, not at all. I call him Master because he saved me. And my mom told me I should devote myself to anyone who saves me. Besides, Master's super strong, hehehe."
The battle begins... Kraugel and Elkin stood just a few meters apart. Then, Elkin opened his mouth.
"Relax. This isn't a death match or anything like that." — Elkin
[ Master ]
[ I recommend extending the duration of this battle slightly ]
[ I will now begin the skill-copying process via「Greed」]
Got it! I'm counting on you, Hermit!
[ Slowness ]
[ Haste ]
[ Gigantification ]
[ Hardening ]
[ Rabbit Foot ]
[ Indomitability ]
Kraugel immediately activated multiple buffs and debuffs, aiming to gain a decisive edge—but it seems fate had other plans for him...
"Ora-ora-ora-ora!"
A few rounds of blows exchanged. But midway through, Kraugel was being pummeled one-sidedly by Elkin...
"Why so quiet?! Come on, lift your arms and fight me already!"
This guy... his stance is solid enough to be called a proper defense. Is he... a natural-born fighter? — Elkin
Each punch landed squarely on Kraugel's arms, with shockwaves causing pain to ripple through his legs and shoulders too.
This bastard... he's playing around with his fists, but for some reason, the power behind them isn't letting up one bit..!
"Alright then, let's crank up the difficulty just a bit!"
Elkin's hands began to radiate torrents of magic. At that moment, Hermit's voice echoed in Kraugel's mind—he had to avoid that incoming attack no matter what, or he'd suffer wounds he couldn't afford.
[ Haste ]
[ Haste ]
[ Haste ]!
Elkin launched a barrage of direct blows. Kraugel narrowly dodged each one by a hair's breadth. Still, the close proximity caused his formal suit and shirt—after surviving so much—to finally get shredded...
[ Process Complete ]
[ Extra Skill – Magus Fluctuations successfully acquired ]
Nice... but what exactly does this skill do, Hermit..?
Kraugel kept dodging the barrage of heavy punches, trying to understand the nature of the skill he just acquired.
[ This skill converts Magus into physical power. ]
[ For example, like when that tiger-woman transformed into her full beast form. ]
[ She burned her Magus into Strength, boosting her physical might depending on how much Magus was converted. ]
[ In your special case, I'll remove several buff skills to match the skill requirement and discard unnecessary ones. Do I have your permission? ]
Yeah, yeah—just hurry up already!
The flow surged. In the middle of battle, Kraugel activated the skill, converting a quarter of his magical power into raw Strength. A crushing pressure emanated from his gaze alone...
Hermit had converted my Gigantification, Haste, Hardening, Rabbit Foot, and Indomitability... and for some reason, I don't feel the slightest regret...
Hoooh~ would you look at this guy? He managed to learn [ Magus Fluctuations ] right in the middle of combat. Fuhahaha! Dammit, looks like my hunch was right—he's definitely a natural-born fighter!
With the next blow, Kraugel could feel himself strong enough to take it. He executed his grab-and-knee strike combo from before—but since Elkin's neck was too firm to pull down, Kraugel ended up leaping up and smashing his knee directly into Elkin's nose.
Brak!~
A scrape formed on Elkin's face. All the beast knights and Elova stood frozen with jaws dropped...
"Y-Y-Your Majesty!" — Edora
"Keh...kHeheh... Kahahahaha! Dammit—you actually landed a hit! Did you just make up that move?!" — Elkin
Eh? What's he going on about? Being too honest never ends well... (at least in my experience with office life).
"Something like that. Why do you ask?"
Kraugel replied, still keeping his stance, hands raised, ready for more.
"Kwahahaha! I, Beast King Elkin La Feldray, officially recognize you as someone worthy of dealing with my faction—Jurrazia!"
Everyone, including Gumi, erupted into cheers, claps, and loud whistles. Elkin slowly approached Kraugel and gave his left shoulder a firm pat from the front.
"Kwahaha! You really are a natural-born fighter! I think you'll make a fine candidate!" — Elkin
"Candidate for what exactly?"
"No need to think about that now. You'll know when the time comes. For now, just take this!"
Elkin handed over a golden plaque, engraved with the emblem of a lion's head—its right eye marked with a deep slash...
"Eh? This is—"
"That's a premium token. With it, you'll have access to my palace in Jurrazia. One day, come and claim your true reward. Judging by those shabby, inflexible clothes you're wearing, they're probably holding you back, huh?" — Elkin
He's right. This suit's been a hassle. It only held up 'cause I didn't move much with a sword, and before this, I was mostly using lightning skills...
"Then I'll gratefully accept. Thank you, Lord Elkin."
"Kwahaha! Don't be so stiff! You think this is some royal ceremony or something? Just call me Bro!"
He shouted it loud enough that some of the soldiers flinched, while Edora's face instantly turned bright red...
This guy... the more I see him, the more I'm convinced—he's seriously unhinged...
"Alright then, Bro. I'll come visit someday. Be ready for me! I still have some business to take care of in the West. So I'll be going now."
Kraugel left the battle circle, taking Gumi with him as they returned to where they came from...
That guy... he's got potential. I wonder if Eugo would be interested...— Elkin
"Your Majesty?" — Edora
"Kwahaha! You two, get on—we're heading back. That fight made me hungry!" — Elkin
"Yayyy~!" — Elova
The group boarded the previous carriage once again, followed by the dozens of beast knights trailing behind...