Chapter 1795: Fight Against a Fake Baron

Adam had always known that sooner or later he would have to face the Lords. In fact, on several occasions, at the Dark Shore and the Primal Lands, the Lords had already attacked him. Each time, it was the Lords of the Befallen Crown, as Adam was a key target for them.

Sure, back then he was too weak to defeat them. Even if it had been a 1-on-1 battle against a Baron, Adam still wouldn’t have been able to do anything since he was only at the beginning of the K4 Level and didn’t possess his current abilities or the Dark Energy.

But, after Adam’s journey through the Hollow Lands, albeit an unplanned one, much had changed.

He had achieved much in the Hollow Lands, but the most important thing was his victory over Zin. At the time, Adam hadn’t yet realized how strong his opponent was, since his goal had never been a duel at the Grim Court.

Adam wanted to escape the Hollow Lands, and to do so, he had to become one of the Fangs, at least technically. This could only be achieved through victory at the Grim Court.

However, once the fight began, Adam quickly realized just how dangerous an opponent Zin was, and with every new encounter after that battle, Adam gradually came to fully realize just how strong Zin was overall.

He wasn’t just the strongest Black Threat Monster in the Hollow Lands. He was one of the strongest First Circle Monsters in the entire world.

If Adam defeated him, then Adam was one of the strongest as well. Sure, Adam proved stronger in that battle, but it was a close fight. Adam had to use everything he had to overcome his opponent.

However... whether a person could defeat a Baron was not a test that could be easily verified. If Adam had gone up against a Baron and lost, that would have been the end of his story.

He needed to know if he could fight such dangerous opponents and win.

Strangely enough, Gladius’s offer to spar turned out to be exactly what Adam needed, even though he hadn’t suspected it just a couple of minutes ago.

But did Adam really have any chance at all?

Whoooooosh!

The shards flew away from Gladius’s punch as he slowly pulled his fist out of the wall.

"Alright, that wasn’t my most accurate hit." Gladius shook his hand, cracking his wrist.

Adam narrowed his eyes.

All he could rely on were his body and instincts. Those were the rules of their fight.

’If I wounded Gladius, that means my abilities are strong enough to kill a Baron, but... what’s the point of high damage if you’re slower and weaker, right?’

Step.

Gladius stepped forward, slowly closing in on Adam like a threat.

"Come on, if you just stand there, I’ll have to attack again. Is dodging really all you want to do?" Gladius lifted his chin, looking down at Adam.

Adam clenched his jaw before lunging forward. He darted from one side to the other, moving in a zigzag line.

’He’s right. Even if I can dodge a Baron’s attacks, I have to attack! My fists must be strong enough!’

Suddenly, Adam stopped right in front of Gladius, who hadn’t budged from his spot. It was hard to tell what he was thinking at that moment because of his calm gaze.

Clutch.

Adam clenched his fist tightly, attacking Gladius with all his might.

"Agh?"

However, before his fist could reach Gladius’s chest, Gladius’s hand clamped down on his fist, preventing it from moving.

In this position, an attack was always stronger than a defense if both fighters were on the same level.

The fact that Gladius was able to block Adam’s punch and didn’t even budge showed that Adam was significantly weaker than Gladius. His punch wasn’t executed well enough.

"Not bad, but you could have hit much harder. I’m sure you realize that as well," Gladius said before raising his right arm high.

In a heartbeat, his palm slammed into Adam’s shoulder like a blade.

SHIVER!

A shiver ran down Adam’s spine as he jerked his body away, while Gladius still held his fist in his grip. Adam risked straining his muscles, but he simply couldn’t let Gladius’s palm touch him.

Silvana blinked as Gladius’s palm swept past Adam’s right side, right before his eyes.

The moment Gladius’s palm touched the ground, the great cleave split the stone block in two as dust billowed upward like streams of steam from the pressure.

Adam gulped, fear welling up in his eyes, but he quickly regained control.

’No, I did everything right. I dodged his attack. Now I have to strike back!’

He didn’t try to punch Gladius with his other fist. Instead, Adam jumped up and kicked Gladius right in the head.

For a moment, a smirk appeared on Gladius’s face as he ducked his head, letting Adam’s foot pass over him.

"Good, but you have to-"

Before Gladius could finish, Adam’s knee slammed straight into his jaw, snapping his head back.

Streams of blood gushed from Gladius’s nose as his eyes widened in shock.

Clutch.

Gladius’s fist clenched tightly.

In a high-speed blur, the fist plunged deep into Adam’s stomach, sending him flying to the other end of the arena.

"GHRH!!!" Adam groaned in pain as his back slammed into a solid stone block. It felt as though his back was about to tear apart.

And then... silence fell.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Crimson drops fell to the floor, while Gladius watched the trickles of blood running down his arm.

Soon, he smiled and nodded deeply.

"I think that’s enough."

Gladius raised his head to look at Aiden.

"Anything to say?"

Aiden shifted his gaze to Adam. Like the others, he had been watching their fight with curiosity. Sure, they hadn’t used their abilities, but there was no need for that to gauge their level.

"Yes. Now he’s definitely ready to head to the Gray Sea. Even if you face a Baron, only you will survive out of the two of you, Adam."