All of them moved to the training grounds. The place looked like a deserted playground with overgrown grass and stuff, but with a press of a button, the scenery changed instantly.

The green field was replaced with a sandy desert. Ashton and Vimur walked inside while the rest of them took seats in the pavilion that was protected by a magic barrier. No matter how strong Vimur and Ashton were, there was no way they would be able to break a barrier that could sustain attacks of tens of A-grade beings. 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘦𝑙．𝑜𝑟𝘨

“I can’t wait to see the kid’s face after he gets defeated by a tank of all things.” Avvo, a blonde female Giholo excitedly watched on as the competitor assumed their positions.

“I don’t like Vimur all that much… But I hope he wins.” Laihud, the healer of the group shyly commented.

Soon all of them began expressing their opinions and none of them believed someone like Ashton would be able to defeat a Rank-7 mercenary. No matter how strong the kid was, Vimur had more experience than him and for a mercenary, the battle experience was the only thing that mattered.

“Alright, you two, listen up.” Mazton made an announcement, “Since the operation will commence tomorrow, I’d suggest that you take care of your opponent’s well-being. Finding a replacement on such short notice would be problematic so keep that in mind while exchanging blows.”

Since the target they were supposed to protect was going to arrive tomorrow, a light spar between the team members wasn’t going to harm anyone. At least Mazton hoped so. But it seemed that his hopes might not end up being valued.

“We can break each other’s bones, right?” Vimur smirked.

“…Yes, broken bones can be treated in a matter of hours here so it shouldn’t be a problem,” Mazton replied expressionlessly but he wasn’t all that happy with Vimur’s comment.

“Haha, then it’s fine.” Vimur smiled before turning his attention towards Ashton, “Sorry kid, but I’ll be breaking quite a few of your bones today.”

Ashton did not respond to his obvious taunts and assumed his fighting position. What was the point in talking trash? He would rather make his opponents one with trash instead.

‘Maybe I should have controlled my emotions,’ Mazton thought, ‘I get that I wanted to know more about Reaper’s capabilities, but Vimur is a tanker whose strength is as brutal as his defence. But if Reaper had defeated the Hydra, taking care of Vimur shouldn’t be a tough task.’

Vimur didn’t waste any time and fiercely charged toward Ashton. The sound of his steps reverberated around the training grounds. The sound was accompanied by short but noticeable shockwaves.

Ashton couldn’t help but admire Vimur’s stepping technique. His movements were precise and swift. It almost felt as if he was drawing his strength from the ground itself.

“Look alive kid!” Vimur exclaimed as he curved his fist to go in for a crushing blow.

Vimur was excited because he knew his victory was certain. No matter how strong Ashton was, he wouldn’t be able to take on the full might of his blow. Especially at this close range.

A moment later, Vimur hurled his fist at Ashton who still stood there like a mannequin. When Vimur saw his expressionless face, he thought Ashton was dumbfounded by his strength, since Vimur was a tank and not a brawler.

A cloud of dust rose to the air as Vimur’s blow landed on the child. It was over… in a single strike. As usual, it was an overwhelming victory for Vimur.

“Tsk, here I thought the kid would last for a minute, at the very least.” Avvo scoffed before getting up, “What a disappointment.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of it, just yet.” Thrith, the team’s primary brawler and a rank-6 mercenary stopped Avvo in her tracks, “Sit down and watch. The spar isn’t over yet.”

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me you really think the kid would be left standing after-” Avvo began chewing Thrith down, but stopped abruptly as the dust cloud settled down, “What in the great Seraph’s name is going on here…”

Avvo wasn’t the only one who was having a tough time believing her eyes. Vimur’s brutal punch was known to blow the heads of numerous c-grade monsters with ease… and yet, it couldn’t take down a kid?

Not only Vimur’s brutal attack was stopped, but it couldn’t even push Ashton back, not one inch. Ashton had comfortably stopped his punch with his palm. While the mercenaries were busy wondering whether something was wrong with their eyes, Mazton couldn’t help but smile. Initially, he had his reservations, but now he completely believed Ashton was a capable warrior.

“It wasn’t bad. Not at all.” Ashton emotionlessly mumbled, “But it could have been a lot more devastating if you focused more on the punch itself, rather than the theatrics leading up to it. Then you might have been able to push me back just a teeny bit.”

Rather than replying, Vimur launched a barrage of deadly blows on Ashton. But much to his dismay and others’ surprise, not a single of his blows even came close to scratching Ashton.

No matter how much force Vimur put behind his fist, Ashton effortlessly blocked them as if an infant was punching him. Seeing as his fists weren’t working, Vimur decided to use his legs. But even that plan failed. Nothing was working on the kid… nothing at all!

The longer the spar dragged on, the more disbelief amassed in the eyes of the mercenaries. Little did they know, while Vimur’s fists carried explosive power behind them, thanks to the [Draconic Physique] the effect of his blows was getting negated since Vimur was using physical attacks only.

“It was fun, but now it’s getting boring.” Ashton flexed his muscles and readied himself to deliver the final blow.

Everyone was so preoccupied and amazed with his defence skills, that they hadn’t noticed Ashton had not fought back a single time. He was only focused on defending himself. Ashton roughly used 50% of his true strength and threw a punch at Vimur.

A moment later, he was sent flying like a bullet to the opposite end of the room, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Vimur tried to get back up, but his chest was a mess. He was supposed to be the one to break bones, instead, he ended up with a fractured ribcage.

Vimur was down and out for good. Ashton then turned his attention towards the rest of the mercenaries who had been gawking at him in shock.

“Anyone else wants to test me?” He asked with all seriousness in his voice, but no one accepted his challenge, “Thought so.”