Chapter 279 Sparring

Melos hacked left and right with his blade, having a great time, when suddenly his enemy disappeared. Han Xiao opened the door and walked in. Melos asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Han Xiao chuckled. "It's no fun practicing alone. Come on, let's spar."

He hadn't fought since reaching Grade B, and he was itching for a fight. As a righteous gentleman, he wouldn't bully players for no reason. Melos was a veteran Grade B, a worthy opponent. Fighting him would be meaningful and would help him understand the extent of his power.

Only by knowing his limits could he confidently… cough, do things in the future.

"Spar?"

Melos was speechless, with only one thought in his mind—you?

The difference between grades for espers was not like cup sizes. The difference between C and B was like heaven and earth, a completely unequal level of combat power. A fight would be a one-sided crush. Only when both sides were evenly matched could it be called a "spar."

Melos was reluctant. He was so strong that he might accidentally hurt Han Xiao.

But then he thought, Han Xiao's action was like the other members of the mercenary group, it should be called "seeking guidance." Melos suddenly realized—so that's what he meant. The leader wanted him to give him some pointers.

"No problem. Do you need to prepare?" Melos agreed generously, looking relaxed. The strong should be teachers, helping each other. He was happy to guide his companions, and Han Xiao's safety was very important to him. If he could make Han Xiao stronger, he would feel more at ease.

Han Xiao didn't stand on ceremony. He told Melos to wait a moment and moved boxes of mechanical equipment inside. He had to test all the weapons to be worthy of his hard-working opponent of the same grade.

Melos initially looked calm, but as he saw more and more weapons, his face began to twitch. When Han Xiao struggled to move in a prototype electromagnetic railgun the size of several people, he couldn't help but gasp and shouted, "Hey, give me a break!"

Under Melos's protests, Han Xiao had to abandon the idea of testing the upper limit of a Grade B Martial Artist's resistance to attacks. He put on the Soaring Serpent Mech Suit and stretched his limbs.

Close combat was the strength of the Martial Arts System. The simulation room had limited space, which was disadvantageous. Before the fight started, Han Xiao pulled away a certain distance and casually asked, "Are you ready?"

"Come on." Melos was very calm. He didn't need any preparation to deal with an enemy who was one grade lower.

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Xiao flipped his hands, leg armor slid open to reveal two electromagnetic kinetic energy pistols. He slid and fired wildly, the gun muzzles flashing with blue electricity. The sound was different from the firing of gunpowder weapons. Instead, it was a high-frequency buzzing with electrical current, and needle-like bullets trailing a faint blue light poured towards Melos in the distance.

The ship-slaying blade was raised in time, like a shield in front of him, making a clanging sound. Melos's expression changed slightly. "Electromagnetic firearms?!"

The core ability of a Mechanic was to create mechanical weapons. Being able to build electromagnetic firearms meant that the attack power had reached a new level. Electromagnetic firearms had a high rate of fire, and he almost didn't react in time. Melos didn't dare to be careless. Although he had Qi to protect him, his body was still his own, and he didn't want to be the target of concentrated fire.

Melos didn't know much about Mechanics, but he knew that high-level Mechanics could create more high-tech weapons. He was a little puzzled. Could a Grade C create stable electromagnetic firearms?

Melos raised his blade and approached, rushing faster than a sports car. To close the distance, Han Xiao slid across the field, kiting him. The armor concealed many firearms. Pistols, assault rifles, and sniper rifles had all been replaced with electromagnetic kinetic energy, making them more lethal. The effect of the ranged kite flow was even more disgusting.

Melos was worthy of being a Grade B, with extremely fast reactions. The wide ship-slaying blade was suitable for blocking. Han Xiao fired hundreds of rounds, but only less than 5% hit. The Martial Artist's protective Qi and strong muscles greatly reduced the damage, causing only some superficial wounds. Han Xiao was therefore able to see Melos's data panel.

"Level 98, Grade B Martial Artist, high Strength and Endurance, a semi-tank Martial Artist. He has a lot of specialties, almost as many as me, and the effects are very powerful… Ho, this guy also has a low-level Lucky Halo."

Han Xiao was very envious. According to Melos, he had been lazy since he was a child, but he had extraordinary talent. He never worked hard to train, and after wasting more than ten years, he still reached Grade B. Perhaps this was what it meant to be a genius…

Han Xiao couldn't help but think that if Melos hadn't died in the original storyline, he might have reached Grade A in the end.

"This is a potential stock."

The thought flashed by. With his rising strength, Han Xiao's brain worked faster. He could fight and think about other things at the same time without being distracted. At this moment, Melos suddenly stopped, no longer bothering to chase. A silvery-white aura suddenly surged, then contracted, condensing in his palm, turning into a ball of silvery-white light emitting dazzling light.

Boom—

The veins on Melos's face bulged, and he looked very strained. He roared and pushed out a palm from afar. The light ball suddenly erupted, with Qi constantly bursting from his palm. A dazzling silvery-white light wave shot out, like a roaring angry dragon. The light filled Han Xiao's vision.

Wow, a member of the Sun family!

Han Xiao raised his hands in front of him. The next moment, the light wave slammed into his arms, knocking him away and pinning him against the wall. The erupting light engulfed his figure.

As long as one learned the [Detached Fluctuation] skill, Martial Artists could cast waves. This was one of the skill tree abilities of the Martial Arts System, just like the knowledge tree of the Mechanic System. Compressing Qi into a ball, the power depended on the level of Qi. The disadvantage was that it consumed a lot.

Waves were different. Compared to Grade C, the waves of Grade B were obviously thicker and more sustained. Even though Melos was worried about breaking through the walls of the simulation room and reduced the energy output, the sharply rising temperature in the room showed the power of this attack.

"It should be enough… wait, why did I use this move."

Melos was shocked. He had originally intended to provide guidance, but during the fight, he felt a trace of threat, so he subconsciously regarded Han Xiao as a great enemy and used a powerful attack. He immediately regretted it. A Qi wave of this intensity would injure a Grade C Martial Artist, let alone a Mechanic.

He was about to stop his Qi output when a crescent-shaped lightning bolt burst out from the center of the light wave, cutting it open!

Han Xiao soared into the air, holding a terrifying black scythe, descending from the sky, slashing down with the scythe, electric snakes biting!

Melos immediately raised his blade to block. The scythe scratched sparks like a rainstorm on the ship-slaying blade, the sound of metal friction mixed with the sound of electric current. He retreated to avoid the edge, and saw Han Xiao, who landed on the ground, with multiple parts of his armor scorched red-hot by the light wave. High-temperature white air billowed around him, and agile mechanical force electric snakes roamed his body, the energy reaction climbing to a terrifying level.

Han Xiao twisted his neck and joked, "That was close, I almost couldn't hold on." Although he said that, his tone was light and breezy, and his voice was full of energy, showing no signs of injury.

Melos's eyes widened. To be able to withstand a wave of Qi unscathed and still burst out with such momentum, it was absolutely impossible that he was only at the level of Grade C.

"You're a Grade B esper?!"

Melos was shocked. You weren't this strong in Sunil!

Han Xiao shrugged, noncommittal. "I've improved."

It's only been a few days, and you've already completed a cross-grade improvement! Are you even more of a genius than me?!

Melos was dumbfounded. He had always known that his talent was strong, although he wasn't proud of it. But now, seeing an esper who was even more of a "genius" than him, he felt complicated emotions, and his heart was not happy.

"Don't stop, we haven't finished fighting yet." Han Xiao reached out and grabbed a nearby equipment box. The mech suit's hand was magnetically linked to the box. The box seemed to be summoned and flew through the air.

In mid-air, the box automatically opened, and the exoskeleton armor inside popped out. Following the position of the magnetic link, it quickly floated over and covered the Soaring Serpent, instantly forming a metal giant-like [Assault State], like a transformation.

Another benefit of advanced electromagnetics was that by adjusting the magnetic force of different parts, the equipment could be automatically assembled. He no longer needed to put on clothes manually, speeding up the process of wearing armor.

Feeling the energy reaction emanating from Han Xiao's body that made his heart shrink, Melos's expression became firm. He threw the idea of guidance out of the window and said in a deep voice:

"You're right, our battle can be called a spar!"

…

There's another chapter tonight.