The World Cataclysm

Richard stopped caring about any implications that may follow after his actions nor he cared much about a sword held by his foe. Even so, what would that tiny fucker could possibly do to him? Nothing! He was invincible! He was unbeatable! He was a special...a chosen one! After he beat some sense to that tiny fucker insulting him, Richard was confident that he would triumphantly stand atop Dave with Steel Sword in his hands.

Having no opponent for the past month and equipped with a special ability, his self-confidence was overflowing. Just a moment ago, he was just too cautious so as not to bring trouble upon himself since he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he was the only special one. But when there was someone seeking trouble with him, Richard couldn't just ignore it.

Taking a step forward, Richard quickly closed the distance between them as he sent a punch at Dave. Although it seemed like he was acting at impulse, Richard still threw his punch from an angle and aimed at Dave's jaw. He was sure that it would reach Dave since he was fast and bold in his attack. And also, Dave didn't even move from the beginning as he stood still in his place.

Richard could already see how his fist will hit Dave's face, but...

...

Remaining vigilant and calm, Dave didn't fret much as he observed Richard's actions. And when the fist was close to reaching his face, Dave made a small backward movement with his head, perfectly evading it. "Heh! Amateur, at this rate, you won't be able to land a solid hit on me. Interesting, what's so special about you?"

Dave was really interested in his innate ability since it had earned him the name of university tyrant. From the start, Dave had never lowered his guard. And after Richard had failed to land a hit on him, he became open for an attack, so Dave wasn't going to miss that chance.

Focusing his gaze, Dave slashed with his sword as he intended to make a light cut on Richard to scare him off. However, instead of getting a sense of cutting through flesh, Dave felt like he had hit something hard with his blade.

Ding!

Dave heard a clear metallic sound as his sword bounced off Richard due to counterforce. Startled, Dave glanced at the system notification he got.

[The durability of your Steel Sword has been lowered by a point.]

'Dammit. Although I had expected more from his innate ability, it's quite effective in the zombie setting. It's simple but effective.' Dave thought as an evil glint flashed in his eyes. 'So our Future Tyrant has tough skin, no problem, I'll just beat him into submission till he begs me to stop.'

Caught by surprise, and even knowing that it had low chances of harming him, Richard still tried to dodge the blade. Of course, he was confident in his innate ability, but he had never tried it on a blade as sharp as the Steel Sword. When he heard a metallic sound, he sighed in relief as he became braver.

"Your sword won't help you. It can't pierce through my skin." Richard said with a content grin on his face. He glanced at Dave expecting to see a scared expression from him, but he felt shivers when his eyes fell on Dave. The person who he thought would tremble from fear was grinning in a strange way and staring at him with a look of interest in his eyes. At his gaze, Richard unknowingly backed by a step but quickly got a hold of himself.

'Did I just back away due to his gaze? What that tiny fucker could possibly do to him? Yeah, he just got me by surprise by his gaze!' Richard thought as he was angered by his own reaction.

Opposite to him, Dave was immersed in his own thoughts. 'He is the third person I met in the university who has an innate ability. Interesting, what can his innate ability actually do? Does it require mana to activate it or is it passive? What is the limit of his toughness? Does it include all of his body or only outer skin? Heh...well, there is only one way to know about it.' At this thought, Dave grinned like he found an interesting toy.

Failing to land a punch on him, Richard drew a Rusty Sword that was hung on his belt. Then, he made a battle cry and sprang towards Dave now with a sword in his hands. Previously, he had thought that he would be able to finish off Dave with his bare fists, but due to the chills he got from Dave, Richard habitually reached for his sword.

"I'll slice you into pieces, you fucking moron!" Richard exclaimed in anger as he swayed his sword and aimed to slice his head off. However, Dave was much faster than him as he nimbly dodged the blade, shifting his body to the minimum.

"Hoh! Don't praise. You'll never be able to hit me while you fight like this. You're holding a sword in your hands, not a metal pipe. To be honest, I expected much more from you." Dave said in a disappointed tone.

Although Richard was faster than other Enhancers at early stages, he still fell behind Dave by a wide margin. Dave could guess that Richard was on level 5 or level 6 and had 15 points in agility. Compared to him, Dave had 19 points in agility. Also, Dave was much more experienced than Richard, so he didn't make any unnecessary movements. Moreover, he didn't use Mana Enhancement and Reinforced Breathing. He had expected much more from a Future Tyrant.

After a series of failed attempts to reach Dave, Richard grew only angrier as he exclaimed, "Stop dodging, or is it the only thing you're good at!"

"Well, if you wish so," Dave said with a mocking smile. The next moment, he clashed his Steel Sword with Richard's blade blocking his attack.

Ding!

In a clash of strength, Dave noticed that he was slightly overpowered by Richard as his blade was pushed closer to his face. It was quite surprising since he had 21 points in strength and only a few people could have rivalled him in that aspect. 'Richard should have a strong constitution before the start of 2nd Cataclysm.'

Slightly turning his blade, Dave parried Richard's sword, sidestepped from its way and punched Richard on his face. But instead of hitting a human flesh, Dave felt like he had hitten a metal wall. Richard's skin was as tough as a metal plate and that even included his face.

'Dammit! It stings a bit. His ability is more troublesome' Dave thought as he felt how pain spread through the knuckles of his fist.

However, landing a blow on Richard, Dave didn't plan on stopping. Seizing a moment, he threw a series of punches on Richard's face. Losing his chance to attack, Richard's resistance was futile since Dave gave him no chances at all.

Dave aimed accurately at his weak points, kicking and punching him in a linked manner. Although blood was already dripping from small injuries on his knuckles, it was nothing for Dave. A short while later, both of them had already their own roles. Dave was giving punches, while Richard was accepting blows from him.

...

"Arrgh!"

Sending a kick to Richard's stomach, Dave decided to admire his efforts so far. 'Considering the beating I gave him, his innate ability would make from him a great punching bag. Also, it seems that he still could feel pain.'

Although Richard didn't have any visible injuries on his body, blood was dripping from his mouth and nose, meaning that the nature of his injuries was more internal rather than external. Dave could give a praise to Richard's innate ability since it made his skin as tough as metal. Also, even if it had any mana expenditure, it was a small one. It seemed mostly like a passive one.

"You know you'll make a great punching bag with your ability. Maybe, it's your calling." Dave shared his insights with Richard so far.

*Cough* Coughing blood on his palm, Richard felt helpless. Everybody had already stopped fighting with each other and was observing everything from the sidelines. Feeling their gazes, Richard grew even madder, "Arrgh! I"LL KILL YOU!"

The next moment, a red aura enveloped his body as Richard leapt towards Dave. He was wrapped in a bright crimson red energy that blazed like a flame on his skin. Instinctively, Dave lifted his sword to block Richard's attack.

Ding!

Their swords crashed into each other, and surprisingly, the one who was suppressed wasn't Richard but Dave. One sword shone with red light, while the other one shone with blue light. Sensing that something was amiss, Dave instantly infused mana into his sword.

'What's that with him? Did he dope himself to become that strong?' Dave asked himself. 'It should be a skill. Hmm...bright crimson aura...power boost...well, it's getting interesting.' He smiled lightly as realization struck him when he thought over it.

At the early stages, only one skill had such effects as red aura and body enhancement. Moreover, it was the base skill of one of the classes. If he wasn't mistaken, its name was Rage. It was a skill that made you stronger depending on how much damage you had taken before using it. Actually, it wasn't much of a useful skill since it required to gravely harm yourself first before it became any of the use. Well, it was completely different for a person with an innate ability that made him more resilient.