Chapter Three: Victory and Defeat

Skills Training Institute, basement level, training facility, one of the arenas.

The reason Xia Yan was accepted as a member of the organization was that one of his development indices had surpassed ten percent.

Whether human or a "Sinner," one fact remained: the limits of physical development could not exceed the human maximum—ten percent. Unless one’s brain capacity reached extraordinary levels, this rule was immutable.

Yet Xia Yan had surpassed it. His physical development registered at 12.3 percent.

As an extremely rare case, he was granted permission to transfer into the organization. His current speed and strength had at least doubled compared to before.

After that period of unconsciousness, Xia Yan awoke to discover that his physical strength had increased dramatically, though he didn’t understand the cause.

“Hillbilly, I won’t bully you,” Tao Lu said, looking at Xia Yan. “We’ll fight using the system’s simulated weapons. The match will be decided by health bars.”

“Simulated weapon combat?” Xia Yan frowned.

“To prevent duels between organization members from ending in death, matches are held this way. Guns and swords are virtual objects simulated by the system. When they hit your opponent, they inflict virtual damage.”

“If you strike the heart or head, it’s instant death. Hits to other parts of the body reduce the health bar; when it’s empty, you lose.”

Tao Lu extended her hand, and a pistol appeared in her grasp, composed of a blue shimmering light, indistinguishable from the real thing.

“Go ahead and open the armory to choose,” she said.

Xia Yan, still frowning, accessed the weapon selection. There were quite a few options; he chose a long blade and a handgun.

The two weapons materialized as faint blue projections, hovering before him. He reached out, grasped them, and found their weight identical to real armaments.

He gripped the pistol, aimed forward, and pulled the trigger. A blue energy bullet shot out—the speed and trajectory were flawless, much like an E-class firearm.

He swung the long blade experimentally; it felt perfectly natural, neither too light nor too heavy, about the same as an E-class sword.

“Ready to start?” Tao Lu asked.

“You’re not using a melee weapon?” Xia Yan inquired.

“This pistol is more than enough to deal with you.” She twirled her weapon with calm confidence.

“You call the start,” Xia Yan replied, unwilling to bully her, stepping back ten paces to put some distance between them.

“Hmph…” Tao Lu sneered. “Begin.”

She aimed at Xia Yan and fired without hesitation—three shots in quick succession.

For those skilled with handguns, the moment a bullet leaves the chamber, there’s an intuitive sense—if the shot will hit, there’s a feeling of satisfaction; if not, a sense of frustration.

Now, Tao Lu was intensely frustrated.

It meant her target had dodged her aim, disappearing so completely she couldn’t even locate him.

Where is he? How did he move so fast—like a flickering breeze? Tao Lu narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to remain composed.

His ability must be speed augmentation, otherwise such swiftness would be impossible.

“Behind me!” Tao Lu reacted, spinning and firing backward.

The luminous bullet was easily dodged by the approaching Xia Yan; a glint of caution flashed in his eyes.

This girl, Tao Lu, was certainly irritating, but her skills were formidable. With reflexes and marksmanship like that, she’d place in the top ten of the Sinner Survival Tournament.

“You little rat, is dodging all you know?” Tao Lu reloaded, firing at Xia Yan’s position. When her magazine was empty, she swapped it out with a flourish, barely taking a second.

Xia Yan kept his distance, continuing to evade.

Yet for Xia Yan, a second was plenty. He remained on guard, cautious because Tao Lu was an ability user.

He didn’t yet know what her power was. If he went all out and couldn’t adapt in time, it could be dangerous.

Of course, Xia Yan’s specialty wasn’t close combat, but marksmanship. For now, he didn’t intend to use it; he was curious about abilities. If he ended the fight too quickly, she wouldn’t have a chance to reveal hers.

“I’ll avoid lethal hits so she doesn’t lose all her health,” Xia Yan thought, his eyes turning cold. His body moved with a sudden burst of speed; he appeared at Tao Lu’s side, slashing with his blade.

“Hmph!” Tao Lu’s lips curled into a sly grin. She switched the pistol to her left hand, firing three shots in rapid succession.

She had been prepared.

“What incredible reflexes,” Xia Yan thought, shifting his sword’s angle and retreating a step, slicing three times into the air.

Each bullet split in two, dissolving into blue energy.

He’d never managed this before, but after his physical development reached 12.3, his reflexes and attack speed now surpassed even Brook. Against Brook, three slashes would be decisive; Brook’s own speed barely exceeded the human limit—10.1 or 10.2 percent—while Xia Yan was at 12.3.

“How is this possible…” Tao Lu stared, stunned by the impossible spectacle.

How could this man see the trajectory of bullets and slice them apart?

What kind of nervous response and hand speed did that require? The visual acuity alone was monstrous. What exactly was his ability—comprehensive enhancement or some sort of illusion?

At that moment, Tao Lu wondered if she were hallucinating, for his fighting style defied all logic.

“Hmph!” Tao Lu fired five shots, aiming above and below Xia Yan.

Now’s the time, Xia Yan thought. He flickered through the air, dodging all five bullets. He knew perfectly well that after those five shots, her magazine would be empty.

He then swung his blade in a fluid arc toward her arm.

“Not good!” Tao Lu’s expression chilled. How was his movement so uncanny, almost creating afterimages and anticipating bullet paths in advance?

She’d been an ability user for some time and had never seen anyone fight like this.

But if he thought this would win, he was mistaken.

Her pupils gleamed with a strange light, the corners of her mouth curling into a sneer.

Suddenly, Xia Yan was overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding. His body stopped responding; he felt as though his very heart was being clenched.

What was happening?

He could only retreat hastily; gradually, he regained control, though his body still tingled as if electrified, and his reflexes were dulled.

Tao Lu, meanwhile, had already reloaded and caught her breath. She pulled the trigger, her shots streaming out like dazzling rain, bullets flying everywhere.

“Why do I use only a pistol?” Tao Lu smirked, exuding confidence. “Because my ability, combined with a handgun, is perfect. You’re fast? Try dodging now!”

Despite her words, Tao Lu was impressed—a rare opponent had forced her to reveal her ability.

She’d underestimated others, believing most ability users were just show-offs. But this boy was different…

A sudden thought struck her.

Was he using his ability, or was that speed solely from his physical strength?

If it was the latter, even she might not win!

No, she was overthinking—it must be some kind of augmentation… surely…

Faced with the barrage of bullets, Xia Yan’s first instinct was to dodge, but his body wouldn’t respond; his legs felt paralyzed.

What was going on? My body won’t move, my legs are numb, Xia Yan thought grimly.

It was as if invisible strings had turned him into a marionette—impossible to dodge.

Helpless, Xia Yan smiled faintly. He raised his pistol and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each of his shots collided with Tao Lu’s incoming bullets, creating brilliant sparks, like fireworks in the night.

“Damn it, how can this be…” Tao Lu stared in disbelief, but she recovered quickly. “I only hypnotized his legs—I forgot his hands…”

He picked a pistol, yet I thought his gun wouldn’t threaten me.

She swiftly reloaded and fired again.

This time, there would be no mistake—she would target all his bodily functions, his reflexes would be halved.

A crisp chime sounded, signaling the match’s end. Someone’s health bar had been depleted.

Tao Lu looked down at her chest—over her heart, a faint blue glow shimmered.

“How… how is this possible…” she stammered. While firing and using her ability, he’d managed to shatter all her bullets and land a shot directly to her heart.

Xia Yan approached, his expression subtly changed. “I win.”

“I… actually lost… Lost to you…” Tao Lu couldn’t believe it. “My ability, combined with my gun skills, lost to someone who only used a handgun…”

“I take back what I said earlier,” Xia Yan said suddenly. “I don’t need the wager for this match.”

“Why?” Tao Lu asked, looking at him.

“I thought you were just an arrogant princess… but you’re strong. Very strong.” Xia Yan forced a smile. “Those with true strength have the right to be proud. I don’t dislike that.”

The arrogance and bravado of the weak is insufferable. Yet if strength matches their pride, that dislike can turn to admiration.

In Xia Yan’s eyes, even if this girl had a bad temper, her power had earned his respect.

He was certain—her ability would dominate the Survival Tournament. His victory today was likely luck; had she hypnotized his hands, he wouldn’t have dodged that barrage.

“And…” Xia Yan added quietly, “if you want me to break our partnership, I’ll help you in three days.”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Wait… wait!” Tao Lu called after him. His attitude was odd, making her feel conflicted, as if he’d slapped her only to offer a sweet plum afterward.

Xia Yan, less aloof than before, paused and looked back.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

He frowned. “Xia Yan.”

“And your identity? Who are you, where did you graduate, what did you do before?” She fired off questions.

Xia Yan turned to gaze at the simulated stars outside the window. “My name is Xia Yan. I used to be a Sinner.”

A Sinner?

Tao Lu’s eyes widened in disbelief.