Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey
Chapter 287: Mid-Term Exam [5]

[6]

Looking at my Ai bracelet [6] number appears on it, this number confirms how many monsters have been killed.

Earlier I killed six goblins that's why it's showing [6].

Checking my bracelet, nodding slightly, rather than activating an astral dash, I jogged forward.

The roads of the cave had become narrower, moreover, the ground wasn't flat making it hard for me to gather enough momentum without doing anything unnecessary.

…

For the next thirty minutes, I either passed students or hunted down goblins or the other monsters that tried to ambush me as I moved forward.

'This is a good pace'

As I jogged, the right side of my arm had a large [100] engraved on it.

Though it was a lot, it was still far from the likes of Adrian and the rest. I mean, if I didn't remember incorrectly, Adrian came back with a score of 215 back in the novel.

…Therefore, 100 should still be within the scope of my abilities and thus prevent me from getting more attention.

But isn't, 100 already good? Not it wasn't.

200+

That was my current goal.

I had estimated that this target would be the best for me to achieve the top 100.

Though hard, it wasn't impossible.

After a bit more hunting, I soon arrived at a fork road that separated into three different directions. Without even thinking about it hard, I quickly moved towards the right area

"Alright, let's go…"

Just as I was turning towards the right path, I heard a deep voice coming from the left side of my ears. Glancing towards where the voice came from, I soon noticed a tall individual with a buzzcut and thick glare.

…it was evident that he had purposely waited for me.

"There you are."

The buzzcut individual said as he glared at me, Looking at him I paused my step and looked at him.

'I have seen him somewhere.'

Ahh! Now I remember he was one of the Aric lackeys. What was his name again? Hola? No that's not right.

Now I remember it's Hora.

With a small smile on my face, I said "Hello, Hora."

Without responding to me, with his arms crossed, Hora moved towards the middle of the cave. Obstructing my path.

"I've been waiting for you…"

My eyes narrowed at that, However, my facial expression didn't change one bit.

I want to see what his plan is.

Smirking, Hora takes a few steps toward me

"…I should've taken care of you shortly after what had happened with Gorge, but many problems started to arise after that, like Crew, Tony Stark and Samuel. Everything was chaotic back then, Also many other things going on with my life, and I completely forgot about an insect like you"

"But worry not, now that I've remembered. I'm going to make sure you suffer…"

-Crack!

Cracking his neck, Hora disdainfully looked at me

"Let's start by making you fail the exam"

Watching Hora walking in my direction, raising my hands, I slowly backed off. Smiling wryly I said

"…ah, Hora, let's talk things out. Let's not get physical shall we?"

"Yes. We will talk. But not with our mouths"

-Boom!

Finished with what he wanted to say, Hira tensed his calves and propelled his body forward. Like a bullet, he quickly appeared before me.

As Hora lunged towards me with alarming speed, I quickly reacted, my instincts kicking into overdrive as I prepared to defend myself against his attack.

Without hesitation, I shifted into a defensive stance, my muscles tense and ready to react at a moment's notice. As Hora closed the distance between us, I focused on evading his assault, my mind racing with strategies to counter his aggressive movements.

With lightning-fast reflexes, I sidestepped Hora's initial strike, narrowly avoiding the full force of his attack. Sensing his next move, I swiftly ducked and rolled to the side, narrowly escaping his follow-up blow.

As Hora's attacks continued to rain down upon me, I remained calm and composed, carefully analyzing his movements for any openings or weaknesses that I could exploit.

"Is this the best you can do? Looks like you learn nothing even after becoming Yato's disciple." Hora said with mockery in his voice.

"So you want to see how strong I am?" I asked him.

"Like you are- huh?... ah!"

-Boom!

Before he could say anything else, I arrived in front of Hora after activating [Astral Dash] and kicked him hard on its chest.

-Spurt!

A mouthful of blood escaped from his mouth, however, I wasn't done yet.

Without giving him a moment to recover, clenching my fist and concentrating my mana there, I threw a punch towards his right upper area.

-Bam!

A shockwave swept the surroundings.

"Wh-khuuuaa!"

Before Hora could even have time to react, my fist connected to his liver. Soon after, he found himself on the ground kneeling.

"kkhhhhhh"

As blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, Hora tried standing up.

But was a futile effort on his end. His legs refused to budge.

As he tried to move, it felt as though a jolt of electricity coursed through his body from his liver down to his right leg and up to his brain stem. Within about half a second of when my fist connected to his liver, Hora found his body paralyzed on the ground. He was in complete agony, unable to breathe, stand, or think clearly.

No matter how much he tried to stand up, he couldn't

"It's pointless. I concentrated everything I had towards your liver area"

Staring at Hora squirming on the ground, I slowly walked up to him and said.

"If you've paid attention in class…as the liver is one of the largest organs in the body, it's responsible for detoxification, protein synthesis, and digestion. But more importantly, it's extremely vulnerable to blunt force trauma, especially when struck with enough force and precision."

Leaning down to Hora's level, I continued, my voice low and steady. "You see, Hora, in a real fight, there are no rules. No mercy. And certainly no second chances."

With a flick of my wrist, I summoned my sword and held it inches away from Hora's throat, the sharp edge glinting ominously in the dim light of the cave.