Chapter 16: Assembly
The next morning at dawn, Rhodes emerged from his lightning conditioning session. Glancing at his stats, he was surprised to see he'd gained two energy points.
Normally, a night of lightning training only yielded a single energy point.
"Is it because of that giant serpent we defeated yesterday?"
Rhodes rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It seemed the stronger the opponent, the more efficiently he gained energy through combat.
Anyway, time to find some breakfast first.
Rhodes took a deep breath. The morning forest air was exceptionally fresh and invigorating.
His gaze swept the surroundings, quickly locking onto a massive yellow bull leisurely grazing nearby.
The beast stood over six feet tall with vibrant orange hide, its horns piercing skyward like deadly spears.
"You'll do nicely."
Rhodes smiled, charging forward.
His speed was incredible, creating a gust of wind and tremendous noise.
The bull, having survived in this dangerous forest, was undoubtedly alert. It reacted instantly, turning to face Rhodes.
"MOOOO!"
It bellowed, furious at being interrupted during breakfast. Its hooves pounded the ground as it charged forward without hesitation, horns gleaming menacingly.
"Still got quite the temper."
Rhodes shook his head. Before the bull could get close, he suddenly swung his sword through the air.
Whoosh!
A flash of pale blue sword energy burst forth from the blade, tearing through the air and striking the bull's head with lightning speed—a blazing arc of electricity mingled with razor-sharp sword energy.
In a split second, the iron-hard skull that had once bulldozed through forests was split wide open. Blood flowed freely as both eyes were destroyed, and the ox howled in agony.
"A ranged strike truly can't match the power of direct swordplay."
With that fleeting thought, Rhodes suddenly dashed past the bull, sending gusts of wind whipping through its fur.
The ox, driven by momentum, continued charging forward for another ten feet before its head suddenly separated and tumbled to the ground, blood erupting like a geyser.
With his back to the fallen beast, Rhodes sheathed his sword and began preparing a beef feast using nature's bounty.
The fire crackled as fat dripped into the flames with satisfying sizzles.
Rhodes tore into the ox leg, savoring the tender, juicy beef while contemplating quietly.
Sword energy—a swordsman's ranged attack—was naturally less powerful than a direct strike.
However, as one of a swordsman's signature abilities, it was also among the most impressive.
During the Battle of Marineford, Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, had shocked the world with a single sword energy slash, splitting the earth and severing icebergs—establishing his reputation as the ultimate blade master. It was simply breathtaking.
"The essence of sword energy is a swordsman compressing and condensing the force of their slash to a certain degree, then releasing it as a flying strike."
This involved both physical strength and one's understanding of swordsmanship—two mutually reinforcing elements.
The greater the strength and deeper the comprehension, the more concentrated the sword energy became, increasing both its power and attack range.
After over a month of lightning training, Rhodes' physical fitness had certainly improved dramatically compared to when he first arrived in this world—several times stronger, in fact.
But compared to those who had truly entered the realm of power, he was still relatively green.
As Koala had pointed out, in contests of pure strength and speed, any veteran swordsman could outperform him.
"However, with lightning enhancing my body, my basic speed should be competitive, though my raw strength is probably still lacking."
Rhodes narrowed his eyes slightly. As for his understanding of swordsmanship, with his incredible natural talent for blade work, he wouldn't be inferior to anyone!
"Fight during the day to gain energy, practice lightning conditioning at night to strengthen my body!"
Rhodes' path forward was crystal clear. He only needed to persevere, step by step, and before long he would shed the title of "weakest swordsman in history."
Two days passed quickly.
The time for practical combat training was finally over. The Revolutionary Army's assembly signal echoed throughout the island, and all trainees ceased their activities to head for the rendezvous point.
In a dense part of the forest, five dark shadows were attacking a handsome young man.
They were all wildcats—extremely agile and lightning-fast, with razor-sharp claws and teeth, possessing the build of tigers. They ranked among the jungle's apex predators.
However, incredibly, under the wildcats' fierce assault, the young man moved as casually as if strolling through a garden, effortlessly dodging claw attacks from all directions.
Such agility was truly astounding.
"Is it time already?"
"Well then, I won't play with you anymore."
Hearing the horn call echoing across the island, Rhodes chuckled softly, suddenly gripped his sword hilt, and slashed outward.
Whoosh!
Pale blue sword energy erupted in a perfect circle, sweeping in all directions. Subtle arcs of electricity crackled, then exploded outward.
The surrounding wildcats were caught completely off guard, struck by the sword energy and sent flying, blood spraying through the air.
The sword energy, delivered at such close range, was powerful enough to cleave through the wildcats' tough hide and bones, inflicting fatal wounds.
Simultaneously, the lightning force carried by the sword energy stripped away the wildcats' final resistance.
One strike, five kills.
Clang!
He sheathed his sword and headed for the assembly point.
When Rhodes reached the shore, it was already crowded with trainees. He glanced around and spotted Rez and the others among the group. Though slightly injured and looking somewhat disheveled, they appeared to be in good spirits.
Nia was also there, seemingly chatting with a friend.
Rhodes had no interest in socializing. He walked off to the side, opened his status screen, and examined his progress.
"When I landed on the island, I had seventy-three energy points total. Now it's... eighty-eight?"
Rhodes wasn't surprised.
Over the past two days, with the more powerful beasts eliminated, it had become increasingly difficult to find strong creatures, and his energy gains had naturally decreased. If he hadn't discovered that nest of powerful wildcats to use as sparring partners, his gains would have been even smaller.
But it was sufficient. A full fifteen energy points had significantly strengthened his Thunder abilities.
"That kid is way too antisocial."
Seeing Rhodes standing alone with no intention of joining the group to chat and build camaraderie, Nia couldn't help but shake her head slightly.
"But he's got the skill to back it up. With his talent, he'll probably be out of the trainee program soon."
Thinking this, her eyes drifted to the young man standing alone at the far end of the crowd.
"I wonder how Shanuo performed during this mission?"
"I heard he fought an entire pack of crocodiles single-handedly and wiped out every croc in the deep swamp!"
"A swordsman's attack power is really something else. It's honestly hard for the rest of us to match that kind of damage output."
The squad captains discussed the mission, each looking at the proud young swordsman with eyes full of respect.
Even among captains, there were clear differences in strength. Shanuo was obviously far superior to most of them.
Nia was amused. How could a bunch of crocodiles compare to that massive serpent?
She wasn't sure which of the two swordsmen was actually stronger.
After thinking it over for a while, she still felt the odds were roughly 70-30 in Shanuo's favor.
After all, although Rhodes had mastered that incredible lightning power, he wasn't even as physically strong as her, and he hadn't learned any advanced combat techniques. If they really fought, he would probably have little chance of victory.
(End of Chapter)
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