Game's Extra: Starting With SSS-Ranked 1000-Death Talent-Chapter 83: Goal To Reach

"You can try," Noa answered. "But don’t be rough with me. I might actually die."

Punchy’s reaction did nothing to ease Noa’s unease—on the contrary, it fed his dread, sending a chill down his spine.

"But I don’t want to. Get your ass over there and pray not to get hit," the man added.

Following him to the arena, Noa sighed and stretched his muscles.

No more words were exchanged between them, the thrill of the battle taking hold of their quickened breaths.

The training ground wasn’t small, with only a faint smell of dust lingering.

It didn’t have gym equipment.

Instead, it was an empty arena with durable walls and a soundproofing system installed.

An eerie silence was interrupted when Punchy vanished.

The floor creaked beneath him.

Just then, Noa heard a whistling sound, announcing the bald man’s arrival behind him.

So he moved his neck out of the way.

The air was cut, as the punch brushed past his shoulder.

Noa tried to counterattack.

However, Punchy struck even before he started the movement.

Still, the man was holding himself back, allowing Noa to block with high agility.

His hands ached after that.

The stinging pain stripped Noa of the strength to use his hands.

But his legs didn’t stop.

He ducked low, avoiding the elbow in his exposed ribs, and instead of stopping, he leaped out of the way.

After creating enough space, Noa pushed his trembling hands and drew the sword.

The bald man wasn’t using any weapons since he had no use for them.

Meanwhile, Noa closed the just-created gap.

He was swinging Leeching Star in fluid movements, trying to catch the man or dictate the battle pace.

Each blow clawed the space like thunder.

Yet Punchy slipped through them like a flexible cat, staying out of his reach.

Suddenly, Noa saw the world ripple—a strong force descending toward his abdomen, leaving him no moment to dodge.

The man seized a fleeting opening and kicked his strong knee to his face.

Two attacks and two waves of pain assaulted Noa. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He was blinded because of them, and for a moment, he thought his mind would slip past his body.

Gasping for air, Noa felt the pain fading.

Rather than finishing him off, Punchy healed him and pounced with primal speed.

This time, Noa’s entire body connected.

The jab at his solar plexus was intercepted by his sword, and a palm strike to his groin was narrowly avoided with his swift reaction.

It gave him momentum and confidence to start attacks of his own.

Muscles screamed at his forced stretch, the sword’s fury of strikes forcing Punchy to take steps back.

But it was far from over.

The blue cap remained on his bald head.

With every ounce of his energy, Noa lunged at him while keeping enough distance.

He had a longer range and wanted to use this advantage.

However, every attack the bald man threw at him was enough to send him flying, each one getting faster and heavier.

Realizing that he had limited opportunities, Noa gritted his teeth.

’I have to play dirty,’ he thought.

Then he used mana to cover the space around Punchy, added every touch with him, and smiled before the explosion.

Noa knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Defeating Arised with just puny tricks was nothing but his wishful thinking.

Yet he was ready to abuse the blast and thrust at the man.

The ignited burst enveloped Punchy, but he seized it and controlled it to the absolute limit.

Still, it wasn’t enough.

The sparks and reverberating sounds erupted, giving Noa the concealment he needed.

Breathing softly, he swept the leg toward Punchy’s head.

It was aimed at his cap.

However, his strong legs were met with a hard push, the man’s hands blocking his path.

’It’s gonna hurt, so heal me fast,’ Noa pleaded inwardly.

Once again, he triggered Mana Rage.

But this time, onto his right leg, exploding it into pieces.

His gamble paid off, and the generated wind, along with his daring gamble, was enough to knock Punchy off his game and remove the cap from his head.

Though the price he had to pay wasn’t a cheap one.

The extreme pain of losing his leg was nothing like he had experienced, but amidst the pained puffs, he smirked at the bald man and announced his victory.

"See? I told you I wasn’t so easy to push around."

Instead of answering or showing a reaction, Punchy instantly mended his leg.

Lightning flashes of various colors enveloped Noa.

A warm feeling of calmness and excitement washed over him, giving him the strength to stand up.

Only after he was in perfect shape did the man shake his head and smile.

"You are one crazy bitch, aren’t you?" he said, glancing between Noa and the dropped cap.

"What can I say, my friend?" Noa’s speech was interrupted because of his pounding heart.

"I am dedicated, and I won. That’s all that matters," he added a few seconds later.

"But you still spilled blood," Punchy reminded him jokingly, leading him outside the fighting ground.

"True," Noa didn’t argue.

"About your romance. Don’t worry, I won’t spill the beans as long as you two help me find Nyx Ashe. She is, or pretending to be, my classmate’s sister."

Hearing the names didn’t trigger Punchy’s memory, but he noted them.

"Consider it done, and thanks," he said.

"No problem. I am rooting for you two. I think you make a great couple."

The bald man’s cheeks reddened again.

Seeing him in this state made Noa review his opinion about the man.

He wasn’t that annoying prick after getting closer to him, and his cute attitude toward romance made him fun to tease.

During this time, they went back to the office.

The strong aroma of coffee lingered on the floor.

Viktor met them while carrying the largest cup in existence and sipping a dark coffee.

"It’s bitter," he said, displeasure evident on his face.

But after seeing Noa, he softened his expression and said,

"Come with me. You are going inside the Abyss to reach level 30."