Everlight Moon Guild, Negative Three
Deep within the guild building, there was a special floor designed exclusively for heavy combat; a ground made of resistant stone that could even withstand strikes from National Rank Awakened, and walls that absorbed destructive energies.
This floor had been built specifically for training battles among the most powerful Awakened in the guild. Every top-tier guild had such a place.
All the materials needed to construct this training ground could only be found in the Celestial Domain. After all, they were talking about materials that could block attacks from National Rank Awakened.
Even so, the place wasn’t particularly large, only about one-third the size of normal battle arenas. The reason was the extreme rarity of those materials.
They could have used weaker materials, but then there would always be the risk that every fight could end up destroying the entire guild building.
But now they could unleash their full power without any worry, and not even a single scratch would appear on the guild structure.
"Daniel, are you sure? This is just training, but you really want me to go all out? I know you’re strong, but this could be dangerous," Varnos asked with complete seriousness.
This kid had asked him to attack with full strength from the very beginning, and that alone had already made Varnos feel a certain awe. If he heard such a request from someone in the same rank as himself, he wouldn’t be too surprised.
But from a Rank A? No matter how powerful Daniel was, Varnos still doubted whether this young man could truly withstand his full power.
"Yeah, just attack. Don’t worry. Even if something happens, it definitely won’t reach the level where I die, right? Even in that case, killing me isn’t easy," Daniel laughed loudly.
He wanted to test his physical body’s power. That was why he had asked the guild leader to come at him with everything right from the start.
He knew the request was strange, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t worried, wasn’t scared—in fact, he was excited. He knew he had become stronger. He knew he had become much, much stronger.
But how much stronger? Was it to the point where he could block the full power of one of the strongest men in the country using only pure physical strength?
He couldn’t wait to find out.
Varnos took a deep breath and activated his Battle Aura, that invisible force gained from countless real battles over the years.
Daniel’s eyes fixed slightly on that aura. He had heard about Battle Aura before. It was something similar to Sword Aura, a type of aura that could only be obtained through presence and experience in endless wars and battles.
This aura dramatically increased the user’s power, boosting endurance, speed, and reaction time by up to double.
It looked like the guild leader had gotten fed up with his arrogant words and wanted to teach him a lesson right from the first move.
The air around him grew heavier, as if gravity itself had increased, and the energy of the Law of the Moon burst out from his body, wrapping his spear in silver light like moonlight.
"Alright then. Let’s begin!"
Varnos rushed forward at high speed, spinning his spear like a serpent and thrusting straight toward Daniel’s chest.
The energy of the Law of the Moon, without any additional skill, amplified the strike so powerfully that it tore through the air and created a sound like roaring wind.
Daniel deliberately didn’t dodge; he let the spear tip hit his body directly.
The impact felt like being smashed by a giant mountain... but pain? None.
Daniel’s skin didn’t even get scratched. He didn’t step back even once. He just stood there and felt the strike’s energy spread through his body and get absorbed.
’That strike had at least the power of a mid Rank S. If this was before I became a Primal, I wouldn’t have been able to deflect that without defensive skills,’ he analyzed calmly.
At the same time, he noticed something else. It was daytime right now, and yet the guild leader could still use the power of the moon. That meant he had some special source for the Law of the Moon.
Daniel himself used the real moon as his source, which meant he could only use the Law of the Moon at night, when the moon was actually present.
’I should ask him later what his source is,’ he thought to himself, then noticed one more thing.
His senses were sharper; he could even feel the flow of wind created by the impact.
Varnos narrowed his eyes. He had thought this strike would at least cause Daniel some trouble, but he had brushed it off so easily? Without using any defensive skill?
He said nothing and continued.
This time, Varnos spun and attacked from the other side, gripping the spear with both hands and delivering a horizontal slash aimed at Daniel’s waist.
His Battle Aura pressed down harder, as if doubling the weight of the attack. Moon energy came along like a silver wave, but still no special skill.
Daniel dodged slightly this time, but not completely. He let the edge of the spear graze his arm.
His speed... was unbelievable. His mind reacted faster than ever before, and his body moved with a quickness he never had.
The strike landed, but again, no damage. Just a mild warm sensation, as if his body had converted the impact into energy.
’My speed... my senses... everything has improved. My endurance too—I feel like it’s boundless.’
"Now I understand where that confidence comes from," Varnos laughed, then leaped back and jumped high before coming down, slamming the spear from above like he wanted to split the earth itself.
The Law of the Moon energy was even stronger this time. His Battle Aura shook the air and kicked up dust.
Daniel stood directly and took the blow with his chest. BOOM! The ground beneath his feet cracked, but his body? Perfectly fine.
His spirit didn’t even flinch; it felt like these strikes were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"Not even one step back..." Varnos retreated, his breathing heavier. Shock rippled through his eyes.
Even he himself couldn’t deflect such powerful strikes so easily.
He spun his spear and focused moon energy. [Crescent Moon Strike]!
The spear tip glowed and launched a crescent of silver energy toward Daniel, sharp and fast like a moon blade.
Daniel didn’t dodge; he let the crescent hit his shoulder. Did it cut? No. Just a faint red line that vanished instantly.
Varnos was stunned. His attack had been deflected that easily? What the hell kind of nonsense was this!
But he didn’t stop. He launched the next one immediately. [Moonbeam Pierce]!
A thin, blinding beam shot from the spear tip straight toward Daniel’s heart.
The speed was incredible, but Daniel moved smoothly aside, his senses reacted before the beam even arrived.
The beam struck the ground and created a massive hole, though it repaired itself moments later. Daniel remained completely unharmed.
"This... is impossible!" Varnos’s shock deepened. This level of defense wasn’t something a Rank A should possess.
He even doubted whether a peak Rank S Awakened could do this.
A National Rank Awakened? His eyes widened for a second before he forced the thought out of his mind. Impossible.
[Lunar Eclipse Bind]!
The darkness of an eclipse wrapped around Daniel like invisible chains, trying to bind him and drain his energy.
Daniel felt pressure on his spirit, but... with one simple shake of his body, the chains shattered. His spirit was stronger, his mind clearer.
Varnos leaped back, eyes wide.
[Full Moon Barrage]!
A rapid series of spear strikes, each one exploding with full moon energy, like a rain of blows.
Daniel dodged some, took others head-on. His speed let him see every attack clearly, and his endurance showed no sign of fatigue. The strikes landed, but his skin didn’t even turn red.
"How...?" Varnos muttered, sweat pouring down his forehead.
[Waning Moon Drain]
He spun the spear and sent out a wave of waning moon energy, trying to suck the life force out of Daniel.
Daniel stood directly in the wave. He felt as if his vitality was being pulled out of his body, but his body resisted, strongly.
Varnos finally stopped. He lowered his spear, his face filled with utter shock. He didn’t even know what to say anymore.
What could anyone say in this situation?
"Defense test complete. Now it’s time to test my offensive power," Daniel murmured calmly, then took his first step forward.