Full-Time Psychic Martial Artist

Chapter 64 The Way of the Warrior

Having made up his mind, Gorac launched another attack on Lorne.

He started with a shield charge as usual, but this time there was no feint; he actually clashed head-on with Lorne.

In terms of pure strength, Gorac is no match for Lorne.

However, if combat skills are taken into account, Gorac, who is a level 7 gladiator and level 7 shield warrior, is far stronger than Lorne, who is still a warrior apprentice.

At this moment, Lorne felt as if his shield was stuck to Gorak's shield.

He tried to push it away forcefully, but the first half of his effort felt like hitting cotton, and the second half was countered by his opponent who seized the opportunity when his strength weakened and pushed him back.

Lorne has memories of level 7 Zaku shield combat and knows that when shield combat stance is upgraded to master level, the parry level can be improved through [Agility] and [Perception], which is a combat technique similar to the martial artist's ability to listen to and neutralize force.

In other words, Gorac abandoned the orcs' strength-based combat prowess and planned to use skill and close-quarters fighting to force himself to reveal weaknesses.

What a coincidence! I also wanted to challenge my weaknesses and unleash my potential.

Knowing the other party's intentions, Lorne not only did not retreat to break the entanglement, but also began to practice the listening and neutralizing force of the shield fighting stance, combining his martial arts talent.

The two identical steel shields sometimes collided dully, and sometimes rubbed against each other.

Both were intently focused on each other's eyes, using their peripheral vision and body language to sense each other's every move.

Gorac's back was gradually soaked with cold sweat, not from exhaustion, but because he clearly sensed the elf's shield.

Skills are evolving at an alarming rate.

Yes, the opponent is growing rapidly, rather than gradually revealing their true strength after deliberately holding back.

Only warriors who have personally experienced this growth and transformation can truly appreciate the terrifying talent this elf possesses in combat.

I can't wait any longer. If I let this elf grow any further, I'll surely die!

With this in mind, Gorac seized upon a minor, barely usable opening in his opponent's defenses and launched an attack.

He first pushed his shield forward as a feint, then suddenly pulled back the shield, seizing the opponent's momentary loss of balance to unleash a swift and powerful axe strike.

The heavy axe swung through the air, leaving a blur, and slashed towards the elf's side.

If this attack hits, it will surely cut the elf in half at the waist and kill him in one blow!

However, just as the axe blade was about to strike, the elf, like an aurora shrimp from the underground sea, suddenly arched its body backward and slid backward in a blur, narrowly avoiding the blow.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump—

All Lorne could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. Even though his heart was pounding, he could clearly distinguish the expansion and contraction of each heartbeat.

The orcs watching from the sidelines were shouting and spitting as they went. I could slowly move my eyes to see the facial expressions of each orc, and even the saliva that slowly splattered from their mouths.

Has time slowed down?

No, it's me who's gotten faster!

In this flow of time that is both fast and slow, Lorne turned his gaze to Gorac.

He first saw shock on the other person's face, and then read fear in their eyes.

Both sides unleashed their "Tidal Wave" attack, but Gorac's mobility was inferior to Lorne's, and he had the first move.

So when his actions came to an end, Lorne's actions were only halfway through.

In an instant, the battle-hardened orc warrior knew he was going to die.

The next second, everything in the world returned to its original speed, except for the white-clad elf who moved as fast as a ghost, appearing as a shadow.

Under the moonlight, a flash of cold light passed by, and all things instantly became silent, as the world began to tilt and spin.

A soft click.

Golac's head landed on the grass.

Blood gushed from his severed neck.

The orcs' cheers came to an abrupt halt.

With a flick of his longsword, crimson petals fluttered down, the blade reflecting the cold moonlight.

The next second, all the orcs instinctively took a step back.

At the same time, Lorne felt a sense of clarity that was nearly a hundred times stronger than before surge through his entire body.

[Dual-purpose weapon] Proficiency +10. Proficiency (91/1000)

[Sword and Blade Weapon Proficiency +10. Proficiency] (143/1000)

[Heavy Shield] Proficiency Level Up to [Mastery] (0/10000)

You have learned [Shield Stance].

You have learned [Fighting Spirit].

You have learned to act like a tide.

You have learned [Execution].

Your "Warrior" class has been upgraded to level 2, your subclass "Gladiator Training" has been upgraded to level 1, and your subclass "Shield Warrior Training" has been upgraded to level 1.

+2 to base attribute points, +30 to maximum health, +30 to maximum stamina, and +10 to maximum mana.

[Fighting Spirit] (Warrior Level 1)

You can have a maximum of (Warrior Level + Base Constitution Adjustment) points of [Battle Will], which are fully restored after each long rest.

『Characteristic Modification: (Constitution Adjustment Value) changed to (Physique Adjustment Value) due to [Limitless Physique].』

Combat stance (omitted)

"Warrior's Breath" (omitted)

"A Tide of Action" (omitted)

"Slaying" (omitted)

'Shield Warrior Stance' (omitted)

Gladiator Stance (omitted)

You have completed the personal growth event [Way of the Warrior], gaining 1000 experience points. (1001/1000)

You have accumulated enough experience to level up.

Lorne didn't rush to upgrade and allocate points; instead, he immediately stored Gorac's corpse intact into his storage space.

The rules of Mogo-Kshaka are that the winner takes everything from the loser, including the loser's corpse, so no orc present objected.

Of course, they dared not object, because objecting would mean launching a new Mogo-Kshaka against Lorne.

These orcs all knew perfectly well that they could not defeat this elf in a one-on-one situation.

After collecting Gorac's corpse, Lorne glanced at the surrounding orcs and said calmly in orcish, "Who else wants to challenge me?"

The orcs breathed heavily in silence.

They all knew very well that if no orcs launched a Mog'k'shaq attack on the elf, then according to tradition, they would have to let the elf leave.

The orcs looked at each other, their eyes filled with resentment and helplessness.

In the end, the orcs could only silently make way for him, in the very direction Lorne had come from.

Lorne said in Orcish, "Tell Gorgon that on the day of the siege, if he has the guts, he should fight me in a Mog'k'shaka on the open ground in front of the city gates."

The beastmen exchanged glances, then clenched their right fists and lightly thumped their chests, indicating that they would definitely pass on the message.

Lorne nodded slightly before slowly walking into the forest.

As soon as Lorne entered the forest, Nelly jumped down from a nearby elf tree and disappeared into Lorne's shadow.

While Lorne and Gorac were fighting Mogo-Kshaka, Nelly had been watching from the tree, invisible.

If the orcs don't let Lorne leave in the end, she will throw out a lot of smoke bombs, allowing Lorne to break through by blindfolding.

Of course, the simplest method is for Lorne to simply abandon his substitute body and use the golden toad to shed his skin and leave.

But that would expose his biggest trump card.

This makes it difficult to trick Gorgon into having a Mogo-Kshaka with him.

On the way back to the fortress, Lorne casually leveled up.

A warm current flowed through my body, and extraordinary knowledge entered my soul.

Your Martial Artist rank has been raised to level 5, and your sub-rank Martial Arts Master rank has been raised to level 1.

+1 to base attribute points, +15 to maximum health, +15 to maximum stamina, and +5 to maximum mana.

[Standing Posture Training] (True Transmission Level 1)

When you make a save against negative status effects such as tripping, falling, being pushed away, being knocked away, or being unbalanced, the save check is increased by (Perception Adjustment).

If the source of the exemption is a humanoid creature, the exemption check is increased by +2.

• **Characteristic Correction: (Perception Adjustment Value) changed to (Spiritual Energy Adjustment Value) due to [Limitless Spiritual Energy].**

The reason for choosing to upgrade this sub-position is that during his fight with Gorac, Lorne deeply experienced the drawbacks of an unstable lower body.

If he hadn't successfully learned [Fighting Will] and [Action Like a Tide] at the crucial moment, he would definitely have been the one to die.