"Socrates... It's time to go melee."
Mr. Jaggers didn't repeat his statement as he tapped on his wristband, bringing up his system inventory, the faint blue glow reflecting off his stern face. He quickly shuffled through it and brought out an item he had looted from the beginning of the hunt and was saving up for this exact situation.
The Double Battle Axe.
This is an item he gained after slaying the Bermutha Wolves.. He weld it on both hands, the heavy blades glinting under the artificial light, and leapt towards the Mechanical Bot at once, green energy flaring behind him like a trailing comet.
His plan was simple — Attack before being encircled... And so, he charged straight towards the enemies.
Socrates also didn't relent, he also follow the same process — pulling out two Antler Daggers from his inventory, their curved edges sharp and beast-like, and dash after Mr. Jaggers.
Because of his broken meridian, he couldn't extert any spiritual energy... So his speed was incredibly slow compared to that of Mr. Jaggers who had already locked on his first opponent.
CLANG.
The middle aged man opened the floor with an open vertical arc, the axe slicing through the air with force, and just as he predicted, the bot before him raised its shield to block the axe..
This is the most predictable outcome but what the bot didn't expect was for Mr. Jaggers axe to carry a trail of spiritual energy..
A green line of spiritual energy leave the axe and cleave the shield into two... The energy didn't stop but still proceed and cleave the bot into two, sending sparks flying round like scattered fireflies.
"WOAH." Socrates was flabbergasted..
Mr. Jaggers didn't end there, he turned his other hand. The grip on the axe was still tightened when he launched an horizontal strike that destroyed two bots at once, their metallic bodies splitting apart with a burst of crackling electricity.
'Mr. Jaggers is finally showing his true strength.. I've to help him so that he won't use too much of his spiritual energy.'
Socrates snapped himself out of his stupor as he also charged at the closest mechanical bots, tightening his grip on the daggers.
Socrates himself isn't a novice.. Before his meridian got broken, he could use spiritual energy..
Even now, he could feel it but he can't use it..
He knew fully well that there's a limit to spiritual energy and one need to cultivate in order to recover it..
To recover, one need to rest.. To stay without fighting. To stay motionless for a period of time..
Unfortunately, in Bermutha.. Such luxury is almost impossible.. That's why aspirant make use of external items mostly and only rely on their spiritual energy when needed.
"DIE YOU PUNK.."
Socrates launched a straight strike with his dagger towards the Bot.. It was a vertical slash.. Exactly the same way, the same posture Mr. Jaggers had launched that of his.
The Bot, as if programmed to always carry out the same action when being attacked, raised its shield for defense.
Socrates dagger landed on the shield producing a clanging sound, the vibration running through his arm.
But that was just it...
Sound was the only thing that came out of it...
The Bot didn't even move a step back, talk more of the shield splitting into two or its body cleaving into two..
Socrates was shocked... He was flabbergasted... The reason was because Mr. Jaggers had initiated this same strike and had taken down his enemy.
But he couldn't even make his enemy move a step back..
'Is this the difference between our strength?'
'Am I this weak or is Mr. Jaggers just this strong?'
While Socrates was shuffling through his thoughts, the bot had already launched a strike with its blade arm.
Its arm ripped through the air with a sharp metallic hiss as it headed straight for Socrates' head. The hot wind brushed past his ear before instinct kicked in—he quickly realized his situation and raised his other dagger in defense.
The two metals collided with a harsh CLANG, sparks bursting at the point of contact—
But it didn't end there...
They both parried each other, the bot's movements precise and unrelenting, and it followed up with another strike, which Socrates deflected again while taking a step back, his boots scraping against the ground.
Another strike came—this one slightly curved—as sparks flew from the friction of metal scraping against metal.
The dagger in Socrates' hand almost lost balance from the impact, his wrist trembling slightly, but Socrates didn't hesitate to follow up with the other dagger, forcing himself to stay in the exchange.
It was as if the Bot had been waiting for this exact moment.
It raised its shield instantly—the edge of the shield smashing upward from below and bashing Socrates' hand, causing him to lose his grip on one of his daggers.
Socrates gasped, his movements faltering, as he tightened his grip on the remaining dagger and followed up with a straight stab.
But the Mechanical bot reacted immediately.
It used its blade arm to strike the dagger, knocking it cleanly out of Socrates' grip before driving its shield forward—
BAM!
The impact slammed into Socrates' chest, sending him flying backward violently. The force caused him to somersault in the air, his vision briefly spinning, but luckily he managed to regain control midair.
He twisted his body—
Flipped—
—and landed on all threes, his hands and knees striking the ground, his head facing downward before he slowly raised it to look at the Mechanical bot that was already rushing toward him.
He was defenseless.
He had no weapon.
But that didn't make him scared.
Nor did he cower.
Instead—
He charged back at the bot.
Zooming forward at full speed, he exerted force into his legs, pushing his body to its limits.
The bot halted its advance slightly due to Socrates' sudden approach and launched a straight pincer attack aimed directly at his chest.
Socrates got as close as possible—
Then, at the last moment, he bent his body sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding the blade by mere inches as it sliced past his chest.
The bot retracted its arm and launched another pincer attack—
This time, Socrates shifted his weight to the right, dodging it again by mere inches.
The bot adjusted once more and switched tactics, opting for a vertical slash.
But Socrates had already predicted this.
He was already moving.
With adrenaline pumping violently through his veins, he pushed himself to his extreme speed, circling behind the bot in an instant.
As the bot's blade cut through empty air—
Socrates clenched his fist and launched a straight punch toward the back of its head with everything he had.
The force triggered the ability of the Exoskeletal hands.
A surge of green energy traveled through the equipment, flowing along his arm—
—and blasted directly into the head of the bot.
CRACK!
The head shattered into pieces.
Wires and sparks burst out from the broken neck as the bot's body collapsed to the ground.
Socrates staggered forward, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
'No.. I can't rest.. I've to help Mr. Jaggers.'
Socrates raised his head—
Only to see that Mr. Jaggers was already standing alone amidst piles of broken mechanical parts, his figure calm, his weapons still in hand, while staring directly at him.
"Good show, boy... That's a good one," Mr. Jaggers praised.
"You flatter me senior." Socrates bowed a little, still catching his breath, sweat trailing down his face and mixing with the faint streaks of dust and grime. "You destroyed over a dozen Mechanical bot within the time it took me to destroy one... You're really awesome Senior.. Without you, I might not really survived.."
"Haha.. There's no need for the—"
Mr. Jaggers didn't complete his speech.
A sharp clicking sound echoed through the room.
Both men froze instantly, their senses sharpened, their grips tightened.
From the doorway—
Another mechanical bot stepped out.
But this one was different.
It was bulkier, its frame thicker and more reinforced, its metallic body reflecting the dim light with a dull sheen. Unlike the others, it carried no shield and no blade arm—its limbs were plain, almost too plain, making its presence even more unsettling.
The two men braced themselves for another round of attack.
Though exhausted, their bodies tense and breathing uneven, they remained on high alert, ready to move at the slightest sign of hostility.
But then—
The bot stopped.
Its single golden eye flickered once.
And then it spoke.
"CONGRATULATIONS FOR SUCESSFULLY PASSING THE TWO TEST, YOU CAN NOW CLAIM THE TOKEN."
Its mechanical voice echoed coldly across the room.
At the same moment—
The token emitted a soft golden glow.
Then it dropped.
Clink.
It hit the ground lightly, the sound crisp in the tense silence.
The golden eye of the mechanical bot dimmed slowly until it went completely dark, its body going still—like a machine that had lost all power.
Silence filled the room.
The two men stared at each other. It was a brief exchange which conveyed unspoken thoughts.
"Senior.. I'll retrieve the token then." Socrates said politely.
Mr. Jaggers nodded.
They had already passed the test.
So most definitely—
The token should belong to them.
What Socrates and Mr. Jaggers didn't take into account—was that they didn't receive any system notification.
Step by step, Socrates walked toward the token, his footsteps echoing faintly.
When he reached it—
He paused.
First, he glanced at the unmoving bot, then at Mr. Jagger, then back at the token.
Slowly—
He bent down.
His fingers stretched toward the glowing object.
The moment his hand touched the token—
A golden array burst into existence beneath him.
A perfect circle.
Complex runic patterns spread outward instantly, locking him in place at the center.
Crack—!
Streaks of electric bolts erupted violently from the token.
They slammed into Socrates' body, the force lifting him off the ground as his body arched from the impact.
His body was thrown upward—
But the moment he reached the edge of the array—
He was violently repelled back to the center.
Then—
Another wave.
A dozen electric bolts struck him at once.
"AAAAAARGH!!"
His scream tore through the room.
His HP dropped rapidly, the light intensified, the current surged.
His body convulsed midair, completely trapped within the circle.
Once again they had been lured into a trap.
But this time there was no clear way out, Socrates' life was in serious danger.