Looking at the number of bookmarks, Jiaoshou felt utterly dispirited. Two recommendations—two recommendations! I'd thought I could gain two thousand bookmarks this week, but now even one thousand looks doubtful. I'm begging you to bookmark this book. If you're reading, please lift that noble little hand of yours and click the bookmark button. I'm sincerely asking, because at this rate, there definitely won't be any recommendations next week.
"Judgment!"
"Crusader Strike!"
Rex unleashed his Paladin skills in rapid succession. Holy light surged within him, bathing Rex in a golden glow that made him look supremely divine. That was the advantage of being a Paladin: they looked impressive. Of all the classes, Paladins were not the strongest, but they were certainly the most impressive-looking. No other class could rival them in that respect.
Bang! The tremendous impact forced King Genn backward, leaving the arms gripping his two-handed greataxe tingling with numbness. What incredible strength, King Genn thought. He knew what people said about Rex, though he had never taken it seriously before. They said Rex possessed extraordinary natural strength that few could match. Only after exchanging a direct blow with him did King Genn realize that this assessment was actually rather restrained. This was not merely extraordinary talent—it was downright monstrous. Fortunately, King Genn knew nothing about genetic mutations, or he would surely have attributed the appearance of such a strongman in the Greymane Family to one.
With King Genn's arms numb, the two-handed greataxe he held naturally drooped as he retreated rapidly. Rex, with his wealth of combat experience, would never let such an opportunity slip away. He followed close on Genn's heels, raised his Greatsword high overhead, and brought it down toward King Genn's weapon. Seeing Rex's solemn expression and a strike that seemed to carry every ounce of his strength, King Genn decisively abandoned any attempt to resist and called out, "Stop! That's enough sparring."
King Genn had only wanted to test Rex's strength firsthand, not stand there and take a beating. Seeing that Rex's latest attack was even more formidable than the last, he chose to give up.
At those words, Rex immediately changed the direction of his Greatsword and shifted past him, but did not pull back the strike. King Genn had misjudged it: this blow contained only eighty percent of Rex's strength. Even so, eighty percent was not something he could simply withdraw at will. The more forceful an attack was, the harder it was to control.
Boom! The Greatsword slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, throwing up a cloud of dust. When the dust obscuring their vision cleared, the nearby guards and King Genn stared at the scene in utter shock, their faces frozen in disbelief. The strike had actually blasted a deep crater into the ground. Had he used magic or holy light, that would have been nothing remarkable. Yet everyone had clearly seen that his last blow contained not a trace of holy light. It had been pure physical strength.
Creating such a sight through strength alone was naturally stunning. Looking at the deep crater he had made, Rex wore a satisfied expression. The enhancement provided by the Tome of Strength was terrifying. The first time he had used one, it had doubled his strength based on what he originally possessed. Strictly speaking, his second use had also doubled his strength, but the actual gain was different. Compared with the first increase, the second was twice as large, since the strength added by the first Tome of Strength was included in the calculation.
Thus, the later one used the Tome of Strength, the more terrifying its enhancement became. An ordinary person was fortunate to be able to use it once; constitutions capable of handling two uses were exceedingly rare.
"Who could stand against strength like that combined with holy light?" King Genn murmured, his gaze burning as he looked at Rex. Few at the Ninth Rank could match Rex's strength. Ordinary Ninth Rank fighters were no match for him at all; only those with special abilities could serve as his opponents.
"What terrifying strength. Once you reach the peak of the Ninth Rank, the title of strongest beneath Hero Rank will belong to you, Rex." The praise came from nearby in a deep, resonant voice. Rex quickly put away his Greatsword and walked toward the speaker. The only people qualified to speak in the Training Grounds were Rex, King Genn, and Rachel.
Strongest beneath Hero Rank sounded impressive, but it still meant being unable to defeat someone at Hero Rank. To Rex, such lofty praise was hardly worth mentioning. As someone who had transmigrated to this world, his ambitions naturally extended far beyond that.
As though sensing Rex's indifference, Rachel said nothing, his face resolute. He casually took a One-Handed Sword from the weapon rack and stood quietly before Rex. A powerful aura erupted instantly, sweeping across the Training Grounds.
Looking at the man before him, whose presence was like a mountain, Rex could sense none of Rachel's age from his aura alone. His presence was powerful, his eyes sharp, just like a young man's. Yet he had grown old all the same. Silver hair fell loosely over his shoulders, and wrinkles covered his face, making him look even older than Rex remembered. The feeling of a hero in his twilight years filled Rex's heart.
In Rex's memories, he had grown up listening to legends about Rachel. Back when Rachel had stood at the peak of Hero Rank, how spirited and magnificent he had been. His most awe-inspiring feat had been defeating five Hero Rank fighters in succession, all on his own. That battle had been hailed as legendary. For the first time, an ambition for everlasting life took root in Rex's heart. He could not allow himself to grow old like Rachel in the future. With the Night Elves as an example, there was at least some hope of finding a way to live forever.
Without wasting words, Rex attacked first. Facing a Hero Rank fighter and still letting his opponent make the first move would have been idiotic.
This strike combined holy light with every ounce of Rex's physical strength. It was a ferocious blow, the pinnacle of what he could achieve. Under the pressure of facing a Hero Rank fighter, Rex unleashed his strongest attack. He would certainly develop attacks that surpassed it in the future, but at this moment, this was his strongest, fiercest strike.
"Not bad. Unfortunately, it's useless against me." Rachel's gaze remained calm, and his expression barely changed throughout. He swung his One-Handed Sword, and rage erupted. Clang! Metal rang against metal as he successfully blocked Rex's attack.
"Wait, that one doesn't count! I hadn't eaten my fill!"
(End of chapter)
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