Overwhelming Firepower

Lucen and his group continued walking until they reached an area where there were no longer mana lamps. The sky is blocked by the taller buildings in the upper sections, and the stench is as putrid as it looks.

The further they descended into the lower districts of Caelhart, the more the air changed.

Gone were the polished stones and gleaming lanterns of the upper city. The cobbled streets here were cracked and uneven, slick with grime that never quite dried. The scent of incense and perfume was replaced by the stench of smoke, sewage, and too many bodies crammed into too little space.

Even the light itself felt different, filtered, grimier, as if the sun hesitated to touch this part of the city. Tall, crooked buildings leaned over the narrow roads, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch like claws.

Shabby signs creaked on rusted chains, their paint faded and chipped. A butcher’s stall spilled red water into a gutter. A toothless vendor barked at a beggar child who had gotten too close to his dried meat.

Sir Thalos stopped. His gaze locked on the vendor, sharp as steel. The vendor flinched, then quickly looked away, shrinking beneath the knight’s towering presence. Thalos approached, his steps slow, deliberate.

”W-what do ya want?” the vendor muttered, voice wavering.

”How much for the piece of dry meat?” Thalos asked, voice calm but firm.

”Two... Two copper coins each.”

Without a word, Sir Thalos flipped a silver coin through the air. It hit the stall with a sharp clink.

He grabbed five pieces of dried meat and turned toward the beggar child huddled in the corner. Kneeling slightly, he held the food out with both hands.

”Do not give up, child. As long as you survive, your chance to change your fate will come.”

The child hesitated, wide-eyed, then reached forward with trembling fingers.

Lucen watched in silence, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Yes. This, this was how he had always imagined a knight would act. And Sir Thalos, loud and brash as he might be, was a knight in the truest sense.

”Sorry for the delay, young master.” Sir Thalos bowed his head in front of Lucen.

”No need to apologize, you did as any true knight would have done.”

The group then resumed their journey, descending deeper into the belly of Caelhart.

With every step, the air grew heavier. The stench of piss and sh*t faded, replaced by something far more disturbing, the iron tang of blood. It lingered in the gutters, clung to the walls, and soaked into the earth like a permanent stain.

Harlik wrinkled his nose. ”Been a while since I walked through a place like this. Back in Ironhold, you don’t really see slums like these. Always found that odd, honestly.”

”The reason you won’t find districts like this in Ironhold,” Sir Thalos replied, voice low but steady, ”isn’t because it’s cleaner or more noble. It’s because Ironhold doesn’t allow such weakness.”

He glanced around at the shanties, the broken windows, the desperate faces watching them from shadowed alleys.

”Ironhold has harsh winters, beasts at the gates, and storms that could bury a man alive. If you live like this in Ironhold... You won’t last a night.”

Lucen listened to their conversation while looking around. His gaze lingered on a bloodstained wall and the flicker of movement disappearing behind it.

”I don’t think the weak can survive this place either.”

As if they waited for Lucen to say such words, a group of men came out of an alleyway. Each holding a weapon, with sinister-looking smiles on their faces.

”First time I’ve seen you guys around here.” One of the men spoke. ”Based on your looks, I say you guys are some noble brat and his bodyguards, correct?”

Lucen didn’t answer. He simply raised an eyebrow as he assessed the group. There were seven of them, each armed with chipped swords, rusted axes, and the kind of bravado born from desperation, not strength.

Harlik’s hand hovered near his sword, eyes narrowed. ”Hey, you fools, you should learn to gauge your opponents before picking a fight.”

Sir Thalos, meanwhile, stood completely still. His expression hadn’t changed, but the slight shift in his stance was enough to make one of the thugs instinctively take a step back. Unfortunately, their leader wasn’t so wise.

”Hmph, who are you trying to scare? There are four of you and seven of us, and one of yous is just a noble brat.” The thug gestured at Lucen with his sword.

”Listen up, kid. Down here, you pay tolls if you want to walk with all your limbs attached. Nobles bleed the same as the rest. You see, Hendrik over there has already awakened his aura,” The leader of the thugs pointed at the largest of them, who was holding an axe.

”So you best be a good noble whelp and fork over whatever you got, and we’ll even give you the VIP treatment.”

Lucen smiled gently as he stepped forward.

”How about you guide us to the underground arena, and we’ll not beat you up. Or I could beat you up, then you guide us to the underground arena.”

Lucen was actually quite happy that such a group approached them, since he had gotten lost a while ago. The real lower districts were a much more confusing place than the ones shown in the game.

In the game, just going through a few twists and turns, you would reach the underground arena, but there they had been walking for half an hour now, and they could not see a single thing about the underground arena.

When the thugs heard what Lucen said, they looked at each other and then started laughing. Their laughter echoed through the alleyway, loud, mocking, full of teeth.

”Did you hear that, boys?” the leader cackled. ”The noble pup wants directions! And he thinks he’s going to beat us up, he says!”

Hendrik, the aura user, stepped forward. His axe rested casually on his shoulder, his expression a lazy sneer. ”Maybe I’ll just lop off a hand and see if your tongue’s still that smug after.”

Lucen didn’t flinch. Instead, he let out a disappointed sigh and cracked his neck. ”Should’ve gone with the first option.”

Lucen looked at his three companions, who were ready to strike. ”You guys stand down, I’ll deal with them myself. This should be good enough for a warm-up.”

Lucen decided to use Acting Adept Trait to its full abilities now that he knows what it truly is. Lucen then imagined an unarmed fighter, one he knew quite a bit. His demeanour then changed as he got into a boxing stance.

He was now using a character from a fighting game he used to play a lot. His knowledge of this character from his backstory to all his combos was complete.

”Hoh.”

Sir Thalos, who was standing at the side, was surprised by the sudden change in Lucen’s demeanor and the stance he was using. This was not any known stance in the art of unarmed combat in Norvaegard.

It wasn’t a stance from any knightly order or pit-fighting style Sir Thalos knew. Lucen shifted into a narrow, sideways stance, shoulders loose, fists tucked near his face, his weight bouncing lightly on his toes. His smirk widened. He didn’t just look like he was about to fight. He looked like he was about to enjoy it.

’Is this perhaps an unarmed martial art the young master created himself, or is it something he read in a book? Anyway, that is quite an interesting fighting stance.’

Lucen gestured with a flick of his right hand, taunting. ”Come on then.”

”That cocky little... Get him!” the leader barked, face contorting with rage.

The thugs surged forward like a pack of starving dogs, weapons raised and shouting, too blinded by ego to realize, they were about to get beaten up.

The moment the first thug lunged, Lucen’s body snapped into motion.

He didn’t meet the attack head-on. He slipped left, the blade grazing air where his head had been. His footwork was light, deliberate, bouncing on the balls of his feet. One, two, he weaved in under a wild swing and drove a right hook straight into the thug’s liver.

Crack.

The man let out a strangled gasp, folded over, and crumpled to the ground. Before the others could process what happened, Lucen was already moving again.

A second thug came from the side with a dagger. Lucen didn’t even look at him, his left shoulder rolled back, the blade barely missing his cheek as he bobbed under, then countered with a brutal uppercut that snapped the man’s head back. Teeth flew. The thug fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

”W-what the hell!” One of them stammered, stepping back.

But Lucen closed the distance before he could retreat, using a short, explosive dash. A left jab to the nose, then a right cross to the jaw, two quick shots, fluid and efficient. The man was out before he hit the ground.

Three down.

Lucen ducked a club swing from behind, twisting low and pivoting into the man’s blind spot. He didn’t even punch, just slammed an elbow into the side of the thug’s knee. The joint gave out with a sickening pop, and the man screamed as he collapsed.

Hendrik finally stepped in, his aura flaring. ”You little bastard!” Lucen turned, eyes cold and focused. Still bouncing lightly, still smiling.

”You’ll do.”

***

”Whoah, since when did the little leader move like that?!” Mark was amazed by the sight. He already knew Lucen could fight. He had seen him fighting using swords and guns before, but it was nothing like this.

”Was the little leader more talented in unarmed combat than any other weapon?” Harlik commented on the side.

”Hahaha, as expected of the young master. The training he did every day has not betrayed him. His body, even without using aura, is doing great.” Sir Thalos laughed heartily, impressed by Lucen’s style of fighting.

Hendrik roared and charged, aura flaring wild and red around his body. Lucen didn’t move. He simply waited, weight shifting, shoulder relaxed, one fist still cocked near his cheek. Just as Hendrik raised his weapon to swing.

Lucen stepped in.

One step. One punch.

A right straight, fast as lightning, drilled into Hendrik’s solar plexus with the sound of a cannon going off.

The thug’s body lurched, his eyes bulged. The axe hit the ground before he did. Silence fell until Lucen’s voice broke it.

”...Too slow.”

Lucen then shifted his attention to the leader of the group of thugs, who was the only one left standing. The leader unconsciously backed away as Lucen approached him. The thug stumbled, his butt hitting the ground. Lucen crouched slightly, flashing a wide grin.

”Now, are you going to guide us to the underground arena, or do you need more convincing?” Lucen raised his fist slightly, the smile never leaving his face.

”No, no, no need, good sir. I will gladly guide your group to the underground arena.” The leader quickly replied.