Jonan moved slowly, his breath steady as he slipped into the dense forest, from a distance, he could see the bandit leader, Shakaan, mounted on a low-grade horse, sufficient for this rough terrain but far from impressive.
Shakaan expected Jonan to panic, to run in a desperate bid for survival, that would have been more amusing. Instead, the young man entered the forest at a measured pace, showing no sign of urgency, it unsettled him.
"Has the boy truly lost his mind?" Shakaan mused, narrowing his eyes. "Is he so broken in his head that he's resigned himself to death?"
Keeping his grip firm on his short sword, Shakaan nudged his horse forward, meanwhile, Jonan crouched beside a sturdy tree, his expression unreadable and his body still.
Despite holding the clear advantage, Shakaan didn't let his guard down. He hadn't survived long as a bandit leader by being reckless. He had learned to be cautious, ruthless, and, most importantly, shrewd.
After all, bandits were an unruly bunch with no morals, and he wasn't sure what his subordinates would do if any accident happened to him.
As he closed in, a strange unease crept over him. There was something off about Jonan, something unsettling, but he pushed the feeling aside. He was the one who started the game, and he already had quite a vast advantage here. There was no room for hesitation.
As Shakaan's horse drew near, Jonan sprang forward with explosive speed, ignoring the gleam of the short sword in Shakaan's left hand. The attack was so sudden that Shakaan barely had time to react.
Jonan twisted mid-air, executing his battle art, Moonlit Reverence. His foot slammed into Shakaan's chest with precise force, sending the bandit leader flying off his horse and crashing to the ground.
Shakaan growled as he came to his feet, his vision afire with rage. He hardly had a chance to regain his breath when Jonan reached him, unrelenting in a whirlwind of punches and kicks. Some of these were deflected but one particularly savage kick in the ribs sent the bandit stumbling backward.
Grunting in rage, Shakaan swept his short sword wildly in and out, pushing Jonan to keep dodging.
Seeing an opening, Shakaan stamped his foot down, kicking dirt and debris into Jonan's face, then pushed forward, swinging his blade in a deadly arc.
Jonan barely avoided, twisting his torso to reduce the impact as the blade clipped his shoulder. Blood ran down his arm, but he didn't stumble. Rather, he spun low, sweeping Shakaan's legs from beneath him.
The bandit chief landed with a thud on the ground, but Shakaan dodged just in time and jumped up again. Both men stood frozen, their eyes locked on, one heaving, the other unruffled.
Shakaan let out a menacing laugh and replied, "I must admit, I am very impressed. You are the first rabbit ever to have given me so much pleasure, but now that we have had our warm-up, let's conclude this."
Wearing a cold, sinister smile, Shakaan simply took his short sword and pointed it at Jonan, surprising the latter.
The bandits erupted in cheers, hooting and screaming in delight, understanding exactly what Shakaan intended by pointing his short sword.
Jonan's face turned pale as realization struck. He had seen this before. Shakaan was finally revealing his strength the power of the Aura Sentinel realm, the stage beyond the Weapon Seeker realm. Those in this realm could sense and harness aura, and from Shakaan's expression, Jonan could tell he was a veteran.
Shakaan then slowly slashed his short sword at Jonan from quite a distance. Instinctively, Jonan crouched down just in time. When he looked behind him, he saw a clean, deep slash on the tree behind him.
Shakaan's aura had an invisible effect, making his attacks difficult to perceive.
"How do you like my appetizer, boy?" Shakaan grinned.
Jonan's face was pensive. He could match Shakaan in physical strength, but adding aura into the equation made it nearly impossible to face him head-on.
Aura granted many advantages, but there were four basic ones.
First, it contained a unique ability related to the weapon affinity of the warrior, Shakaan's aura, for example, was invisible to perceive.
Second, aura enhanced the attack power of both weapons and the body, making them sharper or more penetrating depending on the user's will.
Third, it could be used defensively to guard against incoming attacks.
And fourth, it provided sensory awareness, allowing a warrior to detect threats, track opponents, or perceive hidden dangers.
From what Jonan observed, Shakaan's aura had an invisible nature and sharp enhancement properties, but he had not mastered sensory awareness. If he had, defeating Jonan would have been far easier.
The same was true for the enhancement effect. Without mastering multiple battle arts, it was nearly impossible to control aura freely.
If Shakaan had learned a movement-type battle art, he could have closed the distance instantly. But from the looks of it, he had only practiced a single low-grade battle art that sharpened his aura.
Not everyone had the luxury of learning multiple battle arts. Jonan was once again grateful for being born into a great family; otherwise, he would have struggled to obtain even a single battle art.
But right now, gratitude wouldn't help him. He had to find a way to injure his opponent. Even with just two mastered aspects of aura, Shakaan was a foe Jonan couldn't face head-on.
Jonan clenched his fists, his mind racing. He had always relied on his speed and technique, but against an aura user, he needed something more. His only hope was exploiting Shakaan's weaknesses. The bandit leader had yet to display proficiency in movement or sensory awareness, perhaps, just perhaps, there was an opening Jonan could use.
Drawing a deep breath, Jonan adjusted his stance. He had one shot at this. If he failed, he would not get another chance. His heartbeat steadied, his muscles tensed. Shakaan smirked, raising his sword for another attack.
"Come now, boy," Shakaan sneered. "Let's see how long you can last."
Jonan exhaled slowly, his eyes sharp with determination. He was not to be underestimated, and this game was far from over.