While all that was happening, Erik was still locked in a fight with the woman, Mia. However, something was happening at the same time.
Since he was in the radius, as each person died, Erik gained experience since the system absorbed their mana. Until now, four people died between parents and thugs, and he gained another level.
As he and the woman named Mia traded blows, Erik observed her trying to find any weakness he could exploit. She was a tall and athletic woman with short, curly brown hair.
She had piercing blue eyes that seemed to gleam with a competitive fire and a strong jawline that suggested she was not one to shy away from training.
Her muscular arms and toned legs hinted at the hours she must have spent training and working out, and she had several tattoos covering her arms.
The woman was currently wearing a tight black tank top and matching pants, and she used a very aggressive and unpredictable fighting style with quick slashes and bizarre footwork.
She seemed to favor a style that relied on brute strength and endurance rather than finesse or technique.
Despite her intimidating appearance, there was a certain grace to her movements, as if she had honed her skills over many years of training, and there was a hint of a sinister smile playing at the corners of her lips as if she was enjoying the challenge of facing Erik in deadly combat.
"You are good, kiddo! You are very good!" she said, swinging her sword at the young man with reckless abandon.
With her weapon held in a reverse grip, Mia lunged at Erik again, aiming for his midsection. The awakener quickly stepped to the side and countered with a swift cut aimed at Mia's exposed back.
She easily blocked it with a parry after she violently twisted on herself, a wicked smile playing across her face. However, she was internally surprised by the move the awakener had just performed; that was no easy feat. How could this greenhorn be strong enough to face her at only 16 years old?
"Hahahahah! More More, LET ME SEE MORE!" Mia said, her voice laced with a hint of insanity. "Can you entertain this young lady?" Erik's eyes widened as he realized just how crazy Mia was.
The two continued their dance, clanging swords in a flurry of strikes and parries. Erik could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, knowing he was in for a tough fight.
The woman was stronger than him, and there was a limit to what he could do even with Nathaniel's power due to the low amount of mana and neural links he had.
"You know," Mia said, her eyes gleaming with madness. "I love the feeling of a sharp blade slicing through flesh. It's like music to my ears!"
Erik felt a shiver run down his spine at her words. The young man could increase his physical stats to face the woman, but that would make him unable to improve his mana later, and he already did this several times. The alternative would be to increase his energy stats immediately to gain more mana and use Nathaniel's power more extensively.
However, before doing that, he wanted to see how the situation turned out. One thing was clear since he could receive help from his friends at any moment.
He took a deep breath and charged at Mia, aiming for a swift strike to her chest. But the woman was too quick for him. She dodged his attack and lunged at him with her sword, aiming for his neck.
"Nice move, kiddo!" Mia said, laughing. "Too bad you are too slow!"
Erik managed to dodge the next blow, but barely. He knew he couldn't let his guard down even a moment.
Mia was too dangerous to underestimate; it was already a miracle in itself that he was able to fight against her without having the same trouble his friends were having against their opponents.
Then Mia attacked. Erik raised his guard, preparing to defend himself as the woman lunged forward with a lightning-fast strike.
The two blades clashed, and the sound of metal rang through the air. They traded blows repeatedly, each trying to gain the upper hand.
The woman laughed maniacally as they fought, her eyes gleaming with a crazed fervor.
"You'll never beat me!" she shouted as she pressed her attack.
Erik couldn't help but feel annoyed by the woman's antics. She was clearly crazy, and he started having enough of her constant mocking.
The awakener channeled mana and used Nathaniel's power under his feet to increase his speed. With a sudden burst, he darted forward and managed to land a glancing blow on her shoulder.
But the woman was not deterred. She only laughed harder, her sword flashing as she continued her onslaught.
Erik realized that he was in serious trouble; this was no ordinary opponent, and he might be forced to reveal his powers, as he didn't know if he would be able to go on like that since his mana was already half full despite him having leveled up just a couple of minutes ago.
He needed to find a way to turn the tables on her quickly. It was at that moment that Erik received another notification.
[THREE HOSTILE INDIVIDUALS KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 4863 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
***
Luisa Zamora's mother, Ana, stood tall as she surveyed the room. Three men, each wielding a mana weapon, were currently confronting her. They had no idea what they were up against. Ana had the power to control flames, as all of the Zamora clan's members did, and she was not afraid to use it.
Ana summoned a small flame in her palm with a flick of her wrist. The men hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do, as they knew the Zamora clan was powerful, but then they lunged forward with their weapons.
The woman leaped back, narrowly avoiding their attacks, and sent a burst of flame at the closest man. He screamed as his clothing caught fire, and he frantically tried to put it out. The other two men hesitated, clearly realizing they were dealing with a dangerous opponent.
"Come on then!" Ana yelled, her eyes blazing with anger. "I'll take you all on!"
One of the men lunged forward with a knife, but Ana dodged to the side and sent a wave of flames in his direction. He stumbled back, his clothing smoldering, but he was not out of the fight yet.
The other man took advantage of Ana's distraction to charge at her with a spear. She managed to dodge most of his blows, but he caught her on the arm, sending a jolt of pain through her.
"You're going to pay for that," Ana snarled, and she sent a jet of flames at the man's face.
He screamed as his skin blistered and peeled away, and he collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony.
The last man hesitated for a moment, clearly realizing he was outmatched. But then he lunged forward with his weapon, determined to take Ana down with him.
Ana calmly stepped back; he didn't even let the man approach her as she sent a wall of flames shooting up in front of him. He screamed as he was engulfed in the fire and fell to the ground, his body consumed by the flames.
However, she wasn't done yet. She turned to look to her left and immediately saw Erik Romano, the kid who saved her, having trouble fighting against his opponent.
However, it was clear he was an awakener, as he was able to face the woman despite her being clearly stronger than him.
The kid was too strong for his age, and she couldn't explain how that was possible. The only thing was for him to have an insane number of neural links despite his age, but she didn't know the number. However, it was clear she had to intervene.
Ana watched with bathed breath as Mia and Erik clashed their swords. The woman's moves were precise and fluid, and she seemed to be getting the upper hand. Erik was having trouble defending himself, and his attacks were getting weaker as the fight continued.
Ana knew she had to act quickly and summoned a fireball to hurl at Mia. The fireball missed its mark, and Mia dodged it easily, but it took Erik some time to regain his composure.
Mia's eyes glinted with a crazed fervor, and she let out a manic laugh. "HEY! STOP INTERFERING!" she said as she lunged forward with her sword. Erik managed to block the attack, but his arms shook from the impact.
Mia continued to press forward, and Erik was barely able to keep up with her speed and strength. Ana sent another fireball, which distracted Mia enough for Erik to land a blow on her arm.
The woman gritted her teeth in pain but quickly regained her focus. She swung her sword with even more ferocity, and Erik struggled to defend himself.
Ana continued to send fireballs, hoping to create an opening for Erik, but Mia seemed impervious to the flames.
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