My Muscle System in the Mage World

Chapter 37: Aur vs Linwood

Aur remained unmoving, his red eyes narrowed at the sword, and he slightly backstepped along the trajectory of the sweeping blade.

"Got it," Linwood smirked, delivering a punch to Aur's face with his other hand.

However, just as the blow was about to connect, Linwood's vision blanked out.

"Huh."

Linwood opened his eyes, only to find himself staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, move it, kid, and go to the losers' bracket already."

The loud voice rang in his ears, prompting him to abruptly stand up as if on instinct.

He glanced at Aur, who was engaged in another fight, his expression filled with terror.

"This... this…" Linwood looked at his hands as if he couldn't believe his own reality.

With a bitter smile, he made his way to the losers' bracket.

"I will have my revenge one day." His eyes burned with determination.

…

A man fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

Aur casually subdued another guy, chopping the back of the man's neck directly and rendering him faint with eerie precision in a swift motion.

"Now, how many are left?" He sighed, observing the eight people engaged in combat.

"I didn't make a mistake; you really are good at combat."

Aur's eyes narrowed as he turned back to see the teacher.

"Teacher," he greeted him, bowing slightly with grace.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be so graceful. Hahahaha, call me Jonathan."

Aur nodded, beads of sweat visible on his face.

"However, unfortunately…" Jonathan shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his expression.

"Eh?" Aur was stunned.

"Your talent will be your greatest limitation. Besides, it's the world of the wizards. Although having a strong body will help, it will only give you a slight advantage at most," Jonathan explained with a reminiscent gaze.

"I understand, teacher," Aur nodded with an expressionless face.

"This guy... At least you're not formal now," Jonathan laughed off, shaking his head.

"If you have a question, ask me. I have never seen a kid so powerful and aware of the importance of the body. You should have unlocked your aura already, right?"

A small bead of sweat formed on Aur's face as he visibly hesitated, noticing this, Jonathan's eyes glinting with amusement.

"There's no point in hiding. Although it might be your ace right now, focusing more on spells than your body will eventually leave you behind by your peers," Jonathan said with a knowing smile.

Aur simply nodded with an enlightened expression.

"Very well, good luck, kid," Jonathan returned to his position.

After he left, Aur's face morphed into a contemplative expression, though he couldn't help but sneer inside.

"My plan worked," Aur thought internally while maintaining an expressionless demeanor.

"Now it's my final match for the bracket, and it should be Williams now." He observed the fight between a huge giant and Williams, both engaging in a bare-fisted head-on confrontation.

Williams fought the giant man, trading blows evenly. However, the ragged breathing of the giant became more apparent as time passed, while Williams seemed to remain fully fit.

Seeing this, Aur shook his head with disappointment. These people didn't seem to understand much about combat.

Aur could discern numerous opportunities to exploit the giant's weaknesses. However, both fighters didn't exhibit refined combat techniques. Despite their strength, he could defeat individuals like them using brute force alone—perhaps even twenty or more with only half his strength.

While Aur might not be an expert in other aspects but when it came to maximising his body's full potential, he possessed enough experience to grasp a certain degree of comprehension.

The key to maximizing the body's potential boiled down to technique—using perfect strength at the right moment—and ingraining these movements into muscle memory. Aur considered this the true essence of utilizing the body to its fullest potential.

However, both Williams and the giant engaged in raw, unrefined fighting without employing any technique or strategy. But it wasn't entirely their fault either; they were too young and inexperienced compared to Aur his title of the strongest didn't come of air in his previous life.

Boom!

Williams delivered one last punch to the giant and the man fell to the ground with a thud.

Huff!

Williams took deep, ragged breaths, inhaling the hot air as he closed his blue eyes.

"Will you continue, Williams?" Jonathan asked, appearing instantaneously.

"Yes, I will," Williams replied, still huffing, but his blue eyes glinted with burning determination.

"Very well then. Wait until you recover. Once those guys' fight is over, I will call you," Jonathan pointed at the other four people who were still engaged in combat.

William nodded his head as he fell to the floor, slowly recovering while gathering his thoughts.

"What do you think of my fighting style, Asmodeus?"

However, even after waiting for a long time, he still didn't get a reply, which made him frown.

"I guess you are still angry at me for the previous incident," William muttered with a bitter smile on his face.

"Master, don't worry about him; he is just a big fat meanie. Your fighting style is great, master…" the familiar teeming voice rang in his head.

"Don't lie to him; it is trash at best if you sugarcoat it," Asmodeus' cold voice rang in William's ear now.

"You are lying…" the book tried to argue.

"Worse than trash; it isn't even worthy to be considered as a fighting style at all, with brute strength that isn't even applied correctly." Asmodeus' cold voice was tinged with mockery.

"You… you, master, is just a child right now and has high potential to grow," the book retorted.

"It doesn't mean an excuse. Do you know that white-haired guy? Who is going to fight him in the next match?" Asmodeus said, making William's ears twitch as he stared at Aur, who stood tall like a tower.

"Yes, what about it?" the book replied tentatively.

"That guy is a real master at work. Although he might seem to only use brute strength as well, he is masterfully reading the person before exploiting the weak spot to perfection. It isn't about strength or speed; it's just about skills," Asmodeus ruthlessly stated.

"You…" the book couldn't retort now since what Asmodeus said was the truth.

William heard this loud and clear as it rang in his head, which made him wear a bitter smile on his face.

"So, Asmodeus is talking about this guy…" William gritted his teeth.

Aur looked at William's intense stare with a strange expression. "Have I done something to this guy?"

Soon, the four people finished their fight, with Jack, the first elder's son, and the third elder's son coming out on top.

Now, there were only four people left in the tournament.

"Good, only the strongest will win," Jonathan shouted out loud with a roar.

"You, Aur, and Williams will fight first, and then the other two will fight. Am I clear?" he commanded in an ultra volume.

"Yes, sir," William and Aur shouted at the same time.

"Create a big space for these two," he beckoned, as the losers' bracket was already finished. These poor guys who lost wouldn't get the mana crystal, and they wouldn't get to eat this time as well.

The academy provided its students with five low-grade mana crystals every day for cultivation. They were shaping the future generation of the village, individuals who would become its leaders. It was crucial to eliminate any potential feelings of vengeance towards the village to prevent disasters.

Loyalty to the village needed to be deeply ingrained in them from a young age, and this was the primary agenda and goal of the academy.

Now, the final moment had arrived: Aur versus Williams.

William calmly moved to the center of the room and beckoned Aur.

Aur frowned initially but soon became expressionless as he walked towards the designated spot.

Ten footsteps apart, Aur and Williams faced each other, assessing each other with narrowed gaze.

As a crowd surrounded them, curious eyes focused on the upcoming match.

"I can't believe Aur was able to last this long here."

"True, doesn't he only barely have a middle-grade talent?"

"Hmph, he will only have an advantage at first, but after some time, he will be left behind by us," Linwood gritted his teeth, his eyes turning red.

"True." Everyone nodded with pity evident in their eyes.

"How cringe." Aur's ears twitched upon hearing this, "and troublesome."