Chapter 52: Close Combat

Unlike the outdoor shooting challenge, the indoor close combat challenge was straightforward and fast-paced. Within the hall, there were 20 well-equipped arenas, each resembling a picturesque medieval courtyard. The arenas were about half the size of a basketball court, providing enough space for intense one-on-one duels.

An NPC attendant was present to assist Alan with the registration process. After accepting the challenge, Alan received a notification on his [Game link], providing him with the details of the training mission.

[You have joined the training mission]

[Mission One - One versus One]

[Mission Two - Time challenge]

[Reach a high enough total score to get a reward]

[1000 score - A Rank - 1000 Xp, 1000 survival points]

[900 score - B Rank - 500 Xp, 500 survival points]

[800 score - C Rank - 300 Xp, 300 survival points]

When his name was finally called, Alan quickly went and stood in one of the arenas, whereupon a system window opened in front of him.

[Choose your melee weapon]

[Unarmed] [Blunt] [Spear], [Axe], [Sword], [Dagger]

Looking at the list presented before him, Alan didn't hesitate and chose his most proficient weapon.

"Sword!"

In response to his words, the window refreshed and proceeded to display a list of dozens of types of swords. There was longsword, broadsword, short sword, one-edge sword, pointy sword, greatsword, and so on.

He could even choose to use two swords if he wanted or added a shield.

Alan contemplated his decision as he looked at the list. Even though he was used to using a longsword thanks to his previous life, he didn't choose it as his weapon. For this particular test, he decided to choose its counterparts instead, the short sowrds.

His decision came because of the size of the place where he would fight. With the limited space the arena had, Alan would have more mobility and flexibility when fighting using a short sword than a longsword.

[Name: Short Sword]

[Type: Sword Weapon]

[Rarity: Common]

[Attributes: Damage 24-30]

The moment his decision was final, a short sword appeared out of thin air and floated in front of him. As soon as Alan grabbed the hilt in his palm, another notification popped up.

[Melee combat test, stage one]

[Sword fighter - level one]

Instantly after the notification appeared, the figure of an NPC formed within the arena Alan was in. An expressionless young man in white garbs who was holding a similar short sword as the one in his hand.

[Fight started in ...5]

[3...]

[2...]

When the countdown hit zero, the NPC immediately kicked the ground and charged toward Alan. In response, Alan swiftly bent his knee and did a side step to dodge the NPC's charge. At the same time, his hand gripping the short sword moved and slashed his opponent's waist, causing blood to gush out.

Immediately after, Alan spun on the soles of his feet and thrust his short sword forward, driving it deep into the NPC's back.

[Slashing: inflict 38 damage]

[Stabbing: inflict 40 damage]

[You have defeated Sword Fighter level one]

The level one NPC was a standard common fighter with 50 HP. With Alan's current attributes and his [Sword weapon (expert) that gave 50% damage and control, Alan was able to win the fight easily within five seconds of facing such a weak opponent.

Gasps and exclamations were heard from outside the arena as several people who were still waiting for their turn had their mouths agape with incredulity at the sight of Alan's stunning performance.

[Sword fighter - level two]

A few seconds after defeating his first opponent, another NPC materialized in front of Alan. This time, it was a middle-aged man and he was a more experienced fighter who knew some basic sword skills.

But once again, Alan defeated his opponent without breaking much sweat.

[You have defeated Sword fighter level two]

The third and fourth levels had a much higher rank and combat ability. Their swords managed to make Alan block and parry them with his own sword, still with his extensive experience in swords none of them manage to even lay a scratch on him.

[Sword fighter - level five]

The HP of the level five NPC was 150, and it had an average of D attributes. This was the milestone that was usually too difficult for beginners to tackle, including those with a martial arts background to face.

Facing an opponent that possessed overall stronger stats was certainly not an easy matter. It took dozens of clashes and Alan was forced to use [Lunge Strike] to make a sudden attack and made a proper hit and defeat the NPC.

Once again, Alan won in a spectacular manner.

Thanks to that, people began to gather around his arena and form a crowd. Some thought that Alan was a veteran, as he had done what beginners normally couldn't do. Therefore they were very surprised when they found out the truth was the opposite of what they thought.

"He's not a veteran?!"

Among this crowd of people, there were also some who had seen the process and results of his shooting test earlier. With that, rumors about Alan and his exploits quickly began to spread everywhere.

Unperturbed by the commotion his actions caused, Alan continued his fight in the arena.

[Sword fighter - level six]

Alan's face slightly turned serious as his next opponent appeared in the arena. The level six NPC was a really difficult opponent with its 200 HP and average of D+ attributes. Not just higher HP, but it also has a high defense rating, making his usual 40 damage average down below 30 damage.

To defeat this particular level, Alan ended up using his active skill [Power Strike] multiple times before he beat his opponent. Alan found himself being cheered passionately by the crowd that had formed around his arena.

[You have defeated Sword fighter level six]

"He did it! Level 6! He's amazing!!"

Every time Alan won his fight, a notification popped up and restored his health to full. Hence the reason why he was already reinvigorated and ready when his next opposing NPC appeared in front of him.

When Alan was about to fight the level seven NPC, there were already hundreds of people gathered around his arena. Most of them hailed from different backgrounds and different origins, Some examples were the beginners, US Military, the Blood Patriots, the Black Sand's mercenaries, and so on.

This time level seven NPC was an advanced sword fighter with a staggering 300 HP and an average of C- attributes.

Facing an opponent that possessed overall stronger stats was certainly not an easy matter. It took dozens of clashes, and Alan himself had to receive two hits from the NPC. But eventually, after five minutes of fighting, Alan grabbed the gap his opponent had shown and ended the fight with a series of sword slashes.

[You have defeated Sword fighter level seven]

Alan knew level seven NPC was the maximum he could face right now. It was a level that could match the other veteran. He decided to stop at such a level and received the scores.

[Mission One - One versus One]

[Alan D Angello - 500 scores]

However, there was still the second part of the test to show his ability