Talent System: I Instantly Master My Opponents Skills
Chapter 111: Troubles With A Dead Friend (2)

Chapter 111: Troubles With A Dead Friend (2)

At his words, the grin on the creature’s face vanished.

Its expression grew serious as it focused.

’Its mental stat is low while its mana stat is high.’

Jason was just guessing.

He had no idea if the difference in the proportions of mental and mana had anything to do with how a skill or technique activated.

He dashed at it while it concentrated.

His movements were fast as he threw the punch.

Something unbelievable happened.

It moved with a speed that surpassed itself, twisting its upper body to avoid the blow.

Its body dodged the attack.

’Is that even classified as an angle?’

A side-step would have gotten the same results, now he was sure the creature had broken its back.

But if the creature broke its back, it would only come as an advantage to Jason.

His feet shifted on the ground as he transitioned into a spinning kick aimed at the creature’s torso. He was using the momentum to propel himself.

His attack was easily dodged. It was side-stepped so fluidly that it left Jason thinking on how it could move like that with its back broken.

’It’s moving faster than before.’

His mind went back to when he had moved away when he stabbed the dagger into its head.

’It said something about gathering mana from the environment, but I was making it hard because I passively repel mana.’

As Jason thought, a blow connected with his face.

He stepped back in shock.

The creature in front of him had its grin back. It was grinning maliciously.

’It didn’t use its sword hands and instead decided to punch me in the face.’

He wiped the saliva on his face.

"You obviously activated your technique, didn’t you?"

Even though it was evading his attacks before, now the creature was doing it so fluidly that he found it hard to believe he was fighting the same opponent.

It was just two times it had dodged, but that was enough to tell that something was different.

"You noticed."

It grinned even wider.

"Why don’t you humor me on the name of your technique before you die?"

It cackled at Jason’s words.

"It isn’t me that will die." It replied.

"Tell me either way."

"No."

It launched itself back at him.

’Screw this.’ Jason thought, getting ready to defend himself. ’I’ve copied skills and techniques from monsters, why should I be afraid of copying one just because the user was once a human?’

The creature launched itself forward, closing the distance between them in a sudden burst of speed.

Jason raised his hand, ready to block its attacks.

However, it easily bypassed Jason’s defense. It swung its fist with a swing that surpassed its own speed.

Its fist connected with Jason’s abdomen, launching him off his feet.

Jason quickly regained his footing as he landed.

He threw a kick at its midsection.

Only for Grey to sidestep with bewildering speed, dodging his attack easily.

’Before it wasn’t using its technique.’ Jason realized.

His thoughts were interrupted as the creature struck with a flurry of blows, hitting him before he even had the time to react.

Jason tried to counter but all his actions were made useless by Grey’s dodging.

The creature punched him on the face, sending him staggering backwards.

But he charged in as soon as he moved a bit back.

Both of them exchanged in a series of frenzied strikes and evasions. Jason was unable to dodge any of his opponent’s attacks, it was like it was moving at a speed that wasn’t its own as it dodged his attacks and countered.

Finally, he was sent sprawling backwards.

Scarlet red blood stained his features.

But Jason only jumped into the fight again.

The results were the same. Jason charged in yet again, but was soon quickly sent out with a kick to his face.

He got up yet again, refusing to admit defeat. He was trying to understand his opponent’s movements, and only when he understood it could he deliver the perfect counter.

Its movements were either graceful or the kind that would make its bones break.

He punched, only for the creature to counter with a right hook.

It followed up with a kick on his chest that sent Jason skidding backwards. Blood flew out of his mouth as he was sent back.

He wiped it off his face.

"What a stupid technique." He muttered, a grin played on his lips though as he wiped his face.

"But after getting beat up badly continuously, I finally understand the workings of his technique."

After the creature either dodged all of his attacks in the bizarre way or as gracefully as it could, Jason began to understand something.

It seemed that Grey wasn’t always the was he was before as it had stated that it had died against the Ice bears and Jason had seen another body on the battlefield.

"It’s eyes are closed now and I’m sure its technique is activated, If I had to guess I’d say that its relying on its instincts to guide itself."

Jason increased the distance between both him and the creature.

’Since I know a set of words that will make it charge at me, I’ll use that to my advantage.’

He increased the distance even more.

"What is your skill, or is it technique?"

Jason questioned.

The creature charged at him.

’Quick Evasive Steps.’

However he move from his spot, he just kept standing there.

Grey came in range and attacked.

However his attacks passed through air.

Its eyes opened for a split-second, only for a foot to its head to drive it to the ground.

Jason performed a spin kick, driving its head to the ground.

’So my observation is correct.’ Jason grinned widely.

The creature immediately got up, its eyes wide open as it stared at him.

"Won’t you use your instinctual movements?" He mocked. "Or are you shocked as well when your opponent starts moving at speeds faster than how he moved before?"

It quickly closed its eyes, ignoring Jason’s taunt.

Its body moved on its own, deftly spinning to face him.

But as soon as it turned to face, Jason pulled out the dagger imbued in its head and used the momentum to land another spin kick, propelling its body sideways.

Jason stored the dagger in his space ring as the creature stood up, he understood that it wouldn’t help him much.

He had plunged the dagger into his brain but that didn’t kill it.

He deactivated Quick Evasive Steps.

The creature quickly got up again, but it looked at Jason in shock.

"How did you do that?" It questioned, sneakily moving backwards.

"Do what? I have no idea on what you’re talking about."

"Don’t act stupid with me." It snarled.

Jason did not answer its question, instead he began to speak of what he had noticed.

"Instinctual movements is a technique that allows the body to rely on its instincts to dodge.

That is the reason why you sometimes made the most graceful side-steps but other times did actions that would definitely break some bones.

But you use your body uses more mana when it moves at a speed that surpasses your own, right?"

Grey’s gray skin would have paled if it wasn’t already pale. Its expression fell.

"When you finally activated it and made your claim, I thought that it required a large amount of mana to keep active and you didn’t have enough to do so."

Jason was stalling, for both himself and the creature.

’My battle IQ should be pretty high to be able to think it out while getting pummeled.’

He wanted to recover a bit from using Quick Evasive Steps before he proceeded to use it again, and he knew that the creature was going to try to recover mana.

"But I quickly scratched that idea since you have a large reserve and went to the more plausible one as your fist made contact with my face.

You stupid enough to charge into battle against an old friend without even recovering any of your mana, you decided to tail them back here?

And when you fought against me and found out I repel mana you were foolish enough to continue fighting against me instead of going for the people you held a grudge against."

Its expression contorted into controlled fury, but it kept itself from charging forward.

"I don’t blame you, really. I blame your impossibly low mental stat instead."

’Its not charging at me.’

With an insult like that the creature should have practically leapt at him in fury.

’I’ll have to push it further.’

"But since I already know the workings of your technique, I guess I should tell you about the one I used to kick you.

Normally, that technique requires me to move to activate it, but I’m sure you didn’t see my leg moving."

He went further to point at his legs.

"My legs were moving, but I was just moving so fast that your untrained eyes thought that I wasn’t moving at all!"

He was taunting it.

But even after that, it refused to charge at him.

’Since it doesn’t want to come at me, I’ll go myself.’ He decided, getting into a running stance.

Seeing his positioning, the creature abandoned what it was doing and closed its eyes.

Its body darted towards him, moving at a speed higher than it had moved even before.

’Quick Evasive Steps.’