Chapter 147: Iron Wall Wade

The second assessment was supposed to be a battle skill test, but the guildmaster skipped it directly and requested Wade to engage in actual combat with him. The two moved to another open area.

The sandy ground was covered with fine sand for cushioning, surrounded by wooden fences. Outside the fence stood a row of weapon racks with various weapons hanging for practice use, including wooden swords and dummies.

The receptionist handed over some arrows with their iron tips removed, leaving only blunt wooden ends.

“For a ranger, fighting in such a narrow space presents many disadvantages,” the guildmaster said while putting on an iron helmet that covered his face and eyes. “But please forgive me – I have a wife and children to care for. Please go easy on me, Lord Wade. I’ll only use wooden swords and won’t hurt you.”

Wade nodded and created distance between them.

“Please make the first move. I hope we’ll have an enjoyable spar,” the guildmaster said. As he breathed, his aura underwent a transformation.

His breathing became heavier, and his wheat-colored skin took on a metallic sheen.

Judging by external changes alone, he seemed to be a defense-focused warrior, likely possessing abilities like “Bronze Skin.”

With martial honor, he stood still, waiting for Wade to attack, showing no intention to move until Wade drew his bow.

Wade observed the man’s entire body, then took out an arrow and aimed at his wrist.

Spiral Arrow – a ranger’s technical combat skill that could make an arrow rotate at high speed during flight through extraordinary means, granting it tremendous penetrating power.

Even with the arrowhead removed, the wooden shaft wouldn’t lose its impact force.

Wade didn’t draw the bow fully, only halfway. Yet if an ordinary professional warrior were hit by this Spiral Arrow, while it wouldn’t sever the hand, it would cause swelling and micro-fractures, making them drop their weapon instantly.

But the arrow simply shattered against the guildmaster’s wrist. He neither defended with his wooden sword nor dodged, directly taking the Spiral Arrow’s hit.

“Lord Wade, although this is just a spar, please don’t hold back too much,” the guildmaster said. “Otherwise it’s hard for me to assess your true strength.”

“Then I’ll get serious.” His feet slid across the sand as he began advancing with slow steps. “Please strike harder. If I don’t feel pain, I can’t let you pass the assessment. I must take responsibility for the adventurer badges I issue. If I lose this job, I won’t be able to support my family.”

Facing this man, Wade took out a second arrow. This time he didn’t hold back, firing a full-power Spiral Arrow.

But the result was no different – the arrow couldn’t even make the man pause.

He continued advancing slowly. Wade overheard nearby adventurers whispering:

“Isn’t the guildmaster being too unfair? Making someone fight him with stick-like arrows – how could that possibly hurt him?”

“New here? Even iron arrows wouldn’t work. You think his ‘Iron Wall Wade’ title is just for show?”

Iron arrows wouldn’t work either?

These local adventurers had that much confidence in this man?

Wade realized he might have underestimated his opponent. Any professional who broke through barriers to reach Silver-rank wouldn’t be an easy pushover.

He abandoned any thought of holding back, especially since all his arrows were just headless wooden sticks.

He began moving around the confined space, targeting various parts of the man’s body while intently listening to every sound the man made.

Footsteps, breathing, heartbeat…

Amid these subtle sounds, Wade shot at supposedly vulnerable spots – ankles, calves, backs of knees, abdomen – yet the man’s entire body seemed iron-hard with no weak points.

Even his eyes and head were protected by the helmet.

He continued advancing leisurely through the sand as if playing a child’s game of tag.

Wade suddenly understood the test’s purpose.

The receptionist had given him limited arrows – only fifty. If he used all fifty without making the guildmaster feel pain, he would fail.

Though he could use explosive warrior techniques, that wasn’t a ranger’s fighting style.

His competitive spirit ignited. He rapidly fired Spiral Arrows at the guildmaster’s wrist, each shot aimed precisely at the same spot.

Seeing this, the helmeted guildmaster sighed inwardly.

“Asking a ranger to face me head-on is indeed too difficult.”

“But being able to fire consecutive Spiral Arrows proves his capability is sufficient.”

“When he runs out of arrows, I’ll pretend it hurt and shake my wrist to let him pass.”

The guildmaster harbored no intention to make things hard for Wade. Though his intrinsic battle skill wasn’t secret, even those who knew of it struggled to land effective hits.

In defense, he had absolute confidence. Even without full armor, he could withstand volleys from a dozen archers.

But suddenly, he noticed Wade changing his shooting angle.

With less than half the arrows remaining, as he focused on defense, one wooden arrow struck the sand at his feet and exploded.

Realization dawned – that shot had momentarily lifted his right foot off the ground.

“No way…”

Then terrifying wind pressure shot past his ear.

The gust blew a hole through the sand as a strangely glowing arrow embedded itself in the wooden fence behind him. The wooden arrow spun furiously, friction scorching the post.

A sharp screeching sound accompanied black smoke rising from the impact point, leaving charcoal-like marks.

The originally fragile wooden arrow had somehow hardened – despite the tremendous impact, it didn’t break. Half of it had drilled into the post, leaving the other half exposed.

The guildmaster froze, then smiled wryly, removing his helmet and dropping his wooden sword.

“I concede. Congratulations, my lord. You’ve passed.”

Looking back at the arrow, he recalled that heart-stopping moment with lingering fear.

Could someone really identify his weakness without prior knowledge?

He looked at his bare feet. Many assumed he simply hardened his skin like iron, but that was just a side effect of his intrinsic battle skill – Stone Wall.

His true power came from the earth beneath his feet. As long as both feet touched ground, he could transfer all attacks into the land.

That’s why he wore no shoes and always kept his feet sliding along the surface.

On hard ground, observers would notice cracks forming in stone with each step he took under attack. But on sand, the impacts were absorbed, leaving no visible traces.

Could that lord have detected the faint vibrations from his feet?

Truly terrifying. When one foot left the ground, his absolute defense failed.

If that last arrow had been tipped and aimed at his heart or throat…

Looking at the masked ranger, he exhaled deeply as realization struck.

This man’s strength and combat instincts clearly surpassed his own.