Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter!

Lin Baxi's lips curled into a smirk as his killing intent sharpened. His voice carried a dangerous edge as he spoke.

"I don't know what secret you're hiding, but I will uncover it… and make it mine."

Despite hearing this, Vincent showed no reaction. There was simply no way Lin Baxi could take something intangible. Vincent's talent was his alone, and no one else could utilize it. Even so, Vincent didn't appreciate anyone coveting what was his.

Furthermore, Lin Baxi's killing intent was unmistakable. Vincent would never show mercy to someone who sought his death.

After summoning a few more umbral rats to stand guard and protect Clauny, Vincent stepped forward, his expression stoic as ever.

Clauny could only whisper his name with a concerned expression.

"Shroud…"

At that moment, Lin Baxi also stepped forward, his gaze locked directly on Vincent.

"Heh. You're truly full of surprises. You, a mere C-rank talent holder, managed to grow at such a speed. Those old farts from the different associations will probably do everything to learn your secret…"

Lin Baxi paused, his smile deepening before he smirked. "... Unfortunately, they will never find it out because... I WILL TAKE IT!"

With a loud grunt, a powerful aura burst from his body, spreading in all directions and causing a fierce wind. Azure energy radiated outward, showcasing his Tier 3 strength.

Lin Baxi took a step forward, clutching the hilt of his sword, which was sheathed in a sleek azure scabbard. In the next second, his figure vanished, leaving behind an afterimage and a trail of lightning as he reappeared instantly in front of Vincent.

Lin Family Sword Technique – 2nd Move, Lightning Slash!!

"Die!" Lin Baxi exclaimed as he hurled his silver sword, which crackled with azure light and destructive force.

Just before the sword could strike, Vincent simply raised his right arm, now coated in sleek silver, and caught Lin Baxi's sword barehanded.

Bang!

A loud explosion resounded upon impact, creating a shockwave that caused deep fractures in the ground. Yet, Vincent stood perfectly still.

"Die? With just this?" He glanced at Lin Baxi's sword before shifting his attention back to him.

Lin Baxi's expression darkened slightly as his eyes narrowed, but he wasn't disappointed. He simply unsummoned his sword, causing it to vanish from Vincent's grip, before reappearing in his other hand.

He swung the sword again, this time diagonally toward Vincent's neck. His killing intent was unmistakable—he wanted to end Vincent in one swift strike!

However, to his surprise, Vincent didn't dodge or block. Instead, he tilted his head, leaving his neck wide open for Lin Baxi to strike.

Lin Baxi frowned, displeased. He felt Vincent was underestimating him, so he increased the force of his strike and let out a loud grunt.

"Haaa!"

But a loud 'Clang' echoed as his sword bounced back the moment it collided with Vincent's neck, which had transformed into sleek silver skin.

Lin Baxi's frown deepened. He was genuinely curious about Vincent's defensive skill.

_He must have a rare-grade defensive skill!_ he thought.

Why? Because his Silver-Winged Sparrow Sword was a rare-grade Tier 2 Armament! It was impossible for a low-quality defensive skill or technique to completely block his armament without leaving even a scratch.

His eyes glowed dangerously as he realized Vincent had more than one secret. He was even more eager to uncover them.

At that moment, his attention was drawn to the fragile-looking lady behind Vincent, who was watching with a worried expression. Lin Baxi's eyes brightened as he grinned inwardly, though he kept his outward expression stern. He glanced at the trio and Yasmine, who were silently spectating behind him.

This subtle action didn't escape Vincent's notice, but he wasn't worried in the slightest.

Just as Lin Baxi was about to move, he suddenly swung his sword, releasing a wave of sharp azure energy that launched swiftly toward Vincent.

In response, Vincent simply waved his hand and summoned a couple of Energy Lances, hurling them toward the incoming sword energy.

Boom!

Loud explosions erupted upon impact, and thick smoke obscured their vision.

Swish!

Purple shadows pierced through the smoke, flashing straight at Vincent before exploding.

Boom!

Boom!

A flurry of explosions followed as Vincent was bombarded with purple energy.

Needless to say, it was Yasmine's attack!

At the same moment, the trio behind Lin Baxi exchanged glances and nodded before disappearing.

Yasmine didn't stop. She continuously sent purple butterfly explosions toward Vincent until she finally halted, gasping deeply for air, utterly exhausted.

"Ha~ That's all I can do, boss. You have no mercy for my beauty! Ha~"

Lin Baxi ignored her, keeping his focus on Vincent's direction. Soon, a figure emerged from the thick smoke, walking confidently as if nothing had happened.

"Tsk!" Lin Baxi couldn't help but click his tongue in annoyance.

But he had already expected this. He took a stance, gripping the hilt of his sword firmly in front of him.

Boom!

His aura surged upward, causing fierce winds and leaving deep fractures in the ground around him. Particles of azure light began to converge around his sword.

Once the blade became a beam of light, he raised his arm and slashed it down.

Lin Family Sword Technique – 5th Move, Azure Blade!!

Hummmm!

A beam of sword energy launched forward, accompanied by a reverberating hum. Though the sound was tranquil, the beam was filled with destructive power.

The beam cut through the ground as it traveled swiftly toward Vincent.

Seeing the incoming attack, Vincent felt the destructive power it emitted. However, instead of drawing his armament to defend himself, he decided to test the limits of his current defense.

Under Lin Baxi's watchful gaze, Vincent simply stretched out his right arm.

"Arrogant!" Lin Baxi spat furiously. He hated how Vincent continued to underestimate him.

But this was the best situation for him.

At the same time, a deafening explosion occurred as the sword beam collided with Vincent's palm.

Vincent felt a strong force and pressure pushing him backward.

Hmmm~

The sword beam continued to hum as visible cuts began to appear on his palm.

"So this is the limit of my current defense…" he thought. But as soon as the cuts appeared, they immediately healed due to his high recovery ability and regeneration skill.

With a cold harrumph, he clenched his hand into a fist and hurled it at the sword beam.

Bam!

Crack~

The sword beam cracked momentarily before exploding into a massive shockwave that cleared the thick smoke.

Vincent's action shocked both Yasmine and Lin Baxi.

"T-That's impossible…" Lin Baxi muttered in disbelief.

There was no way Vincent had just punched away his best offensive skill!

However, before he could dwell on his confusion, Vincent suddenly appeared in front of him like a ghost and uttered, "You're pathetic, just like your brother…"

With a swift, almost invisible movement, Vincent punched Lin Baxi in the gut, sending him flying.

"Ugh!"

Crash!

"B-Boss!" Yasmine exclaimed in deep shock. Her powerful boss had been sent flying with a single punch and crashed to the ground, leaving a trail of blood.

"Cough!" Lin Baxi coughed out blood as he clutched his abdomen, unsteadily rising to his feet with a hateful gaze and a hint of fear.

Vincent's attack was so fast that Lin Baxi couldn't react. He felt fear as Vincent's simple punch broke through all his defenses!

He was wearing a rare-grade armor-type armament! It had been a long time since someone had made him cough blood.
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And it was from someone several years younger than him!

If his father found out, he would undoubtedly face severe punishment.

He felt indignant but had no choice but to accept it. He was far weaker than Vincent.

"Damn it! If I had just had more time to master my father's sword technique, I could easily beat this arrogant bastard!" he thought in frustration.

However, he couldn't dwell on his thoughts as Vincent began to walk toward him again.

But this time, the voice of the trio broke the tension.

"Stop! Take one more step, and we will kill her!"

Vincent snapped around and looked behind him. He immediately saw the trio holding Clauny.

One of them was covering her mouth, while another held her arms. The third was holding Mochi, whose head was covered by a sack.

Vincent frowned as soon as he saw this. He wondered what had happened to his umbral rats—he hadn't received any alarm indicating he had lost connection with them.

He scanned behind the trio and saw his umbral rats staring dazed at the sky. What had happened?

On the other hand, Lin Baxi's expression brightened.

"Haha. What now, little bastard? We've got your girlfriend! Why don't you take another step and see her die? I dare you! Heh!"

However, just as he said that, Vincent's figure blurred, disappeared, and reappeared in front of the trio in an instant.

Before they could react, a powerful pressure pressed down on them, forcing them to their knees with a heavy thud.

"Urghk!"

They could only groan in pain as they clutched their necks, unable to breathe.

The pressure was suffocating them!

"B-Boss..!"

Bam!

One of the trio's heads, who had managed to utter a word, suddenly exploded, splattering blood everywhere.

The remaining two were stunned in deep shock as they reached out toward Lin Baxi, pleading for help.

However, to their surprise, the moment one of the trio died, Lin Baxi pulled out a scroll.

"W-We will meet again, Vincent Magnus! I will take everything from you!"

As soon as he said this, he tore the scroll in his hand and vanished, leaving the shocked Yasmine alone.

Even the remaining two of the trio could only watch in utter disbelief.

Vincent couldn't help but frown.

"Isn't it prohibited to use an escape scroll in this labyrinth?" he thought in confusion.

Vincent was right—it was impossible to use an escape scroll in the labyrinth. What Lin Baxi had used was a random labyrinth teleport scroll, a special type of scroll designed for labyrinth exploration.

Unfortunately, Vincent had no idea about this, and he had no time to care as he quickly beheaded the remaining two men who were crawling on the ground.

"Shroud!" Clauny exclaimed as she dashed into Vincent's arms.

Vincent softly patted her back to comfort her.

"How are you? Are you hurt?"

Clauny looked up at him with teary eyes before shaking her head softly.

"I'm fine..." she whispered, "thank you."

Vincent simply nodded upon seeing that she was unharmed before turning to face Yasmine, who was still stunned after being left behind by Lin Baxi.

"Now, what should I do with you...?"