Re-Overlord: I Can Acquire Anything!
Chapter 111: Defeat

Chapter 111: Defeat

Igaris obviously couldn’t use any flashy abilities he had, so he had to impress the old man using only his raw strength and special eyes.

Keeping that in mind, Igaris suddenly threw a punch without any warning.

Elder Hao didn’t take the attack seriously.

He casually raised his palm to block it, thinking it would be child’s play.

But—

"Huh?"

His eyes widened the next moment as his palm was swatted away like a fly. As a veteran Martial Warrior, he wasn’t hurt, but the force and speed behind the punch were far beyond his expectations.

Stepping back by reflex, he looked at Yuhan in a new light.

"You’ve improved, brat. But this is still not enough to convince me. You don’t have a Martial Core. Without it, you can’t become a true Martial Warrior," he said coldly as he launched a series of rapid finger strikes at Igaris.

The old man’s attacks were terrifying, each infused with Qi — part of his Martial Art Style: Thousand Fingers.

Igaris didn’t move.

After 12 hours, his strength has recover to Master -3 Rank, which should be enough to defeat a retired man. Only if the old man was ordinary Martial Warrior that is.

His breathing stayed calm as hus eyes locked onto Elder Hao’s hands. And at that moment, his pupils shimmered with an almost imperceptible blue ripple.

[ Architect’s Eyes Activated ]

To Elder Hao, it looked as though Yuhan was frozen in fear, about to get torn apart.

But what really happened was something else entirely.

Igaris could see everything.

Not just the trajectory of the old man’s fingers, but the tremors in the air, the delay between each strike, and the micro-second windows in between, like a god reading the rhythm of the world.

Then—

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

His hands moved, not to block, but to redirect each and every finger strike with the bare minimum effort, his arms flowing with grace rather than power.

From Elder Hao’s perspective, it was impossible. This boy has no Martial Core, no Qi, no aura and yet he was reading his Thousand Fingers Technique and dismantling it without even resisting it head-on.

"Impossible...!"

The elder stepped back sharply, narrowing his eyes. "Brat, you’ve mastered some sort of sensory technique, haven’t you?"

Igaris didn’t answer directly. He took a small step forward, raised his hand and attacked.

He stopped his index finger a hair’s breadth from Hao’s throat. No Qi, no Martial art. Just speed and deadly precision.

Elder Hao stumbled backward, shocked.

"You’re not human... you’re a monster!"

"Should I take that as a compliment, Elder Hao?" Igaris asked with a faint smile.

Elder Hao regained his composure and snorted.

"Brat, don’t get too cocky. If I were in my prime, I would’ve defeated you in a single strike. But alas, my lifespan is nearing its limit."

"Why? Can’t you ask your sect for some life-prolonging medicine?" Igaris asked, genuinely curious.

Old Lin, who had also been shocked by Yuhan’s sudden display of strength, looked at Elder Hao for answers.

"Yuhan’s right. Why did you give up, Elder Hao? You were the pride of Soaring Leaf Village."

Elder Hao sighed heavily, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

"Getting such medicine isn’t easy, Old Lin. The resources are scarce, and the competition is fierce. Worse, during my last major battle, my Martial Core was seriously damaged. Recovering from that is nearly impossible. That’s why I returned here to retire. My Martial Path... ends here."

Old Lin’s face fell, but Igaris looked respectively at Elder Hao.

"Then let me carry your will forward," Igaris said. "Let me walk the Martial Path in your place. I may not have a Martial Core, but I’ve already taken the first step."

The old man studied him in silence for a long moment. His sharp eyes, still able to pierce through most lies, couldn’t see any deceit in Yuhan’s gaze. There was only burning resolve.

He finally asked, "Just who are you, really?"

Igaris lowered his head slightly. "A boy who wants to help his grandfather to live a little longer. A boy who’s not afraid to bleed for what he wants."

Old Lin looked gratified by his resopnd. "Good child."

"...Hmph."

The corner of Elder Hao’s mouth twitched upward. "You talk big. Fine, brat. You want to join the Soaring Dragon Martial Sect? I’ll send a letter."

He turned around and slowly walked back to the house. Then he paused and looked over his shoulder.

"But whether they accept you or not is up to them. My words don’t hold much weight anymore. You’ll have to prove yourself there too."

"I will," Igaris said firmly.

___

Later that day, Igaris returned home to find Old Lin preparing herbs and a small meal in the old wooden kitchen. The sky was turning orange, and birds called from the trees behind the house.

"You’ve caused quite the storm today, Yuhan," Old Lin chuckled.

" I need to stand out. I need to rise," Igaris replied, sitting down beside him.

"Haha... Just make sure you don’t burn too fast."

___

That night, as the stars scattered across the ink-black sky, Igaris sat cross-legged outside, feeling the connection to Shirley through the Soul Connector faintly pulse.

"So, where are you now, Shirley?" Igaris asked, holding the Soul Connector in his hand.

The reply came a few seconds later:

"I’m currently inside the Soaring Dragon Sect. I’m an Inner Disciple of a Supreme Elder. Looks like I got pretty lucky, Igaris."

Igaris let out a faint laugh. "That’s good. I’ll be joining the Soaring Dragon Sect soon. We can talk more when I get there."

"Wait, don’t hang up yet," she said softly. "I want to hear your voice a little longer."

He paused. "Hm? Why?"

"I... I’m feeling really lonely out here," she confessed, her tone awkward but honest.

"Ah, okay."

He wasn’t clueless. He could feel it. Her emotions were growing stronger with each moment they spent together, even from afar. Still, he didn’t know how to respond. Not yet.

So, he stayed silent and listened.

Their quiet conversation stretched on into the night until the faint glow of the Soul Connector began to fade, its energy almost gone.