Chapter 17: Extremely Dangerous Act
Klaus’s fist swished toward Trina’s face.
For a brief moment, she was left surprised by the speed and force behind the incoming punch. She already knew that Klaus was much stronger than he appeared, but being at the forefront of that was a whole different feeling.
However, instead of feeling fear, her heart was ablaze with confidence and determination. She wanted to show him that in a battle of technique, raw physical power meant only a little.
She swiftly slid her leg between his and twisted her upper body.
His fist went past her forehead, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
How did she do that?!
To Klaus, he was simply too much faster for her to react in time, and he was correct. She hadn’t acted based on what she saw; instead, she had simply predicted his next few moves from that single movement.
"You are too predictable," she said as she grabbed him.
"Huh?" The next moment, his feet left the ground, and slight pain travelled up his body as his gaze shifted to the ceiling.
"..." he blinked speechlessly, finally understanding what had just happened.
Trina had slammed him onto the ground in a single, effortless throw.
She looked down at him with a wide grin. "What’s wrong? Need a hand?"
He rolled his eyes and forced himself up. "Aren’t throws illegal in taekwondo?"
"Oh, please. I am teaching you this for self-defense, not preparing you for the Olympics."
"Tch," he clicked his tongue and once again took the stance. "This time I am gonna beat you."
"Haha. That’s the spirit." She also took her stance.
This time, Klaus didn’t stay still at the initial spot; he shuffled to Trina’s right, making sure to stay away from her throwing hand, which was her left, and cracked a devastating kick toward her.
Trina’s expression darkened slightly, and she mumbled in a humorless tone, "Do you have a leg or a whip?"
She twisted her body. His leg went past her, then she grabbed it and pulled him closer.
"Not so fast!" He grinned and pulled his leg, hoping to break her momentum.
Unfortunately, she had already predicted him to do that. The moment he pulled his leg, she let go of it.
His confident smile faltered; he stumbled a few steps, and in that brief time, she closed the distance between them and swept a low kick to the back of his heel.
"Ahhh!"
Klaus fell to the ground like a domino tower, and once again, his gaze shifted to the ceiling.
"It was better than before," she evaluated while smirking proudly.
Her gave her a bitter look and stood up. "How better?"
"Enough to get you a few more seconds on your feet," she stated almost flatly.
His fists trembled, and he growled in his head, ’There’s no way I am that bad.’
He took the stance and looked at her with extreme seriousness. "Again."
"Haha," she laughed and complied with his request.
Though the result was the same.
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
Over an hour passed, and each bout ended with him staring at the ceiling. But Klaus wasn’t the one to lose hope.
He knew he could do it. If not in the first try, he’d do it in the second. If not second, then tenth. If not tenth, then hundredth. If not today, then tomorrow.
Eventually, he would defeat her. It wasn’t a prediction but a fact.
A fact which Trina herself had become aware of.
In all the bouts, Klaus brought something new. His punches and kicks were already as good as those of an experienced athlete.
’He really is a monster.’
Trina had learned taekwondo from her father’s friend. He wasn’t an athlete or coach; instead, his family had the tradition of preserving the raw art of taekwondo made not for tournaments or shows but to kill and defend oneself.
According to that person, she was a combat genius. He believed that she could reach the zenith of any of the combat arts practiced in the current era, such as boxing, judo, karate, jiu-jitsu, MMA, and so on.
Yet before Klaus, she found her talent lacking.
Although she was slightly jealous, she was very happy. After all, now she had someone who could rival her without ever falling behind. On the contrary, this time – for the first time – she felt the thrilling feeling that one day she might lose to him.
Unknowingly, Klaus had done something extremely dangerous.
He had caused a genius to once again feel the hunger.
However, she still had one fear.
What if he leaves me...? It is not like we are close or something... And for how long can we even stay together as friends?
"What’s wrong?" He asked while wiping off his sweat with a short towel.
His voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she gazed at him.
The instant she did, her eyes widened, and she remarked inwardly, ’What the... he looks way better than I had thought...’
Klaus had rolled up his T-shirt to wipe the sweat off his chest and abdomen, leaving his upper body sparkling with a thin layer of sweat to be seen in all its naked glory.
Due to the Second Reformation, his body no longer looked average. Every muscle seemed built for efficiency rather than appearance.
A stray thought peeked out mischievously.
’What if... we aren’t just friends?’
Her cheeks turned red at once, and she shook her head. ’What am I even thinking?! He probably already has a girlfriend.’
All of a sudden, two imaginary apparitions appeared on either side of her shoulders.
Both had a similar but childish appearance to Trina. The one left wore a seductive black latex attire and had demonic horns and wings.
"Hahaha! What does that mean to you? It would be that girl’s fault for not keeping her man locked up!" Demonic Trina reasoned.
’You are right—’
"No!" The apparition on the right intruded on her thoughts. This one wore an angelic white gown and had angelic wings and a halo above her head.
"Do you think he would like someone who steals others’ men?" Angelic Trina asked.
Trina frowned deeply and shook her head. ’No, he won’t.’
Demonic Trina clicked her tongue in annoyance, and Angelic Trina smirked.
’Yeah. I should give up—’
Before she could finalise that thought, a third apparition materialized before her face.
This one wore white and red Daoist robes and stood upon a flying sword with the poise of a superior being.
"Leave." With Daoist Trina’s single word, the other two apparitions vanished.
It looked in her eyes and said, "Child. If you wish to reach the absolute, you cannot allow something as minor as this to trouble your heart."
With those words, Daoist Trina vanished into smoke.
Trina’s gaze shifted to Klaus sitting in a chair by the wall, looking at her with a confused expression, and she determined inwardly, ’Yes. I should at least ask him.’
She walked over to the chairs and stopped beside him while fiddling with her fingers and biting her lips.
He rose from the chair and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trina, are you okay? You aren’t even replying to me."
His tone was extremely worried.
’How do I ask him...?’ She racked her brain, her face as red as a tomato.
’Maybe I am not built for this—’ Before she could finish the thought, her eyes turned hazy.
’I have to do it. I have to do it. I have to do it. I have to do it. I have to...’
A dreamy look appeared on her face, and the next instant, she pushed Klaus against the wall and placed her hand beside her head.
Dumbfounded, he asked, "Trina? What’s wrong?"
However, instead of answering, she locked her fingers with his and asked with a pleading look, her voice low, "Can we hold hands?"
...Glup!