The wind continued to whirl around me, forming a sturdy, constantly moving shield that protected my every movement. I felt a new power flowing within my body, a strength I had never experienced before.

Wang Jin stood before me, poisonous needles in both hands, ready for his next attack. His gaze had changed, no longer filled with absolute contempt, but now brimming with extreme caution.

“Let’s see how long you can last, brat,” he said, launching a new assault.

He first threw the poisoned needles from his left hand, forming a more complex attack pattern than before. The needles shot forth with incredible speed, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss.

But this time was different.

The wind shield surrounding me reacted automatically, deflecting every needle that tried to penetrate. The wind moved swiftly, altering the needles trajectories, sending them bouncing far from my body without much difficulty.

Wang Jin immediately followed up with an attack from his right hand, throwing an even greater number of needles. But the result was the same, all were repelled by the rotating wind shield around me.

“Damn it!” Wang Jin swore angrily.

He stepped forward quickly, changing his strategy. Instead of continuing to throw needles from a distance, he chose to attack directly, moving at high speed toward me.

I was ready.

I raised my right hand, releasing the ice curse I had possessed from the beginning. Ice formed a sharp barrier in front of me, creating a sturdy obstacle between Wang Jin and myself.

Wang Jin struck the ice barrier, his hard punch hitting the icy surface with a loud, thunderous crack. Small fissures appeared on the ice, but it remained standing strong.

The wind shield around me kept spinning, deflecting the poisonous needles Wang Jin still tried to throw through the gaps between his punches.

“You’ve changed, brat!” Wang Jin roared with burning fury.

I didn’t answer. I just focused on the fight, observing Wang Jin’s every move, predicting each coming attack.

The curse system in my head continued to reverberate, providing information about Wang Jin’s every movement, possible defensive actions he might take, and the weaknesses in each of his attacks.

///

[Movement Analysis: Complete.]

[Weakness Detected: Left Side Opening.]

///

I listened to the system. My eyes focused on Wang Jin’s left side the place where he always left a small opening whenever he followed up an attack from the right.

Wang Jin launched a heavy punch from the right toward me. The ice barrier cracked again from the impact, but this time I didn’t stand still.

I stepped forward, slipping through the unprotected gap on his left side.

“HAAAH!”

I unleashed a full-powered fist, coated with glistening ice, aimed straight at his left ribs.

Wang Jin realized my move too late. He tried to raise his arm to block my attack, but he was too slow.

THUD!

My punch hit his chest and ribs hard. Wang Jin let out a pained groan, thrown back several meters.

He fell to his knees, coughing, a thin trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

I stood tall, breathing heavily, but this time it was the breath of victory, no longer the breath of panic and despair.

Wang Jin lifted his head, looking at me with a shocked expression I had never seen before.

“You... you’ve truly grown during this fight,” he muttered in a heavy voice.

He rose with difficulty, his fingers trembling slightly. The poisonous needles in his hands began to fade, indicating that his curse energy had significantly diminished.

“This is surprising,” Wang Jin continued, wiping blood from his mouth. “I didn’t expect a little brat like you could grow this fast in a fight.”

I stepped forward slowly, the wind still whirling around me, ice ready to form on my right hand at any moment. For the first time in this battle, I was the one with the advantage.

“This is just the beginning, Wang Jin,” I said in a low, firm voice.

Wang Jin grinned, though this time there was a strange hint of satisfaction in his eyes. “Yeah, this is indeed just the beginning. But you’ve already proven you’re not as weak as I thought.”

He raised his still-functional hand, preparing for the next attack.

“Come on, brat. Show me just how far this cursed growth of yours goes.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the power of wind and ice flowing harmoniously within my body. For the first time, I felt confident in this fight.

The wind around me began to blow stronger, and the ice on my right hand began to form into a larger, more fearsome weapon.

“Alright,” I answered with full determination.

We moved simultaneously. I attacked with a combination of ice and wind, Wang Jin defended with his remaining poisonous needles and increasingly defensive movements.

For the first time, I was no longer the oppressed one.

I was the superior one in this fight.

TO BE CONTINUED