William knew he had to do something, and he had to do it fast. He couldn't rely on his defensive skills alone. He needed to take a risk, to gamble, to create an opening, to disrupt Yegun's relentless assault.

  He glanced at the sand timer. Three minutes remaining. William had strategically conserved his mana, so he could leverage EMMA during the critical moments. It was now or never.

  Yegun seeing his opening, and sensing that the end of the match was closing, began to mutter something under his breathe. William recognised this as an incantation, but didn’t know the spell. Yegun, having finished his incantation, yelled out “Haste!”

  Before William could understand what was happening, he could sense a shift in the air, a subtle increase in the magical energy surrounding Yegun. The B-rank adventurer's movements, already incredibly fast, became a blur, his sword a shimmering streak of light, his attacks coming at a rate that seemed impossible to track, let alone defend against. Yegun never used this during his earlier spars, so this wasn’t something William had seen before. From a data standpoint, during a critical moment like this, any new unknown variable means the previous work is essentially throw away.

  However, this was the critical moment William had been waiting for, preserving his mana throughout the entire battle so he could leverage EMMA to deal with any new unknown variables in this fight. William called on EMMA to assess the changes to the now hasted Yegun, EMMA’s analysis confirmed the change: Yegun's attack speed had increased by approximately 30%, his reaction time reduced by 20%. William having already been overwhelmed when Yegun started shifting his tactics, was in an even bigger bind now that Yegun’s speed has increased, potentially making it impossible for William to follow even with his predictive insights gleaned from EMMA.

  This was Yegun's ace in the hole, his signature move, a minor speed enhancement spell that gave him a decisive advantage in close combat. It was a tactic he rarely used, as it drained his mana rapidly, but in a short, decisive engagement, it was devastatingly effective. Most opponents after getting accustomed to his speed, get caught off guard as the haste spell increases his speed to the extreme. Every opponent he has used this against has crumbled under the onslaught, their defences overwhelmed, their bodies unable to react quickly enough even if they knew the attack was coming.

  But William, despite his lack of experience, was not most opponents. William had prepared for this scenario on the assumption that Yegun’s previous spars likely would not have revealed his true speed and agility.

  He activated EMMA, focusing all his mental energy, all his will, on the task at hand. He needed data, analysis, a solution, and he needed it now. He ignored the throbbing pain in his shoulder, the burning in his lungs, the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him. He focused on Yegun, on his movements, on his attacks, on the patterns that still existed, however faint, however obscured by the magical speed enhancement. The world around him seemed to slow down, the cacophony of the training yard fading into a distant hum. His vision narrowed, focusing solely on Yegun, on the blur of motion that was his opponent.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  EMMA's analysis, however, was agonizingly slow. The sheer volume of data, the complexity of the calculations, the speed at which Yegun was moving, pushed the system to its limits. The processing time, normally ten to twenty seconds, stretched to almost a full minute, each second an eternity in the heat of battle. William felt the familiar drain on his mana, but having strategically preserved his mana throughout the battle, the risk of backlash was minimal. William pushed on, defending as best he can, waiting for EMMA’s analysis to be complete.

  Blow after blow landed, bypassing his defences, striking his arms, his legs, his torso. They were light blows, individually, not enough to cause serious injury, but the cumulative effect was devastating. William felt his strength sapping, his body tiring, his movements becoming sluggish, his reactions slowing. He was losing, and he knew it.

  Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, EMMA delivered its analysis, projecting a series of options onto his vision, each with a corresponding probability of success.

  Option 1: Continue to dodge and parry. Probability of success: 0%. Estimated time to defeat: 60 seconds.

  Option 2: Attempt to flee, creating distance between himself and Yegun. Probability of success: 40%. Estimated time to defeat: 90 seconds.

  Option 3: Attempt a surprise manoeuvre, disrupting Yegun's rhythm and creating an opening. Probability of success: 80%. Estimated time to defeat: Indeterminate.

  The choice was clear. Option 3. A surprise attack. It was a gamble, a desperate move, but it was his only chance. But what kind of surprise? He couldn't match Yegun's speed, couldn't outmanoeuvre him in a straight fight. He needed something unconventional, something unexpected, something that would exploit Yegun's confidence, his reliance on his superior skills.

  Suddenly, William remembered the small, smooth stone in his pocket, the same one he’d been using to practice the spell the past couple of weeks. An idea sparked in his mind, a crazy, reckless idea, born of desperation and a sudden flash of insight. The Light spell. His first, and so far only, successful spell. He'd practiced it countless times, perfecting the runes, the incantation, the visualization. It was a simple spell, designed to create a small, sustained light, nothing more. But what if... what if he could modify it, alter its purpose, turn it into something... else? Could he overload the stone with mana and get the spell to flare up, causing a distraction? Could he throw the stone, and time the activation of the spell to occur just as it leaves his hand? It was a theory, something he had never tried, never even conceived of, until this very moment. It was a long shot, a desperate gamble, but it was all he had left.

  William steeled himself, this was it. Do or die!