Chapter 419: Facing Sand [2] "They have no power, no potential, and no status in the martial arts community. They’re a disgrace, a bunch of trash not worth your concern. Your old man is teaching losers who will never amount to anything." Noah’s expression remained composed despite the insult to people he cared about, refusing to give the bastard the satisfaction of an emotional reaction. "Enough talking," Noah said flatly, his patience for conversation exhausted. "What do you want?" Sand’s grin widened further, his body language shifting subtly into a combat stance that was so natural it seemed casual rather than aggressive. His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I want your life," Sand stated simply, as if he’d just announced plans to go grocery shopping rather than commit murder. "You want to kill me? Because I destroyed your junior brother’s honor? Humiliated him? Embarrassed him in front of the entire martial arts community, destroyed his reputation, and made him a laughingstock?" Noah asked, his tone almost sarcastic. Sand laughed genuinely at that, shaking his head. "You think that I’m doing this for revenge? No, you misunderstood me completely. I simply want to take the life of someone so strong. Kenzo’s humiliation is irrelevant to me. I just want the thrill of killing a prodigy." His hands flexed slightly, and Noah’s high perception caught the subtle glow of energy gathering around his fingers. "I’m going to kill you, champion," Sand continued conversationally. "Slowly enough that I can enjoy it properly." But Noah wasn’t paying attention to his words anymore. His eyes were locked on the energy that Sand was emitting, his mind racing with implications that fundamentally changed his understanding of Earth. For the first time since he had discovered magic through his interdimensional shop, Noah was seeing somebody from Earth actively use it. A human who had never visited another world, never purchased system enhancements, somehow channeling magical energy through their body with ease. To his surprise and growing concern, the purity and quantity of the magic he was sensing placed Sand at the peak of apprentice rank. The energy signature was clean, controlled, and substantial. This wasn’t someone who had stumbled onto power accidentally or recently. Sand was almost at adept rank. A human from Earth had somehow managed to reach apprentice rank and was approaching the adept threshold through methods Noah didn’t understand. It was baffling and more than a little disturbing. How? Noah’s thoughts raced. How did he develop this level of power? Seeing the shock evident on Noah’s face despite his attempts at control, Sand laughed with genuine amusement and satisfaction. "You finally understand that you’re dead, eh?" Sand said with confidence bordering on arrogance. "That look of realization is always my favorite part. When my prey finally comprehends how outmatched they really are." He began gathering more energy, the glow around his hands intensifying as he prepared to demonstrate exactly why he was so confident in his ability to kill Noah. "Let me show you what real power looks like, champion."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Sand flexed his hands, and the glow of energy intensified dramatically. He channeled mana throughout his body in a technique that clearly boosted his physical attributes beyond normal human limitations. His muscles seemed to swell slightly, his stance became more solid, and his eyes sharpened with focus. Then he thrust both palms forward, releasing a blast of concentrated mana directly at Noah. The attack flew across the warehouse space, a visible sphere of raw magical energy that crackled with power. It was crude compared to the elemental manipulation Noah had learned, but for someone with no formal training or system guidance, it was genuinely impressive. Noah stood perfectly still and let the attack hit him directly in the chest. The mana blast dispersed harmlessly against his body, absorbed by his master-rank aura without even forcing him to consciously defend. It was like being hit by a gentle breeze. Internally, Noah’s mind processed what he’d just witnessed. He can use mana to enhance his body and project it as basic attacks, but he has no elemental affinity. No fire, water, earth, wind, or any specialized magic. Just raw mana manipulation without refinement or specialization. It made sense in a way. Without access to proper instruction or magical environments, Sand had apparently developed the most fundamental application of magical energy through sheer trial and error or some unknown training method. But without understanding elemental attunement or proper techniques, he’d hit a ceiling. Sand’s confident expression began cracking as he stared at Noah, who hadn’t moved, hadn’t defended, and showed absolutely no sign of injury or even discomfort. "What..." Sand muttered, confusion replacing his earlier certainty. "That should have..." He gathered more mana, this time channeling it into his fists, and launched himself forward with enhanced speed. His strikes came fast and hard, each one backed by apprentice-rank magical reinforcement that would shatter concrete or break bones in normal opponents. Noah didn’t bother dodging. He simply stood there and let Sand’s fists connect with his body, each impact producing dull thuds that accomplished nothing. Of course it wouldn’t hurt. Even if Noah had been a regular master-rank practitioner, these attacks wouldn’t even tickle, let alone cause actual damage. The gap between peak apprentice and true master rank was enormous, representing a fundamental threshold that couldn’t be bridged through determination alone. And Noah wasn’t even a regular master. His power at master rank was comparable to grandmaster-rank opponents. He’d fought and killed a grandmaster Manticore through sheer combat capability. Sand’s apprentice-level attacks were so far beneath his defensive capabilities that they might as well not exist. Sand backed away, breathing heavily, his face showing genuine shock and the first hints of fear as reality crashed down on his earlier confidence. "How... you’re just a tournament fighter. You shouldn’t be..." Noah let him process for a few more seconds, watching dispassionately as Sand’s worldview adjusted to accommodate the fact that he’d catastrophically misjudged his target. After organizing his thoughts and confirming that Sand posed absolutely zero threat to him, Noah looked at the increasingly panicked man and spoke with calmness. "Are you done?"