Two Steps or Less

Flames crawled up Li Changan's arms, and he could clearly feel the dryness and regeneration of his muscles.

The man in front of him was around thirty years old. His hands were now covering his twisted face due to pain.

The screams of pain just now should have already attracted other people's attention, not to mention there were already people fighting here. There were at most two more minutes! Li Changan didn't stop thinking as he acted.

Shaking off the blurred flesh and blood on his hand, which came from the important part of the man's body, Li Changan leaned down again, almost sticking to the ground, moving with both hands and feet, like a beast.

"I'm going to kill you!" The man yelled angrily and swung his hand in front of him. The flames constructed a wall of fire two steps away, while he himself quickly retreated against the wall.

Those who dared to enter the Trial either had enough confidence in their own abilities, or had already prepared to go all out. Few people would take this place as a good place to commit suicide.

Seeing Li Changan's figure coming from the left side with the corner of his eye, the man took a quick step to hide in the flames, then clenched his fist, and his left shoulder together with his upper body was enveloped by the flames.

[Elementalization], the strongest self-protection method for element-based espers after reaching A-rank. By transforming their bodies into the element they control, all tangible attacks can be negated.

Although he couldn't determine his opponent's esper ability, the man also knew that an opponent who was willing to exchange injuries must possess an esper ability not suited for the current battle.

However, a few seconds passed and Li Changan did not appear as the man had expected. The flames were still burning, and if this continued, he might lose his combat effectiveness first. The supreme defense of [Elementalization] also represented tremendous consumption.

Where was he? Did he run away? The man kept turning his head to look around, but unfortunately, his line of sight was hindered by the wall of fire, unable to keep an eye on Li Changan all the time.

When the man finally realized something was wrong, there was already a gust of wind coming from above his head. He didn't have time to look up. Instinctively, he transferred the area of [Elementalization] to the top of his head.

With a crisp sound, it was the impact of elbow against skull. In a hurry, the [Elementalization] of his head was only halfway completed, and the elbow only needed to change direction slightly.

Stars flashed before his eyes, the scene was spinning, he couldn't see anything clearly, and even his body's reactions became sluggish. But after all, he was an A-rank esper. He instinctively concentrated all his power on the explosion. Flames burst out from his chest.

In this space confined by walls, the power of the explosion was maximized. With a 'boom', endless flames filled the entire space.

The huge impact force smashed the surrounding walls. The already shaky building started to collapse with gravel flying everywhere.

The man hugged his head and curled up into a ball until the tremors stopped. Then he waved his hand and used the thrust of the flames to push away all the objects burying him.

Wiping the blood from the corners of his mouth and forehead, the severely injured man barely propped himself up and crawled up, "That kid should be dead, what a loss, I have to hurry up and leave..."

"I've been waiting for you." The voice coming from behind was like an alarm clock summoning death.

Crack! The neck twisted 180 degrees saw the youth behind him, and that smile was extremely annoying.

Taking off the man's coat and wrapping it around himself, Li Changan left without any hesitation, jumping directly down from the ruins more than ten meters high, landing on the roof next to it, rolling over to dispel the force, then shuffled a few times and completely disappeared from here.

In different locations of the same sewer, Li Changan was crouching in the corner washing his wounds.

Both hands from fingertips to halfway up his arms were severely burned. The original skin had long turned to charcoal and was torn off and thrown aside by him. He sprayed ‘skin foam’ on the wounds.

An new product available for civilian use after the advancement of the Empire's medical technology, suitable for all skin conditions. It will solidify within seconds after spraying, acting as a substitute for skin to prevent exposure of muscles and blood vessels to the air.

It contains ingredients that stimulate the growth of new skin.

The trouble was that the burn on the left side of his jaw was the same, causing water to spill out when he drank.

"It's a bit of a loss. That guy hid all the supplies elsewhere. Killing him didn't get me anything." He sighed, feeling the airflow blowing out from his broken cheek, and couldn't help smiling again.

Tap, tap tap, tap, tap tap... Footsteps came closer and closer in the dark.

Li Changan stood up. Although he knew who it was, he still couldn't relax his vigilance. There were too few people he could trust.

"No need to be so wary of me. I went through a lot of trouble to find you." A kerosene lamp lit up in the dark, illuminating Wen Anran's tender face.

Li Changan smiled back coldly.

Wen Anran didn't mind Li Changan's coldness, but he couldn't ignore his wariness. Wen Anran, who grew up in the lower classes, knew more clearly that every beast has its own safety range. Once stepped in, it would probably be a fight to the death.

Stopping two meters away from Li Changan, this was the best distance chosen by Wen Anran's esper ability.

"What are you doing here?" Li Changan finally spoke.

"I thought your vocal cords were damaged just now." Wen Anran smiled slightly and took out a spray can from his pocket and threw it over, "This is military-grade ‘skin foam’, more useful than what you have."

The spray was brand new and sealed. Li Changan took a look and did not pick it up immediately.

"Come on, I have no reason to lie to you." Wen Anran took two steps back, holding up both hands to show that he had no intention of sneak attack.

After some hesitation, Li Changan bent over to pick up the spray, frowning, "Don't get within two steps of me."

"Thank you, I will always remember this advice." Wen Anran nodded, very satisfied that he had finally gained some trust.

Not until Li Changan finished spraying the foam did Wen Anran speak again, "How many points have you earned?"

"Three points. I met a [Flame Control] esper and was delayed for some time." Li Changan didn't lie, nor was there any need to. Three points could gain the other's trust without provoking hostility.

Wen Anran nodded, "I saw it. That A-rank [Flame Control] user. I didn't expect you to kill him. I'm really curious what your esper ability is."

"How many points did you get?" Unwilling to waste time on this topic, Li Changan changed the subject.

"Seventeen points." Wen Anran shrugged. "As you know my esper ability, those I encountered were all ones I could beat. But from today, the number of routes I can choose has been greatly reduced."

Greatly reduced? Li Changan frowned imperceptibly and soon resumed his indifference as if nothing had happened.

"No need to pretend. You must have thought of it too, right?" Wen Anran moved a little closer and lowered his voice. "I checked the information from previous years. The death rate of participants this time is too fast, abnormally fast."

"I'm afraid you and I have already become prey for someone."