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William, stunned by the unexpected ferocity, barely managed to parry the blow. Although he remained unscathed, the sheer power of the strike hurled him several meters backward. However, unlike previous times when he would have crashed unceremoniously onto the cold, unforgiving floor, this time he skillfully controlled his fall, sliding gracefully and using his weapon to absorb the impact.

Adam, observing from his stance, smiled slightly as he thought, 'He managed to stabilize himself. Good! He's making progress… but the question remains: how is he achieving this, and how far can he push himself?'

Straightening himself, William let a small smile play on his lips as he stared at the ground, thinking, 'I barely managed to fend off that guy's attack, but at least I didn't plant my face into the floor this time.'

'Honestly, I've lost track of how many times I've face-planted. If it weren't for my ridiculous regenerative abilities, my face would probably look like a beaten-up dirt road by now.'

Finishing his internal monologue, William looked up at Adam, who was already meeting his gaze. Both men shared a smile, one that spoke volumes about the mutual thrill and respect they felt. Neither blinked nor looked away; their eyes remained locked, each silently daring the other to make the next move.

Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, they both sprang into action. At first, they simply walked, but their pace rapidly escalated until they were sprinting at full speed. With a powerful leap, both men screamed at the top of their lungs:

William: "Ahhhhhhhh!"

Adam: "Ahhhhhhhh!"

Six Hours Later

As usual, both men were utterly spent, but this time something unexpected occurred—something that surprised not only Adam but William as well. Now, both of them were sprawled on the floor, gasping for air.

Despite his overwhelming exhaustion, William managed to speak, though his words came out in halting, labored breaths: "How… are… you… also… exhausted?"

Adam, though equally drained, still had the energy to respond without much delay. "Forget about me… How are you not exhausted yet? How do you still look so energetic?"

William stared at him, eyes wide with incredulity, mustering enough strength to yell, "What the hell do you mean, I'm not exhausted? DOES THIS LOOK ENERGETIC TO YOU???" He gestured to his battered body and the sweat pouring from him like a waterfall.

"No, I didn't mean that," Adam clarified. "I was asking how you haven't passed out yet."

"Yeah, I'm—" William began to reply but abruptly stopped, fumbling for words that refused to come. "Actually, I have no idea. My mind's a complete blank on that one. I've got nothing."

"Figured as much," Adam said, resting his head on the floor. Then, almost nonchalantly, he asked, "What rank is your potential?"

"Rank? Ah… I don't really know," William lied smoothly. He couldn't disclose his true rank, so he opted for a vague response. Besides, he didn't even know what the machines would report if they tried to measure his physical stats. It wasn't as if they'd bow down and declare him some divine prodigy.

But if reality were anything like it seemed, they'd probably malfunction or overload from the sheer amount of data.

Adam quickly turned his head, shocked. "What! How do you not know your potential? It's something almost everyone knows from birth!"

William shrugged nonchalantly. "My parents didn't really care that much about me."

"Why? Were you some kind of bastard or something?" Adam joked, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Yes."

Adam immediately fell silent, realizing that William wasn't joking. The lack of emotion on William's face confirmed it.

"I-I… I'm sorry, boss. I didn't know—" Adam stammered, trying to apologize, but William cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Don't worry about it," William said casually. "It doesn't really affect me anymore. And it's not like you said that on purpose, knowing my history." Adam shook his head as William continued, "So, no need to stress over it. Just remember not to make any more bastard jokes around me." He ended with a small joke, though his eyes remained devoid of mirth.

For a moment, both men were silent. Then, slowly, Adam stood up. William watched, his eyes widening as Adam bowed to him. Before William could stop him, Adam quickly said, "I know you said not to apologize, but I feel I need to do this. Please, don't stop me."

Seeing the sincerity in Adam's gesture, William lowered his hand as Adam bowed further, apologizing earnestly, "I'm sorry for the hurtful words I said earlier. I hope you can forgive me, or that my actions will prove worthy of your forgiveness."

William smiled. "Alright, I forgive you." Then, with a lighter tone, he added, "But for God's sake, can you stop bowing now? It feels weird having an old man bow to me."

Adam chuckled, straightening himself. "You should know how weird it feels to bow to someone much younger than me. And seriously, I'm not an old man." He said the last part with a mix of seriousness and humor.

"So why bow then? I already told you it wasn't necessary."

Sitting back down on the floor, Adam replied, "I needed to get it off my chest. Plus, it was the right thing to do."

"No offense, but a former assassin doing the right thing sounds like utter bullshit," William said, prompting Adam to laugh heartily.

With the tension finally lifting, William looked at Adam and asked, "So, how do you feel now that you've apologized?

"I should be asking how you feel, but… it feels good. Like a literal boulder's been lifted off my chest."

William nodded as Adam asked, "And… how do you feel?"

William thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Honestly, I feel nothing. I've heard that word so many times from my brother that I'm practically immune to it by now."

"I should really thank him for that," William said, but the look in his eyes made it clear that his gratitude wasn't of the brotherly kind.

"Do you need help saying 'Thank You'?" Adam offered, his double meaning unmistakable

"Thanks, but no. That's something I need to handle personally," William replied, his conviction evident. Adam nodded, understanding the unspoken resolve.

"So tell me, what do you think of my potential based on our fight?" William asked.

Adam considered for a moment. "Well… I'd say you have immense potential, possibly the highest I've ever seen. Not to inflate your ego, but your potential is extraordinary." William smiled as Adam continued, "I suggest we ramp up the training even more and see how much you can handle before your body gives out."

William nodded in agreement, but then his eyes widened as the implication hit him. "WHAT?!"