"He actually won?"
Vanessa rubbed her eyes in disbelief, and only after rubbing her beautiful eyes until they turned red did she shocked accept the fact. One had to know that Magna was a combatant; while his magic power might be limited, his destructive power was quite formidable, yet he had been subdued in an instant.
"Huh?!"
Charmy nearly choked. She had originally thought the fight would last at least a few minutes, but she hadn't expected it to end in less than a second.
"So, so amazing!"
Luck's eyes lit up. "Captain, you've really recruited a peerless genius! I can't believe it. Did he use some kind of acceleration magic? It's actually as fast as my Lightning Magic!"
"No, this kid doesn't have a shred of magic power; he's relying entirely on his physical abilities," Yami said.
"What? It's physical strength?" Vanessa exclaimed. In this world, those who trained in Taijutsu were practically extinct because Taijutsu was simply too weak against the attacks of powerful Mages, so no one bothered to put in the effort for such little gain.
"It's just a pity that he doesn't have any magic power," Finral said helplessly. Otherwise, with physical abilities like these, simply pairing them with any elemental magic would make him a nightmarish existence!
"No magic power?" At this moment, Vanessa and the others were all shocked.
"Then he earned your approval solely based on his physical abilities?" Gauche couldn't help but ask. At this moment, as a serious siscon, he couldn't help but shift his gaze away from his sister's photo.
"Yeah." Yami exhaled a puff of smoke and nodded.
"Then he really is quite diligent," Vanessa sighed. Taijutsu was something no one trained in because the hardship required was more than an ordinary person could bear, and even if one tried their hardest, it was very likely that they would end up being finished off by a spell from a low-level Mage. Thus, in a situation where the effort and return were so disproportionate, almost no one practiced Taijutsu. Yet, this young man before them was going against the current; this courage to do what was known to be impossible made her unable to help but look at him differently.
"But this world looks down on effort the most," Luck said with a calm gaze.
"So pitiful..." After learning that Asta had no magic power, a look of pity appeared in Charmy's beautiful eyes. Because the fact that he had no magic power almost determined Asta's future; his strength might be as fleeting as a shooting star streaking across the sky.
"You all shouldn't underestimate him; I am full of confidence in his future!" Yami's lips curled into a confident smile. He was looking forward to the future of this boy who pressed ever forward!
"If you're not convinced, we can go again," Asta said with a light chuckle as he looked at the stunned Magna. No matter how many times they had such a match, the result would be the same, but the benefit was that it could make Magna genuinely convinced.
"Forget it, I, Magna, am a man who can afford to lose. You have already earned my approval, so you are now a true member of the Black Bulls!" Magna said, feigning indifference. He was indeed unwilling to accept the outcome of the battle just now because he hadn't even used his full strength before losing, but Asta's speed was simply too fast for his naked eye to track. Therefore, he understood that even if he gave himself another chance, he probably wouldn't be able to beat Asta, so it was better to be broad-minded and admit defeat.
"If you had kept a little more distance from me, or had flown into the sky from the beginning, perhaps there would have been a different outcome," Asta said, half in consolation. He said 'half' because he already had a method to deal with the way Yuno kept his distance from the start, which was to directly teach him a lesson with a Shadow Shuriken!
"You really don't hide anything at all. I, Magna, truly acknowledge you as a teammate I can entrust my life to!" Magna looked at Asta with some emotion. One had to know that everyone in this world was desperately hiding their own weaknesses; even from their closest parents, some would still keep secrets. But Asta had actually proactively told him his weakness. Didn't this mean he was treating him as a trusted comrade-in-arms?
As the saying goes, by putting yourself in another's shoes, Magna truly accepted Asta at this moment!
"Really simple-minded..." Asta rolled his eyes helplessly. This friendship had come too easily, but he wouldn't doubt Magna's sincerity for a second, because a man's friendship had always been like this! No matter how long they had known each other, once acknowledged, it was for a lifetime!
"I'm really sorry about just now, always calling you a bumpkin. Actually, I'm a bumpkin too; I live in Rayaka Village, not far from Hage Village." Magna said apologetically while wrapping his arm around Asta. This could be considered opening up to each other.
"So you're from Rayaka Village. You live in such a remote place yourself, but it really doesn't stop you from mocking me at all!" Asta said speechlessly.
"Haha, after being out for a long time, it's inevitable to pick up a couple of snide noble phrases. But my Rayaka Village is still qualified to mock you, a weakling from Hage, right?" Magna laughed happily. The failure from just a moment ago had been swept away along with becoming friends with Asta.
"Tch! I think that's just your true colors." Asta rolled his eyes. Then, his ears twitched, and he heard a bunch of noisy footsteps rushing from behind. This was... Asta turned his head to look, and a body of soft, warm, and fragrant flesh slammed right into him.