The force behind the second arrow was noticeably different from the first.

This arrow struck Winnie squarely in the chest, immediately halting his running motion.

He staggered back several steps, nearly falling to the ground if not for the support of his spear.

This was the downside of armor, it reduced agility, forcing the wearer to endure attacks without being able to fully absorb the impact, and it offered no protection against magic.

Steadying himself, Winnie adjusted his stance and continued his charge toward the squire apprentice, spear in hand.

There were no other tactics to consider, nor were there any other options.

The [Armor Fortress] Armament was straightforward and lacked any magical elements.

Winnie had no knowledge of bows or crossbows, making it impossible for him to counterattack from a distance.

Charging forward in his heavy armor was his only choice.

But with his speed, how could he possibly close the distance to the lightly armored, well-trained squire apprentice?

To the apprentice, Winnie’s speed was only slightly faster than a turtle’s, making it impossible for him to get close.

Realizing Winnie’s limitations, the squire apprentice relaxed considerably.

This was his first duel against someone with a Soul Armament, and he had no prior experience.

With the princess watching, he had been nervous, fearing he might mess up.

Now, it seemed, as his seniors had said, there was no difficulty at all.

The opponent was only slightly stronger than a defenseless cripple.

Still, he couldn’t afford to be careless, especially with the princess watching from the stands.

He had to be cautious to avoid an unexpected defeat.

As for the severity of his strikes, he decided to go all out.

Not only had his seniors advised him to do so, but everyone in the royal capital knew how much the princess despised this persistent, troublesome scoundrel.

Thus, to make a show of it and vent the princess’s frustration, the squire apprentice adopted the most humiliating strategy.

He calmly waited for the heavy-armored figure to charge, then quickly distanced himself and fired an arrow.

The arrow, enhanced by the [Bow Arm] Armament, struck Winnie, forcing him to expend considerable effort just to stay upright.

By the time Winnie charged again, the apprentice had already created distance.

The low-level Soul Armament duel naturally lacked any spectacle, but watching Winnie being toyed with like a monkey, stumbling and faltering, was satisfying for some.

“Buddy, are we watching a bullfight?” a young dragon knight joked.

“But isn’t this a bit inappropriate in front of the princess?” another knight expressed some concern.

“What are you talking about? We’re here today specifically to vent the princess’s and Lady Aesphyra’s frustrations. The princess despises this guy, and you know it. Are you sympathizing with this arrogant bully?” another young knight retorted.

“True,” the knight glanced at Mirexia and Aesphyra seated in the distance.

From the main viewing stand, Mirexia showed no expression, silently observing the changes on the battlefield.

As for Aesphyra, she still wore that enigmatic smile, making it impossible to guess her thoughts.

Back in the arena, Winnie had launched over ten charges, each effortlessly countered by the squire apprentice.

Against a trained archer, Winnie was a living target.

The arrows enhanced by [Bow Arm] caused him to stagger, preventing him from closing the distance.

The apprentice could have fired several arrows in succession, causing Winnie to lose balance and fall, then seize the opportunity to claim victory.

Instead, he chose the most humiliating approach.

Watching the iron-clad figure in the arena repeatedly fail in his attacks yet refuse to surrender, Aesphyra narrowed her eyes with a smile.

She prided herself on her ability to judge character, but this perseverance and resilience, was this really the same weak and extreme Winnie she knew?

She recalled that in the previous life’s duel, Winnie had won effortlessly using a dark Soul Armament, and since he had only used one move, no one had discerned his Armament.

Moreover, that duel had been initiated by Winnie, who wanted to show off his newfound strength in front of Mirexia and gain some respect.

Now, it seemed the nature of the duel was entirely different.

She glanced at Mirexia sitting beside her.

The princess’s delicate brows showed no emotion, her expression unreadable, but it was clear she wasn’t enjoying the spectacle.

Regardless of her feelings toward Winnie, someone as upright as Mirexia would naturally dislike such a scene.

As for why she didn’t stop the duel…

Mirexia calmly watched the figure on the battlefield, repeatedly repelled yet refusing to fall or surrender.

She probably wanted to see how far this mischievous, childish, and laughable scoundrel could go.

Human stamina is limited, especially for someone like Winnie, who lacked regular training.

He was likely relying solely on his indomitable spirit to keep going.

But how long could he last?

Even among low-level Soul Armaments, a difference of just one star was a vast chasm.

With only a one-star Soul Armament and no other skills, Winnie could only go so far.

Many things in this world couldn’t be achieved through sheer willpower alone.

Finally, Winnie was exhausted.

Once again repelled, he knelt on one knee, leaning on his spear, breathing heavily. His stamina was clearly depleted.

“Master Winnie, keep going! Keep using your head to catch my arrows!” The squire apprentice, confident in his victory and emboldened by the ease of the fight, couldn’t resist taunting.

“Let’s see if that broken spear of yours can even touch me.”

“…”

Winnie remained silent, the arena filled only with the sound of his labored breathing.

Then, slowly, he pushed himself up using the spear, trembling as he raised it toward the apprentice.

“Is that so?”

“Then, keep your eyes wide open!”

With that, Winnie charged once more, his speed even slower than before.

Still not giving up?

Watching Winnie, at the end of his strength yet refusing to surrender, a flicker of complexity passed through Mirexia’s eyes.

The squire apprentice shook his head, believing that after this fight, he would have vented the princess’s frustrations and that his composed demeanor would surely earn her favor.

He knocked an arrow but didn’t fire immediately.

Only when Winnie was close enough did he release the arrow, once again repelling Winnie.

This time, due to exhaustion, Winnie fell heavily to the ground.

Yet, he still didn’t give up. Using his spear, he stood up once more.

At this point, even Aesphyra raised an eyebrow.

“Enough, Master Winnie. Don’t push yourself. People are watching. Do you really want to keep embarrassing yourself?” the squire apprentice mocked.

Winnie didn’t respond to the taunts. He knew.

He had won.

This was the closest he had been to the squire apprentice since the duel began.

Yes, from the moment he took the first arrow, he had been planning his strategy.

Now was the time!

All the stamina he had conserved would be used! And, the Skill: [Lightweight Armor], activate!