Frowning in irritation at the falsely bored expression on her face as they sparred, Luke ducked underneath Nels lazy swipe. Correctly recognizing her attack and the mischievous glint in her eye for what it was a trap. Not one he was keen on falling into, he wanted to cut loose, not get a beat down from soone a tier higher than him. Unfortunately for him, Nel liked to keep Luke on his toes, and he had been caught unprepared more than once in the past.
By now though, he knew better than to try and et her blow for blow when she made her intentions that obvious. The last ti he had made that mistake, she had sent him hurtling through the sky, the Warriors monstrous strength letting her toss him around with contemptuous ease. Her grin as she batted him around like a ping pong ball still gave him the chills.
He had his boots which gave him so options when that happened, but another lesson he had learned was that fighting her in the air was a terrible idea. Not only was she infinitely more mobile, flitting around both faster and with more grace than he could even dream of in more directions and with a lot more leverage than him to boot, but that whatever thod the shoes used to keep him anchored in the sky wasnt infallible. Every ti she maneuvered them up there, she would trade a few blows as a courtesy until she decided that she had humored him enough.
When that happened, his blade would et the shaft of her spear and the next thing he knew, he would be pushed back towards the ground. No amount of mana pumped into his boots would let him stop her from driving him into the earth.
Not wanting to pick worms out of his teeth, he stepped back, narrowly avoiding another swipe of her speer.
She grinned. Will you not attack? She asked, amused that he had seen through her ga twice in a row.
It wouldnt be fun if I didnt.
Lukes frown vanished, instantly replaced by a challenging grin, as he stepped forward. Slamming his golden blade into the shaft of her spear with every ounce of strength he could muster. He did his best to ignore the ringing in his arms, as he pitted himself against what was for all intents and purposes, an immovable object.
She flicked her wrist, and blasted him back. His feet dug trenches in the grass as he pumped mana in his boots to slow himself down. Only to charge her again a mont later.
Why do you even fight her? Rex said, resting with his back against the griffin side, idly biting into the core of an apple as he watched them. You know you cant beat her, so whats the point?
I an, hes not wrong, not really. Shes so far above my level, that I might as well be trying to draw blood from a rock. Even with all the improvents Ive made. And its not like shes skillfully picking apart my movents and showing weaknesses in my form. Honestly, shes just beating by virtue of being both stronger and faster. But
Dont worry about it. Luke yelled as he charged her again, only to once again, be sent hurtling back.
Theres sothing liberating about being able to go at it with one hundred percent of my power and not having to worry about hurting anyone.
Luke had never really had the chance to just go all out, and test the limits of his physical abilities. In the Tomb, it was either life or death, or no death. In monts where his life was on the line, the correct response was to fight smarter, not harder, because nearly everyone in there hit harder than he did.
Fighting a monster cos close, but it isn't the sa. A monster would kill if I made a dumb mistake. Whenever Ive fought one, I wasnt holding back, but I wasn't exactly letting loose either. It was strategic, and every move calculated to bring death as efficiently as possible.
And sparring against soone at the sa level is the worst. You always need to be careful not to push too hard, so you dont actually kill or injure the person, and you have to be even more careful so you dont get injured, in case the person sparring with you slips up.
This though. He grinned as he charged her one more ti, leveraging every drop of his hard earned strength to strike her. Is what it's all about. Pedal to the tal, full throttle, maximum power. Zero restraint, because I dont need to. There is no real chance of hitting her, and if I did, shed probably be fine anyway.
Nel shifted her posture slightly as Luke closed in on her.
Fuck.
Wai He yelled as she lunged forward. His eyes widened in shock.
The next second, he was laying flat on his back, with the tip of her spear pointing at his neck. Arcs of electricity, traveling up and down its shaft, and buzzing annoyingly in his ear.
You win. He relaxed onto the ground. Sighing softly when she removed the deadly weapon from his throat.
I did not win. That implies we were competing in the first place, and I assure you, any competition between us will have to wait until you beco a warrior yourself. Your progress however, has been nothing shy of amazing. I can see why grandfather went to such great lengths to recruit you. She said, extending her hand.
Fuck yeah it is. This place is practically heaven for soone with my advantages. As for Cyzicus recognizing that, I dont think so. Probably just recruited because he saw that I knew a Technique.
Luke opened his Status as he climbed to his feet. Strictly speaking, he didnt need to even look at it anymore. At least not for the ti being. He just liked seeing it.
Status | Skills | Quests | Inventory
Na: Lukas King
Tier: Mortal
Mana: 351 102 / 499 000.5
Rate: 15% per hour
Strength: 999
Agility: 999
Constitution: 999
Arcana: 999
Stat Points: 4
Bloodline: Locked. Conditions not t. (123/10 000)
Charges: 7/10
The mana-milk, combined with frequent baths in boiling and freezing water, head splitting usage of the manasink, and regular sparring and exercise had made for a very effective thod to cultivate. So much so, that just over four weeks had been enough to take all his attributes up to the peak of the Mortal-tier.
A single point in any of those Stats would let him ascend to the Warrior-tier, were it not for the Path of the Paragon.
As it was, despite all his progress, he was less than a third of the way through to advancing to the next level of cultivation.
And depending on how long its going to take to master the Stances, I could be bottlenecked for a while. At least Ill have a solid shot at the Olympics now. I dont know exactly what to expect, but I doubt my competition will expect soone teetering at the edge of the Mortal-Warrior threshold, in all major attributes. With the obscene amount of mana I have, I can even use the shoes, the Stances, and the sword Cyzicus gave more than once or twice a day.
If Rex can be taken as an average participant, then most of them shouldnt be a problem. That is, of course, assuming that he isnt hiding anything. He looked over at his fellow mortal, from the corner of his eye. Hes definitely hiding sothing, but that only matters if we can even get out of here.
Sophia said that shed be back in a week or two, right? He asked Nel.
She nodded.
Were two weeks over then. Lets say she doesnt co back, how long would it take you to break into the Hero-tier?
She frowned, opening and closing her mouth as mulled over her answer. Ten years at the current pace
Is that a number you're confident in?
It could be sooner.
Thats not too bad. Ten years in here with these two, I probably wont go all the way insane. Ill definitely unlock my bloodline, assuming the sheep live that long.
Progressing with the Stances would be a little harder. Sothing tells that if I want to improve them, Ill actually need to use them to kill at so point. Not just use the information they give to make my opponent surrender.
What are you thinking? Nel asked.
That it wouldnt be that bad being stuck here for a bit longer. If soone hasnt co and got us yet, then that probably ans that things aren't going too well outside. It might be better to get used to the idea now.
Perhaps. She said, her tone suddenly clipped. Her eyes for the briefest second darting over Luke's shoulder and then back.
Whats she loo
LUKE, LUKE, LUKE. How could you have such little faith in ? A voice echoed around them.
Is that?
Cyzicus tapped Luke on the shoulder, making him jump into the air in fright. Ahh! Why cant you co from the front? Luke said, clutching his chest with his hand.
GRAMPS! Rex ca sprinting forward. How long have you been here?
A couple hours, give or take.
This guy Luke resisted the urge to facepalm at his antics, as he turned to face him. Wow He looks terrible.
Cyzicuss long hair was in a ss. He had deep bags underneath his eyes, while his gold robes were pristine, his posture scread exhaustion, and even his smile felt hollow.
Have you defeated the Rebel? Nel asked.
He lifted the crown from his head, and scratched his hair. Not yet. He frowned. It took a while to find her, and once we did he slipped his crown back on his head. Once we found her, the coward that she is, she didnt even attempt to fight. He shook his head in disbelief. She activated a talisman, and disappeared. Once we caught up with her again, it was the sa thing. Again and again and again we find her, and she runs.
I see.
Did you co here to get us out of here? Your friend. Rex stared intently at his grandfather. Has kept us locked up for over a month.
I hadnt noticed. He smiled, looking at their faces with a grin on his face. Before walking up to Rex and rubbing his hair affectionately. I do apologize for that however. Sophia is rather wilful, and she doesnt have too many friends. Sotis her judgnt is a little suspect. In this case however, I do believe she made the right call. At the least, you two have benefited greatly.
Where is she now? Luke asked.
Hunting after Tyrisa as we speak. Im afraid, circumstances have changed, and I can no longer be an active participant in her demise. Sophia will keep her occupied until such a ti that I am able to rejoin the battle. If it cos to that. She has been remarkably brutal, shall we say in her pursuit. To be frank, Im not even sure Tyrisa will live long enough for to rejoin the battle.
What changed? Nel asked.
The Tide. Ive been told that it will begin three days from now, and as such, I am required at the Capital. It was my hope to have Sophia take my place there if matters dragged on for long enough, but she refuses to be among any company greater in number than five. He shrugged.
What? Nels jaw dropped open.Why would the Tide co earlier? Thats not supposed to happen! The cur- Cyzicus cut her off with a glare. A pulse of pressure radiated out from his body, before subsiding. Nel turned pale before glancing awkwardly between Luke and Rex. I uh. That.. I
The curse? Is that what she was going to say? Luke looked between Cyzicus and Nel, before his eyes t Rexs. He looked just as confused as Luke felt.
Luke. Rex. Im afraid both of you have beco privy to sothing that you need not be concerned about. As you have no doubt deduced, there is more to the Gegenees invading Sylcra than ets the eye, but I will caution you to look no further into the issue.
I couldnt care less. Luke responded right away. aning it too.
Cyzicus bead. Good. Rex?
His eyes darted between Nel and his Grandfather, before reluctantly nodding. Fine.
Very well. Cyzicus clapped his hands. Lets steal so sheep, and get out of here.
What? Nel, Luke, and Rex said simultaneously.
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