Chapter 55: Simulation [5]
Things are heating up after the remaining challengers survived Jin's sparring match they were about to fight me. before that, we needed to take a little break making all of them recover their exhausted stamina while Jin arrived with the weapons that we've promised for the winners
"Ok knuckleheads here is your prize by reaching the finale of the training camp I'll call you once I got the weapons. first up Esther I bestowed upon the Needle it's a blade that's designed for fast and reactive playstyle. The second one is Kyo which is a pair of gauntlets called Behemoth, that can shift from a gauntlet to a blade. next is Quon, you'll obtain your master's old staff it's been modified and reforge giving it an increase in stats and it receives a skill in the process of reforging. and last but not the least Hugo," Morris interrupted at the last minute, he took the item from Jin's hand and personally brings it to Hugo
"For the last challenger that's not a part of my group, Hugo Miller I bestowed upon you the Philosopher stone. though it might not be a weapon it can save you from your demise, this is a gift from a fellow player of the world of trials," Morris whispered in Hugo's ear the classified information of his sentence before he leaves his sight
[You're giving that away? what a shame I thought we were going to keep it]
'The Philosopher stone myths about this relic were said to give you immortality and rejuvenate once youth. but in the world of trials, it can only be used as a scapegoat whenever the user will die the damage will be redirected to the stone, and it will provide a damage immunity buff for 30 seconds upon the player. I've used up every single item I had that we're for alchemical purposes, It might look like a total loss on my side but once he fully grows I can get more than I invested,'
"Wait can you answer my questions?" Hugo tried to reach for his shoulders with his right hand only for it to be brushed off by Morris that turned around to reply to his question
"That's going to be problematic for me, best that you prioritize yourself before you worry about another's life, and make haste with your preparations our match will begin shortly after all of you recovered your strength," He left shortly after he told his answer to Hugo which was left with more questions that remained unanswered making him wonder why he's so secretive about his knowledge
'I'm killing it with this Mysterious character persona I looked like the knowledgeable and reliable character, though my relationship with the girls is not that great. speaking of girls I noticed that Airis and Esther are a bit hostile towards each other, I suspect that Airis sees her as a competitor not that I like her. I can only hope that playing with her feelings that we're directed to me after I beat her in combat would be useful if I played my cards correctly. In any case, I'm not stopping those two from fighting it's like I'm watching a similar plot of a story where the two of them are the heroines fighting for the Main character's affection,'
[Do you think he'll use that staff in his upcoming fight with the four contenders?]
"Chances of that happening is Zero, he's not the type of person that would take a shortcut but I have a feeling that he's going to show us a spectacular show my gut feeling hasn't let me down even once, Land construction, Paste edited battleground file name Finale," Jin reconstructs the entire lead space turning it into a room that was burned through Morris's memories a place where he gets beaten up to the point where he's bones would snap and his blood will color the entire room
It was the room where Genis told him everything from hand-to-hand combat to the art of weaponry, the place that filled him with fear and determination the only place where he felt the need to improve his weakness and sharpen his wits. while the others were amazed by the scenery Morris entered the room without his items, or equipment not even a sight of his robes that were always attached to his body only a set of training clothes which he could freely move on
"Glad all of you could make it, I like to have a chat with all of you sadly this isn't the time and place for that, attack me when you're ready,"
Everyone was confused with the final round, the arena didn't have anything extraordinary it was just a plain room unlike their previous battle with Jin which proved to be a challenge. a battlefield that was designed for Jin to be superior in any way possible yet nothing inside this room could give Morris the upper hand
"What's wrong with the three of you it's just a normal room, ready or not I'm coming boss,"
[System: the player Kyo min soo has activated the skill Ancestral awakening]
Kyo lunged forward at Morris's location striking him from above with his Gauntlets making him dodge the attack by jumping into the air which Kyo had wanted all along revealing his evergrowing leg that was transforming into a Beast as time passes by which he sends it flying towards Morris. making him counter the attack with Wave which he quickly froze stopping the attack from striking and leaving him vulnerable for a few seconds giving the rest of them to strike
"1st tier magic combination Wave + Freeze, all of you attack at once im going to preserve the ice," Quon cast another Wave while she turned it into a small cocoon trapping Morris inside while the others made their way
[System: you've been struck by Wave
Alert: you've been temporarily immobilized by the water that enclosed your body to be frozen]
"Serves him right for being too cocky now he's paying the price,"
"Don't get so full of yourself, youre not even able to see the whole picture,"
"Ms. Shin I suggest that you shut your mouth the others are getting irritated by your unwanted comment, while I can't get a good look at the fight I think that Mr. Morris isn't even trying his hardest,"
"Blake what do ya mean just look he's getting pinned down by the four of them what can he possibly be plotting except no way is he going for an OTK?"
"Christ isn't someone that likes to get himself hurt in exchange for a powerful finisher,"
"Maybe he's luring them for a close-range fight? but that doesn't make any sense at all he's a mage aren't they weak when their enemies are closer," Airis was confused about their views on Morris which they see as a mage while she experienced a different kind of fight that can't be compared with a simple mage
'Mage? if that were the case then I would've won our fight, he's such a peculiar one he often uses his spells whenever I fought against him. yet he never used his superior mana supply to outmatch me, It looks like he was struggling with his body, unable to control the right strength to jump nor land perfectly on his feet. it felt like I was fighting an amateur when it comes to his physical stats, it looked like he wasn't fully adapted to his newly gained strength in his body,'
After Kyo broke out of the ice that bound him to the ground he reunites with the others entering a small opening inside that was filled with reflective shards of ice that were seen in every nook and cranny while Morris's voice echoed in every part of the cocoon as if he was surrounding them
"Imprisoning me inside a block of ice well I have to praise your creativity what's next youre going to throw some dirt in my eyes? I guess it's time I make my move it's not acceptable if I only dodge your attacks right?"
The area began to release a Blinding Mist that covered the entire field making the close and restricting area became a nightmare for the three making them trust their sense of hearing to find their foe. before they could move even take a step forward they were ambushed by Morris that released a volley of Magic orbs that proved to be irritating for the three that got their vision lowered. a surprise was in store for them he didn't use the spell to tire them out nor attack them from a safe distance he uses the noise that they created from hitting his opponents sword to striking the ice which made them vulnerable for a sneak attack
[Time for retribution, eliminate them at once]
[System: the player Christopher Morris has activated the skill Shock]
"Youre in for a shock," His right hand was empowered by his spell and made contact with Kyo's body along with the paralyzing effect he's fist was imbued with Chi making his first heavier accompanied with an explosive force that created a light that making the two noticed his location
"Basic sword arts, Rapid thrust," Esther realizes the capabilities of her sword the shape made it pierce through the wind making her thrust faster than ever
"Mana circulation, dual flow, Weapon master form of the sword," Hugo activated the skill that grants him a series of sword arts that was inside his skill while he increased his movements with dual flow
On the right side, Esther was pushing through Morris without a sign of stopping while on the left was Hugo that was performing a few stances to activate a sword art that was slowly making his way. the situation wasn't in his favor and it proved to be on his opponent's side once he sees that Kyo recovered from the paralysis effect of his spell along with Quon that fired an amplified Magic orb that was flying in his direction
"Haste," Morris instantly shifted to Esther's location tripping her to knock her balance which resulted in her losing her form leading to a disruption of her attacks, after he was finished with Esther he threw a concentrated Wave orb at Quon which exploded creating a massive Wave that he controlled hitting Kyo, Esther and Quon before he freezes them into a cube
"Ancestral howl!!!" Kyo's howl negated his perfectly executed attack with a mere second of his loud growl that was aimed through Morris which made his hearing temporarily blocked
[Behind you]
"Moonlight stance, the sword of the moon," Hugo surprised him while he called forth Sun and Moon to distract the three while he was dealing with Hugo
[System: the player Hugo Miller has activated one of the Weapon master's skills Moonlight stance, giving him the sword arts of the Moonlight swordsman]
Morris picked up an ice shard that he imbued with some of his Mana making it durable enough to handle Hugo's blade that could cut a rock with a simple swing. even with his lack of talent within a sword, his training with Genis proved its worth his footwork made him able to fend off his blade no matter how strong a blade could have it wouldn't matter if it cannot hit its target which proved to be useless against him
"Moonlight stance, Lunar stab!!!" Hugo unleashed the remaining skill he could play before his Moonlight stance was to reach its limit while Morris countered it with his attack
"Mystic slash!!!"
With that attack, the ice shard was shattered while Hugo remained unfazed by his attack the two of them were falling after they destroyed the platform that they were stepping on. Morris was the first one to fall and Hugo came out of the smoke created by the collision of their attacks he stepped into a shard and launched himself towards Morris. only for his attacks to miss when they got in range of Sun's taunt while the others were left paralyzed by Moon's attack, giving Morris the time he needed to initiate his trump card
[You only have one shot at winning, it's about time you finally use it in a real match, your practices were useless. I can't believe I'm believing the words of that Npc well there's no reason to doubt him since he is a memory of a great and powerful player now remember the steps, breathe and let your Mana and Chi flow at the same time]
Morris created three Mirages that were mimicking the way he breathes down to his control over his Mana circuits along with his Meridians. the flow of two different types of energy was flowing through his body starting a conflict between the two energy until he forcefully combined them with his will. the amount of power that he combined was enough to destroy his body if he did a single mistake, yet he wasn't filled with discomfort or signs of rejection the energy accepted each other making him awaken in a new state for only a few seconds at most
[System: Congratulations you've acquired the skill Concurrent flow a skill that grants you the ability to circulate both Mana and Chi temporarily giving you a boost in your body, in the first 20 seconds you'll enter the state of duality which will further improve your ability]
[System:your Mana circulation and Chi circulation have been removed from your skills, the two skills have great synergy with each other that created a new skill Concurrent flow]
[System: you've gained 10 stat points for your achievement, you've gained a new Title Manipulator of one's body]
[Heavenly Swordmaster is trembling, Demonic Emperor is impressed, Monk with a thousand palms is amazed, The Young master that resides in heaven has his jaw drop from the player's talents, Wandering Swordsman wishes to know if the player is interested in a skill, etc]
The screen that broadcasted the entire battle to the deities that reside in the Murim dimension was shocked to witness a player that unlocked one a skill that was impossible for a newbie to acquire which made an uproar to the entire server since unlocking Chi was already seen as a genius
"Gale, I think your right,"
"What do you mean by that Jin?"
"He's going for an OTK,"
"Basic martial arts, Destructive palm!!!," Even with the Systems command to protect anyone inside the arena, his power was strong enough to destroy the arena's layout while the others were safely teleported into harm's way by a push of a button by Jin that anticipated Morris's actions
[System: Concurrent flow has been turned off]
"Pack your bags everyone it's time to move out after we celebrate a feast tonight will be gone when the sun rises," Morris carried the others back to Blake's tent where their injuries were treated