Ashley

The Official System Event continues moving forward with more and more people refusing my challenges, but I do manage to fight a couple more times. Because everyone only gets a single chance to refuse. And after I win these few challenges, I get another chance to challenge the ones who refused.

And this time they can’t refuse.

Overall, this event proves to be very useful for me. With me getting one new Skill Tree after another.

Whether it’s that nature magic user’s skill that lets me summon forth nature to attack my foe, the water magic user’s Low Grade Water Mana Manipulation, the Strength Enhancement skill from the second guy that increases my physical strength a good chunk, or the other four wins that each give me slightly less powerful skills. Including one that creates a relatively strong hallucination based off past memories of the target – a skill that did nothing to me considering my lack of memories – one that lets you coat your fist in flames, one that lets you create bullets of ice, and one that lets you create a dome of ice.

But regardless of if they’re powerful enough, I’m just happy that I’m getting a very wide array of new skills to add to my arsenal.

Even if I can’t really use them under the livestream’s watch.

For now.

When I’m eventually exposed, I will be able to use them.

And that’s all that matters.

Meanwhile, of the other competitors, only one of them manages to keep up with me in terms of victories. One that seems to be avoiding me for now and has even rejected my challenge.

But right when the event is finally beginning to reach its end, and he and I end up tied, he challenges me. Surprising me in the process.

You have been challenged by the competitor known as ‘Arlan ver Sil Gray’, will you accept?

I glance at the man, finding him staring straight at me before he nods.

So I go ahead and accept the challenge, leading to the two of us teleporting to the battlefield.

The man in question has pointed ears and when I identify him again, I find him to be an actual elf.

♢ Arlan ver Sil Gray – Level 27 Elf – 1416 Potential Skills – X ♢

He also has the most potential skills I’ve ever seen in a single person in my life. Other than the Black and White Enforcers, who have about the same amount if not a few more.

As for his appearance? Other than his pointy ears, he has silver hair, with gray eyes, and a fancy set of silver metal armor. His hair is short and wavy, albeit not too short. Reaching down to about a little above his shoulders, and he has a serious yet confident look in his eyes.

I pull my hands out of my pockets to get ready for the battle, only for him to place his fist against his chest and give me a slight bow of his head as he says, “Greetings, Successor of Chaos.” He raises his head again. “I would like to give a full introduction, if you wouldn’t mind.”

His words give me pause, but after a few seconds, I give him a nod of my head. Although I don’t relax. Because this could be a trick.

“My name is Arlan ver Sil Gray, and I am the Fourth Prince of the Sil Gray Kingdom,” the man says, briefly surprising me. But I don’t really care one way or another. “I would like to establish official communications between our kingdom and the Successor of Chaos with the intent to eventually bring a delegation to Val with your permission.”

I blink as I stare at him, wondering why he’s bothering. Especially when I haven’t given much of a response to anyone else.

“The Sil Gray Kingdom…” Chaos mutters, surprising me further. “It may be in your best interest to establish a connection to them. They’re a Class S faction with several Class S hunters amidst their ranks.”

Class S hunters…

“We’ll see after this battle,” I eventually answer him, shocking both him and everyone else with my words.

At which point I realize I haven’t spoken a word this entire event.

And I don’t generally speak much in other events either. If almost at all.

“Don’t feel pressured to accept though, you have more than enough support with the Tower of Chaos if you ever need aid,” Chaos continues, almost making a feeling of warmth spread through me from the genuine care he has.

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But at the same time, I’m still not used to someone caring about me.

Other than Blake.

I blink at that thought before remembering that I don’t remember anything about Blake caring for me.

This memory leakage is getting annoying.

Anyways, the prince looks rather happy with my words as he quickly says, “In that case, let us have a match worth talking about for years to come!”

Certainly is a dramatic fella.

“Well, he’s a prince,” Chaos says as if that explains everything.

Which I guess it does.

I just nod at the guy.

We’ve both seen each other’s fighting styles, although he’s only seen some of my skills, so I know how he will fight. And because of that, the instant his eyes flare with a pale blue light, I flap my wings and shoot up into the sky. Avoiding the platform when spikes of metal shoot out of it in an attempt to pierce through me.

He doesn’t stop there, though. Instead, even more spikes of metal appear out of the air itself, shooting straight towards me and surprising me. Because he never did that in his other battles.

So for the first time since this event started, I genuinely get rather badly hurt. With two of the spikes piercing through my body as I cough out a mouthful of blood.

Fortunately for me, they only hit less important areas and no major organs in my torso. But they still hurt.

I quickly teleport to the platform where my shadow is stretching, disengaging myself from the spikes of metal that were inside of me. Then, as they visibly begin to heal through both Minor Regeneration and my health, I flap my wings once at him to send a wave of feathers straight at him.

He raises a wall of metal to defend against them, but I just fly up into the air while he’s blinded before moving both of my hands over the platform and using Scald to spray as much water as I can at him and the barrier around him. Soaking both of them as everyone looks on, surprised at the sight of a water related skill.

Then I proceed to send a bunch of lightning straight at him as a follow-up, letting it run through both the metal and the water to electrocute him. With my wounds having at least half healed by now.

The prince raises his head to look at me while panting as steam and smoke lift off of him after my lightning runs its course. But he’s still standing. And I see the burns from my lightning and scalding hot water rapidly healing as well. Implying he has an even stronger regeneration skill than I have.

I want it.

The man stomps his foot on the ground, making dozens of metal spikes shoot out from midair straight at me. But this time I’m prepared and speed out of the line of the attacks. Only for the attacks to follow me with more and more spikes shooting out of strange portals that open up midair.

I grit my teeth a little as I fly, occasionally turning towards him while sending more waves of water and lightning his way. Because even if he regenerates, he is still building up afflictions from Chaotic Surge.

Although the first couple afflictions he got didn’t do much.

At all.

One of them just made him sneeze. And the other made him feel an itch.

Not exactly helpful.

I’m no doubt sure the audience is loving this battle, though.

Especially considering my rapidly rising follower count.

We continue our little dance, with him occasionally landing a hit, but never on my wings, and me repeatedly shocking him as he tries and not very successfully defends. Which is understandable, since there’s not much he can do down there against my attacks.

After all, he’s on a large platform without anywhere to really go.

He’s stuck.

And I can just keep soaking him and shocking him.

The only issue is that his attacks do a lot more damage than mine, his regeneration and his body’s resistance being rather impressive. To the point that I’d probably lose if it weren’t for Chaotic Surge.

But Chaotic Surge is still a thing. And my later effects on him aren’t as weak as the first couple.

One of them even causes an increased mana cost for all of his skills. With another causing great pain throughout his body, and another leaving an arm paralyzed.

Other than those, most of them are rather weak.

Weak or not, though, they’re building up.

I feel the corners of my lips quirk upwards when I finally find an opening and send a wave of feathers straight at him, followed immediately by a couple bolts of lightning. Half of which directly hit him, scoring a killing blow.

But before I can celebrate, I feel a powerful wave of mana used from him radiate outwards.

Then a dozen spikes appear all around me and skewer me in nearly every direction.

Right when I realize I’m about to die, I get a wave of System Messages.

{You have been granted 10 Skill Points for killing a user within the System Event.}

{You have slain a being while Assimilate is active. You have now unlocked the Skill Tree: Armaments of the Silver Prince}

{You have unlocked a new Skill Tree, therefore the root skill of the Skill Tree, Silver Strike, is now unlocked for your usage.}

{Congratulations, you have now reached level 25. Your PHY and MEN have increased by 1 point, and your MAG by 2 points. Please choose where you wish your 1 Free Point to be allocated.}

And without hesitation I find myself teleported back to my platform before collapsing to the ground on it, all of my wounds still present.

But I won.

Even if I’m currently dying after the match, I fucking won.

“You should use a potion,” Chaos comments, and I agree. So I quickly push through the pain to summon one into my hand from my ring before downing it.

Making my wounds quickly begin to heal just enough that I’m no longer in mortal danger. Something that wouldn’t have worked if those spikes were still piercing through me, or I were to end up in my own attack by teleporting or falling down to the platform below.

At which point I just kinda lie down on my front with everyone no doubt staring at me as blood continues covering the platform from my still-open wounds.

But it’s fine.

I won, and these wounds will close soon enough from Minor Regeneration and my health.

That’s all that matters here.

I almost feel a smile touch my face. Only for it to fade away again when I hear the cheers of the audience arrive, marking the end of the Official System Event. At which point I am teleported to instead end up standing in the chamber post-game.

So without hesitation, I go ahead and return to the hub.

But not before giving a nod towards the prince.

Feeling more than grateful for his lovely Skill Tree.

He nods back, seeming pleased with himself. No doubt believing he may have earned the chance to work with me.

Which I guess he isn’t wrong.

If Chaos suggests it at least.

I feel a wave of happiness assault me from Chaos, but I ignore him.

Because not only do these wounds still hurt, but I have rewards and a new Skill Tree to look at.

Also points to allocate for my level-up.