Adrenaline flooded my system, and it felt like time slowed down. Danger sense told me he was aiming for my right arm, and even the armor I had on wouldn't stop it. I made a split second decision to sacrifice one my souls to take the attack.
The sword bounced off my arm, throwing off his balance. I took this opportunity to push my attack.
Tryst, when I click my tongue, teleport us into his shadow!
As you wish master.
I activated Overhaul, Drain Life, and my newest skill:
Pummel
Attack speed +50% for the next 100 attacks.
Cost: 200 HP
With this, my stats got a major boost. My STR and DEX were at 3000 already, with Overhaul active, it rose to 12000. Added onto the bonus for the gauntlets, my STR was at 16800 and my DEX 14400.
The vampire was still moving fast, but my stats had risen to the point where it felt like a normal sprint. He looked to be gathering mana around his sword, and Danger Sense told me he was aiming for my left leg.
I jumped over him, gathering a mana cushion behind him for me to springboard off of. As I vaulted over him, I could see genuine shock in his eyes. Landing on the mana cushion, I pushed myself towards his unprotected back. Without warning, he transformed into a swarm of bats, my punch destroying one before he reformed a small distance away.
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Well, he wasn't the only one who could transform. I flew into the air and transformed instantly into my alter ego. While in my human form, I unfortunately didn't have access to my breath weapon. I had the skill, but it was more a matter of biology. The dragons had an organ in their throat that turned their mana into a certain form, then released it through their mouth. In my case, it was panic breath. I let loose a roar, the mana around me becoming an odorless, transparent fog. I watched the vampire stumble and changed into human, signaling Tryst to teleport me. I emerged from his shadow and threw a punch, stopping just short of his temple. I was certain this would crush his skull if it hit, and I needed him alive if I wanted a rank.
Utter silence filled the arena. This entire fight had taken less than 20 seconds, but I felt respect for the devil before me. If I didn't have Overhaul, my skill, or my souls, I would have been completely at his mercy. Even if I were to face him again, I don't know what the outcome would be.
"Apparently 1% was too easy. I would say your current ability is at a D rank."
The vampire before me melted into shadow. I turned around to see the voice, and an exact duplicate of the person I just fought was standing near the door. I understood the situation slightly better now.
Analyze now showed me that this person was the real Jerald. His stats hovered around twelve million, with one of his skills being...
"Clone."
As the word left my mouth, Jerald's gaze narrowed.
"That is a word I haven't heard in over a hundred years, and only from one person. Tell me, has Earth changed much since then?"
"That depends. What year was this person from?"
"The year he died was apparently 2010."
"It was almost 2020 when I died, so there's probably a different rate of time between here and there. As it stands, I died yesterday."
"If he was anything to go by, I have high hopes for you. Earth seems to have no shortage of talented people."
So Fun, Rules, and Luck had sent someone else here as well. At least reincarnaters weren't a foreign idea here, just uncommon.
"Sorry to interrupt, but is Earth an organization?"
Crap, I forgot about Sina.