Chapter 7: Barrel Roll!

After leaving the hallway through the portal, Ain sensed the familiar disorienting sensation for second before his vision brightened. He glanced around with vigilance, which soon settled into curiosity. This was another hall constructed from Crescent Azurlite, radiating the same gentle glow. However, this was also where the similarities ended.

The ceiling here was much higher than the previous hall, resembling a tall tower from within. There were no thick pillars blocking his vision, causing the hall to exude a charm of vastness. A thick silver platform stood suspended midair, with a silver bridge leading to the small altar where he’d arrived. The remainder of the floor, or lack thereof, was just a dark gaseous void, forming a stark contrast with the radiant azure walls and ceiling.

The void resembled a sea of hazy darkness, with the silver altar he stood upon being a small raft. His only way forward was the bridge that led him to the ‘island,’ the large silver platform. The hall was silent, with no imminent danger in sight.

Ain refrained from moving and turned his attention to the surrounding walls. Inscribed on them were vivid figures that seemed to be practicing martial arts, surrounded by dense blocks of text.

Seeing this scene and recalling the events leading up to here, Ain realized something, “This seems like some sort of trial or training. The stone monument held the preface to the Chronarch Precept, and the previous hall taught me the section for Rank-1. The puppets in the hallway probably served as training targets. And now, it’s this…”

On the wall across from him, bold words, much larger than the rest, were inscribed. They exuded an ancient might reminiscent of what he’d sensed when he discovered the name ‘Chronarch Precept.’

“Temporal Blitz,” Ain slowly uttered as astonishment gradually crept up to his face. In the end, he couldn’t control it and exclaimed, “Is this a spell?!”

He hurriedly searched along the walls again, trying to ascertain his conjecture. He’d fully memorized and, to some extent, studied the Chronarch Precept. As he read through the text, a hint of familiarity arose within the confusion and complexity, confirming his suspicions.

Temporal Blitz seemed like some sort of offensive spell, which elated him greatly. Amidst his delight, he sensed a reaction from Wisdom Root.

[Quest: Temporal Blitz]

[Description: Study and execute Temporal Blitz successfully.]

[Reward: Heavenly Whispers x1]

“Another quest?” Ain’s eyes gleamed. The reward was another Heavenly Whispers. Setting aside his aspirations to become stronger, gathering Heavenly Whispers was his next priority. “I planned to learn Temporal Blitz anyways since I’ve found it. This works out perfectly. But will Heavenly Whispers always be the reward for these quests?” He pondered silently but failed to gain anything.

Ain prepared to settle down and thoroughly memorize Temporal Blitz first. However, at this moment, a bright light suddenly drowned his figure, alongside Nox. When they regained their vision again, their environment had shifted, and they’d already appeared on the silver platform.

“What happened?” Ain’s body tensed as questioned while glancing around warily.

“Wooo…” Nox hovered nearby, similarly scouting the surroundings.

Soon, they realized where they were. Moreover, the altar they previously stood upon had vanished, along with the silver bridge leading to the platform.

Without affording them a chance to ponder, another faint flash occurred, leaving behind a familiar puppet on the platform. Ain focused his attention on the newcomer, “A Rank-0 puppet? Nox, get rid of it.”

“Wooo…!” Nox immediately rushed up with Phantom Claws and slashed at the puppet before it could react. This time, its first attack succeeded, instantly felling the enemy.

Just as the puppet scattered, the faint light appeared again, whisking it away. However, in its place, two more puppets appeared. Ain’s eyes twitched at this scene, “Nox!” He’d already figured some things out. If this was really a trial, then his goal here should be to learn Temporal Blitz. That would align with the quest as well.

Destroying one puppet resulted in two more. Thinking back to the triangular formation in the hallway, Ain deduced the outcome if these two puppets were also eliminated.

After they appeared, one puppet turned to Nox as the other dashed towards Ain.

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“Wooo…!” Nox responded promptly while also reminding Ain of its inability to attract both puppets.

“Don’t worry. Just destroy that one first and then come entangle this one.” Ain also found it a little troublesome. For a while, he was chased around the platform whilst memorizing the walls’ contents and dodging the puppet. The puppets were nimble, but their attacks were straightforward and easy to predict. He swiftly adapted to its patterns and the task became easier.

After getting used to the rhythm, Ain split his attention and observed the walls. Everywhere his eyes passed over, only a few seconds were required to memorize the contents. He became increasingly aware of his increased cognitive abilities with each passing second. He didn’t even know what the text read, but everything was stored within his memory wherever he laid his eyes.

In only ten seconds, Nox dispatched the first puppet and intercepted the second one. Fortunately, the puppet didn’t insist on chasing Ain and was soon distracted by Nox. Just like that, the game of cat and mouse continued for ten minutes. Of course, Ain was unaware of the time.

At this point, he’d already finished memorizing the walls and began studying the contents when another change occurred. With a faint flash, three more puppets appeared on the platform. Ain was startled and said hurriedly, “Nox! Get rid of your opponents and then come help me!”

As his voice fell, one of the puppets joined its comrade to chase after Nox and the remaining two rushed towards him. After this brief period of battles, Ain’s confidence was much greater than before, and he was familiar with their simple attacks. However, without Possession, he still had to take it slow.

When the two puppets were within range and poised to strike, he punched out in quick succession, meeting their attacks head on. Two muffled impacts sounded in the air. Neither Ain nor the puppets moved, but faint cracks gradually covered the puppets’ wooden fists. Ain’s eyes shone brilliantly at this sight.

Even without Nox, his strength wasn’t to be underestimated. His Rank-1 physique was enough to overpower these Rank-0 puppets! Of course, the prerequisite was sufficient combat skills.

“Wooo…!” Nox’s cheer resounded from behind as it praised Ain, much like how he’d praised it before. Ain suppressed his smile and maintained his focus.

The puppets only paused momentarily before continuing their assault. Punches and kicks were exchanged with each passing moment. Ain remained steadfast throughout, except for his aching limbs, and he puppets were gradually covered in cracks.

At this moment, one of the puppets suddenly disengaged and rushed towards Nox. Ain realized that Nox had already destroyed its two enemies. Although he could split his attention easily, he’d actually forgotten to pay attention to Nox’s battle amidst his own. Noting this error, Ain slowed his assault, afraid of further damaging the puppet. Nox would likely destroy the second puppet as well so this one had to remain.

As expected, soon, only the puppet targeting him remained and he allowed Nox to take over. He rubbed his aching hands and stood aside to rest. Nox also recovered its stamina and aether while being chased by the puppet as its mission didn’t require much.

“Destroying them will only accelerate the process and more puppets will appear at set intervals regardless. Will they only stop after I’ve learned Temporal Blitz?”

This simple mechanism placed him on the burner, making him anxious. The problem lay in the incrementing numbers. If one extra puppet appeared at each interval, was it even possible for them to last an hour? And how were these conditions conducive for learning Temporal Blitz? Ain didn’t dare to waste time and only spared the bare minimum attention for the surroundings.

From the brief analysis, he’d already learned that Temporal Blitz wasn’t actually a spell as he’d previously believed. It was categorized as a martial art. He was unaware of the difference, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. It was still a means of offense.

“Temporal Blitz uses time to bridge the spatial gap…? What does that mean?” Ain recalled the martial art’s description from the text.

The Chronarch Precept was a prerequisite for Temporal Blitz. Their aether circulation patterns differed but were interconnected simultaneously. Moreover, it required him to visualize a spell rune and necessitated a conceptual understanding that he clearly lacked.

The final piece to Temporal Blitz were the stances. The writing stated that the stances were only supplementary, and there to assist one’s training, so they became Ain’s direction of attack. As Nox was chased around by the half-broken puppet, Ain practiced the stances from his memory. The first stance was just a figure standing upright. It wasn’t difficult to mimic.

Next, Ain controlled his aether according to the pathways mapped on the stance diagram. This process was relatively simple as it incorporated parts of the Chronarch Precept. The portion unique to Temporal Blitz was much easier in comparison.

“Wooo…!” As he was concentrating on his training, Nox alerted him of a new wave of puppets.

While training, Ain had situated himself near the edge of the silver platform to oversee it in its entirety, so he’d naturally caught sight of the puppets as they appeared. This placement was intentional, serving another purpose.

As expected, four puppets had arrived this time. Nox swiftly dealt with the half-broken puppet chasing it as planned and circled around to Ain, ensuring that it was behind the two puppets that’d targeted him.

Ain carefully watched the approaching company, “Be careful. You already know what to do!”

“Wooo…!” Nox nodded in response, excited about the upcoming scene. The two puppets ahead of it finally arrived and attacked Ain. Without faltering, he used his fists to meet their attacks, reducing their momentum as Nox ran up behind them.

Taking advantage of the puppet’s brief pause, Ain rolled to the side before dashing towards one of the puppets chasing after Nox. On the other hand, Nox used its momentum to forcefully collide with the two stunned puppets from behind, pushing them off the platform, straight into the sea of darkness.

“Wooo…!” Seeing the enemies fall into the void, Nox celebrated the success of their scheme jubilantly, seemingly forgetting the follow up.

“Nox!” Ain saw the puppet attacking it from behind and shouted urgently.

“Wooo…!” Nox responded with a stationary barrel roll, elegantly dodging the incoming attack without even looking. Moreover, momentum of the missed attack propelled the third puppet off the edge as well.

“Wooo…!” This scene tickled Nox further, causing it to dance joyously midair as Ain gawked at this scene. He hadn’t planned that last part!