Jonathan immediately started to be pushed backwards, but he gritted his teeth and poured more of his power into his first, starting to eat away at the sword in front of him. The monster’s eyes widened briefly, and it started to falter as purple lines spread through its sword. Jonathan screamed and pushed his mana along the lines, cracking open the stony covering with a spray of light and jagged shards. His Unravel skill had come a long way, and it was now mingled with the energy of the void. A skill notification awaited him, but he pushed it aside for now. The Patriarch stumbled backwards, a crack running up and down the length of its weapon. It looked at Jonathan with a measure of fear in its eyes.

“You can channel the power of the great Void? What manner of monster are you?” It asked.

“The one who will kill you,” Jonathan replied, taking a step forward. The monster growled, and swung its weapon around, heading towards Jonathan’s throat. He struck out with his gauntlet, imbuing it with the Void, and slammed his fist into the middle of the crack running down the length of the sword. There was a noise like shattering glass, and the blade broke in half, falling onto the ground.

The Patriarch was forced to let go of the two halves, and Jonathan swooped in, driving his fists into the monster's weakened abdomen again and again. The giant creature was being forced back by the comparatively small Jonathan, and each blow tore off more flesh and spilt more blood. With bloody foam flecking its teeth, the monster roared at Jonathan, and kicked out with one of its powerful legs, trying to sweep his feet out from underneath him.

Jonathan leaped backwards, and used the foot as a springboard to reach the monster’s face, where he sent a piledriver of an uppercut into its jaw. The monster was lifted off its feet, and slammed to the ground, dazed. Jonathan flipped over midair, and came falling like a meteor, with his right fist limned in light.

Cocking it back at the last moment, he punched with all of his might, driving his fist through the monster’s stomach. The beast shuddered under the force of the blow, but mustered enough strength to reach out one last time and grab Jonathan. It groaned, and threw him towards the wall at high speeds, even faster than he could react. As Jonathan slammed into the wall, the monster faded away into nothingness, and a level entered him, healing him of his many wounds. A bright light shone in the center of the arena, and a pop up screen appeared in front of Jonathan.

You have completed this challenge with an average rating of A!

You have merited the second tier of rewards for your efforts.

A series of items started to spill out of the air in the center of the arena, and Jonathan walked towards them. There were no pieces of armor, or weapons, but there were plenty of other things that could prove to be useful. A cascade of Leviathan Marks fell down around the sides of the light, and Jonathan stooped down to start picking them up. Before he could waste too much time however, a small leather pouch dropped down beside him. Jonathan looked over at the bag, perplexed, and picked it up, opening it. The inside of the bag was unusually dark, and he assumed that it was some sort of joke on the behalf of the System. In any case, it would prove useful for storing some of the coins in front of him. He began to shovel coins into the bag, quickly noticing that it didn't seem to be filling up. Frowning, he scanned the bag.

Basic Storage Device

Tier 1 Magical Item

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This diminutive leather pouch is not what it seems from the outside. It has been enchanted to be able to hold many times what its appearance might suggest. This particular storage device can hold up to a hundred pounds of miscellaneous items, without weighing any more than its normal weight. You may check the contents of the bag by scanning it.

Contents:145 Leviathan Marks

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at this, and continued to shovel coins into the bag. It seemed like this thing would prove to be useful for storing his goods in, at least. The money quickly vanished into the bottomless pit of the bag and he scanned it once more, revealing that he possessed a bit over 500 Leviathan Marks. The coins might as well have been gone, from how much their presence was noticeable to Jonathan through the bag, He clipped it to the side of his armor, and started to check out the other items around him. There were a few rings, an amulet, and even a small vial of some reddish substance that he recognized as a health potion, like the ones that he had seen within the last city. Jonathan started to scan the rings one by one, interested in how much of an effect they would have on his power. The first ring was a small band of silver, with an ornate green stone set into the center.

Basic Ring of Life

Tier 1 Magical Item

This ring infuses the wearer with supernatural health, allowing them to take more strikes than usual. It does not provide any sort of concrete bonus, but increases the general durability of one’s body.

Jonathan quickly slid the ring on, and felt a pleasant sensation of warmth rush through him, seeming to energize his cells as it passed. The next ring looked a lot more sinister, and it was a band of black iron, with a ruby in it.

Basic Ring of Lifesteal

Tier 1 Magical Item

Wearing this ring allows you to siphon a small portion of the damage that you deal to enemies into your own body by using the ring as a conduit. The portion healed is minimal, but it will add up over a prolonged battle.

This ring seemed to be a little less useful, depending on how much the effect actually did, but Jonathan still put it on anyway. He wasn't going to pass up on free power. After that ring, there were two more, and he analyzed them both in turn.

Basic Ring of Alacrity

Tier 1 Magical Item

This ring imbues the wearer with preternatural speed and skill, accentuating their natural Dexterity. When wearing this ring, you may be able to achieve things that are past your norm, depending on your original power.

The ring seemed to be a simple multiplicative bonus to his Dexterity stat, or at least to its effect on his body, which was always useful. Jonathan slid it on, and felt a small but noticeable boost to his agility. Before he could get distracted, he looked at the last ring, which was a band of iron with a yellow gemstone in the center.

Basic Ring of Physicality

Tier 1 Magical Item

This ring increases the wearer’s natural strength by a small but noticeable amount, allowing them to eke more out of their natural power than before.

Jonathan smiled, and put the ring on. This would be possibly the most useful one yet. With all of the rings on, Jonathan made his way over to the amulet, which was the final item left on the ground.

Basic Amulet of the Mage

Tier 1 Magical Item

You gain small bonuses to your mana manipulation abilities while wearing this ring, as well as a boost to your overall mana capacity.

It was a bit annoying that the items did not give any real stat bonuses, but from what Jonathan could tell, they still had quite the effect. As he put the amulet on, the arena started to shake and it vanished without a trace, revealing a tunnel leading further into the dungeon. Jonathan started towards the exit, with all of his new rings and items on, and quite a bit richer than before. That arena had been harrowing, but it had given him quite a boost overall. Before leaving, he checked on his last notification, which was for a new skill.

You have upgraded one of your skills!

Unravel:Epic->Decaying Touch:Legendary

Your mana is anethema to all other forms of mana now, and your efforts to unravel the spells of other mages will be boosted significantly by the element of the Void that is contained within your magical attacks. Few spells of your own rank will be able to resist the effects of this skill.