Rain stared at the Knight and prepared to go on the offensive. He Torrent Dashed forward, swinging his staff at the man, but the Knight deflected the attack and quickly moved to counter. Rain rolled backward, avoiding the counter, and lunged forward, landing a powerful blow on the man, staggering it slightly. The man retaliated with a punch, sending Rain across the arena. Rain hit the ground hard, and before he could even stand, a black form appeared above him, slashing downward.
Rain projected a shield above him, deflecting the slash and allowing him to properly recover. The Knight regained its balance and swung its sword at Rain again. Rain used Aqua Vortex around himself, blocking the slash and sending the Knight backward. Dismissing the vortex, Rain dashed forward, launching another strike at the Knight and landing a blow to its head, stunning it. He quickly flowed into his next attack, sweeping the Knight's legs and knocking it to the ground. Before the Knight could recover, Rain jumped into the air and Torrent Dashed back down, smashing his staff onto the Knight.
The knight took the rapid assault from Rain and snarled. A wave of pressure released from its body, forcing Rain backward. Rain smashed into the arena wall and fell to the ground. Pain shot through his body, but he forced himself to his feet. The ominous purple aura around the knight intensified, and he swung his sword three times, releasing three blades of purple toward Rain.
Rain avoided the slashes and closed the distance, releasing three quick attacks and avoiding another swing. This knight was fast, but Rain barely had the edge in speed. Rain slid under the knight's legs and delivered a powerful kick to the knight's back, making it stumble forward. He created a clone and quickly rolled backward to avoid another slash, he charged in with his clone, unleashing a barrage of attacks clashing harshly with the knight.
The knight made futile attempts to block the constant barrage of attacks. Instead, he ignored them and grabbed Rain's clone, squeezing his hand shut and destroying it. He turned to Rain and successfully parried a strike, then retaliated with two quick slashes, leaving an X-shape on Rain's chest. The knight followed up with a powerful kick, sending Rain flying.
Rain looked down at the wound on his chest. There was no blood, but the mark oozed a dark purple energy. He stood up from the ground, immediately feeling weaker. The slash had to be lowering his stats somehow. Rain decided to go on the defensive—the curse couldn't last forever.
The knight rushed at Rain, unleashing a torrent of slashes. Rain narrowly dodged and blocked the barrage, taking a few cuts in the process. He Torrent Dashed backward to clear some space from the knight, escaping the slashes. The purple glow started to dim—he only had to hold on a little longer.
Rain stayed at a distance, letting the knight approach. As its sword swung toward him, Rain jumped backward, avoiding the swing. He used Aqua Vortex around the knight, obscuring himself from sight, and retreated again. Rain focused on healing his wounds, the curse slowly dispelling. The purple glow was almost fully expunged when the knight finally escaped from the vortex.
The knight jumped forward, coming down with a heavy slash. Rain rolled out of the way, quickly recovering from the dodge. He turned around and unleashed a barrage of attacks, leaving multiple dents in the armor. The knight brushed off the blows and slashed at Rain, barely cutting his face. Rain launched into the air, water surging around his foot. He brought it down, dropping the knight on its face. Grabbing the knight's armor, Rain Torrent Dashed toward the arena wall. He stopped abruptly, letting go of the knight, and watched as it smashed into the wall.
Rain used Aqua Vortex on his staff, transforming his weapon into a swirling torrent of water. He thrust forward, unleashing a barrage of water blades as he drilled into the knight.
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The ominous energy around the knight dissipated, and it fell to the ground. The pieces of its armor detached from each other and sank into the ground.
That last attack was a gamble. Rain wasn't even sure it would work, but he couldn't think of another way to deal enough damage to win. Now, he had a good trump card for a sticky situation.
The letters began to appear before Rain notifying him of his victory.
"Living Armor of Sir Gideon Slain. Greater Rune of strength awarded. Greater Rune of Constitution awarded."
Rain looked at the notification, he understood why he got the runes he did but that thing was too fast to leave him with no agility.
"Trial complete, God servants awarding stat points."
the familiar lights flowed into Rain.
"Twelve stat points awarded, please allocate."
Rain put all twelve into agility and got ready for the next wave of notifications.
"stat limit reached, Congratulations on reaching level four please select three skills."
Hydro Orb
Description: The user condenses a ball of water in their palm.
Effect: Creates a ball of pressurized water dealing high damage and knocking back weaker enemies.
Raging Torrents
Description: Torrents of water barrage opponents in quick succession.
Effect: Opponents struck have their agility lowered temporarily.
Water Mirror
Description: Summon a disk of water that reflects attacks once struck.
Effect: Reflects attacks back at the attacker unless overpowered.
Aqua Needles
Description: Summon multiple darts of water that launch at opponents.
Effect: Darts curve slightly toward enemies upon launch.
Fog Cloak
Description: User shrouds themselves in mist, obscuring themselves from sight.
Effect: Mist enshrouds the user, boosting agility and lowering the constitution of those inside.
Steam Propel
Description: The user generates a pocket of steam beneath their feet, launching them into the air.
Effect: Creates a pocket of steam to enhance jumps and burn others who touch the steam.
Water Bind
Description: Create a web of water to bind targets and lower agility.
Effect: Binds targets and lowers their agility while bound.
Steam Cannon
Description: Shoot a blast of steam.
Effect: Blasts a shot of steam that burns opponents and obscures vision.
Rain looked at the skills in front of him. There were fewer options than last time, but all of them seemed well-suited to his fighting style. He knew he had to choose Raging Torrents for its ranged capabilities. Without skills like this, he wouldn't be able to infuse his weapon effectively.
The next skill Rain decided on was Fog Cloak—it was simply too useful to pass up. Offering an agility boost, a debuff effect, and the ability to evade enemies, it was a clear choice. Now, he only needed to select one more skill, always the most challenging part for him. After careful consideration, he settled on Water Mirror. While other skills had their merits, he couldn't forget the pounding he took from Eldros and regretted not prioritizing more defensive abilities.
Rain selected his skills and another notification appeared.
"Your ancestors have deemed you worthy, Clan Skill unlocked, Aqua star wings"
Aqua Star Wings: Boosts user's agility and dexterity, does not allow the user to fly
Rain stepped back in surprise. Apparently, he wasn't just a nobody born in a strange experiment. This revelation made him wonder about his parents, how he got here, and his origins. He used to be human, but now he wasn't, and he was curious about his people.
Rain pushed that to the back of his mind, he had other things to focus on right now, Rain looked up at the stands and another notification appeared.
"Extra reward, given for you're exceptional showing"
Rain picked up a small single-edged shortsword that had fallen to the ground, reminiscent of a Japanese wakizashi. He fastened it to his lower back, intending to use it as a sidearm if necessary, but he had grown fond of his staff and planned to continue using it as his primary weapon.
"Congratulations on completing the Trial of Champions."
Rain thought back on it, that wasn't what the man called it but before he could fully process the thought he was transported out of the arena and back to the forest he awoke in.