Meanwhile, Cathy was being welcomed by the dungeon, I stood face to face with the silver-ranked adventurer, Drew.
This time, my approach was different. Instead of indiscriminate slaughter, I intended to utilize each member of the party to hone my skills and those of my fellow demons.
I had transported Drew, who appeared to be the group's strongest member and their leader, directly to my designated combat floor. His silver adventurer's plate glimmered, and his aura resonated with slightly more mana than his companions.
“Creature, where are my party members?”
Drew inquired, the most obvious question hanging in the air. Human minds, however, were easily clouded.
“You, Drew, have been chosen to take the trial of heroes.
Defeat me, and earn the sword of Versatility”
As I spoke, a sword bathed in golden light materialized at the cavern's rear.
As expected Drew wasted no time and activated his inspect skill. It would seem that the inspect or appraisal skills were actually very common in this word.
[Inspect skill activated]
[Sword of Versatility
A sword made to be used by a warrior who is versatile in mind and body.
Skill 1 - Light wall, The user can create walls of light using their mana.
Skill 2 - Hardening, The wielder can increase their defense and weight by 300% for 40 seconds a day.]
Skill 3 - Claw Strike, The wielder can inflict one powerful strike at the cost of his own HP up to 300%]
In truth this was just one of the best swords I managed to steal back when I was being raided by the Commander, it’s quality was so good that it was the only one that managed to pass the two skill limit.
Drew's eyes fixated on the multi-faceted powers of the sword, his gaze akin to that of a hungry beast.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The human mind indeed had a penchant for single-mindedness. I shook my head, feeling pity for his comrades who would never see what he saw.
“Are you ready to fight?”
I asked him, while adopting a steady stance as I drew my sword.
In response Drew nodded seriously and rushed forward wielding an average one handed sword.
After my last encounter with Commander Donald I saw clearly what I was lacking. When I sat down and introspect I realized that in truth I had not won a single fight since I had been dropped in this world.
Sure I killed a few goblins but in terms of a head on fight…I only scraped through because of dumb luck.
This time around I decided I would use these adventurers to hone my skills and gain as much combat experience as possible.
I would start with one on ones and aim to progress from there.
[Keen eye activated]
Name: Drew
Race: Human
Level: 25
Hp: 2300/2300
Mana: 1000/1000
Skill Points:200/200
Strength: 700
Speed: 230
Dexterity: 550
Intelligence: 100
Skills
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
His level was higher than mine but his stats pretty much evened out with my own regardless. As for his skills… I would assume he had some item to block me from seeing them.
While I was stuck observing him he lunged at me with a ridiculous speed. His sword only looked like a blur as he lunged forward.
My sword was too slow to parry and I was forced to step to the side in a desperate attempt to dodge. As expected it was only an attempt in futility. He still managed to slice my right arm.
Instantly my blood began to drip to the floor. Of course I could have teleported but my objective today was to refine my skills and break away from the habits I had before.
I gritted my teeth and tried to use the momentum of the side step to swing my sword in response.
He effortlessly parried my attack. The two of us made eye contact as we were locked in a bout of pure strength.
“If you think you can beat me without using any skills you’ve made a sad mistake!”
Drew smirked as he responded and then pushed me a few meters back, winning the bout of strength.
While I was off balance Drew wasted no time and continued to apply pressure following up with a downward strike aimed right for my chest.
Seeing him gain the upper hand in pure strength I grit my teeth realizing that I was no more skilled than the silver ranked adventurers I used to use my dungeon to kill.
Even worse was me trying to split my consciousness between Drew here and Cathy who I was giving a special therapy session to.
I really had over extended myself thinking I could deal with her using the fog and dungeon phantoms while I was in the middle of a fight with Drew.
But when his sword descended, for a split second it felt as though time stood still. But then I was assaulted by a dense fog. Based on Drew’s unchanged expression I doubt he could sense what it was.
[You have produced a Greater Phantom of trepidation]
[You have consumed a Greater Phantom of trepidation]
I felt my heart racing, my pupils constricting and my blood gushing within my veins.
[All stats permanently increase by 20 points]
It was a euphoric high the likes of which crack and cocaine would be envious.
I blocked Drew’s attack and got the upper hand in a split second.
My sword was pointing down his neck and he stood there frozen in fear.
[You have failed the trial]
In an instant, the ground beneath Drew's feet illuminated, and he was abruptly teleported away. The look of disdain for his own incompetence etched on his face.
My focus shifted back to Cathy, who lay on the ground, trembling, in the throes of a full-blown panic attack. With each shudder, more phantoms emerged from her, feeding the insatiable hunger of the dungeon.
As a therapist, I had always believed that individuals created their own fears and apprehensions. Yet, in this world, there were no ethical boundaries to constrain me. I wielded the power of a therapist without limits, a god toying with fragile human minds.