The golden skeleton continued its relentless barrage against the wall of the ward just before Shin to no effect. Unlike Shield or Armor, Ward couldn’t be worn down by lesser attacks. Either a skill was strong enough to break it or it had no effect. The skeleton boss for this challenge did have such a skill in its arsenal but while it seemed to have infinite stamina, they same couldn’t be said for its mana.
A pause appeared in the monster’s slashes as it raised its four arms at once, and Shin darted away as a fourfold slash shattered his ward. The skeleton lunged, slashing after Shin who resigned himself to nothing more than dodging. Fighting it was pointless, he had learned during his time in this challenge.
A fully concentrated quake wouldn’t so much as crack the creature, a durability bearing resemblance to the Atreus clan. But more than that, soul and mind attacks did nothing to it either. Even Inari’s Holy Fire had no effect. Most likely, nothing short of a mythic tier skill could kill it, hence Shin saving his mana to focus on the priority. The golden skeleton’s blades tore through the air and recoiled off a newly formed ward.
[Greater Ward has reached lvl. 10. 250 Attribute Points rewarded.]
The walls of the ward faded away and Shin allowed a blade to land. His vision returned to the hallway of the festival along with some notifications. With a total of zero kills, his ranking and reward tokens were meaningless, though he did glance at the current listings briefly.
1. Chandra Pandavas - 17 kills
2. Leon Moore - 16 kills
3. ….
He had only been at the challenge for half an hour in real time and it showed. Little had changed. The party were among the first to notice his return but not by much. He held the vigilance and attention of many in the group.
“Is that rank just for show? What took so long?” The soothsayer asked with some indignation. Not entirely unjustified, given he had taken ten times as long as she had.
“It doesn’t matter.” Kamo Warder said impatiently. “How do we divide up our time?”
“An hour each on rotation.” She returned, half proposition, half decree.
“I’ll go first.”
“Fine.”
The two finished their negotiations without Shin and turned to him. Shin glanced to the left and put up a ward wall just behind Kamo Warder’s own. Few noticed the difference but the fellow ward users could tell the level of the greater ward at a glance. The Saba Soothsayer’s was only the bare minimum of level 1. They gave Shin a silent glance and went about their business, Kamo Warder’s eyes lingering a bit longer as he entered a challenge behind the guard of several members of his clan.
“Anyone we should be aware here?” Yen asked Kamala as she glanced around the group.
“...Zerah Saba.” Kamala guided them with her line of sight to the soothsayer. “Behind her is Titon. Both children of Eskender.”
“Ah, the big shot from the bazaar?” Yen remembered.
“Pretty sure his name was in the top 20.” Donny mentioned.
“It is not surprising. He is called the second coming of Memnon.”
“God forbid anyone in murim show a bit of humility… Anyone else?”
“I do not recognize him but from his behavior in the dragon’s dungeon, the one in the center of the Lu is likely Lu Kang… second coming of Lu Bu…”
Yen looked back at Kamala halfway speechless, just to make sure that wasn’t a joke. The lotus eyed priestess herself seemed even less in a joking mood than usual.
“Aside from the Hua… there is only the party of Kamo, but little is known about them.”
She looked to Shin who nonchalantly looked back with his signature blank smile, not a shred of information offered.
“The warder talks the most but the kid is definitely more important, right? Acts more like a spoiled prince than any of them.”
“Yo, sick boy.” The party turned to the sight of a young man donning a blue bandana over the top half of his head waving at Shin, carefree smile and casual demeanor to the point of irresponsibility.
“I’m not sick.”
“Me neither.” He laughed.
“...can we help you?” Yen asked, a bit abrasively.
“Nope.”
Shin tilted his head. “Xerxes?”
The guy’s face shifted to one of neutral surprise before a smile returned. “You met my brother?”
“Yeah.”
“I see. He’s a great guy, isn't he?” Pride swelled in his words. “Ah, my name’s Chogo, don’t call me Xerxes.”
“Shin.”
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“I know.” Chogo beamed.
Yen seemed the most put off by the blind madman by far, making no effort to hide her disdain or wariness. Shin by contrast showed no concern at all.
“Hey! Champion.” Lu Kang called out to Shin, his expression less than pleased. “Why didn’t you fight back in the dungeon? That was a great opportunity.”
“Didn’t need to.”
“Fighting itself is the need. Where’s your pride?”
“You’re wasting your time looking for a sense of honor in assassins.” Lu Kang turned in silent inspection to the abbess of Hua, Wumei, joining in, her stern gaze focused on the party.
“Where’s the honor in bitter old hags losing a fight they started?” Yen shot back, tensions rising a step further as Wumei’s expression worsened.
“Fight?” Karla asked.
“No.” Shin answered without concern.
“Again…” Lu Kang’s tone carried the weight of disappointment. “You are one of the chosen. Act more like it.”
“Who chose you?!” Attentions shifted to a young man in the simple cloth robes and leather armor of a warrior, spear in hand, loose long black hair and sharp expression painting him every bit the image of a hero of humble origins. “What pride of murim? You fools know only know arrogance.”
Lu Kang’s body language focused on him, his face one of measured annoyance. “Who are you?”
“Cheon Mujin!” The Sohei shouted loud and bold as if to assert his claim on the world itself.
“Cheon?” A trace of Lu Kang’s anger was replaced with interest. A glaive shot at Mujin’s face faster than nearly anyone witnessing could react, stopping just short. Mujin himself tensed, among those lacking.
“What a joke…” Lu Kang withdrew his weapon, his anger and interest replaced with disdain. “The biggest fool is whoever told you to use that name.”
Veins bulged on Mujin’s temples as he grit his teeth, rage staving away cowardice and reason. He slid back in the blink of an eye into a perfect honed stance, spear pointing forward and the mana of skills cloaking him for a moment. “How dare you call my grandfather a fool… a murim bastard like you!”
“Strong?”
Mujin flinched at the cheery voice behind him and darted away to face a smiling Karla. The question of how and when she got behind him written all over his face.
“Grandpa said I have to beat the murim people too.” A glimmer in Karla’s eyes appeared. “Fight?”
“No.” Shin answered for Mujin, still unaware of his situation.
Lu Kang glanced at Shin then his eyes focused on the icy blue haired shaolin, his interest renewed. Shin displayed not the slightest concern for her, but rather the opposite. The reigning champion of the trials had no doubt in her victory. “What’s your name?”
“Hm~?” Karla tilted her posture to Lu Kang, her sing song tone and eyes devoid of fear. “Karla.”
“I see.” Lu Kang stored his weapon and turned away. “I’ll look for you on the outside.”
“Wait!” Mujin yelled.
“Silence, trash.” Lu Kang didn’t even bother to turn around, as he entered a challenge under the guard of the rest of his party. Gradually, the rest of the onlookers retreated to their various corners and resumed training of their own.
“Should probably have two people on the outside now.” Donny suggested, a fair amount of attention still on their group of five.
“I’ll stay out…”
“Feeling selfless today, Yen?”
“Shut up.” She rebutted. “Karla is the closest to upgrading and your builds are better for the situation.”
“Alright then. I’ll try not to take too long.”
“Did you upgrade Quickstep and Quickstrike?” Shin directed his question to Donny and Karla as they started to turn.
“Yeah, Burst and Snap.” Donny answered while Karla simply pointed her attention to Shin in wait, which he understood.
“Fused?”
“Still deciding.”
Shin’s body flickered in their small corner of the hallway, displaying attack and movement separately and in one with the skill. “Greater Rapid.” Karla’s eyes lit up a little as she entered the golden skeleton challenge.
“I’ll see how it goes.” Donny entered the ogre wave console, followed shortly by Kamala.
“Can you upgrade on your next turn?” Shin turned to Yen, her expression and tone of doubt and resolve the same as the last time she spoke when he entered.
“Yeah.”
---
The sharp edge of a sword slammed Shin away, though it couldn’t pierce through the invisible coat of armor surrounding him and he twisted in the air to regain his footing with ease. The golden skeleton blurred in front and Shin darted back as a fourfold cross slash shattered his mystic armor and drew red lines across his torso.
[Greater Mystic Protection has reached lvl. 9.]
Shin cast the skill over himself again and healed his wounds as his shirt repaired itself, confining him to dodging the monster’s rapid attacks once again. During the two hours he had waiting on his turn he had chosen Mystic Protection as he priority above all others. More accurately, he had decided in a moment without hesitation and spent the time talking with whoever was on the outside with him and watching the others in the group, several of them holding his interest.
He let the golden skeleton land a hit again, one that wouldn’t endanger his life even if it broke through. The process of armor and bloodshed repeated over and over until finally, he reached it.
[Greater Mystic Protection has reached lvl. 10. 250 Attribute Points rewarded.]
[Requirements for class upgrades reached.]
‘Spirit Medium. Kekkaishi. Invoker.’
As with all his upgrades before, there was one that resonated with him above all, and he chose it without a second thought.
[You have upgraded your class to legendary tier Invoker. 250 Attribute Points rewarded.]
[Acquired legendary tier skill Invoke Skill.]
‘Use a skill from a bonded monster.’
He had already had the opportunity to look through a list of legendary tier abilities, one far more varied than before him now. What he wanted wasn’t available at this level, so Shin chose what he needed most right now, what would make him stronger.
[Acquired legendary tier skill Overshadow.]
‘Increase all attributes while under possession through empowering the possessing monster.’
The form of a kitsune warrior took his body and an intense energy of his latest skill enveloped him. A quick jab knocked the golden skeleton off balance before it could even react. Its four arms flurried and Shin flurried faster, technique and raw stats alone overwhelming. Greater Invoke borrowed 75% of the invoked spirit’s stats and at level one Overshadow elevated them 2.1x. With the enhancement of Greater Blessing his Agility sat just above 2,000 and Strength 1,500.
Black markings appeared around Shin’s eyes as he decided to take it further. Body Supremacy overstrained his muscles, the swirling mana of Greater Swiftness flowed through him, and his body flickered. A storm raged against the golden skeleton, a cascade of blows striking from all directions at such a speed the impact kept it tremoring helplessly in place. Shin stopped in front, a fourfold slash barrelling down on him at the moment’s opening, slow motion to him almost. And Shin struck with Kong’s Heavy Slug, the sheer speed sending the skeleton crashing away.
Buffs didn’t compound, but the fivefold of Greater Swiftness was separate from the increase of Overshadow. Even at mere level 1, his speed fully enhanced within invoke was fourfold what he could accomplish at his base, such that his augmented vision could barely keep up with himself. Power overwhelming. But it wasn’t enough. Shin glanced at the creature charging over. He needed it to be more. Far more.