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Chapter 26: Training (1)

[Used x1 ]

[Received the Active Skill: ]

< Skill Description >

Name: Gravity

Type: Active Skill

Tier: A

Cost: 200 MP

Cooldown: 50 seconds

Effects

- Press down on the target(s) in an AoE effect with intense force for 10 seconds. Skill can be used indefinitely, costing <50 MP> per second, immobilizing the caster, and increasing the by 10 every second.

<<>>

“Holy fuck.” Zeke stared at the system panel in disbelief. Looking back and forth between Circe’s agap mouth and the skill description, it took him a moment to recompose himself as a wide grin crept to his lips. “Haha, this is definitely better than ‘Charm’, or any of your skills in this case. It’s A rank, Circe, and one of the best support skills there is!”

Circe narrowed her eyes, giving him an annoyed stare. “Oh, you keep wallowing in your success,” a golden light erupted from the skill book’s pages as she snapped it open. “Watch, I’m going to get something better.”

[Used x1 ]

[Received the Active Skill: ]

[Conditions fulfilled. You can now view ]

[Cost of is now visible.]

< Skill Description >

Name: Phase

Type: Active Skill

Tier: A

Cost: 30 MP

Cooldown: 90 seconds

Effects

- Dashes forward with a maximum distance of 5 Meters, when an obstacle is in the path, the user will stop behind it.

- Any attack performed after using will always result in a

- Killing an enemy after using resets its cooldown and restores <10 MP>.

Bonus Effect

- When paired with any type weapon, the attack after using has a 100% chance to inflict

<<>>

Circe’s thunderous laughter shook the entire room as Zeke could only stare at the holographic panel in sheer disbelief. Taking a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm herself down, Circe gave Zeke a wide arrogant grin. “How’s a top-tier mobility skill, hm? What? Cat got your tongue?”

“…There’s no way.” A slow shake of his head accompanied his quiet mumbles. “You did not just do that. You didn’t make that call, no. I refuse to believe that just happened.”

Different skills suit different classes and playstyle. Mages' abilities often consume a lot of mana but typically have low cooldowns compared to warriors. On the other hand, warriors possess skills that use low mana but have longer cooldowns instead. Fighters, archers, and rogues rely more on synergies between their skills and equipment, while mages simply rely on gear for their stats or damage-amplifying effects.

An easy example would be the comparison between their two A-tier skills. Paring up with bladed weapons works better due to its bonus effect, while can hold its own even without any synergies or equipment.

“Hey, no need to be sad,” Circe spoke, and although it looked like she tried to comfort Zeke, her sarcastic tone said otherwise. As she dismissed the system panels, she took a glance out the window, noting the time. “We have two weeks until the next major event, so we can just sneak out and go clear dungeons somewhere.”

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“…I guess you’re right,” Zeke let out a sigh, deciding to ignore her sassy remarks from earlier for the sake of his blood pressure. “Let’s go get ready for dinner…Do you need help getting down the stairs?”

As Circe rose from the floor, her hand grabbed hold of the railing while she watched her bandaged feet closely. “No…I can do it myself, thanks.” She may have insisted but Zeke couldn’t help but wince at her every step as descended the stairs, eventually reaching her wheelchair safe and sound.

When Zeke reached the first floor, Circe beamed. “Although…I wouldn’t mind at all if you could push me.”

“…Haa.” A hint of sarcasm tinged his sigh as Zeke began wheeling Circe out of the library. “Very well, my lady, I’m at your service.” He smiled.

Hearing his words, Circe grinned with satisfaction and leaned back against the comfort of her seat. “What a gentleman you are, my lord.”

.

.

.

The next morning, Circe and Zeke met at the training center, wearing comfortable clothes in preparation for their swordsmanship lesson. As Circe loosely tied her hair into a ponytail, their heads turned to the thump of footsteps sounding from the entrance.

“…Lady Ruelle?” Einar’s surprised expression didn’t match with his calm tone. Unlike the two of them, he wore the full Salvador knights’ uniform, and had his left hand resting against the handle of his wooden sword. “I didn’t know you would be participating today.”

”Ah, would that be a problem, sir?” Circe already had a dummy sword fixed by her waist while Zeke remained engrossed in the Witch’s Codex, leaning comfortably against the bleachers’ upper step. If one didn’t know any better, they would’ve thought Circe was the one Einar originally trained.

“Not at all, my lady, I simply didn’t expect you to train with us…I thought your injuries would hinder you, but it seems my worries are for naught,” Einar smiled as he gave the young noble a bow. Glancing towards Zeke, the sight of his master’s nonchalance brought a stern look to his expression. “…Young master, it’s time for training.”

Zeke glanced up from the tome’s pages, silently staring at his knight for a moment, his stoic expression unreadable. Eventually, he rose to his feet and swapped the Witch’s Codex with the wooden sword he laid by the bleacher’s seat. “We already warmed up before you got here, so just start.”

Einar took a second to think. Raising an eyebrow, he questioned. “…You warmed up and immediately went to rest?”

“It was literally five minutes.” Zeke responded with a voice filled with disbelief.

”Young master,” Einar sighed. “You barely have any basics in swordsmanship, let alone the stamina to keep up with it. If you want to at least fool the marquess, you’d need to put in more effort than this.”

“I am,” Zeke pointed to the bleacher behind him with his thumb, specifically the Witch’s Codex. “If I can learn body strengthening magic, then I don’t need to train my stamina, all I need to know is how to move properly, that’s all.”

Einar shook his head. “I disagree, it is easier to play the fool as a scholar, than to play a scholar as a fool.”

“Sir Einar,” Circe interrupted their conversation, poking her head in between them with a bright smile. “If you want to convince Lord Silas, you’d need a better method than this.”

Zeke raised an eyebrow as he scoffed. “Even if it’s you, my lady, this is a bit of a—“

Suddenly, Circe unsheathed her sword and pointed it towards him, cutting off his sentence. “Silas! If you want to ditch the training that badly, then you’d have to win against me in a duel!”

[Party Member ‘Ruelle Peregrine’ challenged you to ]

Zeke’s widened eyes stared at the tip of the wooden sword for a moment, unable to find a reply. But after her words sank in, a wide smirk crept to his lips as he smacked her sword away with his own. “Alright, fine. I accept,” he turned to Einar. “You can be our referee, right?”

“…” Einar let out a long sigh before nodding. “Yes.”

[Party Member ‘Silas Salvador’ accepted the challenge.]

[PVP mode on.]

Circe and Zeke took opposition, leaving appropriate distance between the three of them. As Circe held out her sword, she asked with a smile. “How about we do this with ‘Anything Goes’?”

Hearing her proposal, Zeke laughed and nodded. “Fine by me, but you better not regret this decision later, my lady.”

With his words as confirmation, Circe immediately rushed in. Her injuries may have slowed her footing, yet she still managed to close in their distance in mere seconds. Despite her unmatched swiftness, Zeke predicted this and raised his sword to block the incoming slash.

But as he prepared to counterattack, Circe had already drawn her sword back and delivered another blow. Relentlessly, she struck at Zeke’s sword, leaving him no choice but to keep defending. “What the fuck, she hits like a truck.” His struggles started to show on his face, though Circe’s expression remained focused as she kept pushing him back little by little.

At first, Einar didn’t want the two nobles to start sparring just yet, but now he couldn’t take his eyes off of them as he watched with great interest in the lady’s skills. “Her strength is good…it’s not easy for a woman to match a man’s power, but maybe Lord Silas is just weak…? She’s even holding herself back right now.”

“I need just a tiny window…” Zeke gritted his teeth through the ache rushing through his wrists like an electric shock. Comparing their stats, he knew full well that Circe didn’t use her full strength, and yet he still struggled to even hold his sword steady. “Ah! I have ‘that’!”

”!!!” Circe’s eyes went wide as her persistent attacks slowed to a halt, giving Zeke the opportunity to finally swing his sword. With the second of breathing room, Zeke looked to end the battle instantly as he aimed for her side with all his strength.

‘CLACK!’

“Ha, I didn’t think that would affect me,” Despite the spell’s effect, Circe overcame the status condition with her speed alone. Pushing Zeke back, she gave herself enough time to retreat. “I guess it’s because I find you cute.”

Circe’s eyes turned cold. “My turn.”

With a blink, Circe vanished from where she once stood. Reacting purely on instinct, Zeke swung his sword behind him, and fortunately met hers with his own, sparing his neck from the blunt blade. “Were you trying to kill me with that?” Nervousness flickered across his smile.

Her eyes betrayed her stoic face. “You should be able to live one crit from a wooden sword.”

“Fuck, did I make her mad somehow? I don’t remember pissing her off?” As another burst of pain burned in his wrist, Zeke activated his other skill.

An intense force pressed down on Circe, forcing her to lower her sword. Despite lacking a form of defense, a glint of confidence sparked in her eyes. “Ha, nice try.” She grinned and disappeared once more.

Feeling a light tap on his neck, Zeke dropped his sword and raised his hands in defeat, scoffing as he smiled. “Well, I lost.”

[‘Silas Salvador’ forfeited.]

[Winner: ‘Ruelle Peregrine’.]

[PVP mode off.]