January 19th, 2022
***
Scoring another win was beyond him for now — the rest of the night was spent suffering. Vincent's data spared no expense in whooping his ass. Put simply: Richter didn't know how to fight against other people in this new world of magic. A world unlike the duels of old.
Monsters relying on instinct were basic - and he pitied anyone who dared to clash swords with him - but that's where the struggles started. If someone wanted to create distance...they could.
Lightspeed might be an answer, but he wanted to train it privately. For now, he lacked tools against Vincent's data.
It's like everything was fighting against him.
[Start!]
Vincent cycled red mana and sprung forward. The most effective way to handle Richter...was one crushing strike.
[Mana Surge - 150%]
The dagger pierced his heart and twisted, shredding the arteries. Blood filled his lungs. Vincent usually stopped there and let him bleed out — apparently that was too generous. The mana pumping through his body channeled into the dagger.
For the first time after seven hours of the 'easiest' difficulty, Vincent used a Skill.
[Rupture - 50%]
Rampaging energy flooded the wound, wreaking havoc on his insides. It was overkill. It hurt. Damage sustained in the prism was all mental. That didn't mean it was easy to deal with, just that Richter had a high tolerance. His swapped Constitution extended the torture.
Yet he could still move.
Shredded and broken — he balled his fists.
A situation like this hadn't occurred before.
The extra muscles in his arms bulged. He gripped Vincent's shirt in one hand and clenched the other. Richter needed to remember: right now, Vincent's strength was his strength.
[Mana Surge - 70%]
Vincent's jaw shattered on impact — his eyes rolling back in his head. Just one more hit and...
[Lethal damage sustained. Practice concluded. Result: Loss]
It was too late. His last sight was wisps of mana floating up; with most of it wasted or leaking out. That was the single biggest frustration and handicap Richter faced.
He couldn't circulate mana correctly in this weird body. The muscle structure was different. The proportions were off. The veins were in different locations.
Everything combined to strip him of his biggest strength. As a result, he could only utilize a fraction of his power.
'Is this what you meant Clare? Is this why you said I'd lose?' he lamented.
Richter wiped away sweat from his forehead and deactivated the prism. That was enough for the day. The mana net dispersed, opening up to the underground facility. Dents, gashes, and blood stained the walls as evidence of those who'd come and gone while he practiced.
"Damn! You're finally out dude. I was beginning to think you fell asleep in there."
Surprisingly there was one guy still around. He was bare-handed, practicing hits on a steel dummy. His knuckles were bloodied and scarred.
Did no one use a sword on this planet? It was irritating. They sized each other up, coming to conclusions in a split second.
Richter responded without missing a beat, "Lost track of time. Has Clare come by?"
The guy cracked up like he'd heard a good joke.
"Don't get too big for your breeches. Gaining access to the gym doesn't mean you'll get to know the bigshots. I've been trying to talk to Clare for months. Though I'll admit..." His eyes locked onto the training prisms behind Richter. "I'm a little envious that you're allowed to use those. You must be an incredible new talent. I'm surprised they're still recruiting back-ups for the competition."
"Me too. But I can't complain. I'd never miss a chance to use such precious equipment."
Richter was talking out of his ass: a highly sought-after talent he learned from Wesley.
"Still, don't go overboard. You'll get an earful if you collapse." The guy showed off his pearly whites with a wide smile and his blonde curls soaked in sweat. "I'm Blake. It's good to meetcha."
"Call me Jim. And speaking of overboard-" Richter glanced at the damage and blood splotches. "-You should be careful too."
Blake snorted, "I wish I could cause this much damage. It's from Tera and Plax sparring earlier. You'll meet them eventually."
"A spar?"
"Well, I know it may look extreme. Everyone's stressing out now that the competition is a month away. All we can do is vent during training."
"Yeah, you're right. That's why I—"
"You idiot. You're finally out."
Clare appeared at the door on the far side with her arms crossed.
'I'm saved!' Richter was happy to see her. It saved him from this conversation. Blake stared in disbelief, stuttering and mumbling.
"C-Clare? Wait, hold on! I was hoping to run into you. Could we schedule—"
"No."
"Well then how much for—"
"Not happening."
Blake was persistent. He followed them up the stairs and out into the moonlight. Clare interrupted and shot him down every time. Finally, she gave him a look and he relented, eyeing Richter with difficulty.
"Maybe next time then, Clare."
He turned down a street.
Clare grimaced, waiting for him to disappear from sight before leading Richter forward.
"I told you to keep to yourself."
"He talked to me first."
That remark earned him an elbow to the liver. Perhaps deserved. Though he swore he saw a smile on the edge of her lips.
"Look: you're only here to do the mission Father gave you. This is not your planet. Don't get involved in our business, stay out of Carson II's affairs."
"But what about Blake? Why did you shoot him down?"
"Because I don't do divinations anymore."
The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she cursed under her breath.
"Divinations?"
Clare gnashed her teeth together as she answered.
"Yes. My class...I'm a Seer. Carson II's mage-class variant."
She wouldn't speak the rest of the walk. Thankfully it wasn't long. They popped inside a hotel down the block. Not as fancy as where Drek was, but still cozy. She fished a room key out of her pocket.
"Here, take it. You'll be staying in room 103 - it's on the ground floor. I'll come back in the morning. If I forget, just head to the gym and keep training. Don't talk to the others. I mean it."
"Thanks."
His words fell on deaf ears as she retreated. Her mood soured after mentioning her class, but he'd think about it more tomorrow. Richter was exhausted.
He snuck into the room, did a quick scan for safety, then slid into bed.
Hearing about competitions reminded him of the Challenge tab, something he hadn't checked in a while. So he took a peak before bed.
That's when he noticed a little surprise tucked away at the bottom.
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[Challenge: 3 || World Tier: 2 || Challenges to Next Tier: (0/3) Completed]
[Current Challenge – Meet and pass the Ëinhãŕls' test for each class]
Swordsmen - (0 / 100)
Berserkers - (0 / 100)
Mages - (0 / 100)
Guardians - (0 / 100)
[+] You have two rewards waiting to be claimed. Click for more information.
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Tapping the display brought up another pop-up that made his eyes shine.
[You cleared Tier 1 through special conditions. Please choose a reward]
[Skill Upgrade (must have upgradable Skill) || +9 Attribute points]
Richter had one alright. He clicked it without hesitation.
[Choose a Skill Upgrade for Harden]
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Harden (Osmium) - The densest metal on your planet. Imbuing your body with its properties gives incredible mass for added damage, but comes at the cost of speed. Note: Osmium also acts as a strong conductor of heat and electricity.
Harden (Tungsten) - The hardest metal on your planet. Imbuing your body with its properties gives you extra mass and resistance to sharp attacks. However, Tungsten is brittle and is weak against intense blunt force.
Harden (Dicotle) - A metal not native to your planet. Imbuing your body with its properties produces electromagnetic fields that interfere with various technologies and attacks. Note: These electromagnetic waves are considered 'magic' instead of natural phenomena.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Richter barely thought about it.
A gamble? Yeah, probably — to lean so heavily into a synergy he hadn't tested. Mastering Lightspeed could take him weeks. But he dreamed of the day he did. When he would test this out against a monster or opponent.
He wanted to see their expression.
***