???
Artis found himself standing in the middle of a road where not a single soul was present, leaving him completely alone. The weather was gloomy, dark clouds covering the sky, a thunderous lightning raged over it, as Artis looked around, not recognizing what place it was.
"Where am I? What is this place?"
He kept walking in a straight line, confused as to where he was heading.
(You seem to be having a lot of fun enjoying yourself with those measly missions! Aren't you?)
A loud and thunderous voice filled with venom and hatred echoed all around Artis leaving him shocked and scared as he kept turning his head around looking for the source of the voice.
"Who's there?"
(How does it feel Artis? To be so weak? To always blame everyone but yourself! Always living in delusions that everything will be alright! So weak that you are forced to play Adventurer while the ones you want to save are still in danger! You are pathetic Artis! Pathetic!)
"Show yourself!" Artis shouted, attempting to keep his voice steady despite the panic clawing at his mind.
(Oh, but I'm already here. I've always been here. I have always been with you since the day you woke up!)
The voice shifted, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was layered, as though several people were speaking in unison—some familiar, others not. Artis's breath quickened, his chest tightening as he glanced at the broken pavement beneath him.
(You failed her, Artis! Like how you kept failing everyone back home! Wanting a new start? Hah! That's just an excuse you created to bury your sorry self. Playing friends in Aurosia when you have more pressing issues on mind? Being satisfied by only rising one level when you can't afford to lose right now? Sure, why don't you go earn some more money while you are at it, it will definitely help you save Alice won't it? Not learning and doing anything while waiting for opportunities to come greet you!? Is it no wonder that you are so pathetic!?)
"N-No...I d-didn't..."
Artis stumbled back, each word striking him like a physical blow. "I... I tried my best," Artis whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his own doubt. "I fought... I did what I could..."
(What you could was never enough!) the voice thundered, shaking the very ground beneath him.
Suddenly, a familiar face appeared—Alice. Her eyes were filled with a sorrow he had never seen before, her expression accusing. "Why didn't you save me, Artis?" she whispered, her voice cutting through the din like a blade.
Artis's heart shattered. "Alice... I..." Tears streamed down his face as he reached out for her, his hand trembling, just inches from her own. But before he could touch her, her figure dissipated like smoke, leaving nothing but cold emptiness.
(You truly are slothful...Artis. If you don't wake up now, you will lose Alice. You will fail and the only person who will be blamed....will be you...)
"N-No!" Artis whimpered, suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled as he squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the chaos and focusing on Alice's fading image, on her eyes, which once held warmth but now stared at him with disappointment.
With a sudden jolt, his eyes shot open, sweat drenching his body as he gasped for air. The nightmare's echoes still rang in his ears, and his heart thundered painfully in his chest. He was back in his dimly lit room, the morning sun barely peeking over the horizon.
Artis checked the time on his watch to see it was only 6:58 AM. He sat up in fear, as if remembering that nightmare, he clenched his forehead in frustration.
...
East Ferrous Laboratories, 8:00 AM
Artis entered the lab alone as he approached the reception to greet Maya who seemed to be busy in a call.
"Oh...Please excuse me for a second." said Maya as she glanced at Artis in a cheerful tone, "Hey there Artis, you wanna do another mission today? I got varieties of mission on board today!"
Artis blinked for a moment for answering, "...Sorry Maya, but are there any missions for me that involves a bit of Battles?"
Maya raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting from cheerful to curious. "Battles, huh? You're really eager to jump into the fray today. Is everything okay? You seem a bit... off."
Artis forced a smile, but it felt hollow. "I just need to clear my head. I have some things I need to work through."
"Alright, let me check what we have." She tapped a few buttons on her console, her eyes scanning the screen. "We've got a couple of combat-oriented missions lined up. We got some subjugation missions that will happen tomorrow and some missions that simply request for a duel! What do you wish to do?"
Artis heard the missions and immediately knew which mission he would choose, "I wish to take on the duel! Any duel would do!"
"Got it!" Maya checked her database again to choose the mission, "Since you are still a Journeymen, I'll be filtering out the challenges and see which mission is currently available. Aha! Got it! Check your X-transceiver for the mission details!"
[Request- Please Battle me!]
[Difficulty: E rank]
[Reward: 10 Grands]
[Details: I am looking for someone to test my skills on and a battle with me would really be appreciated. I am currently looking for Adventurers who are Journeymen and are about to reach Proficient tier. I'll be at the BattleGrounds area from 8-10 in the morning and 3-5 in the afternoon. If you wish to battle me, please battle at that time. Thanks a lot!]
Artis read through the mission details, thinking it was rather presumptuous of him to just issue a mission just to do a battle. But he can't complain since its a mission and sighed wearily.
"Yeah, issue this mission for me."
"Okey! Gimme a second!" Maya went back to her database and registered the mission, "Alright, the guy you will be facing is named Jason, a Journeymen level 6. I just informed him about you and he is waiting for you in Arena 1. Good luck!"
Artis nodded, as he headed towards BattleGrounds. Upon entering Battlegrounds, he was greeted by people who were either practicing their moves or just engaging in mock battles. Not many people were currently in the arena as he made his way towards Arena #1.
In the center of the arena stood a young man with a confident stance—Jason. He was a bit taller than Artis, with short, tousled brown hair and a casual fighter's outfit that clung to his toned physique. As Artis approached, Jason's eyes brightened with enthusiasm.
"Hey there! You must be Artis," Jason said, flashing a friendly smile. "I'm looking forward to this duel!
Artis returned the smile, "I'm ready for the battle. Let's get started."
As they took positions for the duel, Jason introduced himself again.
"Jason! A Journeymen!"
"Artis! A Journeymen as well!"
Artis squared his shoulders, his knife at the ready as he imbued his energy into the knife and faced Jason in the arena who was wearing metallic pads on his arms and legs both.
The duel started, and for a moment, both of them assessed each other.
'Great, this is how it should be. I can't wait around to get all the information before I know what I should do. My enemies won't give me information for free either. I have to fight with only preparations that I make and believe that I can- No! I must win!'
Jason lunged first, closing the distance between them with surprising speed. Artis barely managed to sidestep, feeling the rush of wind as Jason's fist whistled past him.
Artis narrowed his eyes, as he channeled his right fist with energy and aimed for the stomach with his [Mach Fist], but Jason was too quick to block it with his legs, deflecting his blow as Jason kicked his face with a swift motion making Artis lose his balance as his world shook.
As Jason was about to go for another attack, Artis used [Magician] to use Smokescreen to cover the arena as he took a step back to regain his footing, wiping his blood from his lip as he looked at Jason with a frown.
Summoning his wand, he prepared his knife for the attack as he waited for the smoke to clear as he lunged forward without a care and tried to slash his defenses but Jason was quick enough to block it with his metallic pads.
Artis wasn't done yet, as he charged his wand with sparks and send a series of [Shock Wave] towards Jason forcing him to move around weaving and dodging, making him struggle to move.
Jason, struggling to find a footing stood and raised his pads to block the upcoming attack as the Shock Wave connected with him, but to Artis's surprise, it did absolutely nothing making Jason smirk in return.
Jason, taking opportunity lunged forward as he flipped over Artis, landing behind him with a swift motion. Artis's eyes widened, feeling Jason's presence at his back before he could react.
"Too slow!" Jason called out, bringing his leg down in an arcing kick aimed at Artis's shoulder. Artis barely had time to twist away, the blow grazing him and sending a jolt of pain through his arm.
Gritting his teeth, Artis spun around, his wand crackling with energy as he sent a burst of [Flame Burst] toward Jason. The sudden fire momentarily blinded his opponent, giving Artis the chance he needed. He stepped in close, his knife poised for a strike aimed at Jason's side.
But Jason, relying on pure instinct, turned just in time and deflected the knife with his forearm pad, the clash ringing through the arena. He retaliated with a punch to Artis's ribs, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to stagger back.
Artis gasped, struggling to regain his breath. His mind raced, recalling the harsh words of the nightmare he had just awoken from. Weak. Slothful. Failure.
"No..." Artis mumbled slowly as he looked at Jason with determination as he wiped off his blood he took from the attack.
'It doesn't matter how many times I get beaten down! I'll continue to fight no matter what! Those guys will pay for what they did at the ship! No matter what, I won't remain that weak bastard that couldn't do anything except cry that day!'
Without a moment of hesitation, Artis mumbled the word and chose the skill that will pave a path for his victory.
"Select Skill- [Dominating Aura]!"