[ Flash Sword ★]
[ A swift, gleaming attack that disorients opponents with its blinding speed and precision ] [ price: 2000sp ]
[ Shadow Dance ★ ]
[ A series of fluid, unpredictable moves that confuse enemies and strike from the shadows ] [ price: 2300sp ]
[ Earthshaker Strike ★ ]
[ A powerful, ground-shaking blow delivered with immense force, capable of staggering even the toughest opponents ] [ price: 2000sp ]
[ Mirror Slice ★ ]
[ A deceptive attack that creates illusions, striking enemies from multiple directions simultaneously ] [ price: 2100sp ]
[ Blurred Blade ★ ]
[ A rapid flurry of slashes so fast they appear as a blur, overwhelming enemies with sheer speed ] [ price: 2100sp ]
"Everything looks good," August thought. If he had enough sp, he would buy them all, but he could only afford one.
Flash Sword was ideal for quick attacks, Shadow Dance for stealthy and misleading strikes, Earthshaker Strike for powerful blows, Mirror Slice for creating illusions, and Blurred Blade was similar to Flash Sword but more powerful.
After considering his options, he chose Shadow Dance because it matched his style and could be combined with Aurora's mist veil, making it even more deadly.
[ Do you wish to purchase the Shadow Dance ★ technique for 2300sp? Y/N ]
He took a deep breath and confirmed the purchase. A sharp pain hit his head, but it was less painful than the swordsmanship knowledge he had acquired earlier.
"Inventory," he said, opening it to retrieve the Shadowstrike blade. Unsheathing the blade, he slashed through the air. His movements, once clumsy, now flowed with precision.
Even though he moved slowly to grasp the technique, his motions were elegant, like a shadow dancing in the flickering flame. After some time practicing, he lay on the floor, huffing and sweating. His body ached from the compact movements, but a smile spread across his face, proud of his progress.
"Thanks, system," he said.
[ You're making me blush, host ]
"You're never going to change, huh?" August chuckled.
[ Nope ]
*****
After showering, he returned to his room and noticed new notifications on his smartwatch.
---
Zaya: Hi
Zaya: Here's the notes for your alchemist examination [alchemy notes.pdf]
Zaya: And I forgot to mention that you have to register for the examination at the alchemist guild website. Here's the link (https://discord.com/invite/RNHJgNXF8J)
August: Thanks
---
August replied, thanking her for her help. Then he closed the smartwatch and brought out a Frozen Breeze Mana Potion from his inventory.
Pluck! He opened the vial and drank it in one gulp.
He began circulating the Celestial Mana Circulation technique, feeling the mana flow through his body quicker than before, boosting his cultivation.
After cultivating all night, he opened his eyes as sunlight poured through the glass window. He checked his mana core and felt he was nearing the upper stage of rank 1. Despite not sleeping, he felt refreshed.
After his daily workout, he left the building to run around the shelter and complete his daily quest. Once ready, he headed towards the frozen lake.
'The mission mentioned a nest,' he thought, opening the map attached to the mission. He noticed a marked cave in the middle of the designated area. "The cave must be the nest."
August opened his beast space, letting Aurora out. She slithered up to his shoulder, slightly bigger than before due to the statue boost and her devour skill.
'If she keeps growing this quickly, I won't be able to carry her,' he thought with a laugh. Aurora hissed, as if she heard his thoughts. "Okay, okay, I promise to carry you on my shoulders no matter how big you get," he assured her. "Are you ready for the hunt?"
"Hiss," Aurora responded with resolve, her eyes burning with determination.
"Let's go," August said, starting to run towards the marked location.
He encountered some rank 1 initial stage Snow vipers along the way, which he quickly killed with Aurora's support. As he neared the location, he was ambushed by a pack of snow vipers.
[ Snow Viper ]
Rank: 1 (Peak)
Bloodline: F+
Element: Ice, Poison
Ability: Ice Spike F6, Frost Poison F4
Status: Good ]
August quickly used Inspect on the larger one, the leader of the pack. There were ten snow vipers in total. The leader was the only one at the peak stage of rank 1; the others were in the middle stage.
Three snow vipers leaped to bite them, their fangs coated with cold energy. "Aurora, use Ice Spikes," August commanded, retrieving the Shadowstrike blade from his inventory.
Aurora quickly conjured three ice spikes, firing them towards the snow vipers and piercing their open mouths. After upgrading her Ice Spike ability to level 4 mastery, its power and her control had increased significantly.
The leader Snow Viper hissed in rage, seeing its followers get killed. It commanded the remaining snow vipers to conjure ice spikes. "Not on my watch," August shouted, drawing his blade as he sprinted towards one of the minions. He slashed with the blade, killing it.
Two nearby vipers fired ice spikes at him; he deflected them with ease. Aurora fired ice spikes, impaling them to the ground. Then he sensed three more ice spikes coming towards him, which he quickly deflected with his blade.
Crack! Crack! Crack! The shattering sound resonated through the area. August felt vibrations through the blade, which had slightly frozen.
'It must be the leader,' he thought, glancing at the larger snow viper that had now joined the fight. 'It must have awakened its Ice Spike's additional effect after reaching level 5 mastery,' August thought, gripping the sword tighter. "The fight just got interesting"
"What are you looking at, big worm?" August said in a provoking tone.
Hiss! Feeling insulted, the beast hissed and opened its mouth, gathering mana in its fangs and imbuing them with chilling energy.
"Whoa, whoa, I was just joking" August said, trying to keep his tone light despite the tension.
The leader Snow Viper launched itself at August with speed. He quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding the attack. The leader's attack impacted a tree, freezing it where the fangs had struck.
"Shit" he cursed, feeling a chill run through his body. If that attack had landed, he would be a goner.