[Danger Detection Unlocked]
[Type: Passive]
[Effect: Grants you a heightened sense of danger]
"It's as it was written in the 'Tale of My Regressions.'
"The effect of the Danger Detection might come across as nothing impressive, but that's because its description is poorly articulated in the text issued by the system.
"It's better than it seems. It actually enhances my awareness and reaction times, making it easier for me to avoid ambushes and react to hidden dangers. It is a literal lifesaver."
Honestly, if James hadn't read the novel and didn't already know that its description was deceiving and it was actually one of the strongest passives of the E-rank mage class, he wouldn't have dared to spend 25 of his trial points to buy it. That's just how deceptive the system's description was.
Luckily, he knew it could save his life when he faced unexpected threats, so he didn't hesitate to use 1/8th of his trial points to acquire it. He was left with 175 trial points.
He used 100 of them to unlock two actives of his mage class.
[Magic Spell: Lucky Strike (Lv:1) Unlocked]
[Type: Active]
[Effect: Empowers your next attack, increasing the likelihood that your attack will connect with its intended target.]
Other players needed to use their spells or skills at least once to determine their costs and cooldown time, but James didn't need to.
As per James' knowledge, which came from a novel based on this world, the Lucky Strike Spell cost 40 units of mana per use and had a cooldown of 10 seconds. Because of his Spell Efficiency passive, he would only spend 38 units of mana when he cast this spell.
This wasn't the only spell he had unlocked just now. There was another one
[Magic Spell: Disarm (Lv:1) Unlocked]
[Type: Active]
[Effect: Allows you to remove the weapon of your intended target.]
It cost 20 mana to use and had a one-minute cooldown. Because of his Spell Efficiency passive, it would cost him 19 units to use it.
The difference between the cost of his spell if he had the Spell Efficiency passive and if he didn't seem negligible, but in certain situations where a few points of mana determined if he could cast a spell or not, it could make a world of difference.
Not to mention, when he gains the opportunity to level it up, the cost of using all his spells would be reduced even further!
'If my aim is a little off, the Lucky Strike spell will cover up for it, while Disarm will help me counter players who rely heavily on magic weapons.'
Weapons infused with the raw energies of spells or the essence of skills were known as Magic Weapons.
It was rare to come across a player carrying a magic weapon in the zeroth level of the Land of Trials where the starting trials were held, but it wasn't totally unheard of.
James prepared a counter against magic weapon wielders just in case he was unlucky enough to come across one in the Zeroth level.
It should be noted that James wasn't contradicting himself by unlocking the abilities of his mage class before knowing the challenges of the next trial. After all, if one had excess trial points, the best move was to empower oneself before jumping into the location of the next trial, as there was no telling if you would get embroiled in a tense battle just after arriving there.
Besides, he still had 75 trial points left. If he couldn't tackle the next trial with his current skill set, he could still unlock a passive and an active that would help him overcome it.
If nothing worked, he would just rely on his firearms. His Desert Eagles and AK-47 were there for a reason.
'I am thoroughly prepared. It's time I went ahead,' James thought as he went through the white door and appeared in a white room that was about the size of a small classroom
It had no windows or other doors.
The white door behind him vanished into thin air and the room turned into a closed room with no entry or exit.
As soon as he appeared there, he heard a notification.
[It's detected that you have arrived at the location of your third trial. You have unlocked the perk Universal Understanding (lv:1). This perk allows you to communicate with other players of the land of trials irrespective of the language barrier between you]
"I finally got it. With this perk, be it a dwarf, elf, or some alien race, I will be able to understand and communicate with them," James exclaimed in joy.
He was alone in the white room, but that changed quickly as a white door opened up in one of the four walls of the room he was in and a kobold holding a sword in pristine condition stepped out of it. As soon as it stepped foot inside the white room, the door vanished.
As if bewildered, the kobold looked around, taking in its surroundings, not noticing James immediately.
James observed the kobold and wondered whether it was a player or not. If it was a player, then that would confirm this as the PvP trial.
The PvP trial, as its name suggests, was a trial where players confronted each other in a battle to the death.
There was a way to conclude this trial without any bloodshed.
Players could simply wait out the time limit; the PvP trial would then end in a draw between the two players, and both would be allowed to move on to the location of the next trial. However, if the players chose to pass the PvP trial like this, they would receive no reward.
Most players would still choose the second option as players generally preferred to avoid fights to the death and preserve their strength for future challenges.
"Is this for real?!" The kobold's eyes lit up in pleasant surprise when it digested the fact that a human had been dropped into the same locked room as itself. "I haven't eaten in two days. I didn't expect that just when I would be starving, fresh meat would be delivered to my doorstep. What a pleasant surprise!" it joyfully exclaimed while staring at James with a crazed look in its eyes. Saliva dripped uncontrollably from its mouth, making its unpleasant and wretched appearance look all the more disgusting.
The kobold spoke in a language native to its home world. An earthling wouldn't be able to understand it. However, the effect of the Universal Understanding Perk James had recently gained kicked in, allowing him to understand what the kobold was saying.
'I can understand it? It's also a player. This means...'
James confirmed he was in the PvP trial.
In this trial, there were no conditions that forced players to fight. Players could work together to survive and move on to the next trial.
If the opponent was someone James could reason with, he would have attempted to negotiate or communicate to avoid conflict.
Unfortunately, the kobold wasn't in a state where it could be reasoned with.
Driven mad by hunger, the kobold was seeing James as just its dinner. It wanted to eat him.
James knew taking to it would be pointless. It would never agree to cooperate with him as it only saw him as its next meal.
'In this trial, I've no choice but to fight. Since that's the case, there is no need for me to be polite,' James suddenly underwent a noticeable change. He began to overflow with a menacing intent. Calmness still engulfed his eyes, but underneath his steady demeanor, a storm of murderous desire was raging!
"Cut the bullshit and come at me if you want to fight," James said aggressively.
"I like how direct you are. I will grant you a swift death for your fearless attitude," the kobold mocked as it prepared to attack.