For the next trial, it was again PvP.
This time, James came across a dark elf who attacked him the moment he spotted him.
James barely managed to parry the dark elf's blow, but the strength behind the attack was so overwhelming that his hands started to ache.
The dark elf pressed its advantage, attacking again and again.
James parried each of his blows but at the cost of feeling increasingly numb in his hands and finding himself being pushed back toward the wall.
"For a human, you're quite good at parrying," the dark elf sneered. "Sadly, that won't help you survive against me for long. You're going to die here, and I will be the victor who grows stronger from winning this trial."
"You're counting your eggs before they hatch?" James retorted, striking back with his sword. This time he was on the offensive. Every few seconds, he released several attacks. But his efforts were in vain as the dark elf dodged every single one of his attacks effortlessly.
"Even if you trained for ten years, you still wouldn't by my match. I'll defeat you in ten more moves." The dark elf grinned arrogantly.
James's eyes narrowed.
'Good, this arrogant guy fell for it.'
He had intentionally made himself appear weaker to the dark elf so that he would grow overconfident and overcommit. At that time, he would catch the dark elf by suprise by going all out and deal.the finishing blow.
The dark elf lunged toward him, thrusting his sword forward.
Whoosh.
The sword sliced through the air, barreling toward James.
'This is the moment I've been waiting for,' James thought as he activated Lv 1 Haste, Doubling his Agility for 15 seconds.
His agility shot past 30 points.
In an instant, his body moved with blinding speed, faster than the dark elf could comprehend.
He dodged the incoming sword, circled behind him, and struck out with his own sword.
Just as James believed victory was within reach, the dark elf suddenly vanished.
The next moment, his Lv. 2 Danger Detection passive, which allowed him to perceive death moments before it occurred, blared a warning in his mind.
He was in immense danger.
Without hesitation, James rolled forward, narrowly dodging a lethal strike as a blade sliced through the space where he had stood mere moments before. The sharp edge barely missed his back but ripped through his backpack, sending its contents scattering across the ground.
Hearing the sound of his bag tearing and his stuff scattering, James couldn't help but curse. He was definitely going to kill the Dark Elf bastard now.
James quickly rolled up to his feet before turning around in one fluid motion.
The dark elf, who had vanished seconds ago, was now standing a few steps behind where he had been with a menacing smirk.
"Your efforts are in vain. You can never defeat me!" the dark elf sneered, taking a confident stance, but it was clearly stalling. His Phantom Step—the ability that allowed to avoid James's lethal blow, dissapear and reappear behind James—was on cooldown. He needed time before he could use it again.
James, gripping his sword tighter, wasn't having any of it. "You really have a lot to say," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Too bad I have no interest in listening."
He knew the dark elf couldn't spam his movement skill. After using it once, it would enter an Exhaustion State. The dark elf would be vulnerable to lethal blows for a brief window of time. This was James's best chance. If he didn't strike before that window closes, he'd be at a severe disadvantage.
Without hesitation, James rushed forward, his hand holding a magic sword, his eyes gleaming with killing intent.
The dark elf wasn't going to be looked down by a human.
Snarling, he surged forward as well.
Clang!
Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying.
Their weapons locked in a fierce clash, both players unwilling to back down.
The dark elf suddenly grinned, his blade pressing harder against James's sword, forcing him back towards the wall.
It was gaining.the upper hand in this confrontation. Clearly, it was stronger than the human. Thus, its eyes gleamed with arrogance as it became certain of his victory in this trial.
James's expression remained cold, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Give him hell!" he suddenly commanded.
The dark elf didn't bother to glance around. He thought it was a mere trick, an attempt to divide his attention. After all, there were only two people in the room. Who could James possibly be talking to?
What the dark elf didn't know was that James's command wasn't meant for another player—it was meant for his magic weapon.
In an instant, the sword in James's hand began to glow with a brilliant light, responding to his command. Without warning, a powerful force burst forth from the blade, a golden arc of energy erupting from its edge.
The dark elf's sword shattered on impact, the sheer force of the energy overwhelming it, splitting the blade into fragments. The shockwave of power sliced through the air, cutting cleanly through the dark elf's body. In one fluid motion, the dark elf was cleaved into two halves, his body falling to the ground with a sickening thud.
[You have passed the PvP Trial. You have received +75 Trial Points.]
[You have passed the PvP Trial by slaying your opponent. You have received an additional +50 Trial Points.]
His trial points increased to 325.
'It's still not enough for what I want,' he thought, his eyes narrowing as he crouched beside the dark elf's body.
From the corpse, he retrieved a shimmering Strengthening Orb.
Without hesitation, James absorbed it through his status screen.
[You have absorbed a Strengthening Orb. Progress to level up: 1/10.]
'Nine more to go...'
He needed 9 more Strengthening Orbs before he could level up.
'I can only hope it will be easier to collect them in the next trial.'
There was something more pressing that required his attention.
James glanced at the tear in his bag and the items scattered across the stone floor.
He sighed in frustration but knelt down, quickly gathering everything back into the damaged bag. The tear wasn't irreparable—he could make do for now. Using a bit of thread from one of his supplies, he stitched the gash closed, securing it enough to keep everything inside. It wasn't perfect, but it would hold until he found something better.
'I'll have to be more careful with this in the future,' he thought, slinging the mended bag back over his shoulder before taking the exit that had appeared when he passed the trial.