As the enormous orc readied his axe the size of a tree, I summoned my ballpoint pen-sized sword.
This is a fair fight, no? He should be able to survive for at least a few minutes.
I met his bellowing roar with a smirk. "Come on big guy. I've got a score to settle and you're in my way."
Looking to end the fight early, I used The Lord's Grasp to force the Orc's axe into his chest.
Attempt failed: object too heavy. The subject is too strong.
"W-what? Too strong?"
"Well, my lord that was part of your combat training! We can't go back now that you're in the boss fight, but we can revisit that tutorial after the fight! Just don't get torn to shreds!"
I hate this stupid cat.
Fwoom!
I barely dodged the orc's cheap shot.
Narrowing my eyes, I jumped onto his axe arm and stabbed my sword into his shoulder. His painful jerk had too much force behind it and sent me flying.
I was still regaining my balance when he was already onto me, flailing his axe around. It seems my attack did little more than annoy him.
FWOOOMMM!!!
I managed to dodge his attack again, but this time was closer than the la-
An intense pressure formed around my neck as the orc grabbed it, strangling me.
My feet dangled in the air as I struggled.
Through my blurry vision, I could see the orc laughing. You bastard... My sword was somewhere down below, beyond where I could reach.
Wait.
Unequip. Equip.
As the sword reappeared in my hand, I began laughing myself.
The orc let loose a confused roar that I guess was supposed to intimidate me. Still laughing my ass off, I started to slice his wrist into smithereens until I was dropped. To an outsider, I probably looked like a psychopath to be honest. But I just found it funny how weak he was compared to Vakash.
This speed bump was nothing compared to that mountain.
Bang!
For whatever reason, the orc had dropped his axe. So you surrend-
With blinding speed, he launched a kick at me before I could even react. My body flew across the void, and even though I put all my effort into steeling myself and landing, I couldn't.
My body wasn't reacting.
I saw the orc running towards me, preparing another strike, but I couldn't do anything. As I was stuck suspended in the air, he raised his arms, and clasping both of his hands together into a fist he slammed them into my back, sending me flying down to earth.
Thud.
As I pushed myself up I heard laughter.
But I've gotten stronger! I got my system reward and everything! You can't tell me it's not enough! This is the damn tutorial, fight-
Another punch sent me flying as I started to see lights. How many more hits can I take?
The orc grabbed me and slammed me into his head. I fell to the ground lifelessly. Th- this should be easy for me!!!
Hp: 3/40
Shit!!! I can't die here! I made a promise... to the princess... that I would KILL Vakash! I'm not dying here, you bastard! I'm not!!!
Suddenly I felt a primal sensation within me.
What is this?
As I looked down at my body, I was covered in a red glow. My wounds instantly healed. Looking at the demonsword, I realized it was suddenly brimming with power too. The orc slowly backed up, as if it recognized and feared this appearance.
Aaaaggghhhhh!!!!
My eye... my eye is burning! What the h- what the hell is this!
Dropping to the floor in agony, I felt a mark tattoo across my face under my eye. The pain was unbearable, but with it, I felt... power. Unending, infinite power.
A voice that was not my own forced itself from my mouth, whispering "Release."
All of this built-up power went within me, strengthening the very fabric of my existence.
As I opened my eyes, I realized a stark difference in my vision. Although my right eye saw the world normally, albeit with much more accuracy, my left eye seemed to see through the physical world. I could not only see the orc's mana and spells but past that and to his very soul. I could clearly see instinct, intent, and emotions.
Fear.
"We're done laughing now, huh?"
My left eye picked up his vastly rising power. Was he holding back this entire time? I looked at the cat, who was flying around with blissful intent of carnage. It's probably that asshole's doing.
No matter.
With blinding speed that exceeds light itself, I cut cleanly through the orc's left arm. Before he could even recognize the missing limb, I had struck both of his heels, crippling him. He fell with a huge unthreatening bang. Jumping on top of his back, I grabbed his face, gouging my fingers through his eyes as I pulled his head back and slit his throat. Within a second, I won.
After a few seconds, it appeared as if he was healing. Regeneration? Do you want to continue dying forever?
Too bad.
"Dragon's Breath."
Dragon's Breath: Cover the battlefield with hellfire, negating all healing aspects.
This time, not even smoke remained.
Souls: 8.
What? Did that form use... souls? Were those the people I... killed in that battle?
What kind of power is this... that relies on me killing others? Is there going to be enough people like Vakash, who deserve to die...
Probably not.
"Fantastic job my lord! And to think you learned how to use the ancient skill Release all on your own! Absolutely splendid, no marvelous, no exquisite!!!"
Can this cat please shut up?
"Now, before I grant my lord his rewards, I need to ask if you still want to go over the combat tutorial."
"Not the whole thing, just tell me why my spell didn't work."
"Well my lord, in that instance everything was working against you! Not only was the target of your spell too heavy, not only was the wielder of the object too strong for you, but he was also completely aware of your intent!"
"My intent?"
"Yes, allow me to explain the fundamentals of magic and resistance my lord. First, there is the simple aspect of a condition. For example, your spell The Lord's Grasp can only work on objects 100 pounds or lighter. Since his axe was nearly 300 pounds, that obviously wouldn't work."
The cat chuckled. I restrained myself from strangling him.
"Second is a relatively simple aspect known as strength. My lord, do note that this isn't always related to level, physical strength, or the strength of your overall magical resistance. Although this can certainly help, this aspect generally only cares about the strength of your resistance to the spell. Think of it like a poison, my lord. Just because your body has fought and created antibodies against multiple poisons, doesn't mean it will be able to fight a completely new foreign poison as effectively. They may even be unable to fight against it at all. To put it simply and concisely, this aspect makes it harder for your spell to work the more often your opponent has fought against it. They have essentially built up an immunity to it."
That's kind of confusing but I think I get it. Vakash and the orc have just faced so many battles, that spell must not have been anything new for them.
"The third aspect is more complex simply due to how dynamic it is. This aspect is the target's awareness of your spell. If you can trick the target into focusing on another person or spell, you could lower their resistance to that spell. Conversely, my lord, even if the target would normally be affected by your spell, if they are aware of it they can build up a resistance against it. The reason your 3rd attempt to use The Lord's Grasp on Vakash worked is because he took all of his attention off you and onto Roan."
That makes sense, I guess. It's harder to defend against an attack you can't see. This means being deceptive is essential in battle.
"I see."
The cat did a few somersaults in the air before exclaiming "If that's all, let me give you your reward for completing the tutorial my lord!"
I guess that's all. I think I have a good grasp of the spell mechanics now.
"Go ahead."
The cat's eyes started bubbling with excitement as he bobbled up and down. "Yippee yippee yippee!!!"
Now he's in my face again. "My lord, your reward for completing the tutorial is- a congratulations!"
"What." I tried to grab the cat's wings and tear them off, but he was too fast.
"Just a joke my lord! Um, how about I share with you the location of an artifact?"
I narrowed my eyes. Stupid cat. "Hurry up!"
"Ok. In the ruins of Ishaya, there exists an ancient relic passed down from gods to men. But be warned my lord, this ruin is guarded by an ancient leviathan who is super strong!"
"Great."