novelraw Chapter 129: Trouble at the Entrance
Chapter 129: Trouble at the Entrance
While catching my breath, I glanced at my status screen.
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 47/60 (EXP 3,326/4,280)
HP: 100%
MP: 788/788
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: One Who Conquered the Impossible (6)
Status: Normal
Strength: 386 + 42 + 39 | Dexterity: 401 + 39 + 40 | Stamina: 329 + 25 + 33
Mind: 281 + 28 | Magic Power: 332 + 5 + 33 | Luck: 380 + 38
Plausibility: 251
Free Attributes: 224
Signature Skill(s): [Absorb Plausibility], [Fabled Vessel], [God!$# Creation], [Grant Plausibility], [Gravity Magic Lv.4], [Scenario Manipulation]
Skill(s): [Assassination Arts Lv.1], [Basic Alchemy Lv.7], [Basic Cryo Magic Lv.7], [Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery Lv.1], [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.7], [Basic Neutral Magic Lv.10], [Basic Shield Mastery Lv.9], [Back Stab Lv.4], [Berserk Lv.3], [Calm Mind], [Chantless Casting Lv.3], [Desperate Willpower Lv.8], [Divine Sermon Lv.1], [Echo Construct Lv.2], [Extraordinary Fortune], [Extraordinary Harmonized Constitution], [Fast Equip], [Fast Reading Lv.5], [Heavy Stab Lv.7], [Inspect Eye Lv.4], [Intermediate Spearmanship Lv.3], [Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.5], [Inventory], [Mana Manipulation Lv.8], [Mana Sense Lv.8], [Mental Tolerance Lv.5], [Negotiation Lv.7], [Night Vision], [Pain Tolerance Lv.6], [Phantom Blade Lv.4], [Phantom Slash Lv.6], [Poison-Paralysis Resistance Lv.3], [Projectile Defense Lv.3], [Predator’s Step Lv.5], [Shield Bash Lv.1], [Stealth Movements Lv.4], [Weapon Manifestation Lv.4], [Wind Rush Lv.6]
Spell(s): {Frozen Icicle}, {Graviton Pull}, {Gravity Field}, {Gravity Launch}, {Mana Arrow}, {Mana Bullet}, {Mass Alteration}, {Spinning Mana Arrow}
Not bad. Two days of training have brought me this much improvement, I thought, finally pushing myself back on my feet.
I walked toward Erika and extended my hand. “Good match. I honestly thought I’d lose back there. You truly are the most skilled sword wielder I’ve ever faced.”
If she’d grown this much in just a week while capped at Gimmel rank, then what would happen once she advanced and gained a unique—or even legendary—class? She’d be like a tiger given wings. I didn’t even want to imagine it. If I didn’t keep improving, the next time she challenged me, I’d be the one getting crushed even worse than during our first duel.
“You’re joking, Maximillian.” She took my hand and stood, brushing the dust from her shoulder. “There’s still a long way to go before I catch up to you.”
Me, joking? Does she still have the misconception that I’m truly stronger than her? …Well, whatever.
As the mana barrier of the dueling cube faded away, so did our injuries, erased clean as though the fight had never happened. Some of the fatigue still remained, though, and I didn’t think that continuing training for today would be a good idea.
“By the way,” Erika began, her tone calm but firm, “the reason I’m here wasn’t just to challenge you to a duel. I came to tell you that I’ll be entering the tenth scenario in five days—whether you’re ready or not.”
“Is it because of the weekly mandatory new scenario challenge?” I asked.
“That’s right.” She nodded once. “If you and your friends aren’t prepared by then, I’ll have no choice but to join another group of divine warriors.”
That made sense. She couldn’t afford to wait any longer because of Istellia’s decree. Word of her strength was also spreading fast, and I had no doubt that the factions vying for power in Fantasia already had their eyes on her. If she joined any of them, their influence would skyrocket overnight.
More importantly, the strongest divine warriors in Fantasia were likely preparing to challenge the tenth scenario. By now, they were racing to be the first to clear it—since advancing to Daleth rank required the completion of the tenth scenario regardless of one’s class rarity. With Erika among them, their odds of success would rise significantly.
“Worry not,” I replied evenly. “I cleared the eighth scenario two days ago, and I’ll be tackling the ninth tomorrow. It should be more than possible to reach the tenth in five days.”
“I see. That’s good then.”
She gave a faint smile and turned to leave the dueling cube. But before she could take two steps, a sudden uproar echoed from the direction of the entrance. Some people were shouting, and there was the sound of breaking equipment. Several divine warriors were hurled into the training hall, slamming into walls and across the floor, with one of them landing just a few meters away from us.
“Too weak! Are these truly the strongest among you weak humans?” A mocking voice echoed from the entrance.
“What’s going on?”
Erika’s hand was already on her hilt. “Let’s check it out.”
I nodded, and together we stepped out of the cube toward the source of the commotion. A crowd of divine warriors had gathered near the entrance, forming a tense ring of onlookers. I quickly spotted Boris’s towering frame and Michelle’s blonde hair among them, and we pushed through to join them.
“Boris, Michelle,” I called out.
“Maxim, you’re here,” said Michelle, then her gaze shifted toward the woman beside me. “And you must be Erika, right?”
“Mm.” Erika gave a polite nod in response.
“What happened?” I asked.
Boris grinned. “You’re just in time, lad. Looks like some wild beasts are causing quite a scene and looking for a fight.”
Wild beasts?
The moment I broke through the circle, my eyes widened. Standing in the center of the plaza were five wolf therianthropes, each emanating a feral, battle-honed presence. They weren’t human. Their sharp ears, fur-lined arms, and tails made it obvious that they were wolf therianthropes.
At their forefront stood a tall female with white-and-gray fur and predatory amber eyes. She carried herself with the confidence of a warrior born to command. It was none other than Kaela Ash, the Hero of Ash Village, the Daleth-rank wolf therianthrope I’d once seen back at the Hall of Beginnings.
Her lithe, muscular frame was unarmored as she flexed her sharp claws toward the crowd. “Is this all Fantasia has to offer?” she called out arrogantly, her voice laced with contempt. “Is there no one among you strong enough to entertain us?”
Her four comrades—two males and two females—stood behind her, each exuding the same feral dominance. Their weapons reflected their fighting styles: one carried a pair of daggers, another hefted a massive greatsword, the third spun a glaive with casual ease, and the last held a longbow strung with monster sinew. Among them, only their leader stood barehanded, relying solely on her natural claws and instinctive killing power.
Instinctively, I activated Inspect Eye on her.
Kaela Ash Lv. 9/80 (EXP 9,380/10,320)
HP: 100%
Rank: Daleth [4]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Beast Berserker
Total Attribute Points: 3,147
More than three thousand attribute points?! That’s much higher than before!
The experience required per level in the Daleth rank was several times greater than that of the Gimmel rank. Considering she likely started from the very first scenario, the monsters she encountered early on would have been far too weak to grant her meaningful progress. At her rank, Aleph- and Bet-rank monsters would yield 10 percent of their normal experience value.
By my estimation, Kaela should have already cleared the sixth scenario at the very least to reach level nine. At her current pace, there was no doubt that she would blaze through the seventh to tenth scenarios within a week—or even faster. This meant that her power would skyrocket in no time.
As no one among the divine warriors dared to speak up, Kaela sneered. Then, with an almost bored motion, she vanished from sight—her figure blurring—before reappearing in front of the nearest divine warrior. Her clawed fist slammed into his chest.
“Uaargh!” The impact sent him flying across the room, crashing into the wall hard enough to leave an imprint. Gasps rippled through the onlookers.
“Pathetic,” she scoffed, brushing imaginary dust off her hands. “If this is the level of strength among Fantasia’s divine warriors, then this city truly is weak.”
“Damn beast!” one man shouted, emboldened by pride and perhaps fear. Gripping what looked like a magic sword. “You think you can just walk in here and—”
Before he could finish, Kaela blurred again. In an instant, she appeared before him, her claws stopping a hair’s breadth from his throat. “If you’re going to bark, at least make sure you have the bite to match.”
The man’s eyes widened in terror. His sword clattered to the ground as he collapsed backward, trembling uncontrollably. And then, to my disgust, a wet patch spread across his pants. So much for bravery.
Just then, a group of armored divine warriors stormed into the training hall. Their polished silver insignias—a sword flanked by twin wings—made their identity clear: the Silver Heralds, one of Fantasia’s most prominent factions.
Their leader, a tall, knightly man with flowing blond hair and ornate half-plate armor, stepped forward with a polite, confident smile. “Kaela Ash, Hero of Ash Village,” he said courteously, “your strength is truly remarkable. On behalf of the Silver Heralds, we would like to invite you and your kin to—”
He never got to finish. Kaela’s ears twitched, and she vanished again in a blur of motion. A metallic shriek tore through the air as her claw raked across his chest, shredding his breastplate like paper and sending him crashing to the ground.
“Aaaargh!” the knight screamed in agony.
“Vice Leader!” one of the Heralds shouted, rushing to his side.
Kaela’s golden eyes narrowed dangerously. “Join you? I don’t take orders from weaklings. Besides, I hate your face; it reminds me of those disgusting human knights.”
Really? She attacked him because of his face? I was utterly speechless.
“And weaklings?” I muttered under my breath. The man she had just floored was a high-level Gimmel-rank divine warrior, and his stats were almost equal to mine… Which meant that in her eyes, I was no better.
“Damn it! Attack that beast!”
Two of the Silver Heralds rushed to attack in retaliation, but before they could even swing their weapons, one of Kaela’s subordinates intercepted them. With a sweeping kick that cracked the floor, he sent both men sprawling like rag dolls and screaming in pain.
“Boss, can I let loose on them?” The male therianthrope who had just flattened the two Silver Heralds cracked his knuckles as he stalked forward, a feral grin spreading across his face. “These humans need a proper lesson.”
Kaela didn’t even look at him. “Suit yourself. Just keep them alive.”
That was all the permission he needed. In the next instant, he began beating up both Silver Herald members until they were left sprawled on the floor, twitching and groaning in pain.
Boris let out a low whistle. “Heh. Guess diplomacy’s off the table.”
“She’s not here to talk…” I said quietly. “She’s looking for someone strong enough to challenge her.”
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single divine warrior present who could match her strength. Even the elite members of the Silver Heralds, which was considered among the top combatants in Fantasia, had been reduced to toys in her hands. If she truly wanted a worthy opponent, she should have gone to District C, where the strongest divine warriors trained.
But even then… there might not be another Daleth-rank warrior in all of Fantasia aside from her ever since Graham was killed in the duel to the death. And given how her subordinates were only Gimmel rank, she couldn’t bring them there, which likely explained why she was here instead.