Chapter 625
The Wood Elf was shocked to feel her power even rising slightly, crossing thresholds that had previously held her back like a weak current before a thick dam. Now, though, those blockages could not stop and Sasha felt her control over the Wind element had become stronger.
She could only stare dumbfounded at the pretty young lady who extended a hand out to her.
"Let me help you up." Reina offered kindly.
Sasha hesitated for a second before taking her arm and rising to her feet, dusting herself off. She then noticed her clothing was ragged and much of her body was exposed, but the Wood Elf didn't care.
She had lived for millenia, so the days of her being a prude had long since passed. In fact, she had tried everything under the sun before, even some extreme stuff, so this little embarrassment was not enough to faze her.
Likewise, the Grandmasters watching showed little reaction. They had done stuff that would chill the blood of the average youth, so a little skin was not enough to make them howl like beasts.
The Wood Elf sized up Reina who was smiling confidently and did not say anything overt. She just left the stage with a final parting line.
"I hope I live long enough to hear of your legends."
Hearing this, Reina was moved. She, too, hoped to have her name resound across the continent due to her skill and her discoveries, so she kept these words as a small goal in her heart.
Soon, Reina's next foe was chosen, and she smirked as she raised her bow to meet them head-on.
.........
Reina panted as she wobbled off the stage, her expression clouded with fatigue. She almost fell over, but Ash hurriedly caught her and prevented her from falling flat on her face.
"There, there, you're alright." Her fellow apprentice comforted the teenage girl with smile as he hoisted her in a princess carry.
Reina panted and nodded to show her thanks as Ash brought her over to the side and brought some Lunar Dew for her to drink, which she rejected.
Partially understanding why, Ash smiled brightly. "You know, I have to say, your archery was awesome. Compared to those who were picked to fight against you, your skills were more... what's the right words to describe it... Beautiful, elegant... and witty."
Reina's breath hitched as she felt heat course through her veins and burn in her cheeks. Ash simply smiled in that honest way of his and patted her shoulder gently before returning to the side of the arena to watch the next fights.
The girl could barely move from where she lay, but not because she was tired.
On the other side, Jonathan jumped up on stage, his large frame giving him the look of a 21-year-old athlete rather than a 16-year-old teenage boy. He wore a suave set of medium armor with red and black colors, along with a thick cape behind his back.
Given his looks and frame, he resembled a barbarian king from the north who fought dragons for a living. In his right hand was a greatsword and in his left a great poleaxe, both made by Maximo Riverstrike.
Seeing this lad, the eyes of some Grandmasters lit up. They had been uninterested in the scrawny Ash or the girl Reina, but finally felt that they had encountered a lad with meat on his bones.
Many Grandmasters rushed to fight him, which made Jonathan proud. He simply waited until Martin selected his first opponent, who was - surprisingly - a handsome young-looking fellow who dual-wielded two longswords.
The fellow eyed Jonathan with a cautious smirk, circling carefully. He did not exchange any words with the fellow, only monitored him for the slightest opening he could exploit.
[Name: Derrick Kylian Race: Human Stage: Grandmaster Jobs: Sword Dancer, Quick Blade.
HP: 23,876/23,876 (77,778) MP: 6,708/6,708 (9,440) STA: 10,922/10,922 (11,920)
Level: 86 (Note: The stats in the brackets are Jonathan's current stats.)
Power: 188 (261) Speed: 265 (108) Constitution: 127 (298)
Magic: 78 (236) Will: 34 (554) Luck: 8 (45).
Skills: Grandmaster Sword Dancing, Dual Slash, Sword's Duet, etc.
Spells: None.]
However, just because his foe remained quiet didn't mean that Jonathan would. He casually relaxed his stance and placed his pole axe over his shoulder as he smirked.
"What a retard. Anyone can guess your strategy. You assume due to my build and my choice of armor as well as weaponry that my agility must be low, compared to one like you who definitely focuses on agility."
The light in Derrick's eyes flashed dangerously, shocked that this boy had been able to read his ploy so easily, but he didn't care. Even if a man saw a speedy fox rushing at him with its claws bared, he was too slow to stop it from puncturing his throat.
Just because the apprentice was aware that the Grandmaster was fast didn't mean that he could suddenly react to speed higher than his.
Derrick still remained silent as he charged at Jonathan with ease, moving his body in an absolutely perfect manner. He had the completed Grandmaster special ability of the Speed stat, Perfect Instinct.
[Perfect Instinct - Advanced Ability
Cost: 10% of Stamina
Description: Your mind and body have melded as one. Even before your nerves can transmit information, your body reacts to danger around you. Your body now also moves in tandem with your wishes, even before your thoughts can initiate. You are able to move anywhere within a distance of 5 kilometers in an instant.]
Super Instinct, which was the Master stage version and what Jonathan himself had, only allowed one to react to danger autonomously as well as move anywhere within 1 kilometer 5 times in a short period of time.
The Perfect version now allowed one to attack autonomously and use their best power while doing so. It was simply the best tool for Speed users who needed to deal with enemies that were at a distance or had extremely high Constitution.
Derrick swung his blade in a cross slash attack towards Jonathan, probing the fellow's reaction speed. It was too early to try for a killing blow, and over-extending in a fight could lead to one getting overcome by their own force.
However, Derrick's face became black when his sword struck Jonathan head-on, and the fellow stood there without taking even a lick of damage.