Master Training Center part 1

As soon as he stepped into the passage, the walls started glowing, lighting his way.

He walked for several minutes before arriving at the entrance to cave.

In front of him, an emblem of a sword had been carved in the rock, with a few words:

Entrance to the Master Training Center.

To enter the Master Training Center, one must walk the path of the warrior.

What did that mean? Kiro wondered. Was the Master Training Center reserved for warrior classes? Was there some kind of special condition that Kiro had to follow?

He stepped into the cave. At the end, he saw the beginning of a flight of silver stairs.

Beside it was a sign:

Path of the Warrior.

Don't get off the path.

…

..

.

…Alright then.

Kiro started up the stairs. After a few steps, he felt the stair under his foot sink and immediately retract his foot. He saw the step sink down about a meter. It was only due to his timely reaction that he had avoided getting his entire leg trapped in the hole created by the troublesome step.

Jumping over the step, he continued upwards prudently, testing each step to make sure they weren't booby-trapped.

Several steps, including a few trapped ones, later, he emerged from the cave. In front of him the staircase winded up and round and round around a gigantic mountain whose summit was lost in a sea of clouds. Besides the silver staircase were slopes filled with green grass crisscrossed by patches of snow.

All around, Kiro could see the ring of mountains that had barred his way towards this place

Kiro seriously wondered what was so wrong with those slopes that he had to stick to a booby-trapped staircase.

But whatever, he resumed his climb.

Part of the way, a steep, rocky ravine, stretching hundreds of meters downwards, bordered his path.

He walked across meadows filled with early spring flowers and short bushes.

Every few hundred meters, red wooden arches spread over the path, adding an air of solemnity to his progression.

As he skipped over what seemed like the two hundredth trapped stair, he noticed that a thin mist started to crawl over the ground.

It very soon began to thicken, coating the surroundings with mystique.

He'd walked round and round the center mountain, always going up. At one point, a few meters before penetrating the sea of clouds overhead, he realised he was high enough to see over the mountain tops of the surrounding mountains. He decided to take a break and eat his lunch on this spot, drinking in the sight of the land spreading out for kilometers and kilometers in front of him.

Then, as he walked into the clouds, the surroundings vanished in a sea of white, leaving only vague shadowy shapes and the sensation of the marble steps under his feet (when they didn't sink down) to tell him he was on the right path.

It was strange. Even thought he was kilometers above the level of the sea, surrounded by mountains and walking through a cloud, he didn't feel cold, just slightly wet.

After an eternity spent climbing upwards, he finally emerged from the see of clouds, to see a spectacle that awed him.

Ding! Ding!

You are the first person to reach the Master Training Center!

You gain 5000 fame.

This location is blessed by the gods.

Effects of the gods' blessing:

-All weapons used in this location will conserve their maximum durability

-Unknown

-Unknown

In front of him was another red archway, and beyond it was the top of the mountain.

It was flat, like a plate.

The silver staircase morphed into a silver paved path right after the arch, leading to a red wooden platform, with a tilled blue-green roof. On the platform stood a man, and several stone sculptures of mystical animals. From his position Kiro could see an eagle, a unicorn, a turtle, a Qilin, a tiger, a dragon and a phoenix. The dragon and the phoenix were the largest and stood at the center of the stage, framing the man.

Besides the platform was another, smaller, one with a copper bell.

On both sides of the silver walkway was a row of people, both men and women, all dressed with white robes and bearing weapons. There was no unity in the race, stature, looks or weapons of these people, but all carried an aura of calm confidence that gave the illusion of a resemblance.

The twin rows extend from the archway all the way to the steps leading to the platform.

There were easily over five hundred people gathered on the mountain top.

Behind them, there were bushes and short trees, before the mountaintop ended and the sea of cloud began, extending as far as the eye could see in every direction.

The sun was sinking in the horizon, coloring everything with streaks of red.

The bell started ringing, and the rows of disciples, as Kiro supposed they were, turned towards the stage. They knelt in seiza and bowed their heads.

The only one still standing, Kiro felt left out, so he quickly imitated them. He tried to maintain the rigid immobility they had, but it was hard, until he managed to get into a semi-meditative state.

An hour later the disciple emerged from their trance and stood up. Night had fallen and the stars, unusually large and bright, shinned in the dark sky. They were accompanied by a beautifully large, full moon. The disciples turned towards Kiro, and the first one of the right row walked to the center of the path, obstructing his way. He pulled out his weapon, a double-bladed axe.

The sun had set, but it wasn't dark. The light of the numerous stars and the moon coupled with a soft silver glow being emitted from the path itself bathed everything in a pale radiance that was more than adequate for a spar.

Kiro pulled out his sword and a dagger, and crossed the red archway. In front of him, the disciple bowed, and Kiro imitated him.

They both assumed a ready stance.

Ok, Kiro thought, let's see what you can …

He didn't have time to finish his thought. The man had lunged at him, fast enough to surprise Kiro, who could only raise his sword in a desperate parry.

The blow from the axe made Kiro's entire arm go numb.

He jumped backwards, and immediately did a front kick to stop the man from going after him. But the man easily evaded the kick with a smooth step to the side, and once more swung his axe towards Kiro's head.

Kiro ducked under the blow, and counter attacked with his sword. But the man jumped back, so Kiro was only able to make a shallow gash on the man's right arm.

Kiro's blood was singing. That brief exchange had shown him that the man was a formidable opponent.

He dashed forwards, eager to fight such an opponent.

What followed was a succession of strikes and counterstrikes that would have awed any spectator that would have witnessed it.

Kiro was moving as fast as he could, faster even than he had back in Lutenberg.

The man was slower, but he made up for it with raw strength. Kiro knew that a single clean strike from the man would be his death.

Excitement coursed through him. Kiro had spent years training his body. In all that time, he never had a humanoid opponent that provided a good match. So he felt giddy about fighting the disciple, as it would show him how much he had progressed with his swordsmanship.

(*Note: I feel the need to clarify this paragraph. What I'm trying to make Kiro say is that he never fought against a person (elf, dwarf, human, beastman, whatever) that provided enough of a challenge for him to fight seriously.

This is somewhat normal, as he spends all his time in the wild amongst monsters, so his humanoid opponents are rather limited.)

The battle continued, axe meeting sword and dagger as Kiro parried and deflected the monstrous swings of his adversaries. At first glance it seemed he had the advantage, as he was unwounded while his opponent had received several shallow wounds on his arms and torso.

But Kiro's adversary was skilled enough that Kiro was unable to score any significant hits. He was also preventing Kiro from striking at the same place twice which would have made the wound worse.

All it would take is one hit from that monstrous axe to turn things around.

The few kicks he had tried were also countered or evaded.

The fight dragged on, and Kiro started to feel tired. But his eyes were still sparkling with excitement. This was easily the most even fight he had been in.

He broke away from his opponent, to give himself a moment to think.

He put his sword back into his inventory, and pulled out a second dagger.

The man was already charging towards him, so Kiro ducked under his swing, and raised his blades for a counter attack.

With his two daggers, he started to deliver a flurry of blows, testing his opponent's defense.

He was sticking close, at a distance that made it difficult for his adversary to swing his axe. Kiro maintained that distance through footwork, advancing, going sideways, and twisting around to prevent the other from creating some distance. When his opponent tried to ram into him to make him back off, Kiro twisted and brought his elbow up, delivering a sharp blow to the man's plexus. Out of breath, the man started to panic, and his panic made him more rash.

Kiro needled him with his daggers, making quick, small jabs at his opponent's abdomen and forearms, to annoy rather than to damage.

Finally, the man snapped. He tried to make a powerful swing to push Kiro away, raising his arms up high.

Kiro was waiting for that. He swung his own left arm forward and up. He had timed it perfectly: he had aimed between the two raised arms of his opponent, and his fist connected with the bottom of the axe handle as it reached its maximum height, the moment were the grip of his adversary was the weakest.

The axe flew high up into the air. Kiro, not missing this chance, moved his other arm forward to place his right dagger on the neck of his opponent.

"Surrender. I don't want to kill you."

The man laughed. Too surprised to retract his hand, Kiro could only watch as the man gripped his right arm and pushed Kiro's dagger into his own neck. Horrified, Kiro watched as the man rapidly lost blood.

Suddenly, as his health was about to drop to zero, he disappeared, before reappearing beside the path, in the same position Kiro had first seen him. His wound was also gone.

Ding!

You have discovered the second effect of the blessing of the gods.

Every creature affected by this blessing will be unable to die. Instead, when their health drops below 5%, they will be healed back to full health and be teleported to their respective respawning point, as determined by the gods.

Ah! So I won't die, thought Kiro. That made him very happy. He had a phobia about dying ever since the beta test.

He didn't even like logging out, as it would force him to experience the black abyss for a few minutes. Which was why he used the in game messaging system to talk to his family.

(*Note: I didn't mention it before as it wasn't relevant to the story. I'll explain a little how it works when it actually is.)

Putting away his axe, Kiro's opponent spoke: "My name is Kirec. I am the 505th disciple. You have defeated me, therefore you may go forward."

Kiro looked at him. He had backed away from the line of disciples, presumably to show he wasn't an obstacle anymore.

"Why are you so strong? Are all the other disciples as strong as you?"

"Of all the disciples, I am the last, the weakest. Underestimate them not. Everyone here has faced the same trials you have, everyone here has passed every trial, from the Basic Trial to the Advance Trial, before reaching this place."

That's impossible! Thought Kiro. He had been led to believe that few ever passed the Advanced Training Center. Yet here were at least 505, no, 506 people that had passed it and that were still alive. It seemed hardly believable. Yet here they were. Maybe it was the god's blessing that kept them alive.

Kiro was pulled from his thoughts by the first man in the left row walking unto the path, weapon ready. It was a short sword that the elf was holding in his right hand.

Kiro grinned. His short break was enough for him to recover.

He once more assumed his battle stance, with his two daggers raised.

The two crossed blades.

This elf was slightly better than Kiro's previous opponent

He was also just as fast as Kiro.

They are all people who have conquered the Advanced Training Center, thought Kiro. They are like me, and like me they probably trained like crazy to get stronger. It's like were all following the same path, that leads directly to this training center. The Master Training Center.

The elf jumped backwards, putting some distance between himself and Kiro. Something changed in his stance. He raised his sword and bended his knees. With a Whoosh! He started glowing. Kiro had a sudden vision, the impression that behind the elf a gigantic eagle had appeared. Then, in a flash of light, the elf disappeared from Kiro's sight, leaving behind the image of the eagle, which slowly faded.

Faster than the eye could follow, even if said eye had been trained to follow incredibly fast motion, the elf reappeared behind Kiro, aiming at Kiro's neck with his sword.

But Kiro parried the strike. The elf's movement had become faster than Kiro's eyes could follow, but his Sensing Presence skill was far to advance to lose the elf.

As Kiro blocked the sword, a current of electricity passed from the elf's blade to his, shocking him. It made him freeze for an instant, giving the elf the opportunity to slip away again.

Every step the elf made left a crackle of electricity where his foot had stepped. He was going so fast Kiro had to rely solely on his Perceive Presence skill to know where, when and how his opponent would strike.

The fight devolved into a desperate dance on Kiro's part, as he desperately struggled to keep up with his opponent, relying on his instincts to parry. But the shock of every attack would stun him for a second, allowing the elf to slip away before Kiro could counter attack.

In his mind's eye, the figure of the moving elf suddenly morphed into that of a fierce eagle coated in lighting that tirelessly continued its assault on Kiro.

Startled by that vision, Kiro was a fraction too late to parry one of the elf's strikes.

The elf's sword cut a deep wound in Kiro's side, before the aura of lighting covering the elf zapped him, making him freeze for several moments, which the elf used to repeatedly stab him.

Kiro had a resistance to lighting, from his class and his Survivor title/proficiency, but it wasn't enough.

Every stab of the elf made him lose a big chunk of health, and prolonged his stun. In seconds, Kiro's health dropped below the 5% mark, and he disappeared.

****

He reappeared in the cave, where the staircase begins. In front of him was a wooden tray pilled with food. Realizing it was intended for him, he quickly gulped it down.

Then, he looked around to see if anything else had changed.

He immediately noticed one big difference: the tunnel he came in from last time was gone.

Ding!

You have discovered the third effect of the gods blessing.

This area has been closed. You cannot leave until the Trial of the gods is over.

Over, not completed, he realized. So you had two options: giving up, or completing the challenge.

It was just like Master Amenisa, Master of the Intermediate Training Center, had said:

To complete all of the challenges, one will need to show a determination to keep trying after 100, 1000, 10000 failures. To keep trying until they succeed.

Her words were right on the mark. Here there was no such thing as an easy way out by dying.

Kiro stood up. He wasn't one to give up. 100, 1000, 10000 failures? That wouldn't stop him! He would persevere until he completed this challenge or died of old age!

He walked to the stairs. This time, he went up faster than the first time, at a jogging pace.

Once more there were some steps that were booby trapped. Kiro had thought that he had discovered all of them the first time around.

He reached the summit at dawn. The sound of the bell made him pause.

Once more, he imitated the disciples by kneeling towards the stage.

He took out his sword and dagger. In front of him, Kirec stood on the path. Which meant that Kiro had to beat him again.

But then, the elf also stepped on the road, besides Kirec.

What? So I have to fight both of the at once? He had had trouble facing Kirec, and now he had to fight him and the elf.

Kirec charged towards him, axe held high. The elf didn't bother kidding around this time. He directly activated his skill.

Again, there was the image of an eagle, surrounded by blueish clouds which Kiro hadn't seen the first time.

In less than a minute Kiro was back in the cave. Trying to dodge the elf had given him nothing but an axe in the back, which had one-shoted him.

This wasn't working. There were 505 disciples to beat and he was stumbling on the first two. To make matters worse, he had a sinking suspicion that next time the third in line will also join in, making it three on one.

It was obvious that as he was now, there was no way he was strong enough to complete the Master Trial. As Master Fabridzia had said.

After his crushing defeat, it would be understandable to give up.

Yet Kiro had no intention of doing so. Because the other words Master Fabridzia had said filled him with hope.

She had told him that he was too weak to conquer the Master Training Center, yes, but she had also told him that the best way to get stronger was to try and beat it.

And that was what he would do.

He dimly remembered the words of the first Master of a Training Center he had met, Master Roderick.

What was it again? Ah yes!

When you are confronted by someone stronger, or more experienced than you, overwhelm them with your intensity.

That's exactly what he would do. Up till now he was holding back, trying not to use his skills. He had wanted to save them for later on, keep something back at the beginning so he wouldn't be too tired near the end.

But that was stupid. The enemy was stronger than him, so holding back would be detrimental.

Instead, from now on, Kiro would fight at 100, no, at 150% of his capacities. He would go all out, and grow stronger by overcoming his limits in every fight.

What did it matter that there were more than 500 enemies. Kiro would grow strong, strong enough to fight them all at the same time and win.

Fired up, Kiro ran up the stairs. Once more, some steps fell under his feet. He understood that every passage caused some more to fall.

Kiro reached the top in a few hours. It wasn't even midday.

Just as he had expected, Kirec, the elf, and another human armed with a broadsword stepped forward to block his path.

The elf and human activated the same skill, making two eagles surrounded by clouds appear behind them.

As before Kiro was thinking of Master Roderick, he decided to activate the skill the man had taught him, Intense Pace.

At Advanced lvl 1, the benefits included 75% more damage, 30% more movement speed, 100% more attack speed and a good chance to stun.

In front of him, his three opponents were waiting for him to do the first move.

It gave him the opportunity to observe them at his leisure. The two humans were surrounded by a crackling aura. Once more, Kiro had the impression that the image of two fierce eagles were superposed on them.

Come to think of it, the effects of the skill they were using were very similar to the ones given to Kiro by Intense Pace.

A connection formed in Kiro's mind. He remembered another conversation he had in the Intermediate Training Center, were the Master had told him that the skills he was learning were taught by gods. He had not questioned it then, but now he had a sudden inspiration.

The skills he had learned at the training centers had indeed been powerful. But in hindsight, Kiro could say that they were hardly god-like.

Also, they were easily learned. The hardest one took only a couple of hours before Kiro could do it.

Was it that the skills that the gods had taught the warriors were just ones that were easy to learn? Kiro doubted it.

He had another hypothesis.

What if the warriors, trying to teach their pupils, had ran into difficulties? What if, to make them easier to learn, the warriors had come up with lesser, dumbed up versions of the original skills, so that the students could get a grasp of what the skills did and how?

Was it possible that what Kiro had learned, in the Training Centers, were these dumbed up versions of the godly skills?

It was very possible.

And that would mean that the skill the elf and human were using right now was the original form of the Intense Pace that Kiro knew.

Intoxicated by that possibility, Kiro immediately attempted to confirm his guess.

He reached inside himself, taking hold of that sphere that represented his spirit.

This time, he made it take the form of an eagle. An eagle clocked in lighting, an eagle that used its overwhelming speed to relentlessly assault its prey with its lightning clad beak and claws.

A godly eagle.

He took this image, and superposed it on himself.

The change was immediate, overwhelming.

He suddenly felt lighter, faster.

A golden aura surrounded him, and he was willing to bet that the image of a majestic eagle, surrounded by fog, had come to being behind him.

His three opponents were wide-eyed, shocked.

Before, there had been two Eagles on the field. Now there were three.

Kiro made his move.

He rushed towards Kirec, and stabbed him in the heart before any of the three had time to act. Then, he sprang back.

The wound was fatale. Kirec was out. In seconds he would bleed to death.

Which only left the elf and the human. Both of them had recovered from their shock by now, and charged towards Kiro.

He was still slower than them. But unlike before, where he was unable to successfully cope with the elf's speed, he was now fast enough to react.

His Sensing Presence allowed him to feel every attack by his two opponents and now his speed was at a level where he could respond to them.

After blocking the first strike of the short sword of the elf, he realized his new Aura wasn't protecting him from the lighting of the other one. So he cast Mana Shield to stop himself from being paralyzed.

After that, the battle turned into a game of cat and mouse. Kiro ran around, using all the techniques he had learned during his years of practice to dodge, deflect, parry, and if necessary, take the attacks from his two assailants.

He still got hit several times, making him lose health faster than his battle regeneration could keep up.

He didn't let himself get hit for free.

He managed to wound his two opponents as well. But while his life was at 50%, the elf was at 70% and the human at 80%. It was obvious that Kiro would lose at this rate.

It was time to gamble.

Kiro attuned his sword and dagger to water.

As the two charged towards him, he used his Elemental Wave to send two arcs of water towards them. Just as he had hoped the water absorbed the electricity of his Aura. As it came into contact with the elf and human they froze, momentarily paralysed.

He dashed towards the human, dagger raised.

As he lunged, aiming for the heart, the human twitched. As if the world slowed down, Kiro could see his own strike would miss the heart. So he activated Mana Strike.

Pouring his mana into the blade, and from the blade into his opponent, he watched the man's health bar going down, before the man disappeared then reappeared next to the path, defeated.

His mana gone, Kiro's aura flickered and disappeared, along with his Mana Shield. The elf smiled, confident in his victory.

Just as Kiro had expected.

He started transferring most of his remaining stamina into mana.

The elf, probably relieved that Kiro wasn't using the Aura anymore, had become too overconfident. He charged in front the front, trying to end the fight in a single strike.

He aimed for Kiro's heart, perhaps to mimic the strike Kiro tried to deliver to the other opponent.

Kiro extended his arm, sword pointing straight to his enemy.

From the way the two weapons were aiming, the elf's sword would reach Kiro's heart, while Kiro's would connect with his opponent's shoulder.

From the looks of it, the elf considered that an acceptable trade.

But the elf's sword was a short sword, Kiro's sword was normal. In other words, Kiro's sword connected first.

And before that, Kiro once more activated Mana Strike.

The amount of mana he had was a lot smaller than the last time. But the elf, even at full health, had least than the human. Thus, when Kiro's sword pierced his skin, he too vanished, to reappear besides the path.

Ding!

Mana Strike has reached Intermediate lvl 1

The human and elf put their weapons away.

The elf said: "I am Ferys, 504th disciple. You have bested me."

While the human said: "I am Verah. The 503rd disciple."

Both spoke in unison: "You, who has defeated us, may go forward."

Then Ferys continued: "However, before you go forward, we must commend you on copying our skill. But know this: your skill is still incomplete. For you do not know its name. And only by knowing the true name of a skill will its true power come forth!"

His words shocked Kiro, rocking him to the core. Awed by a sudden, blinding, realization he murmured: "So the developers also watch Bleach…"

"What?" Asked Ferys.

"Ehem, nothing, please go on."

"… As I was saying, you can only fully utilise a skill by knowing its name."

He activated the skill once more, glowing softly.

"This skill is called Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace. Remember it well."

Ouch! With a name like that, there is no chance I'll forget it. Or say it out loud if anyone ask. Thought Kiro.

Ding!

Intense Pace has transformed into a new skill: Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace.

Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace

Active Skill.

Taught to sentient races by the Celestial Eagle, this skill allows you to overwhelm your opponent with powerful blows and blinding speed.

-Reduces defense by 30%

-Increases Movement Speed by 50%

-Increases Attack Speed by 50%

-Increases Damage by 20%

- You are covered by an Aura of Lighting that has a small chance of stunning or paralysing an opponent on contact.

-Consumes 150 mana and 100 stamina per second.

Current level: Beginner lvl 1 – 10.45%

Ding!

Your Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace skill has gained the power of another skill: Elemental Wave.

Celestial Eagle Lightning Pace has a new effect:

-Each attack generates a small shockwave of electricity, dealing small lightning damage to those hit. Costs 5 more mana/sec.

Kiro looked the skill over. It was very powerful, but it seemed a tad less impressive than it had been when he had used it earlier. But the way it had absorbed another of his skill was both intriguing and exciting. It probably meant that these skills could get stronger if he got other compatible skills.

(*Note: when I say absorb, I don't mean that the other skill is gone. Kiro can still use Elemental Wave.)

He decided to ask Ferys why the skill looked weaker than when he had copied it.

"It is because the Celestial Eagle, pleased that you were able to learn his skill on your own, decided to give you a taste of its power." Kind of like System Assist, thought Kiro. "As for the power of this skill, fear not. You will be able to raise its level very fast, as the experience from using the practice skill will surely carry on to this one."

That reassured Kiro.

In front of him, three new opponents stepped forwards onto the path.

Kiro grinned. The trial was just beginning.

*****

For months and months, he continued to challenge the Master Training Center.

In every fight, he gave it his all, he continuously struggled to push back his limits. Forcing himself to be faster, stronger, better.

Every failure added a person to the amount of enemies he had to fight at every battle.

Fortunately, they didn't all attack at the same time. Three or four of them at most would attack, while the rest would only attack when he showed an opening or a weakness. Or when he beat someone, in which case one would take his place. Giving Kiro no opportunity to rest.

For days, then weeks, then months Kiro battled with almost no rest, except when he was sent back to the cave.

By continuously fighting stronger opponents, his body grew more powerful to match, than surpass them.

By continuously fighting better opponents, his blade mastery grew by leaps and bounds, as he observed then mimicked what his adversaries did. After it passed Advanced lvl 3 he got a passive skill that allowed him to cut through magic.

Other proficiencies also progressed, and his class reached Advanced lvl 1. He got a new skill from it: Elemental Rage.

After a month at the Master Training Center, he was fighting forty enemies at the same time and he managed to learn the second skill: Celestial Qilin's Sense - Seriously, who came up with these names? - By defeating his 91st opponent.

Celestial Qilin's Sense

Passive Skill

Taught to sentient beings by the Celestial Qilin, this skill allows the warrior to sense those around him. Furthermore, this skill permits those who have mastered it to enhance their senses, and even to make abstraction of some of their senses to focus on one of them.

- Sensing range: 3 meters

-You can distinctly feel presences

-Your senses are 3% sharper

Current level: Beginner lvl 1

Celestial Qilin's Sense has absorbed two skills: Sensing Magic and Sensing Nature.

Additional effects:

-You can distinctively sense magic

-You can distinctively sense nature

Another three months later he learned the third skill, Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura.

Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura

Active Skill

Taught to sentient beings by the Celestial Turtle, this permits you to create a shell like Aura, which is maintained and can be repaired by mana and stamina. The durability and defense of the shell depends on the level of the skill. The shell has the same resistances as the user, plus an additional 10% to all resistances.

-Costs 2500 mana and 1000 Stamina to activate

-Consumes mana and/or stamina to repair itself (if desired)

-Adds 10% to all resistances.

-Costs an additional 30 mana/sec and 30 stamina/sec

Current level: Beginner lvl 1

Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura has gained the effect of a skill: Mana Shield.

A new effect has been added:

-Adds an additional 10% to magic resistance. Costs 5 additional mana/sec

Then, it took four months before he learned Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush.

Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush

Active Skill

Taught to sentient beings by the Celestial Thunder Tiger, this skill allows you to lunge at your target at blinding speed. Every successful step increases your speed. If you are stopped you must reactivate this skill.

-150% Movement Speed increase (+15% for every subsequent step)

-150% Attack Speed increase (+15% for every subsequent step)

-Damage increases by 15%

-Small Chance of Stunning enemies that come into contact with you.

-Skill must be reactivated if you stop.

-Cost 200 stamina and 100 mana per second.

Current level: Beginner lvl 1

Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush has gained the ability of one of your skills: Sneak.

New ability:

-Between every attack, the Aura will help you blend with your surroundings, making you more difficult to target. Costs an additional 5 mana and 5 stamina per second.

Finally, he learned the last skill, Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike, another four months after that, or a year after he first came to the training center, by defeating the 401st disciple.

Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike

Active Skill

Taught to sentient beings by the Celestial Unicorn, this skill shatter the enemy's armor to destroy him from the inside.

-Adds 20% armor penetration.

-Does 50% additional damage.

-Does an additional 20% * armor damage to the target.

-Costs 1000 mana and 800 stamina

Current level: Beginner lvl 1

Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike has gained the effect of a skill: Mana Strike.

New Effect:

-By pouring additional mana into your blade, you can increase the damage you deal. The amount of additional damage depends on the mana.

At that point he was fighting about three hundred opponents at the same time. It made for very long battles.

At least, every opponent used only one of the skills that Kiro learned here. The first 80 or so used Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace, which Kiro countered with Sensing Presence, and later Celestial Qilin's Sense, which allowed him to keep track of his opponents and counter their attacks.

The next ones used Celestial Qilin's Sense that Kiro opposed with the overwhelming speed of Charging Rush, and later on its greater counterpart.

Next, he opposed Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura with several Piercing Aura Strike, or Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike.

Then, he used Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace to circle around and needle the ones using Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike.

Once he finally reached the 50th disciple, they started to use all of the five skills. They also had silver dragons sewed on their white clothes. It became somewhat of a gigantic game of rock, paper, scissors, as Kiro would use the most suitable skill to counteract the one his opponent was using.

And after one year and six months of ferocious battles, Kiro finally defeated the first disciple, a gray-haired female dwarf that used two swords.

She sheathed her weapons, did a small bow, and said: "You have defeated me, Stranger Kiro. I am Hildia, the first disciple, and I give you permission to pass."

In front of him was the stage, where the statues of the gods were placed.

The man who had been standing on it from the time Kiro first came here jumped down, bowed, and pulled out a single sword from a sheath on his waist. He was old, with a mane of white hair.

He had the same white tunic as the others, but on his was etched a golden dragon.

Kiro gripped his sword and dagger tightly. This was it! After a year and a half of battling monstrously strong opponents, he was almost done. There was only one opponent left!

He adopted a battle stance.

The man moved.

…And Kiro was back in the cave.

"What just happened?" He asked.