Chapter 25

I look at my body in wonder as I feel my body get stronger from the boost that I just feel.

"So this is what Aura feels like. It feels like my body is three times stronger than before."

My theory that Aura can be awakened when someone trains hard enough is true. I always wondered where this Aura came from. How can another person awaken someone without their Aura being awakened first? The answer is that it awakens naturally through hard training.

I take a deep breath and feel my Aura. I can feel an energy coming from my skin and create a thin but strong shield around my body. I don't know how to calculate the aura reserve, and I don't know if my reserve is huge or small.

There is no core that produces Aura like a magic core inside my body that makes magic. Aura is like coming from my muscle but at the same time is not. I guess that it is true that Aura is coming from someone's soul.

"I need to get used to this."

I walk toward the computer and increase the difficulty of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber enemy.

|Level Eight stage will start at 3… 2… 1…|

When the countdown is over, I see a massive centipede Grimm roaring not too far from me. This is the alpha variant of Centinel Grimm called Cenitaur. However, unlike the Cenitaur that I read in the books, this thing is even bigger.

Usually, Cenitaur is around eight to ten meters long, but this thing is fifteen to seventeen meters long.

*ROAR*

I widen my eyes when I see the thing release molten lava from its mouth. I quickly dodge it to the left and push a little bit of my Aura into my leg. When my legs propel me forward, I feel that I'm faster than before.

One theory is correct. I can enchant a specific part of my body using Aura.

The second I appear in front of the Grimm, I let my Aura enchant my entire body, including my weapon, and stab the Grimm with my sword. I can feel my sword cannot pierce deep enough to cause massive damage.

"Urgh"

Before I could push my sword even deeper, one of the Cenitaur's legs hit me right in the head and threw me a few meters away. That force is stronger than I thought it would be.

The second theory checks out. Using Aura to enchant your entire body will use more Aura than necessary.

The third theory checks out. I can enchant my weapon and armor by expanding my Aura. Sadly it takes more Aura than before.

After shaking my head, I cast the Aard sign to the side and let myself propelled to dodge the incoming lava being spitted at me. After dodging the lava spit, I launched another Aard, but it was stronger than before.

The sign hit the Cenitaur right on its head and made the fake Grimm lose its balance for a little bit. Seeing my chance, I enchant my leg and leap forward. In a second, I appear underneath the Cenitaur, and after reinforcing my sword using my Aura, I slice the Grimm with it.

While it was not massive damage, my sword attack caused a gash on the Grimm's thick skin. When I hear a roar from the Grimm, I quickly leap away from the Cenitaur, who uses its two scythes arms to attack me.

I grunt a little when I feel the sharp arms hit my left leg. How fast does that thing move?!? Even with my reinforced legs, I barely dodge that attack. A thick skin and fast movement around the upper area only leave me with a few more options.

I look at the back end of the Cenitaur and see that it has two sharp-looking tails. I have a feeling that thing is not only for show. Urgh. That only leaves me with the middle part, the part where its skin is the thickest. Or…

I dodge to the right as another lava spit comes at me, and after avoiding it, I quickly charge forward. When I get closer, I can see the Grimm swing one of its arms toward me. Before the scythes arm hit me, I had already cast a concentrated Quen sign.

When the Grimm's arm hit my shield, my shield could deflect the attack before it was destroyed. When the Grimm loses its balance, I jump high and start to mount the Grimm. I stab my sword at the Grimm's head, and I take out a sniper from my bag of holding.

When the armor-piercing bullet hit the back of the Grimm's head, I could hear it roaring in pain. The Grimm starts to trash around the area, trying to get me off its back. I reinforce my sword and let it get deeper inside the Grimm flesh so the blade won't come off. I also push my Aura to my right hand to strengthen my grip.

I continue to fire my sniper rifle at the Grimm, and when it runs out of Ammo, I decide to use my magic. I cast a concentrated Agni sign to create a fire drill.

*Boom**

I grit my teeth as I feel the back of the arm of Cenitaur hit my head. My Aura absorbs most of the damage, but I still feel the force behind that attack. I decide to lay low to dodge the attack and continue to drill.

While holding on for my life, I feel the Cenitaur do some weird movements. I frown a little and look at the Grimm, who releases a lava spit upward and dash forward. I widen my eyes, take out my sword, and leap away from my previous position.

A second later, the lava spits land on where I used to stand and see it burn the skin of the Cenitaur. It looks like that move is a double-edged sword for the Grimm. I dash forward while still on top of the Grimm when I see the lava spit is strong enough to finish the job of drilling the thick armor behind Cenitaur's head.

When I get close, I take out one of the bombs that Nora made for me and press the button before tossing it inside the hole I made.

A second later, a massive explosion is happening behind me. I could feel some of the lightning hit my back, but it was not enough to break my Aura shield. When the explosion is over, I hear a mechanical voice.

|Congratulation for clearing Stage 8|