Training (2)

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As the battle raged on, Luke began to find his rhythm. He was still new to this, but with each beast he defeated, his confidence grew. He started to experiment with his powers, combining Cryokinesis with his swordsmanship in creative ways. He created walls of ice to block incoming attacks, then shattered them into deadly shards that he sent flying towards his enemies. He froze the ground beneath him, using the slippery surface to slide out of the way of powerful blows, only to counter with a spinning slash that cut through multiple beasts at once.

The tide of battle slowly turned in his favor. The beasts, though numerous and powerful, couldn't break through his defenses. His EX-grade strength was simply too much for them. But Luke wasn't just relying on his raw power—he was learning, adapting. He was starting to think like a warrior, anticipating his enemies' moves, finding and exploiting their weaknesses.

Finally, the last of the 10,000 beasts fell. Luke stood amidst the carnage, his breath coming in heavy gasps. His body ached, but he felt a sense of accomplishment. He was growing stronger, more skilled. He was beginning to understand what it meant to be a warrior.

{ Level 2 complete.}

Luke's body ached with the exertion of the first two levels, but his mind was sharper than ever. He could feel himself changing, evolving with each battle. The Training Pagoda was doing more than just testing him; it was refining him, pushing him to become something more.

Infinite regeneration was helping more that he thought. He had spent hours fighting and if he felt any fatigue his regeneration would kick in and he would instantly feel refreshed after a few seconds.

{ Level 3: 100,000 Grade SSS Beasts. }

Luke swallowed hard, his earlier confidence faltering. This was a challenge unlike anything he had faced before. But he wasn't the same inexperienced fighter who had entered the pagoda. He had learned, adapted. He could do this.

The beasts charged at him, their elemental attacks merging into a devastating onslaught. Fire, lightning, and ice rained down upon him in a torrent of destruction. Luke barely had time to react, throwing up an ice barrier to shield himself. The impact was tremendous, the force of the combined elements nearly overwhelming his defenses.

But his barrier held, and Luke took a deep breath, focusing on the power within him. He couldn't afford to be passive; he had to take control of the battlefield. With a shout, he shattered the ice barrier, sending shards flying in all directions. The beasts recoiled, momentarily thrown off balance.

Luke took advantage of the opening, unleashing his Cryokinesis in a wide arc. The temperature plummeted, frost forming on the ground and the beasts' bodies.

Luke's Arctic Breath filled the battlefield with an impenetrable fog of cold. The beasts, already slowed by the dropping temperature, began to struggle as their movements became sluggish. Yet, despite the biting cold, they fought back with renewed ferocity. Each one seemed to tap deeper into their elemental powers, as if sensing that raw force alone would not be enough to overcome this challenger.

A massive beast, its body crackling with lightning, roared and sent bolts of electricity arcing through the fog. The air around Luke sizzled, the electricity threatening to find its mark despite the freezing mist. He quickly reacted, raising a wall of ice that absorbed the brunt of the attack, the electricity dispersing across its surface in a spectacular display of light.

The fog gave him an idea. He focused his Cryokinesis, controlling the dense mist, shaping it into tendrils of freezing air that snaked through the battlefield, seeking out the elemental beasts. As the tendrils touched them, the beasts found themselves encased in thick layers of ice, their elemental powers stifled by the intense cold.

A few of the smarter beasts adapted quickly, using their elemental abilities to counter. A fire-beast, its body burning with an intense blue flame, melted the ice before it could fully entrap it. But Luke was ready, dashing forward and swinging his katana in a wide arc. The beast roared, trying to conjure a wave of fire to push him back, but Luke's strike was too fast. The katana cleaved through the creature, and with a burst of energy, Luke unleashed a concentrated blast of cold that extinguished its flames for good.

He moved swiftly, darting between beasts, his movements more fluid and precise than before. Each encounter taught him something new—how to read his opponents, how to anticipate their moves. A beast that manipulated wind tried to envelop him in a hurricane of cutting gales, but Luke countered by creating an icy vortex around himself. The two opposing forces collided, and with a powerful thrust of his katana, Luke disrupted the beast's concentration, sending it staggering back before he delivered a final blow.

Despite his growing skill, the battle was grueling. The beasts were relentless, their attacks coordinated, as if they shared a collective intelligence. A towering creature with stone-like skin and molten lava flowing through its veins smashed its fists into the ground, causing eruptions of magma to shoot up around Luke. He leaped to avoid the scorching lava, but the heat was overwhelming, even for him.

The cold collided with the molten rock, causing a massive explosion of steam and ice shards. The beast bellowed in agony as the intense cold hardened the molten lava, encasing it in stone. Luke didn't hesitate; he closed in and shattered the beast with a single, powerful slash.

The fog was thinning now, revealing the battlefield littered with the frozen remains of beasts. But there were still so many more. Luke's breath was heavy, and his muscles screamed for rest, but he pushed through the pain. He was learning what it meant to be a warrior—not just in skill, but in endurance, in the ability to fight beyond your limits.

Finally, after what felt like an endless onslaught, the last of the 100,000 beasts collapsed. Luke stood amidst the devastation, his body trembling with exhaustion. It was exhilarating. Each level was pushing him further, demanding more from him than he had ever given before.

{ Level 3 complete. }

The air was thick with tension as the voice of the pagoda spirit announced the next challenge.

{ Level 4: 1,000 Grade SSS Beasts.}

Luke's heart pounded in his chest. This wave was smaller in number, but he knew better than to underestimate it. These beasts would be stronger, faster, and smarter. They would challenge everything he had learned so far.

As they cannot break his defenses but this was a learning moment for him.

The ground beneath him shook as the beasts began to emerge. These were different from the ones before—they radiated a power that made the air hum with energy. Each one had a distinct aura, their bodies glowing with elemental power far more concentrated than before. Luke could sense it: these beasts weren't just wielding elemental energy; they had mastered it.

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