Sword

The archer was no match for Adam, with his heightened reaction speed, and reach.

Factoring in his strength, as his halberd's haft smacked them they were sprawled out cold.

4 more matches were held.

He was slightly irritated, as two people ended up surrendering today.

Another reason for his irritation was while he was growing, it was not nearly optimal.

The purple sky hanging in his sight, he gradually settled down.

He examined the earlier notification that he received, when the fighter he faced ran from him.

[Ding! For winning a battle, in the arena, without raising a finger, you have earned the skill: [Emotive Frame] ]

'Frame? Something to do with my body?' Adam speculated.

[Emotive Frame: Your heart is worn on your physique, when you are sad, your shoulders are loose. When you are angry, you are tense and emanate your fierce emotions, slightly increasing your power, and ability to intimidate others.]

He believed that this was a double edged sword.

It sounded like he was weakened when sad.

But, should he get angry, he would possess more strength than before.

Overall it was a win.

Indeed, with his calming amulet, he did not have to be too worried about the downside of the emotive frame skill.

If he got 10 more wins, he predicted that he would receive his next arena streak reward.

Unfortunately, with his new skill, and subdued irritation, paired with his rising streak, less people wanted to try to defeat him.

Leading to him only booking 5 matches on this day.

The remaining time allowed him to eat a hearty dinner.

It also left him with enough time to look into trying out a different weapon, that he was able to get in lieu of his growing reputation in the arena.

As he held a sword, his irritation dissipation.

It was no good to be stuck with proficiency in one weapon.

'That, and swords are cool.' Adam mused.

While the sword he got was standard, the craftsmanship was above par in durability.

The passing of the sky into darkness and back into light stirred Adam's heart.

If he got 5 matches, his next arena milestone would be reached.

Moreover, he would be able to get some variety, by using a sword.

Not much later, Adam walked down the passageway, which opened into the fighting pit.

The presence of the crowd pulsed with cheers, as he walked over to his opponent, his hand grasping the hilt tightly.

His opponent in the opening match of the day was a elf woman with blonde hair, they wielded two short swords.

Adam's eyes took a cursory look at his opponent's details.

[Jersa Woodsprout: Level 25 Elf Warrior, a traveler who is visiting the arena.]

His smile widened.

'This is not a bad opponent to try a sword on.' Adam noted.

Their eye's locked, the start of the match was announced.

Adam ran forward.

Jersa's short swords facing away from her turned blurry, as she sprinted towards Adam.

Adam and Jersa within an arm's distance now, slashed out with their swords.

Adam was slightly pushed back, as his guard was weakly formed.

Jersa's twin short swords striking and colliding against his blade.

Strengthening his hold on the sword, he took a step to the side.

Her gaze locking onto him, her short sword's swept towards him as he shifted to the side.

Pressing his toes down, his footing became more stable.

Angling forward, he slammed down with his sword.

A spark scattering through the air, as his sword struck one short sword, and pushed back by the other.

His teeth clenching, he put more force into his sword strikes.

Having better footing now, his strikes pushed out with greater momentum.

Staggering back, Jersa's feet scampered back, digging out a path in the sand.

Putting his back into the next slash, Jersa's torso tilted back, as she resisted the impact.

She was on the verge of collapsing to the ground.

A frown on her face, as sweat fell from her face.

Adam was starting to get used to the sword.

With a horizontal slash with the flat side of the blade which she guarded with her forearm, Jersa's pupils shrunk as one leg cratered into the sand.

However she was able to stay up, as one of her short swords was planted into the sand.

Adam swiftly kicked her waist, belting Jersa to the ground.

The short sword that held her up falling to it's side.

Her teeth clenched, she growled. "I will not be defeated." As she started to push herself off the ground again.

Adam observing her, said: "Your resolve is impressive but..."

He remarked: "Then I can only do this," bringing his knee to her chin, she flipped, and face planted the sand.

Adam waited for a moment for her to move, her feeble breaths caused Adam to nod.

He had won.

Wielding a sword wasn't bad.

Lifting his sword, he lightly cheered: "Victory!"

His weak cheer stirred up the crowd, causing them to roar.

The roar eased as the announcer stated: "Adam's winning streak of 36 is unquestionable."

Adam relaxed, as he cooled off before the next match, his hazel eyes reflected on the blade, a smirk growing.

'Changing things really did help.' Adam thought.

Unlike the opening match, the next few matches, finally getting him to 40 wins were a walk in the park.

Back at the inn, Adam shoulders were relaxed, but his eyes were slightly damp as looked at the screen before him.

[Ding! Your win streak continues, but so does its scale, for achieving a 40 win streak in the arena, you have earned the skill: [Hit XP] ]

If that did what he think it did... Adam was in for a treat.

Quickly, Adam took a look at the effect of the skill.

[Hit XP: You earn experience when landing hits on an enemy, who has the will, and means to fight you.]

Adam could not help but think, 'What a great skill. Depending on the xp, it would remedy one of my sources of frustration.'

Slightly eager to get back to the arena, he took some deep breaths, and eventually fell asleep.

The light from the dawning sky in his eyes, the window open, a breeze passing through his hair, Adam grinned.