1108. Might and Magic
After all they had seen in the previous fights, it was unlikely that Dumm Ting would be able to make it to the finals. In the previous fights, participants had finally started showing skills that were able to damage the rare-rated marble Vathon used to tile the arena.
Dumm Ting, on the other hand, had already peaked in the very first fight against Polter and wasn't able to harm the arena even in his berserk mode. It was unlikely that he would go much further, but would Caleb be the one to stop him? Seth knew Caleb had yet to summon his Wyvern, but he was unsure whether the giant reptile would be a big help in this fight.
Whether he was able to kick his opponent out or not, the audience was on his side, calling on the knight to finally end the cultivator's win streak. The source for Dumm Ting's power had long been published and became well known to all viewers. Even the Muscle Mommy Cult was on Caleb's side, despite his defeating Simplicity in the previous round.
In the arena, the two enemies entered the stage. Caleb cracked his knuckles, as he signaled that he was ready. After Dumm Ting did the same, Umi once again announced the start of the fight. The knight had yet to move when a massive fist struck his stomach.
With an evil grin, the cultivator had attacked the moment the match was announced.
"I heard you were a friend of the midget. I have also seen your fights until now. If you think you can win against me with those half-baked skills, you should give up avenging your body. Just become an obedient stepping stone for my greatness!" he rambled on. Caleb had taken a few steps back, not saying anything. Now, he looked up.
"Sorry, I was just surprised. Was that all?" he asked, wiping non-existent dust from his cuirass, where his opponent's fist hit. he seemed completely fine, despite the punch that had echoed in the arena.
Suddenly, the knight appeared right in front of the hulk, who was two heads taller and three shoulders wider than him. The gauntlet sunk into the chiseled six-pack, as Caleb reciprocated the earlier surprise attack.
"You would better start using that power you are so proud of If you don't want to be pummeled to death by an amateur. You know, the one you got from cowardly killing women and children," he taunted confidently.
Even Seth and the others in the booth were surprised by this move. Caleb was clearly even stronger and faster than in the previous fights.
"I guess he took them all, today," Jane commented
"What do you mean?" Mary asked her.
"Oh, you know... he bought out pretty much all the epic-rated potions from Turquoise Anvil. Even the experimental stuff," she said with a shrug.
"He had that much money?" Seth asked surprised. The epic potions were not cheap. Although they were able to grow most of what Alison needed at the herb garden in Minas Mar, it didn't mean they would sell under market value. that would have been unfair to independent alchemists.
"I might have also given him a loan..." she said with an apologetic smile.
"Good job, " Seth praised her, surprising Jane who expected a scolding. The blacksmith, however, was in favor of having someone strong like Caleb owe them money.
"Hmm, but that can't be all," Alison spoke up before Seth could ask for the interest rate she gave Caleb.
"What do you mean?" Seth asked a little confused.
"I know my potions. Even if he took all of it, it can't stack that much. The previous rounds maybe, but he must have taken something else for this one," Alison said vaguely. So Caleb was not just relying on potions he bought on Urth against Dumm Ting.
"Shh," Fin interrupted them annoyed. The fairy was invested in watching. They realized they had been talking over the fight, so they fell silent again, to watch.
Swallowing the bait, Dumm Ting had rushed at the knight, but without activating the evil power, it was as Caleb said. Speed, strength, and reaction, the knight was far above the cultivator in all physical traits.
"What happened? In the last fight, you used it right from the start. Could it be, have you become afraid of dying in this ring?" Caleb provoked, as he deliberately aimed all his punches at Dumm Ting's face, while not receiving any himself.
"Could that be?" Seth thought to himself. Dying in the arena was the same as dying in the dungeon. This meant the one dying would lose something. A player would lose experience. What were the cultivators losing? From what they found during the preliminaries. it seemed that they lost cultivation. Was Dunn Ting afraid of losing cultivation?
"He, I have been holding back because I was confident I could kill you without it, but I guess you are just as annoying as the midget," he said as his body started bulging like a monster. He was enveloped by that same evil aura as in the previous fights. Dumm Ting had signed his death sentence, but would he die before or after the dragon knight?
With the cultivator's transformation, the playing field was leveled. Although Caleb's stats were comparable, maybe a little lower, he was unable to keep up with the opponent who trained in martial arts their whole life. The dragon knight was finally forced to start fighting seriously, pulling out a shield and sword
Seth looked at the equipment with suspicion. Caleb used to use a lance, where did he get the Sword? It also had a familiar design.
"Hey Jane, could it be that you didn't only sell him potions on loan?" Seth asked after inadvertently appraising the items.
< Dragon-Headed Blade
Epic
Phys. Damage:1800
Mag. Damage: 1000
Durability: 3200
1. +25% Power to Spells and Sword Skills
2. Heat Blade
3. +50 Strength
4. Passive Skill: Fire Resistance lv.3
5. Active Skill: Flame Lance
A blade of unique Design created by Craftsman Pennyworth. Using Ithildin, the weapon possesses an incredible magic conductivity that further strengthens the enchantments of the Arcane Blacksmith.>
Liam Pennyworth was one of the two blacksmiths, together with Neill Repmore, who they had recruited from the craftsman of Delta. Liam had an easily recognizable style, as he kept putting a lot of effort into engraving the features of beasts into the weapons, most often dragons.
In this case, the sword in question was more of a knife. It was single-edged with a dragon engraved on the back and sides of the blade so that it looked like the tip emerged from its maw. The shield featured the portrait of a ferocious turtle, doing the same as the sword, except the active skill created a barrier instead of firing a flame lance.
This was just decoration, which actually lowered the durability of the sword to a certain degree. It was to make him stop this bad habit since his weapons sold well with people who didn't know about the drawbacks of this decoration. Although the works of their new recruits could hardly compare to what Seth, Tored, or the dwarfs were able to produce, it was good enough to be sold as a regular product in the Turquoise Anvil.
"Haha, yes..." Jane admitted readily.
Seth wasn't bothered that Caleb bought equipment from their store. What he was confused about was that Caleb originally owned a relic-rated lance. So why did he switch to a shield and sword in this fight?