Chapter 10 - Round One: Conquered!

Lucas was weighing the pros and cons between him and his siblings. "They can use mana, while I can't. I have the system, though I don't want to be too reliant. I don't know how I can unlock my Magic. It says I have mana too?", he thought. Just as he was about to wonder, the system prompted him with an answer.

[You can use the basic magic spell after you have reached Magic: 20]

"Ah, now I see. I have mana, but not the aptitude. That must be it. Let's use the one thing I am slightly better than them, my intelligence", he thought. He then steeled himself, expecting attacks from them. The three of them stood just facing each other. Sam made his first move.

He moved towards Lucas, covering his fists with Ice. Lucas began to dodge them flawlessly. His increased perception helped him in sensing the attacks, and his eyesight had also improved. He could predict what kind of movement Sam would make from the slight movement of his body. Kate joined in the fray. Now, he began to struggle.

He placed his hand on the hilt of his dagger and activated [Surreal]. He didn't need the dagger, but he needed a boost in his agility. He then called the stats window of the system.

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 92/100]

[MP: 100/100]

[Level: 1]

[Job: None]

[Title: None]

[EXP: 0/100]

[System Level: 1/10]

[Strength: 28]

[Stamina: 18]

[Agility: 27+4]

[Perception: 20]

[Magic: 10]

[Stat points to be used: 0]

"With this increase in my Agility, I should be able to evade most of their attacks. Now I have to find a way to separate them so that I can attack them efficiently', he thought as he began to storm a plan. Kate and Sam's attempt at making him lose his spirit was futile. They threw many magic spells towards him, but he kept dodging them. "How? He can't look into the future, can he?", he asked Kate.

"Did you forget his training regimen? One of the main focus of his was perception. If he knows how we would attack, he could keep dodging for eternity. It seems that we have to use 'that' technique", she said. "It's been a long time", he smiled and they began to execute their plan. Kate threw a small fireball towards Lucas's face, and he moved sideways. The moment he dodged it, a fist came to his face.

Lucas was stunned. "What are they doing? They're taking turns now?", he thought. Sam and Lucas began to brawl. Lucas deactivated the skill and began to fight Sam head-on. "Good, little brother. You are quite strong, but not strong enough", he smiled as he punched the arena, freezing Lucas's leg in place.

Lucas couldn't move. He saw Kate coming towards him, her arms engulfed in flames. He put his guard up and began to block her punches. "Her punches have gotten stronger than before", he thought as he coughed up a little blood. She then aimed her arm at Lucas's leg and melted the ice.

"I guess the only way to beat them is to use that technique", he thought. He moved swiftly towards Sam, then pressed his fingers on his left shoulder blade. Sam winced a little. He then quickly poked a few points on his back and his bicep. Sam couldn't stop him. Lucas did everything quickly and he aimed Sam's hand at Kate. "Now, let's see what you'll do", he thought as he flicked Sam's elbow.

Ice shot out of his palm like a bullet. Kate was shocked. "How, How is this possible?", she gasped. "I call this 'Forceful Activation'. I think you should get it", he smiled wickedly. He shot a quick succession of Ice bullets towards her. Kate kept on dodging and blasting some. A mist began to form slowly.

After a few more exchanges, the three of them were covered in mist. Lucas shot one last bullet towards her and knocked Sam out. "Let's remove this annoying mist. But I must say, Lucas has improved by leaps and bounds. And his determination, I think even I would lose to that", she thought as she shot out fireballs.

The mist began to clear slowly, and she saw Sam lying on the arena, knocked out unconscious. "Where is he?', she felt alarmed. She turned around quickly, but she couldn't find him. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned. She still couldn't see him. She tried to feel his presence. She couldn't feel his presence. "He has mastered this technique to this level?!", she was astonished.

"I'm impressed, Lucas. Never did I expect you to master 'The Art of Stealth'. Now, finish me", she said. "Gladly", came a voice from her right side, and it echoed to the left side. She felt some fingers poke her back and her bicep. When she was about to catch him, her hand twisted to her face. She turned behind and saw Lucas walking towards her. "High tension strings", she smiled.

Lucas nodded his head. He then stood in front of her and flicked her elbow. She dodged instinctively. "Surrender, or you know how this will go", Lucas said in a cold and ruthless voice. Kate sighed. "I surrender", she said. The screen above him buzzed out loud. But he didn't care for that.

He quickly let go of the strings and released the lock he had placed. After that, he was exhausted. To the point, he placed his head on Kate's shoulder. "Give me ten minutes, Sis. I'm feeling dizzy", he sighed. She could see the fatigue on him. "That art must have taken a toll on you. You did well, my dear brother", she said as she patted his head. Lucas smiled and didn't say much.

A few minutes later, Sam groaned out loud. "Ah, my head is splitting. What happened? Did we win?', he asked as he looked around. "We lost. We have underestimated Lucas", said Kate. Sam jumped into the air. "Now that's my brother. I would have been depressed if we had won", he said as he saw Lucas resting on Kate's shoulder.

"The first round has been cleared. Time taken: 00:28:15. The next round shall commence in six hours", said the robotic voice. Lucas smiled as he struggled to stand up but then felt his arms around two other people. "Don't worry. we'll take you to the infirmary", they said. Lucas closed his eyes, feeling extremely exhausted and drowsy.

After placing him in the infirmary, they both walked towards his Master, Leon. Leon was smiling wide seeing Lucas's progress. "We thank Master for his guidance to our brother", they both said in unison and bowed down to him. Leon placed his hands on their shoulders, stopping them from going down further.

"It was all thanks to his efforts. He practiced every day relentlessly. And now, all his hard work has paid off. I did forbid him from using 'The Art of Stealth' in broad daylight. But I don't understand how he was able to move around, without being detected", he pondered as he scratched his chin.

'The mist. He used the mist as his cover. As I could see the arena, I thought he has to be here somewhere. He pushed the mist o the most outer edge, and use ut to his advantage. His IQ has always been better than ours. We feel proud that he has achieved so much, without an ounce of mana", she said. A smile was plastered on her face, beaming with pride.

"That lass is going to make waves in the outside world. I wonder if he will be able to see the galaxy", said Leon. Kate and Sam smiled when they heard him say that. They just left Leon to be and came back to the infirmary to check on Lucas.

It had almost been one hour since Lucas's fight. He had now recovered a quarter of his energy. He was eager to see his improvement after the fight. And there were also the rewards for him that were waiting. He rubbed both his hands in excitement. "Status window", he called in his mind. He then went to the mission to retrieve the rewards.

[Quest Completed]

[Defend or Defeat the pair in front of you]

[Defend/ Defeat 2/2]

[Rewards - EXP +500, Increase all stats by 2]

[Retrieve Rewards? Yes/No]

"All stats increased by two. And if I count the EXP, I will level up. I wonder what rewards I will get when I level up", he thought. He then claimed the rewards.

[Rewards Claimed]

[EXP - 500]

[You have Levelled Up!]

[All Stats Increased by 2]

Lucas was elated. He knew every small increase in his strength was crucial at the moment. The next round was against his father and mother. "There is no way they are going easy on me. Although they have placed limiters, they have been above the 4th class for a long time. This means that they will be more powerful than the average 4th class", he concluded. He then called his status window.

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 100/100]

[MP: 100/100]

[Level: 2]

[Job: None]

[Title: None]

[EXP: 400/500]

[System Level: 1/10]

[Strength: 30]

[Stamina: 20]

[Agility: 29]

[Perception: 22]

[Magic: 12]

[Stat points to be used: 5]

"I still can't use my magic. Not yet, but maybe if I level up one more time, I will be able to use it", he thought. He then put all of his stat points into Magic, bringing it to seventeen.. "I just hope that the next round will give me enough EXP to level up", he thought.