Chapter 86: Daily Training and Lessons.

Chapter 86: Daily Training and Lessons.

Lightning Bolt! I shouted out, quickly materializing a purple magic circle, shooting out a single stream of lightning at the robed man standing before me as my opponent.

Raptors Agility! Slithering Serpent! two blue magic circles appeared around the mages body, applying two buffing spells on him, enabling him to deftly avoid my spell as it crashed against the earthen wall of the arena we were dueling in.

Not fast enough, Bedrock Blades! conjuring up several blades of rock, I controlled them to force him into the defensive. Now, Lightning Bo-!

Xohulotels Scaled Barrier. Youre not fast enough, Hestia, Krakens Destruction, he called out as a water serpent protected him from my attack.

Without looking around, I dodged to my left as a massive watery tentacle smacked the spot where I stood, cracking the ground under its mighty power. [Foresight] was a skill that allowed me to see a few seconds into the future if I spent Mana on it, otherwise it would function exactly like [Prediction], its previous form.

Foresight

An improved version of [Prediction]. By consuming Mana, the System calculates the possibility of future events by a certain amount of time, informing the owner about all possibilities and the percentage of it happening. Any possibility altering skills may affect this skill. Its base function warns the owner of any attacks aimed at the them

Maybe it was a bit of an exaggeration, as my options are never 100% so the idea of looking into the future is a bit false. The System allows me to see simulated situations of what could happen a few seconds into the future, which I have to examine and act on. Using it every single second would drain my Mana like crazy, so most of the time I would leave it with its base function.

Another demerit the skill had is a need of focus. [Concentration] could be trained this way, but I do admit it is quite hard to cast spells and use this skill. Of course, my parallel minds can take care of the analyzing part for me.

Unfortunately for me, I told all my parallel minds not to participate.

Woah! I cried out as another krakens tentacle slammed in the direction that I was dodging towards, knocking me a bit back from the bone-shaking shockwave.

You rely too much on that [Foresight], Hestia. Your instincts are good so stop relying on the System, instead, trust your body and decision-making! the saurian mage scolded me while he started the cast of three additional spells.

Scheie!

Wind Blast, not knowing which spells he was about to cast, I cast a wind spell to push my body into the air, using [Air Walk] to hold myself up.

Using [Foresight], the System began overflowing my brain with information about two different futures, one showing me being caught as I waited for his spells to cast while I was able to avoid in the second by preemptively casting wind spells to maneuver myself in the air.

Using the information from this skill activation, I was able to learn that two of his spells were [Depths Call] to catch me with water tentacles and one was [Sapphire Membrane] to defend himself.

Damn, now I know how Saori and Tasianna felt when I had my parallel minds cast spells too. A mage with [Multi-Cast] is really tricky to fight against!

Tornado Bullet, I cast my only [Storm Magic] spell, shooting out an incredibly powerful, spiraling wind bullet at my opponent, sending me flying backwards due to the recoil, which felt like being blown back by a storms gale.

As I was flying backwards, I saw two blue magic circles appearing in the air before disappearing without getting cast, as the saurian mage evoked [Sapphire Membrane] to protect himself from my spell. Piercing through the water shield, the spell hit my opponent, shaving a few scales as he crashed onto the ground.

Using a few [Wind Blast]s to prevent me from flying out of the arena, I used another [Tornado Bullet] to propel myself forward like a rocket. Materializing a red-brown magic circle, I was ready to unleash it once I was above him.

Watch out, Mister Kushlekzar! Lava Ball, I called out, shooting out a huge ball of lava down.

After losing all my fire and inferno spells, I lost many of my extremely powerful spells. To fill in that void in my combat arsenal, I had to see if an element could emulate the amount of damage I once was able to do with inferno spells. From tests, Ive found two elements that could do it, and [Lava Magic] is one of them.

I personally never was a fan of lava spells as they require unbearably slow casting times compared to fire, despite having the same fire power. Now that I had no other choice, I needed to learn when to use them.

Scales still wet with water, my opponent, Mister Kushlekzar, raised his head up to eye me, I appreciate the warning, young scale, but never do that in a real battle! Oceans Blast, Sapphire Blade.

His water crashed against my lava, quickly cooling it down to solid rocks that were broken apart as a blade of water pierced right through them. Although I could prevent a direct hit by swaying my body around with wind spells, I couldnt avoid the hit completely. The water blades penetrated my [Draconic Barrier], slicing my thighs as blood leaked from them, before disappearing as white flames automatically appeared to heal them.

[Sapphires Debilitation(Minor)] inflicted on [Young Spark Inferno Dragon, Hestia Atsuko]

Sapphires Debilitation

A negative status effect that is caused by being hit by [Sapphire Blade]. Reduces Strength and Intelligence by 10%/25%/50% depending on the severity of the hit

Ahhh, fuck. The damage is nothing compared to how annoying this effect is. Debuffs suck!

Luckily, Mister Kushlekzar didnt come out of it unscarred either, not having enough time to block the hail of rocks completely with one of his defensive spells.

Oceans Healing, he cast as he stroked his plumage. Continue!

With that said, our magicians duel continued. I kept flying through the arena as if I was flying despite not having wings while Mister Kushlekzar held his ground like a boulder, focusing on counterattacks and protection as I kept my offensive.

Wind for movement and fast counters, earth for defense and disruptions, lightning for extremely fast attacks, and magma for slow but powerful spells. This was my current usage of spells now that fire was gone. This was one of the reasons for why I was doing these battles with Mister Kushlekzar.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

The other reason was for me to acquire [Multi-Cast] and train up [Concentration]. Mister Kushlekzar suggested we do these whenever I would have time, acting as training as this was the best way for me to achieve this goal. To make sure it was effective, he forced me to order my parallel minds not to interfere during the duel, as using my parallel minds didnt count towards the acquisition requirements it seems.

Of course, I could cheat but that couldnt happen with both Tasianna and Saori keeping an eye on my status board. And even then, why should I cheat in the first place when this is supposed to be training for me. Mister Kushlekzar didnt have to do this, after all.

Still, I do admit that fighting without [Parallel Thoughts] was initially hard to get into. As my teacher has [Multi-Cast], he was able to overwhelm me with multiple spells at once with ease. The only reason why I was keeping up was my flexibility with a wide range of spells.

The last reason was to quell [Battle Frenzy]. No use living among other people when I cant control my temper, right? These battles can get quite heated.

As our battle was reaching an equilibrium, my eyes suddenly eyed small glints in the air, swarming around in a trail leading to the back of Mister Kushlekzar.

Scale-dusts successfully placed!

Flying around the arena with [Air Walk] and my wind spells wasnt just cause I needed the movement advantage, but it was also for me to spread my scale-dusts. Normally, the correct way to do this would be to use my wings to spread the dust throughout the area but I couldnt as I had no wings in my current form.

Honestly, I was having major problems using it to its fullest potential during combat. Before my body morphed due to gaining the skills [Hellblade Dragon] and [Dreadflame Dragon], I could only spread my scale-dust with [Spark Flame Veil]. It felt like my body finally unlocked its fullest potential, you know.

Now, I just have to use it correctly. There has to be some use for it that I cant figure out yet. My magic was just better in general, but I dont want to forget it. It would feel like a waste.

Maybe I was forcing its usage a bit but experimenting during spars like these was exactly what I should be doing.

After I snapped my fingers, a spark appeared around my claws before a river of small explosions erupted into action, streaming without rest until it reached behind Mister Kushlek'zar. Conjuring up a wall of water, he blocked the fire from catching him but that left him vulnerable to my next attack.

Banishment Beam! I roared as a ray of holy light descended down onto Mister Kushlekzars barriers.

Now that I had [Venerated Saintess], my holy spells finally received the power boost that they desperately needed to become a good offensive element for me. Still, losing [Holy Amp] was annoying but it was just my luck that [Venerated Saintess] could grow in power, increasing the damage I can do the more I level it up.

The force of my spell was showing as Mister Kushlekzar had to reinforce his barrier with even more spells, neglecting offensive ones to support his defense.

Hes casting more protective spells! This is my chance. Come on, I should use [Blazing Twister] or maybe [Spiral Hellfire]. I know he can survive them sowait, I dont have those spells anymore

Wonderful! Ever since that bandit Quest, our duels have always been intense enough for me to be forced to take out my catalyst! You have shown this old scale your power, young scale, but its about time for me to end this, he announced as he took out a rosary from his robes. Feel the might of the oceans, Hestia!

From this point onwards, the battle only lasted for a few more seconds. His rosary was a magicians catalyst that not only improved his power but also his casting efficiency. He kept casting two spells to support his defense while conjuring two [Plesias Grasp] around me, forcing me to stop my spell cast and dodge.

Although I was getting used to this after consecutive losses against him, my inability to learn [Multi-Cast] to cast multiple spells at once meant that my momentum quickly faded into obscurity, before I was quickly apprehended by his spells.

I was knocked onto the ground before having my tail and legs pulled up by water tentacles.

Multiple acquisition requirements fulfilled. [Long-Range Spell Enhancement Lv. 1][Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 1] acquired

The birds, huh? Yeah, damn pest, Krim-Salk complained as he washed his tail with a damp cloth. Anyway, Kush wants to stay around a bit for your evolution and our wards arent ready just yet, so you dont have to fear anything during your evolution, young scale. Well keep watch with your companions.

So, do you mind sharing to us your evolution choices? Saori already gave us a rundown of how monsters evolve, Grazlahta answered in his usual stoic tone, taking a sun bath on a moist grass bed.

Sure.

Evolution

[Young Black-Wrath Dragon]

[Young Angel Dragon]

[Young Infernal Demon Dragon]

[Young Ragnarok Dragon]

[Young Lava Dragon]

[Young Magma Dragon]

[Young Volcano Dragon]

[Young Thunder Dragon]

[Young Arcane Corrupter Dragon]

[Young Dreadflame Dragon]

[Young Hellblade Dragon]

[Young Obsidian Blaze Dragon]

[Young Sunfang Dragon]

Young Infernal Demon Dragon

A unique dragon type that possesses the aura of divinity. A dragon that possess scales of pure heat, purging the sinners and criminals as the embodiment of the God of Fires will. Specializes in fire elemental attacks, while possessing scales that nullify all spells related to the fire element. A dragon created by the God of Fire, Danterno. Rank B

Young Ragnarok Dragon

An immature unique dragon type that symbolizes the will of rebellion. A walking profane dragon who has decided to defy the gods, possessing flames that would bring down even the mightiest of creatures. Rank B

Young Obsidian Blaze Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon or terra dragon created through the usurped power of a God of Dragons and God of Fire. With a body of jet-black scales, this dragon possesses the power to solidify its flames into a unique obsidian, hard and sharp enough to pierce through dragon-skin. Vulnerable in their immature state as their dragon flames have not reached its maximum potential. Rank B

Young Sunfang Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon or sacred dragon created through the usurped power of a God of Light and God of Fire. Burning like a miniature sun, these red scaled dragons possess power bodies and searing hot flames, able to both purify and destroy. A calm dragon that wishes to flaunt its imposing presence to dominate prey, instead of wasting its flames on them. Vulnerable in their immature state as they require obscene amounts of food to fuel their growing bodies. Rank B

Young Black-Wrath Dragon

A rare dragon-type that possess scales of pure darkness. A dragon with a short temper, whos rampage would send an entire city in ruins. Can shoot out a strong beam of concentrated black mana that eradicates anything in its path. Called a "Spawn of Kargryxmor". Rank B

Young Angel Dragon

A unique dragon type that possesses the aura of divinity. A dragon that possess serene feathers that makes this dragon look like an angel. Specializes in supportive magic and skills, while possessing scales that nullify all spells related to the holy element. A dragon created by the Goddess of Light, Aurena. Rank B

Young Lava Dragon

A young dragon that can only be found in the vicinity of extreme temperatures. It can feast on both flesh and minerals. Compared to a Magma Dragon, these dragons lack the ability to deftly traverse through pools of molten rock. Rank B

Young Magma Dragon

An immature lava dragon that possesses a body equipped to traverse the searing hot sea of a volcano. Compared to their cousins, these dragons are magquatic, perfectly able to maneuver through molten rock. Rank B

Young Volcano Dragon

An immature lord of molten flames and the leader of both lava and magma dragons, that has not even touched its immense potential yet. This superior dragon swaggers through its obsidian realm in the depths of the earth, ruling over their molten domain with ruthless aggression. Either on land or magma, this behemoth of a creature will chase off any intruders with its titanic body and piercing lava beams, while being invulnerable to most weaponry with its harder-than-metal scales. Rank B

Young Thunder Dragon

Soaring through the sky like a thunderbolt, these immature dogmatic fighters of the sky will shoot any wannabe challenger down in a heartbeat. Whether with talons or arcane thunder, these dragons are masters of blitzing down others just like their wind elemental cousins. Rank B

Young Arcane Corrupter Dragon

A young, mutant Mana Dragon that spreads corrupted mana in its surroundings. Its whole body is composed of mana, instead of flesh and blood, so it can only die if its mana expires. Instead of pure mana, its body is composed of arcane corrupted mana, thick enough to materialize into anything it wants. Cannot use spells. Rank B

Young Dreadflame Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon who rules the sky with powerful wings, shimmering with an intense crimson red. Soaring through the skies while turning the ground under it into ash and ruins, these wrathful predators will descend on anything to reap its offering from the land. They are most vulnerable in their immature state, not having the strength to carry their fearsome body to the skies. Rank B

Young Hellblade Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon with a hell blaze core protected by an armor of scales and razor-sharp blades. Wielding its blade-like tail like a massive greatsword, these ferocious brutes can turn any defense into little more than crumbled remains as they relish in their impending victory. Any challenger should also be wary of the mineral dust that these dragons can send into the air using their special claws and tails, as even a little spark will cause a hellfire of devastation. Vulnerable in their immature state due to their weaker scales. Rank B

Two choices, [Young Mana Dragon] and [Young Noxious Blight Dragon], were removed but I wasnt considering them at this point anymore. The new options are pretty good, I think, I responded with a small smile.

Have you decided? I personally would recommend you take one of the Gods chosen dragons, despite your grievances with them, Mister Kushlekzar suggested with a frown. I will not preach to you, I consider it more important that you choose your own path. I will, however, warn you that defying the gods isnt a smart choice, Hestia. You should consider it an honor.

I understand what you are saying, Priest Kushlekzar, Tasianna suddenly responded with a firm gaze. however, my mistress will follow down the path that she considers best. I will follow her and defend her choice, no matter what happened.

Dont take it too seriously, Tasianna, Grazlahta interjected himself into the discussion. You lasses arent defying Goddess Plesia or Xohulotel, so we have no right to speak up. However, gaining the ire of a god is irrational. Considering what happened to you at the bandit camp, Hestia, you should be aware that divine punishment can happen whenever.

I looked at them with exasperation as I responded, Guys, its not like Im actually doing this usurping stuff on purpose. Maybe I did actively defy Danternos control, but I never did it to Aurenas or Kargryxmors. Nevertheless, Tasianna is right. If I am to evolve, then I will be seeking the best option.

After looking through the SP shop, Ive accepted that finding a unique or special skill that could influence my evolution options was hard. There was also the case that my SP was low now, and I didnt have enough to do anything substantial.

Chill, though, I only thought today was a good chance to evolve, not that I will evolve now. We have a birdy problem, after all, I uttered before looking at my wolfkin friend. Saori.

She nodded before disappearing into her shadows with a, Sure. We waited at the spot for a moment, enjoying our tea and lunch as we awaited Saoris swift return. Eventually, Saori walked back into sight, dragging along four tied up men with her mana strings.

After I dispelled my [Air Shield], she threw them before us, speaking with red mist emitting from her blood-red eyes, Four spies like always. They have been observing you saurians for a week now, but they have not gotten better with concealing their presences. Should I also bring the ones from the village, Hestia?

Nah, dont bother, I replied with a dismissing hand wave, before forming a smile as I greeted the captured men. Now, how may I help Lord Helvas, gentlemen?