Chapter 65

It's been a while since we had Rad's perspective.

---I feel like I'm about to break...

I sighed at the shattered magatama around my neck and, with weak steps, returned to the central room. I picked up another magatama, the number of which I couldn't even count anymore, and stumbled back toward the trial.

As I trudged toward the first trial,

"…So, how's this?"

"As usual, Brother's Arts are not just amazing, they're creepy."

"You… I was going to teach you a special combo that follows this, but I guess you don't need it."

"That was a sincere compliment. I feel offended. I think Brother should have a broader heart and…"

The sounds of Lex and Recilia training happily behind me only made me feel more miserable.

(Damn, they're so cozy…! That brother and sister are way too close!)

I suppressed the resentment that was about to well up and stepped into the first trial. As the first stone statue began to move, landing with a thud, I braced my left hand with the shield.

At first, when I saw Lex clash swords with the stone knights, my blood boiled, and I charged in with enthusiasm, thinking, "I'll fight like that!" But I lost in an instant.

Even so, I kept going back to the first room, picked up a new magatama, and charged again, only to have it shattered by the knight's attack, and each time, Recilia looked at me as if I were trash… I repeated this about ten times before I finally realized.

---I can't fight this guy with my current skills.

It's easy to say, "I'll counter Arts with Arts," but of course, it's not that simple.

You have to predict the enemy's attack trajectory from their wind-up, then instantly choose the appropriate Arts and counter it.

But often, using regular Arts won't work.

Especially when the stone statue raises a halberd from above, there are few existing Arts that can interfere with a top-down slash. For example, if you use a regular <V Slash> to counter a top-down slash, the halberd will pass right through the middle of the V and hit my head.

So in that case, it would be better to adjust the <V Slash> to a diagonal angle to intersect with the enemy's slash, but I had only practiced manually activating Arts and hadn't tried adjusting the angle much.

In the training ground, if I had time to visualize and release it at my own pace, I could manage it to some extent, but it was impossible to calculate the trajectory and release an adjusted Arts in the short time before the enemy's attack.

Moreover, even if I succeeded once or twice by chance, I couldn't use the same Arts consecutively for a while. The more I defended, the fewer options I had.

(Frustrating, but I don't have the skill to fight these guys head-on yet.)

After realizing this, I abandoned my pride and switched to a strategy of running past the stone knight and reaching the pedestal.

However, their halberds have a wide attack range and quick reactions. I couldn't avoid the halberd when trying to run past, and even if I used Arts to deflect it and tried to advance, I would get hit in the back and be forced to retire. I would return to the central room to retrieve a new magatama, only to be looked at like a stray goblin by Recilia, which had been the pattern for the past few attempts.

But there was a glimmer of hope in my last challenge.

Indeed, I can't match Lex in Arts skill.

But I have something he doesn't: a shield.

(Sure, I can't use a guard against these guys. But...)

I gradually increased my speed and approached the waiting stone knight, who drew his spear.

---A thrust from the right!

Grasping the fortune of the easiest attack to parry, I lunged at the spear,

---Parry!

At the crucial moment, I swung my shield to deflect the spear. The spear and shield locked for a moment, sparks flying.

But the balance was only for an instant.

The stone knight's spear was deflected, and it lost its balance.

"Yes!"

This parry was my answer.

The timing to strike with the shield is strict, but if successful, it can disrupt the enemy's stance for a bit longer than when countering with Arts. However, this doesn't mean I can relax.

I continued running past the knight's side without stopping the momentum of my shield swing.

A "Whoosh!" sound of something slicing the air behind me made me shudder, but I managed to put some distance between us.

(Run! Keep running!)

I urged myself.

There are two stone knights.

If I get caught between them, I have no chance, so I have to decide the fight before the second one catches up.

---Thud!

The second knight landed in front of me.

(This is the decisive moment!)

The last time, I tried to run past this one during its landing, but got hit in the back. The time before that, I stopped to parry and then advance, but got impaled by the first knight from behind.

(I can't ignore it, and I can't stop. Then…!)

I had to satisfy both the need to stop and move quickly.

I discarded my left-hand shield and grabbed the magatama hanging from my chest.

"Get out of the way!"

With a shout, I unleashed the only Arts I can manually activate, <Piercing Wave>, which has a knockback effect. I blew the stone knight away as it landed, and I slipped into the gap created.

The knockback effect only lasted a moment.

I could sense the knight behind me regaining its balance and raising its spear.

(I have to make it in time!)

But just before the stone knight's spear caught me, my outstretched left hand held the magatama up to the pedestal's light.

---The magatama glowed.

When the light faded, one of the two black holes in the magatama was filled with a bright light.

"Did I… do it?"

I cautiously turned around, and the stone knight that was about to impale me froze.

I watched in tense silence as it turned around and returned to its position, becoming a motionless statue again.

"Ha, ha… I did it!"

Only then did I realize I had won. I waved the glowing magatama and ran back to the first room.

"Teacher…! I finally did it! I cleared the first trial!!"

Lex, who had been staring at me in surprise, finally smiled.

"Good job, Rad. So…"

He pointed to the opposite side of the first trial, a corridor with almost the same layout as the <First Trial>...

"---Next, there are four. Good luck."

At the same time, as if reading the air, the two stone statues of the <Second Trial> began to move and landed with a thud.

I mentioned this before, but if you notice something about this work, please don't write it in the comments if you can help it!

I don't hide the foreshadowing much, so if you have a realization, it's probably correct!

If you can't help it, just say something like, "I might have noticed something amazing (grin)" and keep the specifics vague, or write them somewhere other than the comments. I'd really appreciate it!