Chapter 130
Swish, bang! Bang!
“Ouch! Dammit, argh!”
Josh gritted his teeth and forced his trembling arms to move, swinging his spear. However, he lacked the power, skill, and speed needed to match the statue of Jeremiah.
Scrape, crash.
Josh’s body slid back, unable to withstand the force of the statue’s downward strike, and he tumbled to the ground.
“Haha, what a sight.”
Hearing laughter from the expressionless statue was unsettling.
“Damn it. It’s not over yet, ugh!”
Josh struggled to get up, but the shaft of the spear struck his chest, pushing him back. Once again, he slid to the edge of the training ground, blood trickling from his mouth.
“Kid, you’ve got spirit and good adaptability for your age, but you still lack skill. This is as far as you go.”
With that, the statue’s words finished, and Josh was naturally expelled from the training ground. The statue then returned to its original position and closed its eyes.
“Damn it.”
Josh expressed his frustration, but his body was in no condition to continue fighting.
“Sir Josh, you did well. Drink this and take a rest.”
Raul handed Josh a high-grade potion. Josh carefully took the potion, bending his knees and accepting it with both hands.
“I’m embarrassed to have shown such a poor performance. I feel like I have tarnished your honor, Master.”
Josh’s expression was one of deep frustration as he spoke. Well, considering the statue was an aura-wielding monster, it had gone easy on him, and still, he had taken a beating for over ten minutes.
Yet Raul wasn’t disappointed; in fact, he was somewhat surprised.
‘To think he lasted over ten minutes. In my previous life, I couldn’t even hold out for one minute before being expelled…’
Of course, back then he had only just reached the rank of expert and was using a mediocre C-rank common spear technique.
However, he had never heard of any spear-wielding player who lasted over five minutes even after that, confirming Josh’s grit and talent once more.
‘Alright, it’s my turn now.’
Raul pulled his spear from his inventory and stepped onto the training ground. The eyes of the Jeremiah statue flashed open, and the aura from its spear surged.
At the same time, a system message appeared before Raul’s eyes. Confirming the challenger’s spear technique and skill proficiency.
『Rivera Spear Technique (B)』, proficiency at Intermediate Level 8 confirmed.
The rank of the forced quest 『Jeremiah’s Trial』 is set to B.
‘B-rank. Not bad.’
In his previous life, the rank had been a daunting S, with warning messages continuously flashing about inadequate qualifications. Despite being ready to face death, he had barely lasted a minute even using all his psychokinetic tricks.
But this time, things were different from the outset.
“Ho, from which household’s knight are you? You have quite a commendable presence.”
Even the statue’s lines had changed. Last time, it hadn’t even spoken before thoroughly beating him.
Thud.
Raul pointed his spear at Jeremiah and shouted, “Raul of Count Ashton’s house. I seek guidance from a senior.”
“Heh, a spirited youngster. Come at me!”
Swish!
Raul’s spear spun rapidly in his hands, cutting through the air and flying toward Jeremiah.
Thunk, thud! Thunk!
Jeremiah effortlessly defended with one hand, blocking Raul’s strikes. However, the sound of their clashing spears filled the training ground as Raul’s continuous attacks ensued.
“Good! Your fundamentals are solid. Now that I’m warmed up, let’s get serious!”
A blue mana spear extended from Jeremiah’s weapon. Not to be outdone, Raul summoned a golden mana spear.
Bang! Boom!!
A deafening explosion reverberated, scattering shards of mana across the training ground. Remarkably, Raul evenly matched Jeremiah’s statue in their fierce battle. In fact, Raul seemed to be slowly gaining the upper hand.
“As expected of the Master! To hold his own against such a monster in an even match!”
Josh loudly praised Raul’s skill, as if it was only natural, while Ken marveled at Raul’s spear techniques and couldn’t take her eyes off the spear techniques displayed by the Jeremiah statue.
‘It’s clear. Though slightly different from our family’s spear techniques, it’s unmistakably related.’
Despite the passage of time and the evolution of the spear techniques, the core principles remained unchanged. Ken’s heart swelled as she watched the perfect execution of her family’s spear techniques.
The duel continued for about five minutes. Suddenly, Raul’s spear techniques changed.
‘What’s this?’
Ken’s eyes widened. The trajectory, flow, and power of Raul’s thrusts—it was a spear technique she had seen often.
‘That’s our family’s spear technique!’
The spear technique Raul had begun to demonstrate was none other than the Greer Marquis family’s own 『Fury Wave』, also known as the Wave Spear of Fury.
***
‘Phew. I managed to copy it, but it’s still far from perfect.’
Raul had used his Copycat skill to steal the 『Beginner Fury Wave (B+)』 spear technique. However, instantly mimicking an advanced spear technique wasn’t easy, and it only reached a B+ level.
“Ho. Are you trying to mimic my spear technique just by watching? You managed to do that in such a short time?”
The Jeremiah statue spoke with interest as it thrust its spear. Raul blocked the attack using the mechanics of the stolen Fury Wave.
“Heh. You’re just posturing, young one. Let me show you how dangerous it is to poorly imitate a spear technique!”
The statue’s demeanor changed drastically. A system message appeared before Raul’s eyes.
-『Jeremiah’s Trial』 quest has been upgraded to A-rank. Proceed with caution.
The spear techniques that followed were harsh and destructive, as if the previous moves had been mere play.
‘Is this the essence of 『Fury Wave』?’
A wave of rotating spear energy came at him like an unrelenting tide. Raul maximized his analysis and Copycat skills, analyzing the incoming techniques and countering with his spear.
Boom! Crash!
It seemed like he would be overwhelmed instantly, but Raul surprisingly held his ground. While the pure power and technical aspects of Jeremiah’s spear techniques were overwhelming, Raul’s radiant aura and psychokinetic enhancements compensated for those shortcomings.
As time passed, Raul’s spear techniques gradually absorbed and adapted to Jeremiah’s skills. After about ten minutes of intense fighting, Jeremiah momentarily surged with power, pushing Raul back, and then laughed heartily.
“Haha, what devilish talent! To replicate an opponent’s techniques merely by witnessing and experiencing them. Had we lived in the same era, you would have been a worthy rival. Fine then. For you, I shall show the true essence of my spear techniques. Survive this and make it yours!”
Rumbling.
It felt as though the entire atmosphere of the training ground was vibrating. Before Raul’s eyes, a red system message flashed a dire warning.
Warning! Warning!
Quest difficulty has been forcibly adjusted to S-Grade. This is an extremely dangerous situation. It is recommended to abandon the quest. However, Raul smiled, welcoming the challenge.
‘To give up now on an opportunity that may never come again? That’s impossible.’
And it wasn’t as if he had no means of coping with it. Without hesitation, Raul infused mana into his belt to activate his power armor, then summoned Regnator.
「You’re fighting quite a dangerous opponent.」
Raul’s master, Caldenas, remarked while observing Jeremiah’s statue.
「Do you know him?」
「Of course. He was a close younger colleague. I guess he had a lot of lingering attachments to have left such a place behind.」
Caldenas, who had helped establish the martial techniques of many prestigious noble families in the kingdom, seemed well-acquainted with the founder of the Greer family.
‘If it weren’t for the Prohibition, I could have learned more about Connect’s past.’
Caldenas had lived even before the founding of the Ruben Kingdom.
Though Raul had hoped to glean many helpful insights from him, Caldenas could only share information that was already widely known. Anything else was blocked by the prohibition.
「You do have considerable talent. Experiencing various martial arts is necessary for reaching the highest level, so I won’t say much more, but always remember that excessive ambition can lead to ruin.」
As Raul took his stance and infused mana into his spear, the Jeremiah statue began to move in earnest.
「Taking it head-on is still too much for you. Use your Power Armor’s amplified mana spear to keep his spear in check while focusing mainly on dodging!」
It was only natural that a mana spear couldn’t match a master’s aura spear. Following Caldenas’s advice, Raul adopted a highly defensive approach. Though the aura’s power was immense, fortunately, the Jeremiah statue’s movements were not as swift as expected.
‘As I thought, a puppet can’t perfectly replicate the movements of a true master.’
If it had been the real master, his physical power would have been amplified as well, and even Raul wouldn’t have been able to dodge successfully.
In terms of physical capabilities, Raul, with his Power Armor, psychokinesis, and buffs, managed to hold his own against the Jeremiah statue. Combined with Caldenas’s guidance, the battle dragged on without a clear victor.
“Huff. Huff.”
Catching his breath, Raul observed the Jeremiah statue.
The aura spear that had been extending from the statue had disappeared, and the statue stood still, its spear resting on the ground.
“I acknowledge your prowess. This body can no longer face you. May the lessons you’ve gained from our battle today aid you in your future endeavors.”
Speaking in a more respectful tone, the Jeremiah statue lightly punched his chest in a gesture of respect before returning to its original position and closing its eyes.
The forced quest 『Jeremiah’s Trial』 has been completed.
You have received the following rewards:
『Mansion Storage Key A』,
『Title – One Acknowledged by Jeremiah (S)』,
50,000 Player Coins,
and a significant amount of experience points.
Level up! 85 =』 87LV
‘Phew, I did it.’
Despite facing a master-level opponent, Raul had managed to hold his ground. Not only did he receive ample rewards, but he also achieved his primary goal of acquiring the Greer Marquis family’s spear techniques.
After pushing the Copycat skill to its limits, he finally obtained 『Fury Wave (A+)』 with a bonus proficiency level of Intermediate 3.
Additionally, although not mentioned in the notifications, he earned a ‘Title’ reward that had been activated since the start of the open beta service.
『Title – One Acknowledged by Jeremiah』
Grade: S
Effects: +20% power to spear-related skills, +20% proficiency gain for spear-related skills, +10% proficiency gain for all skills up to master level.
Titles obtained from ancient dungeons or special quests had passive effects that were applied automatically just by possessing them.
Though hard to obtain and limited in number, they provided extraordinary benefits. Raul felt pleased with the unexpected rewards but knew it was not yet time to be satisfied.
His true objective wasn’t Jeremiah.
“Sir Ken, it’s your turn now. Go and obtain everything you can.”
Ken, who had been enthralled by Raul’s battle, snapped back to reality at his words.
‘The Master is a true genius. To perfectly replicate our family’s spear technique in such a short time.’
She didn’t understand how it was possible, but seeing it firsthand, she had no choice but to acknowledge it.
‘I can’t lose either.’
If Raul, an outsider, could master her family’s spear technique so well, it would be shameful if she, who had trained her whole life, couldn’t do better.
“I will do my best!”
Steeling herself, Ken stepped onto the training ground. Meanwhile, Raul, after taking a moment to catch his breath, turned his attention to the other training ground.
Zeinak.
The master of psycokinetic abilities awaited him.
(To be continued)
TL’s Corner:
Copycat is an insane ability. And I like how the author nerfed it by having Raul have limited skill slots.