章 24: Chapter 24: the Unexpected Result
"Your sword skills are bad, but you're still able to keep up with me. However, you seem to be in a hurry. Let me guess? The strength that you seem to borrow doesn't last long, does it?"
Amidst the clash of their swords, Arze managed to gain a lot of clues. He was clear that Raven was trying to kill him as soon as possible, and the more the outcome of the battle was delayed, the more impatient he became.
As he anticipated, Raven found himself racing against time. With a mere six seconds to go, he could sense his strength slipping away rapidly.
Unfortunately, no matter what he tried, Raven couldn't easily overcome the gap in skills between him and Arze.
Arze was not only strong, but his footsteps were also complex. Not only that, but he also appeared to be trained in the way of the sword. On top of that, he was also covered in High Tier items.
Fortunately Arze seemed to care a lot about honor... At least his younger self. Even though he knew that he could easily win the battle if he dragged the battle, his honor didn't allow that.
He didn't retreat or create distance from Raven. If anything, his attacks only grew stronger with each passing second.
....
"I'm surprised he even managed to come this far. This is worth being proud of," the Merchant commented, as if he already knew the outcome of the battle.
Raven had actually surpassed all his expectations by now. However, there were some things that couldn't be achieved, no matter how hard one tried.
He further continued, "As for defeating Arze... Impossible. That guy was a monster even when he was in the Bloodline Trial. No one was even close to reaching his level. He was like a deity standing above everyone else."
"It looks like you remember him too well," the Guardian of the Bloodline Trial shook his head lightly. "Then again, he was your best customer at that time. Other than Raven, I don't think anyone spent as much as he did in the Bloodline Trials..."
"His personality used to be so nice when he was in the Bloodline Trial. Unfortunately, as soon as he received his Bloodline and started getting the attention of the gods, he changed so much... Then again, who doesn't change? It's the same for everyone." The Merchant laughed.
"I remember a person who didn't change..." The Guardian said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
"Are you talking about him?" The Merchant let out a sigh, realizing who the Guardian was talking about. "That poor guy... He barely bought a low tier sword from me. I didn't expect him to achieve anything in life, yet he proved me wrong. I still can't believe what he managed to achieve."
" The Ninth King... the stingiest person I ever met. Also the most incredible person I ever saw." He deeply sighed. "Unfortunately, now that he's dead, people will soon be forgetting about him.'
"I have a feeling that no one will be forgetting him anytime soon..." The Guardian said, gazing at the platform. The battle didn't have any end at sight.
The entire platform was being destroyed slowly, thanks to the battle, as if I wasn't created to bear damage of this level.
"Looks like we already have the result."
"Hmm? It doesn't look like anyone's losing yet. Why do you say the result is out?" the Merchant asked, cautiously.
However, to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, a loud explosion was heard on the platform.
Both the players were pushed back right to the edge of the platform.
As Raven coughed up blood from his mouth, Arze also had bleeding lips.
As the duo prepared to strike with their weapons, the platform suddenly crumbled beneath them, as though it had sustained more damage than anticipated.
The platform suddenly broke into pieces, causing Raven to reappear on the stairs. At the same time, Arze began to slowly fade away.
"What a pity, we couldn't finish our battle... This will always be my regret." Arze placed his sword on his back as his entire body turned blurry.
Since the entire platform broke apart, there was no result for the last battle. It was a draw.
Raven watched as Arze vanished into the distance, his hand clenched tightly around his sword. Despite putting forth all of his effort, he was unable to defeat Arze, leaving him in disbelief.
If anything, he knew that he had avoided a clear defeat. If the battle went on for longer and the platform wasn't destroyed, it would've been his loss.
As soon as Arze disappeared, Raven appeared on the ground. However, at the same time, the time for his Berserker Skill also ran out.
His stamina hit zero. His body lost all his strength as he fell on the ground, unable to move even a single finger.
"I'm pathetic..." Raven spoke, looking back at the sky, lying on the ground on his back.
Even with his Sword, and all his treasures, he couldn't defeat Arze. It was as if the gap between them was just too big. Even though he didn't want to accept that, he knew that he needed more strength.
While Raven was cursing himself for losing to his brother's killer in the same stage, a screen appeared above him.
[Congratulations on achieving a Record in the Second Hidden Trial]
[You've been granted Extra Achievement]
[You've received a new title: Undefeated Warrior]
[Level +1]
[Level +1]
[Level +1]
[Level +1]
[Level +1]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Undefeated Warrior
Achievement Criteria: Remaining Undefeated in the Hidden Arena until the end
Strength +10
Speed +10
Stamina Recovery: +20 Percent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Would you like to equip the Title?]
[Yes] [No]
Raven couldn't even move his fingers to tap. Fortunately, he could still speak his choice.
"Yes."
[You've Equipped the title 'Undefeated Warrior']
[The effects of the title have been activated. You can only keep one Title Equipped at a Time]
As soon as Raven equipped the title, he finally felt some strength returning to his body. Even though it was still in pain, he was able to move a little.
Another notification appeared before him, not long after.
{Passive Skill Limitless has been Activated}
{Limits of the Title has been removed}
{You can equip multiple possessed titles at the same time}
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