บท 306: 307. The Golden-Furred Beast.
"Bang!"
After all, it was just a wooden fence marking the boundary of the training ground, so it stood no chance of stopping Aristo as he crashed into it, ripping it out of the ground and hurling it right at Vesemir.
Caught completely off guard, Vesemir's surprised gaze widened as he was struck by the fence along with Aristo, sending them both slamming into the fortress wall at the edge of the training grounds.
Truth be told, Aristo's flight speed was rapid, but he was still far enough from Vesemir that they had locked eyes. Vesemir certainly had enough time to dodge. However, evading in front of all the apprentices would be a bit undignified.
Besides, given Aristo's level of skill, this was merely training, not a life-or-death battle, and he hadn't lost consciousness. He should've been able to regain his balance in midair soon enough.
This was a basic skill for a witcher. After all, if one encountered a swift vampire, you'd be left defenseless if you couldn't stabilize after being knocked away. So, Vesemir, hands clasped behind his back, kept a mysterious, composed expression, watching as Aristo flew at him, smashed through the fence, and rapidly approached.
It was only when Vesemir realized something was wrong that it was too late.
"Bang!"
The impact wave shattered the Quen sign Vesemir reflexively cast, cutting off his evasive move before he could fully react. Before he could adjust his stance, Aristo's body struck him directly, launching him into the air.
"Thud!"
It was like the tolling of a heavy bell as he crashed into the solid wall, the impact splitting into two resounding thuds as both Vesemir and Aristo hit the ground.
"Ugh... cough..."
Clearing the bits of shattered wood from his clothes, Vesemir stood up, dusting off his shoulders. Aristo, still on the ground, appeared lost in thought, his gaze vacant and brows furrowed, as if contemplating something.
Fortunately, the constitution of master witchers was resilient enough that even without Quen protection, they could withstand a collision like this. An average person, or any of the apprentices nearby, would've likely broken a few bones.
Just then…
"Aristo… Master Aristo was sent flying!"
The sound of hurried footsteps and an astonished shout from an apprentice echoed through the training ground.
Immediately, murmurs of surprise spread among the crowd. The apprentices, too weak to follow the action in detail, exchanged looks of disbelief.
"So… did Allen... Captain Allen win?"
"Of course! You guys don't know Captain's skills yet, but when I heard him say 'Time for me to get serious,' I knew this duel was in the bag!"
"Absolutely! Downer essence, mountain trials, new signs, potions… Captain's never let us down before..."
Seizing the moment, apprentices Erni and Claral enthusiastically praised Allen, bolstering morale.
This reassured Vesemir, who had just stood up, but it wasn't long before the apprentices' interpretation of events took an unexpected turn.
"Not just Master Aristo—Captain Allen even took down Master Vesemir…"
"Yes! I saw it too. Master Vesemir got knocked into the wall by Captain Allen. I didn't think Captain was strong enough to take on two masters at once—both of whom are decades older!"
"Uh... does that really count? Master Vesemir wasn't exactly in the duel…"
"But Master Vesemir did get knocked away, and it was all due to the battle's shockwave..."
"Shh! Keep it down; the masters have sharp hearing..."
A hush fell over the crowd.
It was true; the masters did indeed have very sharp senses. Vesemir's darkened expression clearly reflected that. But he wasn't about to get into it with a few apprentices; instead, he looked down at Aristo, who still seemed lost in thought after his defeat, and extended a hand to pull him up: "Did you do that on purpose?"
"You had a chance to regain your footing and stand up with dignity, yet you just had to drag me down with you to share the embarrassment?"
Aristo blinked, finally snapping out of his reverie. He glanced at Vesemir, saying nothing, then turned his gaze toward the center of the training grounds.
The dust cloud there still hadn't settled.
He wondered why Allen hadn't yet dispelled it with an Aard sign or simply walked out, despite clearly winning.
"Did that last move he used against me have some kind of drawback?"
Recalling the unsettling red glow in Allen's sapphire-like cat eyes, Aristo pondered.
But what was that?
A beast, larger than a dragon, with golden fur and an overpowering, chilling aura…
What kind of creature was that? He had never seen anything like it before.
Reviewing the various monsters he had slain, Aristo was confident it wasn't something he'd encountered.
Neither the northern lands nor any record in the world's history described such a creature.
Could it be a new beast Vesemir had encountered on his recent journey down from the mountains?
As a rare witcher master who treated monster-hunting as a cherished hobby, viewing the pursuit of rare, mighty creatures as a badge of honor, Aristo momentarily forgot about his recent defeat.
Now, he was consumed by one thought—what was the name of that majestic, terrifying creature he had just seen?
Where could it be found?
What would he need to prepare to hunt it?
Had it not been for the extinction of many powerful creatures he once hunted, the disappearance of dragons, and the depletion of rare beasts across the continent, Aristo would never have accepted the task of overseeing apprentices for the past half-year.
Aristo turned to Vesemir, intending to ask him a few things.
After all, even if he didn't understand how Allen had learned—or developed—a spell that could simulate a monstrous illusion, it was clear that Allen's last move was closely tied to that apparition. And Vesemir, who had been by Allen's side throughout this journey, would surely have some insights.
But before Aristo could speak, Vesemir withdrew his gaze from the training grounds and looked at him, curious:
"How did you lose?"
Aristo's face darkened instantly, his brows knitting.
Vesemir could be so insufferable sometimes…
But he could understand the question, considering the brief duration of the fight with Allen, especially the moments where smoke obscured everything.
No matter how keen a witcher's senses, they couldn't see through smoke.
But…
Just as Aristo began to patiently recount the events to Vesemir, he realized something…
He… he didn't even know how he lost…
The spinning slash was just about to connect when it was mysteriously deflected; then that unexplained pressure and illusion appeared, followed by an unexpected strike that bypassed his senses and hit from behind…
The more Aristo recalled the fight, the darker his expression grew. Losing was one thing, but not even knowing how he'd been defeated…
That was true humiliation.
What made it worse was the realization that came to him.
How could Vesemir, who had been following Allen, not know how he lost?
The illusion of the golden-haired beast and that ferocious, furious roar were so obvious.
He had done it on purpose.
That damnable brat who used to wet his bed was showing off, flaunting his monster of an apprentice.
"Hmph," Aristo snorted coldly, giving Vesemir a glare before deciding not to ask him about the golden-haired beast. Dusting off his clothes, he began walking back toward the training ground.
Vesemir watched Aristo's retreating figure, scratching his head with a puzzled look and muttering to himself, "Just because he lost five aged wine, he didn't have to act so offended."
Aristo's sharp senses caught the comment, and he stomped a little harder with each step.
------------------------------
Meanwhile.
Inside the cloud of dust still settling over the training ground, a figure was bent over, breathing heavily with his face covered by the inner lining of his leather armor. Finally, he straightened up.
"The weakness from 'Beast Roar: Berserk' is outrageous…" Allen exhaled.
This was his first time using "Beast Roar: Berserk," though he had previously used other roaring abilities.
When he first obtained the precursor skill "Battle Roar: Berserk," he had tested it out. But compared to the aftereffects today, it was practically a different skill.
With Battle Roar, he could use it for nearly ten minutes, and afterward, he only felt fatigued, as if he had run a kilometer as an ordinary human in his previous life.
Exhausted and weak, his limbs ached, his strength was drained, but if he was in real danger, he could still squeeze out enough energy to fight. And using a drowner heart essence that restores stamina could mitigate the time and effects of that weakness.
But Beast Roar was a different story.
Completely different.
This time, he'd been in Berserk for only ten seconds, yet once he stopped, he felt as if he'd died and been pulled back from the Styx. As soon as Berserk mode ended, every muscle and tendon throughout his body spasmed wildly, his vision went black, and he nearly lost consciousness for several seconds.
It was like taking a mortal wound.
In that state, not to mention fighting; even standing upright was nearly impossible.
After catching his breath, Allen mentally opened his monster-hunter log.
[ Name: Allen ]
[ Health: 70%, Stamina: 24/650, Mana: 520/730 ]
[ Attributes: Strength 61, Agility 60, Constitution 65, Perception 68, Mystery 73 ]
Just as he thought! Not only was his stamina completely depleted, but his health and mana had dropped by 30%.
"Damn, it's a good thing I sensed danger coming. If I had kept it going for another twenty seconds, I would've died on the spot…"
Allen muttered a curse under his breath.
But to be fair, the positive effects of "Beast Roar: Berserk" were just as powerful as its negative consequences.
He had only managed to utter two of the three syllables, and even then, he had been careful to hold back a bit, yet it still allowed him to crush Aristo, who he could barely fend off moments before.
In hindsight, the sensation of raw power flooding his entire body had increased his overall combat ability at least fourfold.
Even an unintended defensive effect that wasn't listed on his skill interface had been astonishingly useful.
Ordinarily, with Battle Roar, he could only push his enemy back. But with Beast Roar, he had been able to repel a battle-hardened master Witcher like Aristo. It was almost like a more powerful version of the Aard sign.
All in all, Allen was thoroughly impressed by "Beast Roar: Berserk," even if it was risky.
"Too bad I can't use experience gems to level up the Beast Roar skill. I have to practice controlling its duration and power myself…"
"And without levels, who knows how to extend the Berserk state…"
"Wait…" Allen suddenly recalled that "Beast Roar: Berserk" also had a passive state that could slowly increase his Strength, Agility, and Constitution.
He had tested it the morning he acquired the skill but had not yet used it fully, given his rush to return to Kaer Morhen. He also hadn't expected Beast Roar to be this incredible. The Battle Roar skill had only improved combat effectiveness by around 50%. Otherwise, he would have trained more thoroughly.
"Maybe using the passive effect over time will increase Berserk's duration," he speculated.
Sadly…
As the dust began to settle, the scene outside the training ground came into view again.
This wasn't the time to be practicing new skills.
Footsteps and the chatter of apprentices were drawing closer.
When Allen recognized the approaching figures, he remembered he had something else to deal with.
On his second day back at Kaer Morhen, he'd managed to embarrass the deputy leader of the Witcher Corps—a man who had painstakingly trained his apprentices for six months—in front of everyone.
That might… have been a little too much.
Realizing this, Allen quickly picked up his pace.
When he emerged from the dust cloud, he saw Aristo's dark expression, his footsteps heavy and resolute as he approached.
Uh-oh…
Allen felt his stomach twist.
Knocking down a Witcher of Aristo's stature, someone highly respected in the Order, in front of all the apprentices was indeed a bit excessive. But he hadn't really had a choice.
When he used "Beast Roar: Berserk," his body's strength had surged so drastically that he'd had to restrain himself from unleashing even more power.
Breaking through Aristo's Quen sign without launching him even further was actually a feat of restraint. Still, an apology was in order.
After considering his words carefully, Allen walked over quickly and, with sincerity, said: "Apologies, Master Aristo…"
"No need!" Aristo cut him off, raising his hand.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then asked: "Allen… that golden-haired beast just now—what kind of creature was that?"
.....
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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308. Surviving Together.
309. "I'm Your Elder, Can You Trust Me a Bit More?"
310. Lone Wolf's Death, Birth of the Pack.
311.How a Magical Lady Should Cleverly "Charm" a Handsome Gentleman.
312. Allen, Do You Want to Know Who Your Parents Are?
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