Keeping an eye out using my clone, I could still see no sign of the three commanders. Shadow Clone wasn’t meant for prolonged usage during combat. It was meant for explosive force at a prodigious expenditure of mana. Maintaining it drained a small amount of mana, and though it was well within the range of my mana regeneration rate, once I threw spells around my pool was sure to shrink rapidly. Even with my staggering mana pool of 6,000, I’d have to act conservatively.
I stepped into the arena.
I was once again wearing my mithril vest and grasping my Demon Staff. There was not much point in keeping up the charade. I would either win and become Akzar’s ruler or lose and simply slip away. Either way, there was no real personal danger. But everything else – the future of my clan, not to mention my daughter – depended on the outcome of these battles.
The arena itself was different than I’d remembered. The ground was broken, filled with small ramps and sloping platforms. A gentle breeze blew through, breaking on the uneven ground, causing localized dust-devils. The uneven ground would seriously hinder warriors from getting into melee range, and the randomly blowing breezes would similarly impede any physical-ranged weapon. A perfect setup for magical combat. I started casting Direball, covertly summoning the ball of energy into my palm. Concentrating, I condensed the spell then proceeded to feed even more mana into it. It took time, mana, and focus, but I had all three in ample supply.
“And now, please welcome the second strongest mage in Akzar’s arena. Etai the Eternal!”
The crowd roared as a young hob entered from the other side of the arena. Etai the Eternal wore rich robes that seemed to reflect the rays of light. In his hand, he held a staff that ended with four metal prongs that clasped a large yellow gem.
I narrowed my eyes at my opponent.
Analyze.
Etai the Eternal, Hob Mage [Boss, tier 1]
Level: 40
HP: 634
MP: 806
Attributes: P:6, M:37, S:1
Skills: Reflect Magic 47, Mana Dart 18
Traits: Boss Boon I (10 MP & 5 HP per level; +1P, +2 M , + 1S; Spell Conversion)
Resistances: Armor 30, Magic 40%
Background: Though not a powerful caster in his own right, Etai has made a name for himself by outlasting his opponents.
I snorted. Etai the Eternal was far below me. It was easy to see how he’d reached this high in the arena. His maxed out Reflect Magic skill that allowed him to turn harmful spells back on their casters, coupled with the synergy of his boss’s Spell Conversion ability that allowed him to absorb their mana, made him especially suited for magical combat. It was a good build that would always give him the advantage against other spellcasters of equal or lower power.
Switching my awareness back to my clone for a second revealed the commanders had not yet arrived. Glaive had warned me that might happen. Despite his message to them that I would be challenging Bonecruncher, the daring – but ultimately hopeless – attempt of a mere goblin wouldn’t be worthy of their attention.
Glaive had also said that if that was the case, I had to prove them wrong. I needed not only to win this match but to do so in such a way that proved I could be a worthy challenger to ‘The Champion’ himself.
“Begin!” The arena master’s voice carried over the roar of the crowd.
My opponent turned to face me, a cocky grin on his face. He no doubt considered a goblin to be far beneath him.
Time to prove him wrong.
With the condensed and empowered Direball safely tucked inside my palm, I teleported away. As a sanctioned high priest, I was still allowed to use spatial magic inside the city’s walls. True, beyond Nihilator’s zone of influence, I could only teleport 50 meters, but it was still more than enough for my purpose.
I smirked at my opponent’s astonished expression when I appeared before him. “Reflect this!” Then I palmed his chest, delivering the spell directly into his body.
The powerful spell was made even more powerful by condensing it, concentrating its full explosive power into a small bead. I’d also empowered the spell, pouring in double the amount of required mana to increase its effect. The Epic staff I held in my other hand further increased the power of all my spells by 30 percent, more than enough to compensate for the small handicap of fighting during the daytime.
The poor hob never had a chance.
Direball hit Etai the Eternal for 1,834 damage (base 588 X 1.3 staff X 2 condensed X 2 empowered X 0.6 spell resistance).
It was possible to dodge a condensed direball when it flew like a bullet toward a faraway target, but I’d released the spell at point-blank range.
The hob maintained his bewildered expression as his entire chest burst out of his back, creating a hole large enough for me to stick my head through.
I winked at him. “Sorry, but I had to set an example.” I turned around and calmly walked back to the waiting room as the hob’s corpse finally struck the ground.
Immortal Killed!
Boss Tier 4 Progression: 4/200
“Did you see that?” Glaive’s voice boomed excitedly over the arena. “The goblin chief has just destroyed Etai the Eternal with a single strike to the chest! What a display! What power! Look out Terdamesh! The current Magical champion might be in for some trouble. Maybe we’ll even get the rare pleasure of seeing a new champion rise and challenge Bonecruncher himself, what do you say?”
The crowd roared its approval.
“Then it’s settled!” Glaive’s voice boomed. “As Akzar’s arena master, I declare that should the goblin triumph over our current Magical champion, he will face the arena’s true and undefeated Champion – Bonecruncher!”
The crowd went wild.
I returned to the waiting room while goblin slaves hurried into the arena to clean up the remains of poor Etai.
Despite the whole thing being just an elaborate scheme to lure out the city’s leadership, I found myself looking forward to fighting Akzar’s head shaman again. Last time, I’d needed a lot of help from Aidanriel to best him, but things were different now. The goblin in me quivered in anticipation of inflicting pain upon the hated shaman.
During the fight, I had diverted all my attention to the battle. Now that I had some time to rest, I glimpsed back through my shadow clone’s eyes at the barracks’ entrance.
I didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, two squads of elite warriors approached the building, each carrying a different banner. The commanders had arrived.
I glanced at the concealed kobolds, making sure none of the higher-level soldiers would be able to spot them as they passed by.
I needn’t have worried. The commanders and their entourage entered the building none the wiser.
I still had a small problem though. I frowned as I sat waiting and looked at my arms. The empowered Direball had cost a whopping 510 MP to cast. Without the burden of my clone, I’d be able to regenerate that back in under two minutes, but it had already been a few minutes since the fight, and I’d only regenerated half of it back. I had to pace myself going forward. If things got dire, I could always use void crystals to charge up, and by now, I had plenty of high-grade ones, but it would be tricky. The next fight was going to be challenging.
I knew the commanders wouldn’t come out for anything less than a battle between champions. While everyone watched me take on Terdamesh, the commanders would be alone and vulnerable in the barracks. But that also meant I’d be fighting two battles at once. My control over my shadow clone had grown considerably, but dividing my attention between two entirely different settings was going to be taxing. I would have to draw out my battle with Terdamesh to buy my clone and the kobolds enough time to finish the dark deed. On top of that, mana consumption was going to be an issue, and using a void crystal amid all that confusion might not be easy.
Several more minutes passed until the arena was restored to its pristine condition.
“And now,” Glaive spoke again. “The renegade Totem wil
l face his next challenge!”
***
I stood in the center of the arena and carefully examined the Magical champion as he made his appearance.
Terdamesh hadn’t changed much. He was still a level 50, tier 3 boss, and he still looked extremely old. But his magical power was great, and he was able to assume demonic abilities, suffusing his body with unbelievable strength that surpassed what I could achieve using Mana Infusion. I still remembered how he’d kicked the golem off of him, planting Aidanriel deep inside a brick wall. But physical strength wasn’t all he had. Terdamesh could also summon a suffocating cloud, raise magical shields, and summon wraiths. He had earned his place as the Magical champion. And I knew he wouldn’t be caught off-guard by a surprise attack like his second was.
I wasn’t worried, though. I had a new trick or two of my own, and I knew what my foe was capable of. Just to make sure there were no unpleasant surprises, I analyzed the old shaman.
Terdamesh, Hobgoblin Champion, Shaman [Boss Tier 3]
Level: 50
HP: 1,550
MP: 2,090
Attributes: P:8, M:47, S:0
Skills: Demon Calling 57, Runecraft 57, Blight 49, Ward 47, Raging Spirit 40, Unarmed Combat 35
Traits: Infernal Eye, Demonic Heritage
Background: Terdamesh killed his way to the top of Akzar’s shamans. He often practices demon rituals in his attempts to augment his power. His insatiable hunger for blood and violence led him to begin competing in the arena, where he rose until he became the Magical branch’s champion.
Aside from some of his lowest skills gaining a few levels, he hadn't changed much.
“Now this promises to be an interesting battle!” Glaive announced. “Who will be the victor? A goblin Totem or Akzar’s head shaman?”
The crowd cheered and booed intermittently.
“A difficult question indeed,” Glaive continued. “On one hand, everyone wants to see our beloved shaman win. On the other … if he doesn’t, we’ll be treated to the rare pleasure of watching Bonecruncher obliterate another challenger!”
The crowd cheered at that. Everyone’s eyes were glued on the arena.
Now was my time.
I watched cautiously as Terdamesh began to grow, his body sprouting new muscles and horns erupting from his forehead. His fingers elongated, growing sharp claws at their ends, then noxious fumes emanated from his body, filling up half the arena.
With a shrug, I released a volley of drilling arrows and teleported away to the far side of the arena.
The match for the championship had begun.
***
Back in my shadow clone, I narrowed my eyes and checked my surroundings.
I was still fighting Akzar’s shaman with my physical body, mostly skipping out of his reach whenever he tried to corner me or raising a shield to stop his more direct attack spells. I was stalling for time. And it was working. Almost all of the soldiers in the barracks had left to watch the fight, leaving behind a skeleton crew of guards and the visiting commander’s entourage.
The main door to the barracks was closed, but unlike the buildings in the upper ring, it wasn’t warded. I had no trouble pressing my shadowy body through the cracks to get inside.
One of the two guards on the other side of the door shifted uneasily as I literally passed through him but otherwise seemed unaware of my presence.
I checked my mana bar. It was at 95 percent and draining slowly as I kept using low-cost spells to fend off my opponent in the arena.
Things were going according to plan so far.
I focused on the two guards. They were merely level 10. With a flick of my mind and 80 MP that didn’t make a dent in my mana bar, I froze them both.
Channeling some extra mana into my hand to solidify it, I pushed on the door’s handle to open it for the kobolds. The eight assassins slipped in unnoticed.
Take out the guards, I commanded telepathically.
Two of the assassins slit the guards’ throats, their enchanted kukris easily slicing through unprotected hob flesh.
Having their victims automatically paralyzed made the attacks sneak and critical hits. The hobs fell. The kukris’ base critical damage alone was enough to drop them even before the additional 300 percent damage-over-time effect kicked in. I watched with interest as the kukris’ secondary effect manifested, causing darkness to spread out from the torn throats and consume their bodies. In mere moments, the two corpses disappeared, leaving two quickly dissipating pools of darkness.
Unlike my dagger’s effects, the black liquid didn’t transform into void crystals. Still, it spared us the need to dump the bodies someplace.
To my amusement, the guards had dropped some loot, leaving behind the unenchanted spears they were holding as well as some gold coins.
Hide the weapons, take the gold, I commanded, and the kobolds were quick to follow my orders. Let’s go; maintain stealth. I led the way to my right.
The corridor circled the entire structure. I had no idea where the commanders would be staying, though I was sure I’d be able to identify their elite soldiers when I saw them. The important thing right now was to remain hidden. I couldn’t take the risk of someone surprising us from behind. That meant I had to kill every guard we encountered.
My luck was holding; the first floor was lightly guarded. Most of the soldiers had opted to go watch the fight.
Outside, I continued to toy with Terdamesh, teleporting away as he charged his hulking body at me. I made a game out of it, waiting for the last possible moment to make him collide with a wall behind me. He was getting angrier by the second, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he escalated the fight. I had to hurry.
In my clone form, I continued leading the kobolds farther down the corridor. Teams of two level 10 guards were spread at equal intervals across the first floor. Using the same method as before, I froze them and let my kobolds deliver the killing blow, hiding their dropped gear and collecting the gold. It could have been a good opportunity to rack up some void crystals, but my ceremonial dagger was back with my physical body.
We reached the door Mya had shown me that led into the trainer’s office. The door was unguarded, and upon inspection, I saw the room was empty. It seemed my target was elsewhere inside the barracks.
We’d nearly completed circling the first floor, taking down a dozen hob guards in the process, when we encountered our first challenge.
The next set of two guards along the corridor were stationed within eyesight of a reinforced steel door where two more guards were positioned. We couldn’t take one group down without the other noticing.
I narrowed my eyes. The two teams were a little too far for me to affect all at once. On top of that, the guards by the fortified door were level 20, which made freezing them substantially more costly.
There were several ways I could handle it. I could easily dominate the two lower-level soldiers and send them after the other guards or just force them to stand still while my kobolds took care of the problem. But even though Dominate was less conspicuous than Freeze, it was much more mana-intensive. I checked my mana bar. It was at 90 percent and very slowly dropping. But I was probably going to have to contend with dozens of more guards, so I had to remain efficient with my mana.
The simplest solution was to get all four at the same time.
Get the guards at the door, I communicated to my party.
The eight assassins moved stealthily through the gloomy corridor. As they were a few levels higher than their intended target, there was little chance they’d be detected.
NOW !
Knives glistened in the darkness as four dark shapes jumped on each of the unsuspecting guards. At the same time, I froze the two soldiers next to me.
One of the assaulted guards managed a stifled death moan as blades cut through and punctured his heart. I realized I’d slightly misjudged the situation. I’d equipped and prepared my assassins well. Two attacks were more than enough to deplete the level 20 gua
rds’ health pools. Four was simply overkill. Both guards collapsed to the ground, their bodies quickly succumbing to the dark ooze.
The kobolds then doubled back and dispatched the two frozen soldiers whose widening eyes were the only reaction they could offer.
Ignoring the piles of loot the kobolds were already in the process of dragging away, I approached to inspect the reinforced door. It was locked but not warded. Nothing a shadow body couldn’t overcome.
I moved through the door’s seams and found myself in a room filled with rows upon rows of weapons, piles of armor, and barrels filled with arrows. It was the barracks armory.
With the first floor cleared, we ascended to the second one.
The next floor was a slightly narrower ring than the first, making it a bit smaller. There were no stationary guards in sight. Instead, a group of three level 20 hobs were making a slow patrol – luckily, walking away from us.
Wait here. I broadcast my thoughts and moved ahead. Swimming through the shadows, I completed a full circle of the entire floor in two heartbeats and confirmed my suspicion. The commanders weren’t on this floor. At least, there were no powerful guards next to any of the doors. Instead, I found four groups of soldiers patrolling. I could have simply made it up to the next level, but I once again decided not to take the risk of leaving anyone behind. I had a hunch the commanders were going to be a handful even without reinforcements coming to back them up.
Luckily, all four squads were circling the floor in the same direction, so there was no danger of getting caught between two groups. We waited for the closest squad to reach us, then swooped out of the shadows, silent as death.
The assassins went first while I stayed behind to keep watch and act in case something went wrong.
Two hobs were hit three times and another only twice, but it was enough. All strikes were critical hits. The three hobs dropped like stones without me needing to reveal myself. We left the weapons where they lay and moved back into hiding.
Life Reset: Conquest (New Era Online Book 5) Page 16