Master Training Center part 2

It has been another year and a half since Kiro first fought the old man.

A year and a half spent fighting the same opponent, over and over again. In that entire time, never had Kiro so much as touched him with his blade. The old man was a monster.

Kiro had asked Hildia, the dwarven first disciple, who had told him that the old man looked the same when she had first came to the Master Training Center, some 400 years ago.

Great. So everyone up there was immune to aging. At least it explained why there were so many of them up there.

A year and a half spent fighting the disciples, then another year and a half trying to defeat the old man. In all, it has been almost three years since Kiro first came to the Master Training Center.

In those three years he had developed a set of habits. Whenever he was sent back to the cave, he would eat and sleep.

Then he would run up the stairs, which by this point were missing so many steps they barely qualified as such, to challenge the training center once more.

Then he'd be sent back to the cave, thus renewing the cycle.

Every now and then, like now for example, he'd take a break. Fighting all day every day became boring and repetitive after a while, so every few days he took a several hours of to read textbooks, or just to lay about. He had finished the textbooks a while ago but since he was reluctant to log out it was his only reading material.

So he laid about, thinking. As they have always been for the past year and a half, his thoughts were centered on the fights he had had against the old man.

That's what he had decided to call his opponent: the old man.

Three years of constant fighting wore on a person. In these three years, he had grown tired of fighting against the same people non-stop. After he finally cleared this training center, and he would absolutely clear it, he would take a long break from fighting. He'd do something fun, like a quest. He'd never done one of those yet.

But before that, he had an old man to beat. And he was not much closer to doing that than a year in a half ago.

He had fought the old man almost every day. That meant over 500 fights. Many of those fights had ended in one hit: truly a monstrous old man.

Of all those fights, three were of particular importance. They delimited shifts in the patterns of their fights.

The first of those fights was the first fight. It made Kiro realise that he was still lacking in physical speed and strength to match the old man.

To remedy that, Kiro changed the way he fought the disciples. Before they were opponents he had to go all out to beat.

Now, he considered them as training partners. He started trying to defeat them without using skills.

It took him three whole months to reach the old man like this, without using skills. Only to be beaten down again.

That started a pattern, where Kiro would raise his stats, only to have the old man kick into higher gear, forcing Kiro to match him again.

This continued on for about four months. Four months in which forged his body to a point that could only be considered monstrous itself.

At the end, Kiro could hold his own for a good 30 minutes against the old man, with the both of them moving at a speed that was simply inhuman. Of course, Kiro was using skills while the old man wasn't.

Then, the old man did start using skills. That was the second important fight. In that fight Kiro was once again demolished in seconds. He knew how to counter each skill. It was a five-way rock-paper-scissors. But his own skills just weren't powerful enough. His Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike couldn't pierce the old man's Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura. His Celestial Qilin's Sense just wasn't enough to keep track of the Geezer when he was using Celestial Eagle's Lighting

Charge. And so on…

So, in Kiro's next battles with the disciples, he used only his skills. Training them constantly, to make them past from

Beginner to Intermediate, and from Intermediate to Advance, all in six grueling months of constant grinding. And it would not have been nearly as fast had Kiro not practiced the original skills he had gotten in the training centers as diligently as he had.

Once his skills reached Advanced, they were finally able to hold back the old man's, if only a little.

That is when the pattern of the fights changed again. Before, the old man would just use the skills. But now, he really used the skills. He started using them one right after the other, transitioning so fast Kiro couldn't keep up. He'd use them in combinations, to get the best effect possible, or use them at the exact moment Kiro showed any signs of weakness to quickly end the fights.

This is the pattern that Kiro and the old man's fights have been taking since that time. It has been three months now and

Kiro is still being destroyed by the old man.

Still, almost every day Kiro climbed the silver stairs to the top, fought the disciples and then got beaten by the old man.

Sometimes he even went twice a day.

He was fuelled by determination. Determination and obstinacy. Even if sometimes, like today, obstinacy was harder to find. As it was happening more frequently lately, he decided to spend the day in the cave, to take a break from the fighting.

It was still dark outside. The sun wasn't up yet. Kiro was lying on his back in the cave, looking at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a message popped up in front of his face.

Ding!

Hello Kiro-niichan! It's Jinan.

It's our birthday today! We will get our capsules in a few hours.

Mom says we can go play as soon as their installed. I'm so excited.

Mina also can't wait: she's been looking up information online, and talking to lots of people who have already started playing New World.

We decided to start in Mutianelis.

I can't wait to see you again!

Jinan

Looking at the message, Kiro couldn't help but smile. Jinan always had the habit of writing formal messages, even to family members.

He also felt remorse: his cute, little brother and sister were about to join New World to meet with him, while he was still here, lounging about, feeling sorry for himself. It was inexcusable.

Jinan had said that the capsules would arrive in a few hours at their house. Which meant it would take a day, at most, before Jinan and Mina logged in.

And he was still stuck here, with no way out.

No way out but to succeed.

He jumped up.

Eyes blazing with newfound determination, Kiro made his way to the staircase. He had to… No. He would succeed today. This time.

The stairs of the staircase kept falling down, throughout the entire three years Kiro had been here.

Now, from the entrance of the cave, Kiro could see only a single stair that hadn't fallen. And he instinctively knew that putting his weight on it would cause it to sink, like the others. After that, the Path of the Warrior would no longer be usable.

It was a sign that fit well with Kiro's objective: he was already determined to make this his last trip upwards. The condition of the silver staircase only served to reinforce that decision.

Kiro jumped forward, landing a foot on the staircase before pushing himself of, towards the next one, while the stair under his foot crumbled away.

There was no time to waste.

****

Kiro jumped off the last, falling, step into the entrance defined by the red archway. He'd been here so many times, in the last three years that he had almost forgotten the beauty of the mountaintop where the Master Training Center was located.

All around, a sea of clouds spread out, isolating the training center from the rest of the world. The rising sun was coloring them a light shade of pink, making Kiro feel he was surrounded by cotton candy.

In front of him stretched a familiar silver pathway, leading to that damned old man standing tall on the red temple were the statues of the gods stood witness to the battles unfolding in front of them.

On each side of the path, two rows of disciples stood at rigid attention, guarding the way to the temple.

Kiro looked at them. In the past three years, he and them had fought together, and killed each other. As weird as that sounded, it had led to them creating a bond. Kiro realised that he considered them more as friends now, than enemies.

And today would be the last day he would get to fight with them.

Putting both hands around his mouth to make a makeshift cone, he screamed at the top of his lungs:

"DICIPLES OF THE MASTER TRAINING CENTER. THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME WE WILL CROSS SWORDS. TODAY, I WILL COMPLETE THE MASTER TRAINING CENTER. THEN I WILL LEAVE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN OR EVEN IF I WILL RETURN.

THAT'S WHY, BEFORE I LEAVE, I HOPED YOU GUYS COULD DO ME A FAVOR. JUST FOR TODAY, JUST FOR THIS FIGHT, I WANT TO FIGHT YOU AT YOUR BEST. I WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE FULL MIGHT OF THE DISCIPLES OF THIS TRAINING CENTER.

SO PLEASE, JUST FOR THIS FIGHT, DON'T HOLD BACK. FIGHT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, AND I'LL DO THE SAME.

Please."

The disciples looked at him, stone-faced. Then, as one, they raised their weapons. And charged.

It wasn't a coordinated assault like every time before this one. It was a mad rush, a stampede.

At the forefront, Kirec, the 505th disciple, who had never used a skill before, activated Charged Rush.

Kiro grinned, raising his two daggers.

****

Every time he challenged the old man, he had to pass through the disciples first. A 505 on 1 fight. At first, that meant a day or two of fighting. But over the last three years, the time it took him to do so gradually shortened until it took him about two hours to defeat the lot of them. It was more like his warm up.

But this time, with all of them going all out, it was a battle that lasted 6 hours.

Now, Kiro sat on the ground, to recuperate his lost stamina and mana.

Hildia, the first disciple came to sit beside him. "Are you ready?" She asked.

"Yes." He replied.

"A word of advice. You fight with your brain. That's good, it allows you to win against people that are stronger and better than you. But there is a downside to it. You analyze. You study your opponent to find his weaknesses. That's also a good thing, but it slows you down."

She took a breath.

"You know this opponent. You have fought him over 500 times in the span of 18 months. His habits, his abilities, his strength, they are all ingrained in your consciousness. That's why, for this fight, there is no need for you to analyze. Instead, focus on finding a way to win."

It was good advice.

"Thank you, Hildia. It was an honor to cross swords with you."

On those slightly death-flaggy words, Kiro walked towards the old man.

*****

In all the times he had fought against him the old man had never spoken a word. Today was no different. The old man pulled out his sword, and Kiro did the same, choosing to equip his sword in his right hand and a dagger in his left hand.

The two faced each other, immobile.

Without warning, the old man moved. He activated Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush and rushed at Kiro.

But Kiro wasn't surprised and replied with Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura.

The old man immediately activated Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike, the telltale image of the Unicorn appearing behind him. Kiro deactivated his Aura and activated Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace, trying to move out of the way.

The old man started shifting from skill to skill, changing so fast it was a struggle for Kiro to keep up.

Kiro's thoughts were racing.

For the past year and a half, he had been well aware that his battles with the old man had been more like lessons. The old man was trying to teach him. Kiro just had no idea what the old man wanted him to learn.

The old man tried to use Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace to lose him, but Kiro's Celestial Qilin's Sense allowed him to keep track of his opponent.

Wait. Teach… His thoughts twisted, turning in a different direction.

The gods taught their techniques to mortals…

Kiro jumped back, evading a slash from the old man.

There were seven statues on the podium. Statues of the gods.

Of those seven, five were accounted for. He knew their technique. But for the last two, the phoenix and the dragon, he didn't.

Kiro started ducking and weaving, evading the flurry of strikes from the old man's sword. The old man activated Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura and ran towards Kiro, trying to use the Shell Aura as a battering ram.

Is that it, am I supposed to learn their techniques? The Dragon's technique and the Phoenix's technique?

Was it a technique coming from the two of them, a technique from each of them, or just one technique, coming from only one of them?

Kiro jumped, landing on the top of the Shell Aura. He hopped, flipping himself in midair and activated Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike. The old man, bent his knees, threw himself to the ground and rolled away from Kiro's strike.

It was probably just one technique. Kiro had learned all of the other techniques in this training center one by one. He saw no reason why the pattern would change suddenly.

The two men landed on their feet. Facing each other. The old man, perhaps sensing the direction Kiro's thoughts were taking him, wasn't pushing as hard as he normally did. Or perhaps Kiro's determination was making him better than usual.

If it was only one technique, was it a technique from the two deities? What did they have in common? Fire? Flight?

Kiro charged, using Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush. The old man met his blade with his own, stopping Kiro cold. He swung his swords, which Kiro narrowly avoided by ducking his head.

Nah, it probably wasn't any of those two. Nothing during the fights indicated that Kiro would have a chance by suddenly sprouting wings or spitting fire. Which meant the skill was probably specific to one of the two gods. But which one?

Kiro did a three-sixty, swinging his leg in a back spinning kick. The old man took a step back, let the quick kick whistle by him, and struck with his sword, making a shallow wound on Kiro's side.

Probably the dragon, Kiro decided. The old man did have a golden dragon etched on his clothing, after all. It had to mean something.

Kiro completed his turn by delivering a round kick with his other leg. The old man retracted his sword to shied himself but still had to jump back to prevent it from flying out of his hand because of the force of the kick.

But what part of the dragon was he supposed to mimic? The fire breathing was already out, so what did that leave?

Kiro went back into his stance, his sword in front of his torso, pointing upwards, and his dagger tight against his side. In front of him the old man didn't bother, keeping his sword down, seeming to be waiting leisurely.

Let's see… A dragon had fangs, claws, scales…

Kiro dropped his arms down. He stood motionless, as his mind desperately wrestled with a sudden burst of inspiration.

Dragons, in the myths and legends that talked about them, had awesome power.

They were gifted with claws and fangs that could shred through armor like it was paper. They had scales so durable the sharpest of weapons couldn't damage them. They were said to have eyes that could see all and senses that were far sharper than any human, and when they fought, they fought with blinding speed and overwhelming ferocity.

Could it be?

Kiro activated all of his skills at once. Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace, Celestial Qilin's Sense, Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura, Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush and Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike.

The drain on his stamina and mana was mind-numbing. But Kiro didn't mind it, his entire focus turned inward.

He was focusing on himself, putting all his hopes and fears, his likes and dislikes, his very personality into a sphere.

This time, he imagined the sphere taking the shape of a dragon. A red dragon, a cross between an eastern and western dragon with an elongated body, four powerful limbs that ended with five sharp talons, and a spiky tail. He imagined the dragon wrapping itself around him, blending itself with him to grant him its power.

Whoosh! Kiro felt a rush of air as something inside him exploded, bathing his entire being in power.

From his skin erupted a powerful glow. He felt lighter, stronger, faster. His senses went into hyper drive, overwhelming him with information.

"Wow." He said, trying to understand the limitations of this new technique.

In front of him the old man sheathed his sword and started clapping. He had a wide smile on his face.

"Congratulations! By unlocking the technique of the dragon, the Celestial Dragon's Aura, you have completed the trial of the Master Training Center. Take pride in the fact that you are the only stranger to have ever done so. Also take pride in the fact that you are the seventh individual to have done so!"

Ding!

You are the first person to complete the Master Training Center!

You gain 5000 fame.

The blessing of the Gods has been retracted.

You gain a new title: Warrior of the God Style!

Warrior of the God Style

Those who know by your title, and people from a Martial profession that recognize you will treat you with awe and respect.

-High familiarity with warrior Npcs.

-High familiarity with soldier Npcs.

-High familiarity with guard Npcs.

-Maximum familiarity with Masters of Training Centers and their associates.

-The Warrior Gods will watch over you.

-The skills that come from the gods will consume 10% less mana and stamina.

Celestial Dragon's Aura

Active skill.

This skill is the combination of the other skills granted by the Celestial Gods. It allows the user to use any of the five skills at the same time without delay and at reduced cost. The skills are also slightly more powerful.

-Costs 150 mana and 150 stamina per second to maintain.

-Celestial Skills cost 7% less

-Celestial Skills are 7% more powerful

-Celestial Skills are 10% faster to cast

There are still mysteries you haven't discovered about this skill.

With a shake of his hand, Kiro dismissed the windows.

An unexplainable surge of emotions welled up inside him.

"What is this?" He whispered.

Then, louder:

"What is this? How can it just end like this?"

The old man stopped talking and stared at Kiro.

"How can the trial just end like this? Just like this? Forget beating you, I haven't even so much as touched you with one of my attacks! Our duels have only ended in my defeat. As things stand now, even if you tell me that I have completed the Master Training Center, I refuse to accept it."

So many thoughts were circling inside his head. The thought of his siblings, waiting for him to reunite with them. His weariness at being stuck in the same place for three years. Exhaustion that came from constant fighting. But even with those thoughts present, another dominated. The feeling that if he walked away from the training center here, he would leave things incomplete. He would receive no satisfaction until he at least proved to himself, that the old man in front of him wasn't invincible, that he could be defeated. If he left now, Kiro feared that he'd leave with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.

More than that, he feared that if he left things like this, the shadow of the old man would grow in Kiro's mind, until Kiro was too afraid to even come back to fight him again.

So the words coming from Kiro's mouth were addressed more to himself than to his enemy: "So please fight me one more time, that I may shatter your illusion of invincibility into pieces."

The old man had stopped smiling. "Surely I misheard you, boy. It almost sounded as if you were picking a fight with me."

"I am."

The old man's eyes were hard. From him poured out an unbelievable amount of killing intent. It rolled over Kiro, like a tsunami.

Kiro felt goose bumps on his skin. But more than fear, although he was afraid, he felt excitement, which blew away his fatigue.

This was going to be a real fight, unlike the hundreds of practice match he had had against the old man.

"Very well, fool boy. Taste the power of Barendir, Master of the Master Training Center, and Disciple of the gods themselves!"

They charged.

Their swords meet, in a flash of sparks. Kiro immediately tried to stab with his dagger, but the old man – Barendir - used the strength of both his hands to push Kiro back, then delivered a vicious kick to his knee, which Kiro avoided by widening his stance. He retaliated with his own kick, but the old man avoided it by taking a step back.

They eyed each other, before charging at each other again.

Just like with the first Celestial Skill Kiro got, the Gods blessed him, making his Celestial Dragon's Aura more powerful than it should be.

It made him faster, more resistant, more alert, his attacks deadlier.

He could use all of the Celestial Skills without casting them, just by sacrificing some of his mana and stamina. But even when he wasn't using any, the aura still provided a bonus.

He was still slower, weaker and less experienced than the old man, who was also glowing with the characteristic Celestial Dragon's Aura. But now, instead of the distance between them being the distance between heaven and earth, it was more like the distance between the heavens and a tall mountain, to the top of which Kiro had climbed. The distance was still there, but now the heavens weren't out of his reach.

He could touch them.

He could cut him.

It wasn't an assumption, or a hope. It was a certainty that grew as they were fighting.

Kiro still got hit, but the added damage from the old man's Aura was negated by the defense of Kiro's, resulting in shallow wounds that were soon healed by Kiro's Battle Regeneration.

Hildia was right: Kiro knew his opponent. So he could focus all of his mental energy on the fight.

He was still being outmanoeuvered, outmatched, overpowered. But with every exchanged he grew, closing the gap between them bit by bit.

Their fight wasn't static. They moved across the mountaintop.

Under their feet the stones of the silver path cracked and broke from the force of their lunges. The trees on the side were cut to pieces by the swing of their swords. Every move generated gusts of wind that tossed dirt into the air.

They were moving at the blink of an eye, and their colliding swords let out sounds of thunder.

All around them the disciples were running for cover.

Their fight took them all the way down to the (used to be) staircase, at the edge of the mountain top. All around the clouds were obscuring the ground, giving the impression they were at the edge of the world.

Suddenly the pattern of the old man's attack changed, as he let out a downwards diagonal strike, a horizontal slash and a trust of his sword in quick succession, forcing Kiro to duck, move sideways, then back to evade the strikes.

Kiro realized he had been trapped: the old man's strikes had forced to retreat backwards, and now he was boxed in.

On both sides were the wooden pillars of the archway Kiro passed through on every trip to this mountain. At his back was the hole that was once the silver staircase leading up to this place.

He could cut down the pillars, but doing so would leave him vulnerable for a counter attack.

So instead, he jumped backwards.

The old man's eyes widened.

Kiro attuned himself to wind, and used elemental wave. With his feet.

It flung him in the air, and he landed on the top of the wooden archway. He immediately sidestepped, avoiding the strike from the old man that severed the top of the arch.

The old man jumped, receiving himself on the other end of the archway.

In Kiro's head, bells started to ring. This was it. The old man had made a mistake.

In his mind, a plan emerged, fully formed.

He attuned his sword to fire, and flung a wave of fire at the old man's feet.

As Kiro knew he would, the old man jumped towards him, sword in front.

Kiro threw himself down on his back, using air attuned weapons to throw another elemental wave, to both speed himself up and slow the old man down.

The old man raised his sword to block the strikes, giving an opening for Kiro's leg to nest itself firmly in the old man's stomach, stopping the old man's jump.

Kiro pushed up with his leg, throwing the old man up in the air. He removed his attunements and gathered all of his mana into his blades, throwing two crossed arcs of mana with Charged Mana Wave, depleting all of his mana and stamina in the process.

Or at least he meant to.

Instead, as he gathered his mana, the Celestial Dragon's Aura was sucked into his blades. Then, as he swung his weapons, instead of arcs of mana, a glowing form emerged.

A red-golden dragon like the one he has imagined earlier, insubstantial yet tangible, constructed out of mana, flowed out from his blades.

It flew into the air, straight towards the old man.

The old man tried to put his sword in the way, but the dragon undulated, wrapped itself around the old man and bit down on the sword.

Making a huge red-golden explosion. BOOM!

The old man tumbled onto the ground.

For the first time Kiro saw the old man's health bar go down. It was now at 90%.

Kiro was spent. His ears were ringing. He had used all his remaining mana and stamina in that last attack.

Seriously, he thought, how much of a monster is that old geezer?

He started laughing on top of the archway: "Hahahahahaha…"

The old man started laughing from the ground: "Hohohohohoho…"

Kiro slid to the ground. Approaching the old man, he said: "You, old man, are one scary monster."

The old man replied: "And you, boy, are a reckless idiot to challenge me to a fight. But it is a type of idiocy that makes you fitting above all others for the honors of the training center."

He climbed to his feet.

"So I will say it once more. Congratulations, boy, for you have completed the Master Training Center."

*****

"That last attack that you used, boy, was called Celestial Dragon's Aura Blast. It is a technique that consumes your Aura to form a dragon, which will lay waste to your enemy. It is the most destructive of all the abilities past down from the

gods. I am amazed you were able to unlock it during your first fight. Truly remarkable.

Now them, I guess it's time for that, right?"

"Time for what?" Kiro asked.

"For the reward, of course! As the Master of the Training Center, it is my duty to properly reward you for your efforts.

First, I will give you these."

He handed a sword, a tunic and two daggers to Kiro:

Name: Celestial Sword

Durability: 10 000/10 000

Damage: 100-100

Description: This sword is only given to those that are deemed worthy of that honor by the Master of the Master Training Center. It has extraordinary durability, but relatively low damage.

Because the real damage comes from the wielder's proficiency with the sword.

Requirements: Having Cleared the Master Training Center.

Name: Celestial Dagger

Durability: 10 000/10 000

Damage: 75-75

Description: This dagger is only given to those that are deemed worthy of that honor by the Master of the Master Training Center. It has extraordinary durability, but relatively low damage.

Because the real damage comes from the wielder's proficiency with the dagger.

Requirements: Having Cleared the Master Training Center.

Name: Celestial Tunic

Durability: 10 000/10 000

Defence: 100

Description: This tunic is only given to those that are deemed worthy of that honor by the Master of the Master Training Center. White, with a golden dragon etched on it, it has extraordinary durability, but relatively low defense.

Because the real defense comes from the wielder's endurance.

Requirements: Having Cleared the Master Training Center.

The old man looked Kiro in the eye: "Listen well, boy. This gear, these weapons, this tunic, are testimonies to the struggles you have went through to reach this point. The weakness of their attack and defense is a reminder that your true strength lies in your body, which you have forged here.

Let others scramble around wildly, desperately looking for rare artifacts to increase their strength, and know that you can slaughter them all with a toothpick. For your strength, unlike theirs, depends on no weapon, on no armor."

Kiro nodded.

"Good. Now, for the second part of the reward. The gods will allow you to create a new skill, a Celestial skill, which will be your mark on this Center.

But before you create it, I have a request. As you can see behind me, there are seven statues of the gods: the Eagle, the Qilin, the Turtle, the Tiger, the Unicorn, the Dragon and the Phoenix. Of all of these, only the Phoenix has no skill to represent him."

"You mean that you want me to…"

"Yes. I wish for you to create a skill for the Celestial Phoenix. You are truly fortunate. It is because you are the first Stranger to reach this point that you are given this opportunity, the opportunity to create a skill for the Celestial Dragon's only true rival."

"The Dragon's only true rival?"

"Let me tell you an old story. In times immemorial, before the Gods descended on New World to teach their skills, they quarreled, trying to decide which one of them was the most powerful.

The Eagle, Qilin, Turtle, Tiger and Unicorn quickly differed to the might of the Dragon. But the prideful Phoenix would not. And so the two godly creatures came to blows.

The Dragon tried to rake the Phoenix with his claws, but they had no purchase on a creature made of fire. The two tried to outfly each other, but they are both creatures of the sky. Finally, the Dragon decided to use his mightiest weapon, and blew great swirls of flames towards his opponent. But the Phoenix absorbed the flames, and they made him stronger.

He unleashed his own fiery attack, but it failed to penetrate the hard scales of the Dragon.

Caught in such a stalemate, the match ended in a tie, and the two Celestial Gods remain as rivals to this day. Eventually, the Dragon came down to earth to hand down a Celestial technique to us, while the Phoenix remained behind.

Therefore, you, as the first Stranger to reach this point, will receive the chance to introduce the Phoenix into this world.

If the Celestial Phoenix appreciates the technique you have designed in his honor, he may bestow his blessing on you. If not, well, it was a pleasure to meet you."

Glup! Did Kiro.

"Haha. Don't worry, it won't be so bad. So do you accept?"

"Yes." It was a chance to create a really strong and cool skill. How could he say no?

"Then what technique would you create, that would represent the Splendor of the Celestial Phoenix?"

That was also an easily answered question for Kiro. He still had in mind the story the old man had told him. Of that story, one part in particular stood out in Kiro's mind.

"The skill I have in mind is a skill that allows me to absorb the damage from any attacks that come to me, no matter if they are ranged, physical or magical. I will then release the damage as a wave of energy on my opponent."

"I see. Just like the Celestial Phoenix absorbed the flames of the Dragon, to release them in his own strike, you wish to create a deadly counter against the attacks aimed at you."

"Yes."

"I see. I see. Yes, this will work well. What more fitting to represent the Celestial Phoenix than a skill that allows you to payback an enemy for the damage he dished at you."

Kiro smiled.

"Then it is decided. Your new skill will be the Celestial Phoenix's Full Counter!"

Kiro's smile disappeared. "Now wait just a second. Why? That name…"

The old man ignored him. Walking towards the statue of the Phoenix, he pressed his hands against the marble surface. "Oh great Celestial Phoenix! Please give us your judgement on the skill the stranger Kiro has devised in your honor. And if it pleases you, please deliver on to him your fiery blessing."

The statue started glowing.

Ding!

You have been given a new skill: Celestial Phoenix's Full Counter.

"Damn it." Said Kiro, dejected. What terrible naming sense.

Celestial Phoenix's Full Counter

Active skill

Devised by the Stranger named Kiro in the honor of the Celestial Phoenix, it has been refined by the latter. The user of this skill will be enveloped in fiery aura for several seconds. During this time, the user must not move, or the skill will be cancelled. During this time, the damage to the user will be converted in energy. At the end of the delay, all that energy will be unleashed in a single, devastating attack.

-Current minimum required charging time: 5s

-Damaged received will be reduced by 20%

-Damage converted into power: 50%.

-Costs 1500 mana, 500 stamina to activate.

Current level: Beginner lvl 1 – 0.00%

Celestial Phoenix's Full Counter has gained the ability of one of your skills: Elemental Attunement.

New ability:

-You gain the ability to convert the energy gathered into the element of your choice.

Ding!

Awed (lol) by your incredible naming sense, the Celestial Phoenix has permanently granted you his blessing.

Effects of the blessing:

-100% resistance to fire and heat.

-25% resistance to cold.

-New skill: Fire Aura.

-New skill: Flame Thrower

With mixed feelings, Kiro looked at his new skills.

Fire Aura made flames erupt from his skin, burning anyone who came close.

Flame Thrower could only be used with Fire Aura. It allowed him to shoot some of the flames from his hand.

The old man came to him. "Are you ready to learn your new skill?"

"Yes!" Replied Kiro.

Suddenly Kiro was no longer in control of his body.

A red Aura formed around him.

The old man took out his sword, and smacked Kiro with the flat of the blade.

It hurt like hell!

Kiro distinctively felt the pain. It radiated through him, before being sucked in somehow into his sword.

Then, after three seconds, the Aura disappeared from around Kiro. His sword was shining with a reddish light. Still not in control, he swung the sword.

From it emerged an incandescent Phoenix, constructed entirely of bright red flames. It charged through the air towards the old man, and exploded into a gigantic fireball.

It seemed very similar to the Dragon from earlier.

"Now then," started the old man, "what will you do?"

"I will leave. I have two siblings waiting for me."

As if on cue, he received a private in-game message from an individual named Taname:

Hello Kiro-niisan, it's me, Mina.

Jinan and I have started playing. We look forward to meeting you!

If you want to talk to either of us, just look at your friend list. We should be there.

See you soon!!!

(*Note: In New World, family members are automatically registered as friends.

This can lead to awkward situations where someone way find out they are not related by blood to their parents, which in turn leads to difficult conversations. Many middle-aged men have tried to sue Future V. when their larger than expected friends list at the start of the game lead to uncomfortable questions by their spouses.)

Kiro turned to the old man: "Is there a way down?"

"Yes, the staircase has been restored."

"By the way, what happens to people who step of the path?" Asked Kiro.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"It's just grass, baka, what did you expect? Some kind of magical trap?"

" … Goodbye."

Kiro walked back to the staircase. Just before starting down, he opened his Status Window, curious of his progress:

"Status Window."

(*Note: Reminder. Each level above 1 now gives an additional 50 health, 20 stamina and 20 mana, Vitality now gives 20 health and 10 stamina and Wisdom gives 20 mana.)

Status Window

Name: Kiro Level: 16 –45.12% Unused stat pts: 75

Class: Elemental Swordsman Alignment: Neutral

Title(s): Survivor, Warrior of the God Style Health: 20330

Stamina: 10090 (+850) Mana: 13840 (+6620)

Strength 971 Vitality 974

Agility 959 Dexterity 968

Intelligence 659(+ 331) Wisdom 672 (+ 331)

Charisma 0 Luck 50

Leadership 0 Fame 10450

Balance 956 Flexibility 899

Endurance 922 Concentration 663

Fighting Spirit 832

Skills

Assassin's Rush: Advanced lvl 3

Deadly Assassin's Rush: Advanced lvl 4

Elemental Attunement: Advanced lvl 8

Identification: Intermediate lvl 3

Celestial Eagle's Lightning Pace: Advanced lvl 4

Iai Strike: Advance lvl 8

Consecutive Single Point Strike: Advanced lvl 8

Critical Strike: Advanced lvl 9

Magic Cutting: Intermediate lvl 2

Sneak: Advanced lvl 1

Bleed: Advanced lvl 9

Celestial Qilin's Sense: Advanced lvl 5

Celestial Turtle's Shell Aura: Advanced lvl 5

Life Force: Advanced lvl 7

Celestial Thunder Tiger's Rush: Advanced lvl 4

Celestial Unicorn's Horn Strike: Advanced lvl 4

Armor Penetration: Advanced lvl 1

Mana Wave: Advanced lvl 2

Mana Shield: Advanced lvl 1

Mana Strike: Advanced lvl 2

Elemental Wave: Advanced lvl 3

Charged Elemental Wave: Advanced lvl 1

Charged Mana Wave: Advanced lvl 1

Elemental Rage: Intermediate lvl 2

Celestial Dragon's Aura: Beginner lvl 1

Celestial Phoenix's Full Counter: Beginner lvl 1

Fire Aura: Beginner lvl 1

Flame Thrower: Beginner lvl 1

Proficiencies

Battle Regeneration: Advanced lvl 9

Berserker's Soul: Advanced lvl 2

Blade Mastery: Advanced lvl 9

Blocking: Advanced lvl 9

Climbing: Advanced lvl 9

Dagger Mastery: Advanced lvl 9

Dodging: Advanced lvl 9

Dual Wield Mastery: Advanced lvl 9

Falling: Advanced lvl 9

Footwork: Advanced lvl 9

Holding your Breath: Advanced lvl 8

Magic Mastery: Advanced lvl 4

Master of Death: Advanced lvl 5

Moving in a Difficult Environment: Advanced lvl 4

Obstacle Clearing: Advanced lvl 4

Parkour: Advanced lvl 3

Parrying: Advanced lvl 9

Reading: Advanced lvl 7

Running: Advanced lvl 8

Spellcasting Mastery: Advanced lvl 5

Survival Cooking: Intermediate lvl 9

Survival Harvesting: Intermediate lvl 9

Survival Leatherworking: Intermediate lvl 5

Survivor: Advanced lvl 3

Sword Mastery: Advanced lvl 9

The Art of Taking a Blow: Advanced lvl 9

Tough Body: Advanced lvl 9

Unarmed Combat: Advanced lvl 9

Class

Elemental Swordsman: Advanced lvl 7

Yes, he thought, I gain stats much lower than before.

Then he left the Master Training Center, to reunite with his little brother and his little sister.