I am Just an Average Tamer

Whiish! Whiish! Whiish!

Three more crystalline shards streaked toward Kai.

He crossed his twin daggers and ­rang the first two aside, twisting his torso to let the third slice cleanly past his ribs.

A thread-thin line of red bloomed on his shirt, though nothing serious.

He slid back few steps, boots barely grazing against the moss-covered ground.

Shadows clung to him the way mist hugged the forest floor.

High above, perched on a thick branch, sat the emerald-haired elf.

Her half-lidded eyes glowed a fox-green that matched her hair; long ears twitched, reading the wind like antennae.

A faint smile curved her lips.

"Finish him, Sel," she murmured.

Behind her, shimmering like moonlight through glass, materialized a Crystal-Fox Spirit.

Its fur glistened like fractured quartz, twin translucent crystal tails fanned out like knife-blades. Its eyes glowed pale amethyst.

When it exhaled, the air chimed.

Ting!

Six shards formed in a tight fan around its maw—

Crack!

Whip!

They fired in a blur, faster than the first barrage.

[Ghost Steps activated!]

Kai vanished.

A smear of after-images blurred past the hail of crystal as he pivoted behind an oak trunk.

Shards pierced bark with a ringing thrum.

A moment later the tree fractured, sap hissing where the crystal scorched it.

'Those things are no joke. ' He rolled his shoulders, letting the shadows swallow him.

Across the glade, Sel's tails fanned again, ready to fire.

But Kai reappeared ten steps away flow the fox's flank.

With a flick of his wrist—three poisoned senbon flew towards the crystal fox.

The fox hunched, tails crossing like a crystalline barricade.

The needles pinged off harmlessly, clattering to the ground.

On the branch, the girl's lips twitched. "Pretty quick. But not quick enough."

Kai didn't answer aloud; he simply bolted forward.

[Stealth activated!]

His whole figure blurred into outline—light bent around him, turning him into a ripple.

He leapt, daggers raised for the elf's blind side.

But—

Skreeeeee!

A shrill cry ripped the sky.

A Spectral Bird Spirit dive-bombed from the canopy.

It's body woven from blue-white wind, wings trailing translucent feathers like shards of sky.

It swept between Kai and its mistress, slashing wind talons across his path.

Kai twisted midair, letting the gale nick his shoulder instead of tearing it open, then flipped off a branch, landing in a low crouch.

The girl swung off her perch, landing lightly opposite him. She held no weapons.

Only a small gemstone that glowed in her palm.

HOWL!

Sel loosed a second volley.

Kai dashed left, then straight into the Spectral Bird's swooping charge.

He dropped to a knee, letting its claws hiss overhead, then vaulted toward the fox.

Daggers flashed—one, two—ricocheting off crystalline fur. Sel countered with a tail swipe that cracked the air like glass.

Kai felt a rib protest but slid under, slashing at the fox's leg joint. With fracture, shards scattered.

"Sel, come back!" the elven girl commanded.

The fox shimmered, retreating with three quick steps, tails rotating to guard its mistress.

The Spectral Bird circled, screaming, gathering a cyclone in its wings. Leaves swirled. Kai's cloak flapped violently. He planted a palm to steady himself—eyes narrowing.

Time to turn the board.

[Thunderclap Activated!]

Electricity coiled down his legs; the air smelled of ozone.

He blasted forward in a streak of white-blue light. In an eye-blink he was behind the elf, daggers scissoring for her shoulder tendons.

Clang!

Sel flashed in, blocking with its tails.

The elven girl spun a hand sigil.

Ethereal chains burst from the ground, seeking Kai's ankles. He back-flipped, letting the chains clack shut on empty air, then hurled smoke pellets that shattered into a black mist.

For few seconds, the clearing went dark.

Kai lunged through fog—daggers aimed for the fox's fissured leg.

He slashed, crystal splintered.

A tail snapped at his head.

He ducked, rolled, planted a poisoned senbon in the fox's shoulder.

Poison spread like a hairline crack before purging out with a flash of amethyst. Immunity?

No—rapid purification.

'Tch, annoying.'

The elven girl coughed, waving mist away.

Her gem flared.

Spectral Bird dove—

Its body stretching into a scything arc of wind.

Kai twisted, felt feathers slice a burning line across his back. He grunted, momentum carrying him under the bird as he flicked twin daggers upward—one scraped the bird's spectral chest.

It shrieked, phasing higher.

Breathing hard, he assessed.

He considered poison on his blades, the distance to close, the swirl of spirits.

And then—

A low rumble rolled through the forest.

Behind treetops, a dark wall of miasma surged like a living tide, devouring trunks and undergrowth. The acrid stench hit a moment later.

Both combatants froze.

The elf's ears twitched. She clicked her tongue. "Pointless to keep this up."

Sel and the Spectral Bird snapped to her side.

Kai said nothing, but his stance tightened—ready to chase.

She shook her head, meeting his eyes. "Your skills are impressive. But neither of us wants to fight inside that." She jerked her chin at the approaching fog.

For a breath, only the hiss of devouring miasma filled the clearing.

Then she stepped back, spirits flanking her.

She traced a quick sigil—wind spiraled beneath her boots. With Sel bounding beside her and the Spectral Bird gliding overhead, she vanished into the dense trees opposite the looming haze.

Kai watched her retreating aura flicker out, pulse steady but eyes sharp. Only when her presence vanished did he tuck daggers away, exhaling.

He turned and saw a black wall of miasma closing. Then he vanished.

****

The forest center had become a warzone, not of armies, but of raw, untamed talent colliding in chaotic beauty.

Sparks danced in the air as metal clashed against metal, as if stars themselves had descended to duel. Blades hissed.

Spells flared—fiery runes, icy spikes, and beams of light cracked through the open space like miniature storms.

The once-peaceful clearing had turned into a battlefield where only the fiercest would remain standing.

Serena stood atop the elevated stage, short blades swirled in her hands.

Her movements were precise, like a dancer trained for war.

Beside her, Rashira had taken a different stance, one hand stretched outward with a wand, lips muttering incantations, while her Riverwake Serpent coiled protectively at her feet, eyes gleaming like molten sapphires.

Contestants surrounded them from three directions, some with blades, some with beasts, and some with spells crackling in their palms.

"Water Surge!" Rashira called.

The Riverwake Serpent hissed and lunged, conjuring a spiraling torrent of water that swept across the battlefield. Opponents scattered, soaked and stumbling.

A dual-axe wielder was flung into a tree, groaning.

Serena met a charging boy with a curved sword mid-dash.

Clang!

Her short blades met his blade, sparks flying in their wake.

She twisted, slipped past, and brought the back end of her weapon down on his shoulder.

He hit the ground hard.

Still, they kept coming.

And then—

A gust of cold wind.

A shimmer.

Seyvr stirred.

The silver-haired elf mage blinked as life surged back into his limbs.

His fingers flexed, still tingling with the remnants of the paralyzing spell. For a second, he grimaced, then pushed himself to his feet.

"About damn time," Serena muttered, not glancing back.

Seyvr grinned, brushing silver strands from his eyes. "Miss me?"

He raised a hand, palm glowing silver-white, then brought it down.

Boom!

A ring of light exploded outward, knocking back three opponents that had flanked Rashira.

His spell left behind a faint silvery afterglow, and the area around the trio cleared slightly.

The crowd watching through the magical viewing artifacts roared.

Cheers erupted, echoing across the arena's spectral projection fields. Spectators leapt to their feet as Seyvr entered the fray.

In the elven pavilions, noble elders stood proudly, while younger elves jumped and shouted.

"Our Princess is unstoppable!"

"That's Our princess Rashira!"

"All hail Elven princess!"

Even professors exchanged impressed glances.

Meanwhile…

In a shadowed glade far from the center, Corrin and Rudo had been locked in a fierce duel of their own.

Corrin, with his crescent blade, danced between offense and control, pushing Rudo back steadily.

"Your tempo's slipping," Corrin said, amused.

Rudo panted, scowling. "Try keeping up without relying on that fancy tool."

Then—

Rumble!

They both felt it.

That suffocating wave… the creeping burn at the edge of their senses…

Miasma.

Dark, purple-tinged fog slithered between trees in tendrils, devouring sound, swallowing light. An unnatural pressure descended like a silent predator.

Rudo clicked his tongue. "Tch. Damn fog."

Corrin didn't speak. He flicked his chain-blade back into its compact form and turned.

No more time.

Without a word, the two adversaries shot off in opposite directions—Rudo to the right, Corrin to the left. But even as they diverged, both paths curved inevitably toward the center.

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[Hey there guys, again I'm deeply sorry for inconvenient updates. I'll try fixing 3 chaps a day from tomorrow, so for now please bear with me.

AND again, I'm very sorry. AND btw, I had uploaded a new novel, If you guys want. You can check that out too.

Bye.]