NOVEL NEXT 63 - Under Pressure
I regain my balance just as the construct fires another gust of oum at me with another punch. She's still smiling, and clearly toying with me. With this much oum, she could have gone for a more deadly strike, but decided to do something gentle instead.
I brace myself against the second attack while analyzing the situation. Something is off about this. Beyond the fact that she has the personality of an arrogant, spoiled brat, her oum control isn't anywhere near the level I'd expect an Ascendant's to be. It's not even as good as mine is. The gusts are powerful, but imprecise, and I can tell that she's not controlling them well. Her motions are somewhat lazy, and while it's clear that she's trained a lot, her body control is clearly not up to par for an Ascendant.
In short, she's a fake. Or at best, an early version of the Phoenix.
Even so, she's still strong. I estimate she's at least Late 2 star. Possibly even Peak 2 star. Definitely not 3 star, but not far off from it. It will be a tough fight, if it's even possible for me to win at all.
I let the wave of oum roll over me, and as soon as the main force of the gust is past, I dash forward. She wasn't expecting it, but she's also significantly faster than me, and reacts with a lazy punch aimed at my head. Still, a lazy punch from her is enough to blow my head off, so I stop mid-motion and kick at her instead. I don't waste any time holding back. My kick carries the full speed and force of my oum behind it.
She dodges it, of course. Not entirely, and I manage to rip a small hole in her pant legs, but I don't deal any real damage.
"Oho, not bad!" she says happily. "But not good enough either!"
She responds with a kick of her own. I try to jump aside, but she moves too quickly, and her foot slams into my hip and sends me flying. I land on the ground and immediately know that the battle is over. That kick broke my hip.
"Do you give up?" she asks.
"If I do, can I come back to try again?"
"Of course! I never back down from a challenger!"
"Then yes, I give up."
She walks over to me, and I tense up defensively, but don't react as she kneels down and places a gentle hand on my side. Oum floods into me with density and precision beyond what should be possible for even a 3 star, and less than a second later, I am fully healed. I bend my leg to test it, and the motion is painless.
That display of oum control was worrying though. That means that she was holding back and faking her level during the fight. Or maybe, she was just limited by the setting of the challenge. Either way, there's clearly more to the construct than meets the eye.
"Are you really the Phoenix?" I ask.
"The one and only!" she says, holding her hand out to help me to my feet. "And you'd better not forget about me!"
"I don't think I will."
"So, are you ready to challenge me again?"
I think for a moment, then shrug.
"Sure."
This second battle goes much the same as the first. I last a bit longer, since I'm more prepared for her speed and power, but I still can't really do anything to her. I bet that if I fought her another ten times, I'd figure her out enough to land a strike or two, but the difference in our oum is simply too great, and although she is less skilled than me, she's still skilled enough to defend against any techniques I try to throw at her. Even if I concentrated all my oum into a single strike, she'd probably be able to defend against it fairly easily.
She helps me up again after repairing my dislocated shoulder, and I dust off my clothes.
"How many trials are there?" I ask.
"Three," she says. "Though this one is probably the hardest because I'm the one giving it."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll see if you beat me! Wanna go again?"
"Not right now," I say.
"Well, then get out of here!"
She says it playfully, but she also grabs my arm and starts pulling me toward the door semi-aggressively. I let myself be thrown out—not that I really had a choice—and return to the main antechamber where Timmy is still crouching next to the mushrooms. He doesn't even look up as I re-enter.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I stand by the doorway for a few minutes thinking. This is a really inconvenient time for me to have found this place. I really want to complete the challenges, but I don't know if I have time because of the Starter Quest. I'd need to reach Peak 1 star at the bare minimum to even stand a chance at this first trial, not to mention the other two, and I have to be back at the platform in a little over a week. And in between now and then, I have to either fight my way through an army of ants, or find another way out of these caves.
Peak 1 star is actually quite doable with all these mushrooms, but it will take a few days, cutting my time to complete the trials down significantly. If they are comparable in difficulty, I probably won't be able to complete them, and if I can't complete them, then I'm just screwed. Even if I decided to forget the Starter Quest, I would still automatically be summoned back at the end, and in that case, I wouldn't be allowed back in.
On top of all that, Vanessa and the others are still stuck up top on their own. I've already mentally acknowledged that there's nothing I can do about it, but if I head out earlier, there might still be time to meet back up with them and coordinate. With the mushroom in the center alone, I think we're practically guaranteed to win the Starter Quest… but that's only if I get back in time. If my goal is just the Starter Quest, I should just take it and go right now.
…No, actually, it might be better to wait. I have a secluded cave with unlimited food and water and access to high quality cultivation materials. Even if I don't complete the challenges, pushing to Peak 1 star will still help me to push through the ants. It also might be best to leave Timmy in here while I go ahead. It's safe here, and it will be difficult to protect him while I'm fighting the ants.
Yeah, I think that's what I'll do. Use the mushrooms to push to Peak 1 star, then tell Timmy to stay here while I try to make it back to the surface with our trophies.
But still… It really feels unfair that I finally have a chance to maybe get some answers, and no matter what I do, I'll be forced out in just over a week. Sam did say that we could call him any time if we had questions. I wasn't sure about it, since bothering someone more powerful than the Ascendants for small worries like this seems like it could go badly, but at the same time, he seemed relatively friendly, and if he's been ruling this Floor for over a million years like Ganyu claimed, he's probably bored as shit. Even if I whine to him, he probably won't mind too much, and on the off chance that he actually does something about it, that's a win for me.
It's only been a little while since I told Timmy what not to do, so I just assume he hasn't forgotten and pluck a mushroom and head back to my room. He gives me a questioning look, but doesn't say anything, so I ignore him and shut the door inside me.
The mushroom I grabbed is one of the less potent ones, which is good, because that means my body won't explode. I set it in the center of the dining room table and sit in the chair, then take a deep breath before calling out.
"Sam?"
Before I even finish speaking, he appears in the chair across from me. I was half-expecting that, so I don't react, and I see a hint of disappointment flash across his eyes.
"You rang?" he says.
"Yes. I have a question."
"Go for it?"
"Don't you think that my current situation is a bit unfair?"
"In what way?"
"I don't have a choice in leaving. Whether I want to or not, I will be forced out and back to the city at the end of the Starter Quest. That seems to go against the spirit of the challenges."
"I suppose one could make that argument," he says.
"Is there anything that can be done about it?"
"Not according to the official rules laid out by the Phoenix," he says.
He pauses, watching my reaction, but I don't give him one. There's so obviously a "but" coming that I don't want to give him the satisfaction of reacting with disappointment. If anything, I'm feeling quite happy now. He's playing it off, but he actually seems quite amenable to my words.
"But…" he finally says. "You are correct. Your situation is unfair, and it does go against the spirit of the challenges. More than you know. So, I will make an exception."
"Thank you," I say, bowing my head to him.
Yes!
"On one condition."
Awww.
"I can't just break the rules of the challenges like this for just anyone," he continues. "Though you are the first in a long time, you are not the first ever. Many people have attempted these trials. Only four ever even made it past the first challenge. What's the point in extending the challenge time if you're just going to wash out like all the rest?
"So, here's my proposal: Complete the first challenge before you are forced out. If you can do that, I'll make an exception for you, and after the Starter Quest, I'll keep this Legacy in the same location, and I'll allow you back in once more, despite the Legacy's rules."
I shoot him a frown. That's a steep condition.
"That construct in there is stronger than almost everyone on this Floor. And you want me to defeat her within a week? As a Middle 1 star?"
"Who said anything about defeating her?" he says with a wink.
"What does that mean?"
"I've already said too much." He stands up and winks again. "Good luck."
I stare at the spot that he disappeared from, and a few seconds later, my lips curl up in a slight smile. That went much better than I had hoped. Not only did I get him to bend the rules, I even got a few important pieces of information. First is that the construct in the other room is indeed not the Ascendant version of the Phoenix. It is her younger self, which explains the immaturity and sloppy oum control.
Second, and more importantly is that there is more than one way to complete the challenge. Even for me, defeating her within ten days is a big stretch, but if I don't have to defeat her? That's doable. I just need to figure out what the alternate route is. And ideally, I need to do it as soon as possible.
The mushroom forgotten on the table, I walk back out of my room and straight through the double doors, ignoring Timmy's continuously increasing confusion. Time to figure out what this trial is really about.