NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: The Battleground [4]
This was the end.
Azrael knew it with sharp and cold clarity. He was on his knees his body burning with pain as he was trapped inside Lyra's ring of fire.
He had nothing left. His stamina was gone, his Aether a weak flicker, his will about to break.
Across the battlefield, he saw Selvara and Isolde, ice and wind crashing together, now joined by Seraphina's crystal blades.
The three of them fought as one, pushing back Orion's remaining four. They were winning.
But he had failed.
He had been useless. A liability. Dead weight.
He had not landed a single blow not scored a single point.
'It's pointless to keep this up,' he thought, the taste of blood and smoke heavy on his tongue. 'Even if I win, it changes nothing. I won't gain anything from this fight. Not a single point.'
In the novel, Seraphina had struggled against Lyra in a one-on-one fight.
And here he was, a weakling with a borrowed life facing her alone. The outcome was obvious.
The only bad feeling he had was about the bigger picture. His plan to push Selvara and the hero together was now in shambles.
The plot was going off the rails and he was too weak to even touch the steering wheel.
He lowered his sword the tip sinking into the dirt. He wasn't going to break his pendant but he also wasn't going to fight anymore.
Lyra lifted her hand a ball of fire glowing in her palm.
Azrael closed his eyes, ready for the end.
Then ---
A blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
[!! URGENT QUEST ISSUED !!]
[Objective: Achieve victory in the Annual Ranking Test.]
[Time Limit: End of the test.]
[Option 1: Path of Supremacy]
[-> Task: Achieve Rank 1 in the test.]
[-> Reward: 100,000 P.]
[Option 2: Path of Survival]
[-> Task: Be the last team standing.]
[-> Reward: 50,000 P.]
[Option 3: Path of Contribution]
[-> Task: Personally score at least 150 points.]
[-> Reward: 10,000 P.]
His tired eyes flew open. He stared at the quest at the unbelievable numbers glowing on the screen.
These rewards weren't normal they were a lifeline.
But Rank 1? That was impossible.
His own team was full of monsters. And beyond them… there was the hero's team. The Headmaster's family. Monsters among monsters.
But the second option… become the last team standing. With Selvara, Seraphina and Isolde on his team, that wasn't impossible. It was actually likely.
And if they won that would clear the second option, giving him 50,000 points.
And the third option… 150 points. That was fifteen defeats. If they won the whole test, the 100 bonus points for being Rank 1 would count.
That meant he would only need to score five kills himself. Five weak opponents. It was doable.
If he could do it that would be a total of 60,000 points.
Sixty. Thousand. Points.
That was enough to buy a Tier 3 Affinity. Earth. Maybe even a Tier 4 if he got lucky with another quest. It was enough to change the entire game.
A spark lit inside him again a fire he thought was long gone.
Lyra was walking closer, her smile smug and certain she had already won.
He knew he had only one move left. The most reckless, stupid and desperate thing he could do.
Every part of his mind screamed at him not to. He could almost hear his mother's voice warning him to never go that far.
'I have to.'
He had nothing but his will, his desperation, and ten thousand and ten points.
He focused his mind pouring every last bit of his concentration into the system.
'Gamble of Fates!' he screamed in his mind.
[Activate Gamble of Fates: The Lucky Spin?]
[Cost: 10,000 P.]
[YES / NO]
"Yes," he whispered, his voice rough and weak.
The world around him seemed to fade away.
In his mind, a giant wheel appeared.
It started turning slowly then faster and faster until it was just a blur of glowing rewards and dark empty spaces.
Click. Click. Clickclickclickclick.
The sound was like a fast heartbeat in his head.
The words on the wheel flashed past [Rare Sword], [Legendary Potion], [Lose all Stats], [Empty], [Empty], [Affinity].
The wheel slowed down. The clicks came slower, one by one.
Click… Click…
It passed [Epic Skill].
Click…
It passed [Empty].
It was going to land on the penalty. He just knew it. His cursed luck would see to it. His heart sank.
But then with one final soft thud it stopped.
His eyes glowed with a faint violet light. The wheel had landed on a single glowing word.
[AFFINITY]
A wave of energy flowed through him, warm and powerful.
In front of his eyes, a new window appeared in the system glowing with soft silver light.
[◈ AFFINITY ◈]
[Primary Slot: [Thread Affinity] (Tier: Basic)]
(The ability to manifest and control Aether in the form of threads.)
[◈ AFFINITY SKILLS ◈]
[Thread Manifestation] (Basic): Creates weak, visible Aether threads. Can only be used to tie very small objects or trip opponents. Looks laughable.
[Bind Knot] (Basic): Uses manifested threads to entangle an enemy's limbs, restricting minor movements. Very weak against strong foes.
[Intermediate Tier Skills Locked - Apprentice Rank Required]
[Advanced Tier Skills Locked - Expert Rank Required]
He stared at the description. Thread? That was his legendary game-changing power? Threads that looked laughable and knots that were weak against strong foes?
It was the most useless, pathetic affinity he had ever heard of.
His hope broke instantly. All that effort, all that pain it was for nothing.
"It's over," Lyra said. She stood above him, a ball of fire burning in her hand, ready to finish him.
He didn't have time to mourn his stupid decision. He had a new power, as pathetic as it was. And he was going to use it.
He pushed himself up onto one knee, his eyes fixed on her. he pushed all the little energy he had left his Aether, his very strength into the new power.
'Thread Manifestation!' he commanded.
He felt a strange tingle in his fingers. Thin silver threads soft and shining like spider silk shot out from his hand.
They looked incredibly weak and almost pathetic.
Lyra stopped her expression turning from triumph to utter confusion. "What… what is that?"
He didn't answer. He focused with all his might.
'Bind Knot!'
The thin threads floated weakly through the air and wrapped around Lyra's ankle. The knot they made was loose and messy, barely holding together.
It was the most he could do. His Aether rank was still Beginner. He had no real control, no power to put behind the skill.
It was like trying to stop a charging bull with a piece of sewing thread.
Lyra looked down at the pathetic-looking threads on her ankle. She wiggled her foot.
The threads fell off.
The clearing went quiet. Then Lyra laughed, loud and real.
"Strings? That's it?" she said, holding her stomach. "You really thought that would work?"
Azrael's face burned. He had risked everything and failed.
His body gave out, and he fell to the ground. The last thing he saw was Lyra's smirk as she wiped a tear from her eye.