Warlock of War: My Ares System

Chapter 468  Wielder of The Demonic Flame (6)

With a quick and impressive display of narrow footwork and optical judgment, I slipped inside of his guard, taking him aback. It was clear he was expecting some normal mage who was nothing without their mana, yet I had somebody who made my weakness very apparent and somebody who helped me train to my utmost limit.

The man clicked his tongue, attempting to take a few steps back in order to widen the gap between us. To him, it was most likely the best move that he could think of, but to me I expected something much different, allowing me to notice that I had overestimated this man.

My that hands had come to my diaphragm in order to protect me from a knee to the solar plexus, quickly heightened up to my head. I took another series of quick steps inward, forcing the man to throw a sloppy punch that I quickly deflected. This opened up a massive hole in his guard that I slipped into.

Now, even though I overestimated his battle IQ, I wasn't going to underestimate his common sense. Clearly, he was chosen for this role as a decent martial artist so… "Any good martial artist will block it," I smiled, throwing a punch towards his liver.

The man blocked it with ease, smirking as if he had done something, but in the end, he fell to a hook to his jaw that had slipped from outside his fallen guard. His eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped backward, slamming against the stone brick floor.

"Huff… huff… huf… without mana that was kinda hard," I muttered, wiping a pooling of sweat from my chin before looking up and seeing my grand accomplishment.

[Round 2: The Martial Arts of The Mermen]

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[Reward has been granted]

[Reward has been placed in your treasure trove]

[You may collect your rewards at the end of the gauntlet]

[Potential Buffs have been provided]

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[Preparing Next Round…]

[Strength has been underestimated leading to a miscalculation]

[Everything will be recalculated…]

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[Round 2: The Sword Arts of The Mermen]

[Description: You have easily passed the second round, allowing you to reach the third round. Unfortunately, you may have a tough time as your opponent specializes in sword arts meant to close the distance between close combat fighters and mages who specialize in long distance. Not only is his body extremely resistant, but his mental fortitude is practically unshakeable. On top of that, his skill with the sword is practically unrivaled among his peers. Good luck.]

[Monsters: [1 Merman Swordsman]

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Before the next round could start, I was instantly caught up by another panel sent out by the system. It was a myriad of buffs that I could choose from that could obviously help me later on. But, seeing how my mana had been refreshed and my stamina soon followed after, I could immediately jot away most of the buffs presented to me.

They were a mix of increasing my stamina and mana capacity which I already have large pools in. I doubt an entire round would take up so much as the last two could barely scrape away ten points in total.

"So the only real useful ones would be these…"

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[Round will be put on hold as you make your selection]

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[Body Enhancement]

[Description: You receive a 15% buff to all physical stats]

[Time: 5 Rounds]

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[Weapon Enhancement]

[Weapon Detected: Magic Staff]

[Description: All attacks while wielding your staff will have their power amplified by 15%]

[Time: 3 Rounds]

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[Monster Debuff]

[Description: Debuff all stats of the opposing monsters by 20%]

[Time: 1 Round]

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First of all, body enhancement almost seemed like the obvious answer. My main weakness was my physical stats, but the fact that I've been living my life as a glass cannon means I've learned to understand that weakness as well. Of course, I did end up learning how to fight physically, but why try and excel at something else when I can push my strongest skill to its highest potential?

With that reasoning, weapon enhancement became the obvious answer. The monsters surely have adjusted to my strength and my skill at fighting so I doubt that would work anymore and as long as that mana-restricting skill was purely meant for the martial artist, this would be a good piece to choose.

"But do I trust these executives to give me a fair chance?" I muttered, feeling the watchful eyes of whatever spectators looked over my shoulder. "It would be best to play it safe… so the only thing left is this."

[You have selected: Monster Debuff]

[Would you like to apply it to this round?]

"I'll play it safe… yes," I muttered, and as the array of panels disappeared from my vision, a merman nearly identical to the merman that I had fought previously appeared. The only difference was that instead of a tight uniform of black clothes, this man was clad in chainmail and a longsword made from iron. In addition, that debuff caused him to glow a tiny red aura.

And as soon as he spawned in, I gathered mana in my hands and once more used [Advanced Demonic Fire Magic] while in tandem using [Summon: Lesser Fire Spirits]. My green flames pushed through the atmosphere and threatened to melt him and all of his gear, yet within the blink of an eye, all of my mana had been frozen in place, and the green flames were cut in half.

"You…" I began to sweat as the merman smiled lightly… until he saw balls of fire with smaller balls acting as a tail behind them. His face instantly dropped upon realizing that these summons were now their own lifeforms yet still under my influence.

He clicked his tongue before raising his sword up and dashing towards me. His mana exploded out as if he wanted to slaughter me right here and now, but before he could even get close, my cute little summons coughed up small wisps of fire that the man couldn't help but cut down.

"Just like I thought… well, this will make beating your ass a little easier."