[Name : Senior Trainee Cassian van dyke
Warrior level : Adept
[System function : Training field (available)
Swords mastery : Adept Lv3, gale whisper sword style (Apprentice)
Half Body Massage Mastery : Lv2(119/500)
Passive skills : Self healing, Pain Immunity.]
[Mana Rotation and Sealing Techniques: Blood Fire Tempering
Rotations for Second Seal: 8/100
Resources Required: Fire Mana Crystal: 1kg
Heart of 3-Star Monster: (0/5)]
[Accepted task : The Skilled Masseur(0/10)]
[Finished Task : Path of the Gladiator (Completed), Beginner Monster Slayer (Completed)
[Training points : 31]
[Trainee Cassian has advanced to Senior Trainee after achieving the milestone of becoming a Circle Warrior.]
[New information and functions unlocked. Note: New Functions will become available once the trainee consolidates his current gains.]
Cassian glanced at his status screen after a long time. Not much had changed, except for his sword mastery leveling up and the addition of the Gale Whisper Sword Style to his repertoire.
He barely spared it a second look, boredom settling in as he waited for the clones to attack. It had been nearly an hour—the only hour today without an attack. Still, he didn't want to let his guard down. Tightening his grip on both sword hilts and the bag slung over his shoulder, he stayed ready for any surprises.
Just as Larick had mentioned last time, the area was littered with clone body parts—mostly their hearts. Cassian had discovered that these hearts contained some kind of mechanism capable of attracting mana and using it to generate mana fields. When he infused them with his own mana, he realized he could control them, and manipulating them caused the creation of mana fields and other effects.
He planned to put this ability to use as soon as the fight with the clones began, knowing it required some time to take effect.
The rustling grew louder, an ominous warning of the approaching threat. Someone shouted from the group, "Take positions! They're here!"
Cassian stood near Larick and Selene, his expression tense. "There seem to be more than before…" he muttered, scanning the mass of clones emerging from the shadows.
The group fell silent, their faces grim as they took in the sight—almost double the number of clones compared to before. Larick's voice cut through the air, loud and commanding, "Let's take two each!" He then turned to Cassian, a wild smile on his face as adrenaline coursed through his body.
"I don't think I can hold on much longer," Larick said, his tone laced with a mix of desperation and resolve. "Can't you just get us out of this place already?"
Cassian let out a dry chuckle, his expression still grave. "It's already in motion. Just hold them off for a few more minutes."
With that, the clones charged, and chaos erupted. The battlefield descended into a cacophony of shouts, clashing weapons, and the guttural growls of the clones.
Cassian's eyes narrowed as his body flared with a red glow. Without hesitation, he launched himself toward the weakest of the clones, his speed leaving a streak of light in his wake. In an instant, he was upon his target, his blade slicing cleanly through it, reducing the clone to nothing more than a dissipating husk. His first kill of the clash.
Beside him, Amina moved with lethal precision. She hurled a sword at a clone, which raised its weapon to block. But as it focused on the airborne blade, Amina closed the distance. Another sword, concealed in her hand, plunged into the clone's stomach with brutal efficiency.
All around them, the strongest warriors targeted the weakest clones, trying to thin their numbers quickly. Yet, progress was slow. Only seven clones fell in the first clash, their overwhelming numbers and relentless attacks making it difficult to press the advantage.
The more powerful clones countered with vicious force, forcing the group's strongest fighters to focus on defense. This left the weaker warriors to fend for themselves, their struggle becoming more desperate with each passing moment.
Cassian gritted his teeth, facing an unexpected and unsettling challenge—his own clone. The clone was formidable, wielding a copied version of his Domain and mimicking his sword style with surprising precision. However, Cassian quickly noticed its limitations. The clone could replicate the movements and some of the intent behind the Gale Whisper Sword Style, but the finer techniques, like Whisper of Winds and Flow Like Winds, were absent.
Even so, the clone's relentless speed and power pushed Cassian to his limits. Its attacks came fast and hard, overwhelming him as he struggled to keep up. Adding to the difficulty, Cassian couldn't amplify his strikes with his Domain—he was already using it for something else, a crucial task that left him vulnerable.
The deep, dark red glow of his Domain flickered and began to fade rapidly, a clear sign that whatever he was doing was draining its energy at an alarming rate.
Larick grunted as he fought against the relentless spearman clone. The thrusts came at him with blistering speed and precision, forcing him to block and misdirect each attack with his twin swords. Sweat dripped from his brow as he barely kept up, each clash pushing him closer to the edge.
Finally, with a burst of effort, he managed to disrupt the rhythm of the spearman's assault. Redirecting a particularly aggressive thrust, Larick angled the spear downward, driving its tip into the ground. Wasting no time, he delivered a sharp kick to the clone's chest, sending it stumbling backward.
Breathing heavily, Larick stepped back, trying to catch his breath. "How much longer—" he began to shout, but his words were cut off.
A blur of movement to his side forced him to react. He turned just in time to block a brutal strike from another clone, this one wielding shiny knuckles that gleamed ominously under the battlefield's chaotic light. The force of the blow reverberated through his swords, his arms straining under the sheer power.