Despite knowing this dungeon would be a challenge, especially with no one having cleared it before, Ethan hadn’t anticipated how truly annoying it would be. Yes it had netted him a good profit, be it in skill levels of class levels, but he would be glad to put it behind him. The dungeon was different to others he was used to, in the fact it was a challenge dungeon. Which normally revolved around them being longer or taking more time to complete. Of course there were exceptions, especially as the dungeons grew in power. But the general rule of thumb was a challenge dungeon would be a longer journey to complete. And the rule definitely applied with this one. It was a level thirty five dungeon. Something Ethan would be confident tackling in half a day or so. But he had been doing this particular dungeon for a good week now. Albeit he had used the time to adapt his styles and refine his swordsmanship further.
So, as the announcer called the final round, Ethan felt an anticipation building in his stomach, as he accepted the prompt. He was ready to end this and collect his rewards. Which surely would be abundant for a first clear.
He felt his two energies flowing through his body, his core still held around a quarter of his total reserves, while his aura was continuously being replenished as his body created more and more. He would have liked to spend some time meditating and gathering mana for the final fight, however that seemed unlikely and Ethan supposed that was part of what made this dungeon so annoying and why it hadn’t been cleared yet. It wasn’t that any single individual was extremely powerful, though at these end levels they definitely weren’t anything to scoff at. Instead it was the constant fights. The round after round with no downtime in between. No rest to recompose or regather your energy. Instead it was straight into it, just like what was happening right now.
“Ladies and gentlemen, harpies and wrenches, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. The reason each and every one of you has purchased these seats. It time for the final round of the evening. Will our challenger have what it takes to clear the entire gauntlet or will his journey come to an end here? Let’s find out together, bring out the arena champion, bring out the berserker!”
Ethan listened as the announcer finished his speech. Deciding it was a high likelihood that they were a goblin or something similar. Not that it mattered. The gates opened for the last time and Ethan stopped searching the crowd for the voice and instead focused on the final challenge ahead of him.
From the shadowed entrance, a large figure emerged. Ethan tracked the movements, both through [Keen Sense] and also with his heightened vision, trying to pierce the strange shadow. His breath held as he took in his opponent.
They were humanoid. With two legs and two arms, there skin was tinged in a deep forest green. But none of that was important. Instead, it was the fact that the figure had to crouch as they fully revealed themselves and entered the arena, ducking under the entrance.
Ethan felt his mana begin to boil, his body begin to heat up as he realized he was in for a worthy challenge. His aura quickly surrounded his mana, keeping it in check as a smile spread underneath his helmet. It was one of both nerves and excitement, because his final challenge was none other than a giant. And if the announcers title had any meaning then it likely had some berserking skill.
The crowd stood from their chairs as the giant fully emerged, lifting a massive axe with one hand and letting out a deafening roar that shook the very stadium. Ethan winced as [Keen Sense] heightened it further, making him wonder if his eardrums were about to explode.
Luckily they didn’t. Not even when the crowd began shouting in excitement, back at the giant. It seemed even with him clearing nineteen other challenges he still wasn’t their favourite.
His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. He didn’t need an artificial crowd’s approval. But still, he’d show them they picked the wrong fighter to back. The giant lowered its axe and looked towards Ethan. If it was intelligent, he couldn’t tell. All he could see was madness in those black eyes.
The giant took a step forward after spotting its prey. Then another. Then another. Each footfall landed harder than the last until the creature broke into a run. The entire arena trembled beneath its weight as it bounded across the coliseum towards Ethan. There was no finesse in the way it moved. It simply possessed so much raw strength that every stride propelled it forward with terrifying speed. The axe came around in a massive arc long before Ethan would have considered himself within range. The sheer size of the weapon was absurd. Combined with the giant's height, it allowed the creature to threaten nearly a quarter of the arena with a single swing.
Ethan planted his feet and brought his greatsword up to meet the attack. Steel collided with steel and the impact echoed through the stadium. Pain shot up both arms as the giant's strength crashed into him. Even with [Steadfast] anchoring him to the ground, he still slid backwards several feet, his boots carving trenches through the stone. The giant didn't pause. It immediately raised the axe overhead and brought it crashing down again, forcing Ethan to abandon the exchange and sidestep. The blade struck the arena floor, splitting the stone apart and sending fragments exploding in every direction.
Ethan surged forward before the giant could recover. Mana flooded into his legs and he crossed the distance in a blur. His sword struck three times in rapid succession. The first cut opened the giant's forearm as it tried to recover its weapon. The second sliced across its ribs. The third bit deeply into its thigh. Blood sprayed across the arena floor and the crowd erupted. Ethan was already retreating before the giant could retaliate, unwilling to get trapped within reach of those massive hands.
The giant looked down at the wounds and grinned, if it had felt any pain from his attacks, it didn’t show it. And just as quickly as the blood began to flow, it came to a stop. Then the wounds began healing. Muscle knit itself together before Ethan's eyes. The bleeding slowed. Torn flesh closed. Not completely, but enough to be deeply annoying.
Ethan clicked his tongue and leapt backwards as the giant's free hand shot towards him. Thick fingers closed around empty air where he had been standing a moment earlier. The creature slammed its fist against its own chest and let out another deafening roar. Immediately Ethan felt something change. Veins bulged beneath green skin. Muscles swelled. Its eyes became bloodshot while froth gathered around its mouth. The giant looked less like a warrior and more like a rabid beast.
A berserk skill. Which made sense considering its title, but still, he would have rather it had some other type of skill. Berserking was a hard skill to counter. Especially when Ethan's fighting style was also pure pressure and strength.
The crowd roared their approval while the giant moved again. Ethan barely got his sword into position before the axe crashed into it. The impact launched him backwards despite [Steadfast], forcing him to skid across the arena floor while his arms screamed in protest and his sword dug into the ground. The giant pressed forward relentlessly, never giving him a chance to regather himself. It swung from impossible angles, using its reach and overwhelming strength to dominate the battlefield.
Ethan quickly abandoned any thought of maintaining [Aura Field]. It wasn't worth the cost. The giant's regeneration was simply too strong. Any poison damage he dealt would be healed moments later unless he inflicted a truly significant wound. Instead he conserved his aura, allowing it to settle beneath his skin while he focused entirely on swordsmanship and efficient mana usage.
The fight dragged on as they fell into a rhythm of the giant attacking, using its strength and reach, forcing Ethan to defend until he saw an opening and unleashed [Mana Infusion], closing the distance and punishing the giant for its lack of self-preservation. Only for him to retreat again and the giant's regeneration to kick in and heal most of its wounds. Blood still covered the creature's body from dozens of wounds that hadn’t healed, while Ethan's breathing gradually became heavier. His mana reserves continued shrinking. His arms ached from absorbing repeated impacts. Yet neither fighter seemed willing to give an inch. If anything, the giant only grew more aggressive as the battle continued.
Then something changed. The giant exploded at a speed Ethan couldn’t keep up with. [Keen Sense] screamed at him as he twisted to get out of the way. But it wasn't enough. Whatever skill the giant had used, boosted its speed by a landslide. He didn’t have time to react. Not even as the axe tore through his armor and bit deep into his thigh before continuing past. Pain exploded through his leg. Blood poured down the damaged plate and splattered against the arena floor. The crowd erupted at the sight of the first truly serious injury while the giant threw back its head and roared in triumph.
Ethan stumbled backwards. [Aura Overload] immediately went to work but he could tell the wound was serious. He had been cut deep, the only saving grace was his delayed reactions to twist slightly out of the way.
The giant attacked again, stacking its pressure. Ethan winced beneath his helmet as he let [Aura Overload] dissipate and prepared to engage once more.
He had to do something different. Had to change the playing field. The berserker state was making the giant stronger, but it was also making it reckless. It no longer cared about defense. It no longer cared about preserving stamina. It simply wanted to crush him beneath overwhelming force.
Mana surged through Ethan's body as he prepared his attack.
The giant lifted its axe overhead for another killing blow. Instead of retreating, Ethan exploded forward, his leg buckling from the wound and almost making him stumble. But the sudden change caught the giant off guard. He slipped beneath the descending weapon and entered the giant's guard. His greatsword drove deep into the giant's side while his stored aura flooded into the wound. Corrosive energy immediately began eating away at flesh and muscle.
The giant roared in pain as it stumbled back, having not felt his aura the entire fight. Its regeneration surged to meet the damage. He could see his poison being pushed out of the wound. But he wasn’t about to let up. Ethan pressed his free hand against the wound.
Molten Blast erupted. Heat exploded from his hand. The giant staggered backwards as molten mana tore through flesh. Unlike the shallow wounds from earlier, this damage couldn't immediately heal. Entire sections of muscle were simply gone. For the first time since the battle began, the regeneration visibly slowed.
Ethan saw the opening and attacked.
The giant swung desperately, but the wound had disrupted its movement. Ethan met the attack with [Steadfast], absorbed the impact, then moved. His greatsword carved into its stomach. Each strike landed in roughly the same location while poison aura flooded deeper into the damage. The giant tried to recover. Tried to pull away. But every movement became slower than the last. He could feel it waning, but so was he. He had underestimated the wound on his leg, and only now, was he realizing it was bad. He wasn’t sure if it was deep but there was a lot of blood. So much that his vision was beginning to grow blurry and he was wondering if it had hit an artery. Which was seeming more and more likely.
Mana surged through Ethan one final time as he realized this had to come to an end as fast as possible. He stepped forward, his sword came around in a brutal arc. Ethan using the full might of his strength in the blow.
The giant raised its arm to block. Steel bit through flesh, muscle and bone. The arm holding the axe separated entirely from the body.
The giant staggered.
Ethan didn't give it a chance to recover. He stepped inside its reach as it stumbled backwards and jumped upwards, powering his burst with mana as he ascended into the air. His sword drove up through the base of its jaw. The blade punched through the roof of its mouth and buried itself deep within its skull.
The giant froze as Ethan fell back to the ground, stumbling as his leg gave out beneath him. Then, thankfully, it toppled. The entire arena shook as fifteen feet of muscle and rage crashed into the stone.
Silence filled the coliseum.
Ethan crouched there breathing heavily while blood dripped from his damaged armor in a steady stream. His thigh throbbed with every heartbeat. His mana reserves were nearly exhausted and his arms felt like they had been beaten with hammers. Yet despite everything, a smile slowly spread beneath his helmet.
The giant dissolved into motes of light just as he activated [Aura Overload] to close off the wound.
The crowd exploded around him as the noise became a distant hum, his thoughts spiraling as he realized [Aura Overload] wasn’t doing enough to close the wound and he was still bleeding out at a dangerous rate.
"He did it! He actually did it! The human has conquered the arena! The first challenger in history to clear all twenty rounds!" The announcer's voice rang out.
Ethan lowered his sword and looked upward as notifications began appearing one after another before his eyes. He had finished the dungeon, cleared the entire twenty challenges, and yet he didn't feel overly happy. Instead he had a dreaded thought as his aura still fought to close his wound. Was he going to have to use his hard earned PO to heal his damaged leg lest he bleed out? Like hell.