Chapter 55: Ch 55: Reality Manipulation Quest
The current betting ratio was 2 : 1.20, with most of the spectators placing their money on Kordel the Blood-Axe. Sure, the Foreigner had won three consecutive matches, but they were certain she would not survive against Kordel’s raw power.
So, most of the nobles and commoners placed their bets on Kordel.
For Neo, this was the perfect chance to double his gold.
Without delay, he created a fitting quest for his plan.
The Quest Card abruptly flashed into Chloe’s vision.
[ You have received a quest from Master Verde. ]
[ Quest Title: Survival Is The Foundation ]
[ Objective 1: Survive the lightning strike from the sky arriving in an estimated time of 2 minutes. ]
[ Objective 2: Cleverly use the lightning strike to your advantage and win. ]
[ Time Limit: None ]
[ Difficulty: Normal ]
[ Rewards: Skill: Firestorm (F), 30 Gold Coins, 3,000 EXP ]
[ Failure Punishment: Paralyzed for 2 minutes. ]
--
The translucent blue text hovered right in front of my face. I barely stepped out of the way of another massive, sweeping strike from Kordel.
Bang!
The heavy iron battleaxe smashed violently into the packed earth, kicking up a thick cloud of dirt that stung my eyes and coated my throat.
But I could not stop staring at the glowing quest window floating in my peripheral vision.
Master Verde. I had absolutely no idea who this hidden benefactor was or why they were watching me. But looking at the listed rewards, I felt a sudden, electrifying rush of pure adrenaline flooding my veins.
Skill Firestorm.
This was exactly the highly destructive pyromancy spell I had been desperately trying to obtain. I had spent countless days bleeding in this miserable, sun baked arena just to scrape together enough copper and silver for a basic, low tier fire spell. Now, this mysterious Master Verde was handing me an incredibly powerful skill on a literal silver platter. Along with thirty extra gold coins and a massive chunk of experience points.
This was an absolute blessing from the heavens. It was a blissful, perfect quest. I would not let this golden opportunity slip through my fingers. I needed that specific magical skill to survive in this brutal, unforgiving world. I had to win this match at absolutely all costs, no matter how much it hurt.
I mentally tapped the accept button.
The blue window shattered into bright golden particles. Now I had exactly two minutes to figure out how to survive a literal lightning bolt from the sky and somehow use it against a giant, raging butcher.
"HAHA, stop running like a scared little rabbit!" Kordel laughed, ripping his heavy axe from the cratered sand.
"I am just warming up, you oversized brute," I shouted back, gripping my flaming longsword tightly with both hands.
I began to count down the seconds in my head. One hundred and twenty. One hundred and nineteen. I kept my footwork extremely light, carefully circling the outer edges of the bloodstained pit. I needed to lure him right into the dead center of the arena before the timer hit zero.
High up in the luxurious VIP terrace, Raidan watched the golden light flash faintly in Chloe’s eyes from across the vast distance.
He knew that specific magical glow meant she had accepted his custom quest.
Withou delay, he turned away from the velvet railing and sprinted toward the betting counters located at the far back of the VIP lounge.
The opulent room was filled with wealthy merchants and arrogant nobles who were loudly laughing and drinking highly expensive wine.
Raidan ignored every single one of them.
He reached the gilded iron bars of the wagering station just as the clerk reached up to pull the heavy mechanical lever that locked the current bets.
"Wait!" Raidan shouted.
The clerk paused, looking at the tall, cloaked figure.
"The betting window is closing right now, sir. You have exactly five seconds."
Raidan did not waste a single second with unnecessary words. He pulled out his heavily enchanted spatial pouch and unfastened the thick leather drawstrings. He tipped the magical bag forward, allowing a massive, cascading waterfall of pure gold coins to spill directly onto the polished mahogany counter. The incredibly heavy clinking sound instantly drew the attention of several nearby nobles, who stopped their arrogant conversations to stare in utter shock.
"There’s exactly 2350 gold coins in here. Place all of it on the Foreigner called Sunshine."
"Ahh!"
The clerk swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he quickly stamped a large golden betting ticket.
Immediately after, the heavy iron lever slammed down loudly, officially locking the ridiculous odds.
Only after securing the golden ticket, Raidan let out a cunning smile.
Now, all he gad to do is wait patiently for the lightning to fall.
--
Only Sixty seconds remained. My lungs burned with every desperate breath. While Kordel swung his massive weapon in a wide horizontal arc, I dropped to my knees, feeling the heavy gust of wind pass mere inches above my golden hair.
The crowd screamed for my blood, but I completely ignored their deafening cheers.
My eyes darted toward the bright blue sky.
Suddenly, thick grey clouds began to churn unnaturally fast right above the open roof of the arena.
The temperature dropped in an instant.
The wealthy spectators pointed upward in utter confusion, but I knew exactly what was coming. The mysterious Master Verde was completely serious about the incoming strike.
"Thirty seconds."
I scrambled backward, deliberately retreating toward the exact center of the bloodstained pit.
"Coward! Stand still and die!" he bellowed.
"Come and get me, you slow giant!" I yelled back, feigning total exhaustion. I stumbled on purpose, falling hard onto the rough sand.
It was a massive gamble. If my timing was off by even a single second, I would be chopped into tiny pieces.
Ten seconds.
The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up.
Meanwhile, Kordel stomped heavily toward me, shaking the ground with every step.
He loomed over my fallen body like a mountain of muscle.
With a triumphant shout, he raised his gigantic iron battleaxe high above his head with both hands, preparing to deliver the final crushing blow.
His weapon was essentially a giant metal lightning rod pointing directly at the turbulent sky.
The outcome?
Three. Two. One.
Rumble!
The sudden thunder shook the entire stone coliseum.
I rolled violently to the side just as a blinding pillar of pure white lightning tore down from the swirling clouds.
The execution was absolutely flawless.
The lightning struck the raised iron blade directly, sending millions of voltage charging straight down the metal handle and violently into Kordel’s massive body.
He let out a horrifying shriek as the electrical current fried his nervous system. The intense flash temporarily blinded the entire audience, filling the arena with the smell of scorched earth and burnt flesh.
When the thick smoke finally cleared, Kordel was lying flat like roasted meatball. His giant body was burnt beyond recognition.
--
The Coliseum went quiet. So quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Shock and bewilderment mirrored in everyone’s eyes.
Finally, the crowd erupted.
"Gods! What was that?"
"Where did that lightning even come from?!"
"My coin! All my money is gone!"
"This is utterly ridiculous! We want a refund!"
"Rigged! It was a foul!"
"Piss off, you fat bastard! Didn’t you see what happened? Our goddess Sunshine won fair and square. We’re taking the pot."
"Well said, boss," another chimed in with a sneer. "There’s no rule that says getting struck by lightning is a foul. Maybe the Sun God is looking out for his Sunshine, eh? Who knows?"
At the mention of the Sun God, the disgruntled complaints quickly died down, allowing the Coliseum’s manager to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Chloe received her quest completion rewards.
[ Rewards received: Firestorm (F), 30 Gold Coins, 3,000 EXP ]
She was thrilled.
But there was someone far happier than she was.
Rain had triggered a 33x multiplier.
As a result, his rewards were:
[ Active Skill: Scorch Dragon’s Roar (A), 990 Gold Coins, 99,000 EXP ]
[ Skill: Scorch Dragon’s Roar ]
[ Rank: A ]
[ Description: This is a forgotten draconic technique that materializes extreme heat through sound. By channeling raw elemental mana, the user unleashes a furious, superheated shockwave mimicking the battle cry of an ancient Scorch Dragon. The temperature of the soundwaves turns the very air into fire. ]
[ Effect: Deals 500% Fire Magic damage in a 50-meter radius. Enemies caught in the blast are inflicted with [Severe Burn], taking continuous damage for 10 seconds. Instantly obliterates enemies below level 40 and other environmental obstacles. ]
[ Cooldown: 1 Hour ]
[ Mana Cost: 500 MP ]
Note: Host cannot activate due to low Mana quantity.
"Wow! A 500 MP activation cost? That means I’m completely locked out of using it, just like that S-Rank Monster Tamer skill. I need to find a method to boost my mana pool, and soon," he mused.
Pushing the thought aside, he headed to the betting counter to collect his payout.
His original wager of 2,350 gold coins had successfully doubled to 4,700. However, after the Marshal Arena took their mandatory 100-coin cut, he was left with a clean 4,600 gold coins.
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