When Rain was on the island, he traversed the dense jungle and rocky beaches of the island every day, his thoughts consumed with his skill proficiency.
Despite battling fierce monsters regularly, his combat skills seemed to be growing at a sluggish pace.
He couldn't help but feel confused and disheartened by his slow progress.
Compared to other characters, he was already lagging far behind because of that troublesome Nerf.
However, he didn't know the reason for that Nerf. So he stopped thinking about that.
At that moment, growing stronger was more important.
"If I accelerate the plot progress, I don't know what kind of consequence I would face." Rain was concerned about this.
He knew he won't be unscathed by the climax of the story. Even if he was on the deserted island somehow some trouble would surely come to him.
"I need to get stronger for that." He was determined. After some brainstorming, he found out the reason behind his slow growth rate.
One possible reason could be that the monsters he was facing were not challenging enough to help him improve his skills.
If he was only facing weak or inexperienced monsters, he may not have been pushed to his limits and therefore did not have the opportunity to develop his combat skills further.
Another reason could be that he was not receiving any guidance or training in his combat skills.
Without a mentor or teacher to guide him, he may not have been able to identify and correct his weaknesses, which would have slowed his progress.
Even though he was watching the lectures of the academy syllabus, they weren't much help.
That's why when he entered the virtual world Mythosia, he started fighting in the arena and clones with the main characters' data.
But he was still lacking.
He needed more combat experience.
"Looks like I have to find some guinea pigs." He thought inwardly.
***
From the moment Rain launched himself at Casper, his daggers flying as he aimed at Casper, he was testing the waters.
He sought to overcome his shortcomings and increase his mastery of skills.
Even though Casper didn't fight him seriously, Rain knew that winning was almost impossible.
"I don't have to think about winning or losing, I am just having my grinding for skill proficiency." Rain chuckled, as he parried Casper's attacks with his daggers.
He was enjoying the spar, and his focus was on improving his abilities.
While Rain was having fun during the fight against Casper, the other two persons had different thoughts.
"Boy, your sword style looks like something which uses shadows as 'the essence'. I guess this was the reason you asked for a spar?" Casper asked curiously, attacking Rain with fierce attacks.
Rain nodded as he fended himself from Casper's attacks.
"Yes, it's called the Shadow Sword Style, and it's a unique form of sword fighting that relies on manipulating the shadows to gain an advantage over the opponent." He answered.
Hearing this response, Casper grinned ear to ear.
"Hey, Sis. Is this enough for you?" Casper's clone emerged and asked Veronica loudly.
Veronica, who was watching the spar intently, nodded. "Yes, it is. You can finish it now," she transmitted her voice to Casper's mind.
"Yahhoooo!!!" Casper cheered, knowing that he had won the spar.
"Yo, boy. It was a good match, but I gotta finish it now," Casper chuckled, making some distance from Rain and leaping into the air.
Rain knew that this wasn't going to be good for him, so he tried to stop Casper.
He quickly gathered his energy and used [the first move of the Shadow Sword Style, Nightfall Step], to strike Casper.
He strengthened his body to its full extent and used a lightning-fast step that allowed for a swift strike catching opponents off guard. Rain felt a surge of adrenaline as he executed the move.
In response, Casper quickly used [Dark Mist], summoning a cloud of inky blackness that gathered around where he was standing.
"It's futile," Casper laughed as he snapped his fingers.
At that moment, Rain felt the atmosphere getting heavier.
It wasn't because he was exhausted; thanks to Elemental Transmutation Breathing, he was barely tired from fighting, even though he was using his senses as he was trapped in Casper's domain.
But now, even doing that felt hard. Rain clicked his tongue as he felt more figures appearing around him.
"These shadow clones again," Rain sighed, as he realized that these shadow clones were more powerful than the previous ones, and their number was greater than before.
"Let's enjoy the show," Casper appeared beside Veronica and summoned a tub of his favorite cheese popcorn.
Veronica stared blankly at him, but Casper didn't seem to care.
"Want it?" he slid the tub toward Veronica, but she shook her head, still too focused on the spar.
Veronica stared blankly at Casper, her eyes flickering between him and the ongoing battle.
"You're really something else," she said finally, a wry smile on her lips.
Casper grinned, his mouth full of cheese popcorn. "I try my best," he said, crunching down on a particularly large kernel.
Veronica shook her head, her attention returning to the battle.
She watched as Rain fought off Casper's shadow clones with incredible skill, his daggers flashing as he spun and ducked and weaved.
On the other hand, Rain felt a sense of loss as he felt his grinding session was going to end soon.
"Let's try my best and do as much as I can," he shrugged his shoulders.
He moved quickly. While shadow clones mimicked his every move as he launched into the fight against Casper's clones.
He started with Nightfall Step, a lightning-fast step that allowed for a swift strike that caught one of the clones off guard.
With a flick of his wrist, he followed up with Reflection Dance, using the sword to reflect and redirect the clone's counterattack.
As the other clones closed in, Rain used 3rd move of Shadow Sword Style - Whispering Wind, a footwork technique that allowed him to move swiftly and silently, leaving the clones guessing as to his location.
He then used 4th move of Shadow Sword Style -Eclipse Leap, a powerful leap forward that led into a thrust towards the nearby clone.
The other clones quickly adapted, forcing Rain to use 5th move of Shadow Sword Style - Eclipse's Edge Sweep, a sweeping strike that knocked one clone off balance and set him up for the next attack.
6th move of Shadow Sword Style - Mirage Dash followed a sudden and deceptive dash that created the illusion of an attack, confusing the clones and leaving them open for a counterattack.
Rain then used the 7th move of Shadow Sword Style - Void Step, a precise and devastating step forward that led to a stabbing attack that targeted vital areas of the clones' bodies, causing significant damage.
As they regrouped, Rain used the 8th move of Shadow Sword Style - Moonrise Spin, a spinning sweep attack that hit multiple targets at once, sending the clones reeling.
The clones were relentless, but Rain remained focused.
He used the 9th move of Shadow Sword Style - Shadowwall Defense sometimes, a defensive move that blocked attacks and set up for a powerful counterattack, leaving the clones surprised.
He then used the 10th move of Shadow Sword Style - Vanishing Step, a technique that allowed him to blend into the surroundings with a quick step, becoming almost invisible and leaving the clones disoriented.
But he couldn't hide from Casper's clones.
As the clones closed in once again, Rain used the 11th move of Shadow Sword Style - Fusion Flow, a flowing technique that combined his sword with his energy, creating a powerful and unpredictable weapon that shattered the clones' defenses.
He culminated his attack with the 12th move of Shadow Sword Style - Tempest Rush, a rush of quick and precise attacks that overwhelmed the clones and left them defenseless, culminating in a final, devastating strike that dispelled them.
Breathing heavily, Rain stood alone in the empty combat area.
He had succeeded in mastering the Shadow Sword Style. But he was very much exhausted now.
He was barely holding himself.
"That was amazing," Casper appeared behind him and said, clapping Rain on the back.
Rain couldn't help but stare at Casper who still had a mouthful of popcorn in his mouth.
"Still want to fight?" Feeling Rain's gaze, Casper asked.
However, in response, Rain shook his head.
"So shall I start asking questions now, [Thanatos]?" Veronica came towards him and asked in a cold tone.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om