CHAPTER 704: 2ND ROUND: SKILL CHECK

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"Skill Check."

The 2nd round of the preliminaries was simple. As Paul and Lisa explained, it’s all about learning.

All participants will be transported to a perpetuating room where they need to learn and master a skill; it could be a combat technique, a spell, or an auxiliary art; it could be anything. After learning and mastering the skill, they need to defeat a room guardian to move on to the next room, where the cycle repeats.

The further they go, the more difficult the skills they need to learn become. In addition, the guardian also becomes stronger. One thing to note is that they could only use the skill they learned in that specific room to defeat that room’s guardian. If they use any other skills they know, the attempt will be considered a failure, and they’d have to start over again.

The participants could only attempt to clear each room a total of three times. If they couldn’t defeat the guardian after their third attempt, then that concludes the 2nd round for them. The system will record the rooms they cleared, and they’d be sent back to the lobby world.

This round will last for five days in the real world, but for the participants, it’ll be a decade since the time in the world they’re about to be sent to flows differently. This was done to give them enough time to learn as many skills as they can.

Once Paul and Lisa were done explaining how the 2nd round works, the participants were given an hour to prepare themselves in whatever way they could. The countdown once again appeared in the sky.

Cedric wasn’t all too worried about the 2nd round since learning has never been his weakness. In fact, contrary to what many might expect, it’s actually one of his strongest traits. It’s literally the reason why he’s able to change his fate, and it’s all thanks to the eyes he inherited.

Others, though...well, he could already tell that some of his peers were definitely not looking forward to this.

"Gosh, it’s over for me."

"Welp, it’s been nice knowing you guys. I’m done for."

"First, they make us handle hordes. Now, they expect us to learn and master skills one after another? Where are my 1v1s, damn it! That’s what I’m good at, not this!"

"That’s it! The organizers are definitely targeting me! I’m sure of it!"

"Studying? Really? What kind of bullshit test is this? I’m here to participate in a tournament, not to become a scholar!"

There they go, complaining again. The only difference is that there were more people complaining now compared to before, which was slightly understandable.

Cedric gets it. This was, after all, the 2nd round. There are only three rounds in the preliminaries, and every round counts towards their final score. Amongst the thousands of people here, only the top 50 for each group will move on to the true tournament.

Performing badly in the first round was fine because they still have two more rounds to make up for it. But now that they’ve discovered that the 2nd round will test another aspect of theirs they’re not good at, well...let’s just say that their complaints are almost valid.

Of course, the final blame could only be theirs. How they became Immortals under these circumstances was truly puzzling. What kind of Immortal was weak in terms of both combat and learning? They’re just unworthy, is what they are.

It’s their mistake coming here because the only prize waiting for them was embarrassment and humiliation.

The hour of preparation passed by quickly. Soon, Paul and Lisa returned once more, and without any further delays, they announced the start of the 2nd round.

A blinding light engulfed Cedric and his peers.

When his vision returned, he found himself standing in a wide and spacious room. It was sealed; not even a hole or a window could be seen. There was a door up the front, but there’s a shadowy figure standing in front of it, which should be this room’s guardian. If he wants to get out of here, he needs to defeat it using only the skill he learned here.

Speaking of skills, there is an altar in the middle of the room. A sealed scroll was placed on top of it, and if his assumptions were correct, then that scroll should contain the skill he needed to learn and master to get out of here.

After surveying the room, a system message flashed before his eyes, reminding him of the mechanics of the 2nd round. And his assumptions were proven correct. The shadowy figure blocking the door was indeed the guardian he had to defeat, and the altar will always contain the skill he needed to learn.

Additionally, if the skill required some equipment in tandem to be used, it will be provided as well. Cedric’s inventory was sealed, so even if he wanted to, he couldn’t take out his things. Not even his sword. He could only use what’s provided in each room, and that’s it.

Remembering all of this, Cedric released a breath and muttered, "Alright. Let’s begin."

He walked up to the altar and touched the scroll. As soon as his fingers made contact with it, the scroll unfolded on its own. It released a bright light and shot out a concentrated beam that hit his head.

Cedric’s eyes rolled back for a bit as he was assaulted by a wave of information. He managed to regulate and analyze what he just received, and once he opened his eyes again, he discovered that the scroll and the altar were gone.

It doesn’t matter though, because he already learned the skill he needed to use to get out of this room.

[Silk Vine Entanglement] is what it’s called. It’s a skill that conjures vines as thin and as smooth as silk to bind the user’s targets. Despite its strangeness, the skill was surprisingly useful and reliable, for it could even bind Immortals for a couple of seconds if they’re caught unprepared.

The silk vines were almost invisible to the senses; they’re surprisingly durable too. And although it falls under the wood element, anybody could learn and use this ability with enough effort and dedication.

Overall, it was a good skill to learn, especially for the start of the 2nd round.

With glittering eyes, Cedric locked his fingers to perform the hand seals to use the skill.

And on his very first attempt, hundreds of silk vine threads emerged from his arms, extending up to a kilometer in length right away. It felt weird for him because it’s like the hair on his arms extended and turned into these silk vines, but it wasn’t really that unpleasant, just strange.

To Cedric, this wasn’t bad for his first try. To the audience, on the other hand, especially for those who knew and mastered this skill, it was outrageous, is what it was.

The results of his first try were equivalent to years of constant effort and hard work for them. It took them years to get to the level he just displayed, yet he did it on his first try.

It was so ridiculous that some of them even thought that he already knew this skill and he got lucky this time. And they’re more inclined to believe so because it’s easier and more acceptable to think that way instead of thinking that he’s this good at this too.

Because of his outrageous performance on the first round, Paul and Lisa wouldn’t dare to ignore him anymore, and neither would the audience. He was put directly under the spotlight right away, meaning every action he did was being analyzed and observed.

They all watched as Dawnbringer began playing around with the skill, with mild fascination reflected in his eyes. They all saw how, one by one, the silk threads around him moved. Some were braided to form a silk vine rope, some were twisted, some were tied into ribbons, etc. All were being done at the same time.

This made them discover that Dawnbringer was very much capable of multitasking, which wasn’t really surprising, but he’s obviously way better at it than most through this display.

For those who learned and mastered the Silk Vine Entanglement, though, what they’re witnessing is different.

They watched in abject shock as, within minutes, Dawnbringer attained control and finesse in the same skill that took them years or even decades to learn.

What’s even more shocking is that, within only 10 minutes after receiving the first skill, Dawnbringer was already walking up to the guardian to begin his first attempt.

They watched as the guardian manifested in response to his challenge, and soon, their confrontation began. Both used the same skill, the Silk Vine Entanglement, to deal with each other.

Threads of silk emerged from their bodies, entangling with each other and competing for total control.

And with a surprising turn of events, one that made those who knew the same skill gasp in shock and horror, Dawnrbinger took control of the guardian’s silk vines, using them to bind the poor thing instead, marking his total victory for this attempt.

The guardian faded afterwards, and the door swung wide open for Dawnbringer to pass through.

And just like that, Dawnbringer cleared the first room within 11 minutes.