CHAPTER 80: WHAT TO CHOOSE?

After Lucen was declared the new champion, Faust approached him and asked in a calm, respectful tone, "Would you mind speaking with me for a moment?"

"Of course not," Lucen replied quickly. This was the scenario he was expecting, what he wanted to happen. "Just give me a second. I need to get my companions."

He turned and jogged off into the crowd, weaving past dazed onlookers until he spotted the familiar trio standing together.

Sir Thalos looked like a proud uncle who was desperately trying not to tear up. Mark gave him a small nod, subtle but filled with meaning. And then there was Harlik, his arms bulging as he carried two overstuffed sacks of coin, the jingle of gold louder than his footsteps.

Lucen couldn’t help but chuckle as Harlik now looked like one of those cartoon robbers he watched when he was a kid in his past life.

"It would seem that our bet has paid off, Harlik." The second Lucen spoke, Harlik, who was happily hugging the two sacks of coins, finally noticed Lucen.

"Hahaha! Little leader, you surely are my lucky star! This is the most coins I have ever carried in my entire life! With this much, I can eat and drink booze for two years straight!"

***

Faust was waiting in the audience seats near the entrance to the ring. He stood arms folded, his blindfold still firmly in place. Despite the cracks in the arena floor and the chaos from earlier, he stood calmly, like none of it had ever happened.

There was no one near him, and no one wishing to even get close as they stood respectfully at a distance.

When Lucen returned with his group, Faust gave a faint nod. "Thank you for indulging an old man," he said.

Lucen could not help but frown when he heard Faust say those words. Despite looking like he was in his early thirties, he spoke like he was already around his sixties.

’Even in-game, no one knew Faust’s real age, nor could anyone determine his real level, since he always had restrictions. The fact that he looks exactly the same a decade later means he’s either ageless, or he ages very, very slowly. There are quite a few races that are long-lived, but based on Faust’s physical characteristics, he should be human...’

While Lucen was thinking to himself, Faust noticed that Lucen was staring at him intensely.

"Young one, is there a problem?"

"Oh, sorry about that, I was just thinking about something."

Faust nodded his head. "I see... My home is not far. Please, follow me."

The group followed Faust outside the underground arena. The people who wanted to talk to Lucen could not since Faust was with them.

When they exited the underground arena, the group took a right turn, walked a few steps, and they were there in Faust’s home.

It was a simple house just beside the arena. It was nothing special, a house made of wood and stone.

When they entered the house, the first thing that caught their attention was the scent of aged parchment, oiled leather, and faint incense greeted them. Inside, the house was clean and meticulously arranged, not luxurious, but clearly cared for by someone with discipline. A low table sat at the center, surrounded by floor cushions.

Weapons lined the wall, all in perfect condition. On one side was old armor. It had many scratches here and there, but it was maintained well enough.

"This is my sanctuary," Faust said, "please take a seat wherever you wish."

Even in his own home, Faust never removed the blindfold or the weights. Lucen and his group did as asked. Harlik hesitated at first, still clutching the coin sacks. He did not want to let go, but in the end, he set them aside and sat down.

"I’ll be direct," Faust began. "There is something I wish to give you."

When Lucen heard those words, he found it very hard to stop himself from smiling.

’This is it, he will offer me one of three martial art techniques. In the game, reaching this event early was oddly easier. Faust always scaled to your level, low or high. In fact, fighting him later made things worse, as he uses techniques that he would never use at the lower levels.’

Lucen was starting to have his own game commentary in his head while Faust was rummaging through some old things in a corner of the room. He lifted up a shelf and opened a hidden compartment from the floor.

"I came here a few years ago due to two promises I made with a friend. The first promise might not be fulfilled until the end, but I will keep it since I already gave my word. As for the second promise, it would seem that I would be able to fulfill it today."

Faust paused for a few seconds and sighed as he took out a chest from under the floorboards.

The chest was old. Dust clung to the edges, and the iron fittings were dulled with age, but even then, it did not creak as Faust maintained it as much as he could.

Faust’s hand hovered for a moment above the latch. In this chest, he had hidden the final objects his friend had given him. Then, slowly, he opened it, not with hesitation, but with the careful weight of someone fulfilling a vow years in the making.

"After fighting in the arena for years, I thought I would never fulfill either of the promises. Even though many fighters in the arena have talent and the will, my friend was very specific as to what kind of people they wanted me to give this to."

Faust took out something resembling a book, but it was a little tattered the quality of the materials used was not that good. Of course, Lucen immediately knew what it was since he had seen it before.

"This is a detailed guide to a martial arts technique that uses pressure points. It has many applications, like strengthening one’s body or momentarily disabling an opponent’s body part. It can also help in making one feel numb in some areas, depending on which pressure point was pressed."

Faust placed the book down on the table.

"Though it has many uses, its destructive potential is weak, and in battle, it would be hard to press the pressure points of a moving opponent with the right amount of force. It might work if your opponent is vastly weaker than you, but against an equally skilled opponent, it might be hard. Still, I didn’t delve into this martial art, so you might be able to improve it. That would also fulfill one of my friend’s wishes."

Lucen, of course, knew all of that already. In-game, the pressure point technique was more of a buff-type technique. It could momentarily boost your stats, it could slow down poison, but if you use it against an opponent, its hit rate was horrendous.

’This one wasn’t liked by the normal players, but I find it to be quite interesting. As it could stack up the stat boosts with other spells and techniques.’

Faust then took another book from the chest.

"This is a martial art technique my friend created called the Iron Body Technique. This one, as the name implies, is a purely defensive technique. Depending on one’s mastery, even without the use of aura, one could potentially withstand being stabbed by a sharp sword."

Fausted dusted the book in his hand and placed it beside the other one.

"Of course, once aura is used, you could withstand spells. The damage you can withstand would depend on a number of factors, including your understanding of the technique. The strength of your body and your mastery of aura. Of course, there are drawbacks. Once the technique is used, the user would be unable to move until they release the technique. There’s also the fact that once you release your body is momentarily stunned for a second before being able to move again."

Lucen nodded his head. In the game, this technique was one of the strongest defensive skills. The drawback was, if you used it, you wouldn’t be able to do anything else, and if you stopped using it, you would lose one turn before you could perform another action. This was a very good skill when trying to survive some bosses’ one-hit kill techniques, or techniques that would reduce the HP bar greatly.

Faust then took another book from the chest.

"This one is a martial arts technique called destruction. It focuses your entire body, mind, and spirit into a single strike of pure destructive power. If you add aura to this move, it creates even greater destruction."

Faust placed the book beside the other two.

"The problem is that when you try to use the technique, it takes a while to build up enough power for the strike. It will leave you open to attack."

This last technique was a favorite of a majority of players since it was the technique that gave the strongest attack in the early and mid-game. It took a total of three turns for it to charge up and empty the Sp or Mp of the character who uses it.

If you add a few buffs to this attack, it is possible to one-shot a few bosses. Lucen, who already knew this beforehand, already had a choice, which technique he wanted to learn. As he was about to pick one of the books, something unexpected happened.

Faust took another book from the chest.

"This is the last of the books you can choose from, it wasn’t just my friend who made this, I too helped in its creation. This is a technique that forcibly awakens the potential of that user’s body. My friend called this technique RELEASE. Upon using the technique, your speed, strength, agility, dexterity, focus, and even your aura increase to an incredible degree."

Faust placed the book beside the others.

"The problem with this technique is that after prolonged use, your muscles will feel like their tearing apart. Also, depending on the user, it was possible to overuse it, and you would immediately feel exhausted."

Lucen was truly surprised. This had never happened in the game. He had unlocked all the endings, had chosen all the possible dialogues, and had gotten all the equipment. Yet he had no idea there was such a technique.

Sir Thalos, Harlik, and Mark, who were listening to the description of each technique, were amazed by the effects of each one. Despite their drawbacks, each technique was useful in battle, which could help in a critical moment.

"You can only pick one of these techniques. So, which do you wish to learn?"