The battle remained at a stalemate for several minutes until a groan echoed from the fallen mace wielder. "Urghh," he grunted, clutching his head as he struggled to rise.
Realizing the fight would soon become a three-versus-one, Mikael made a risky decision. Abandoning defense, he concentrated all his efforts on taking down the spearman as quickly as possible.
Dodging a sword strike, Mikael closed in on the spearman. However, he couldn't fully evade the spear, which pierced his side, drawing blood. Mikael grunted in pain but didn't falter. Exploiting the opening, he decapitated the spearman with a precise slash, his blade finding the gap in the man's neck armor.
Thud
The spearman's body collapsed, and both the swordsman and the mace wielder froze in shock.
Mikael didn't give them time to recover. Capitalizing on their distraction, he slashed at the swordsman's right arm. Though the armor prevented the limb from being severed, Mikael's strike was deep enough to force the swordsman to drop his weapon in pain.
The mace wielder, enraged by the scene, charged at Mikael with a furious roar. Anticipating the attack, Mikael waited until the last moment before creating another aura thread, connecting it to the mace wielder's attacking arm.
Using the thread, Mikael redirected the mace's trajectory, causing it to slam into the swordsman's chest instead.
Clang
The force of the impact dented the swordsman's armor and sent him flying several meters before he collapsed, motionless.
Horrified, the mace wielder's rage boiled over. "I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!" he screamed, his attacks becoming wild and predictable. Mikael easily exploited this, tripping him and sending him tumbling to the ground.
As the mace wielder fell, Mikael guided his flying sword to hover just below the man's head. The moment the mace wielder's helmet struck the blade, it pierced through the slit in his visor, killing him instantly.
"Ahh… Ahh… Ahh…"
Mikael breathed heavily, not from exhaustion but from the sheer intensity of the battle. He grimaced as he clutched his bleeding side and sat on the ground to recover.
After a few minutes without any new enemies appearing, he thought 'Maybe that guy isn't dead yet?' His gaze fell on the motionless swordsman.
To confirm, Mikael approached and delivered a final strike. As the kill was confirmed, all three bodies glowed with a blue light before disintegrating into small cubes.
Moments later, Mikael felt a surge of energy coursing through him. The pleasant sensation completely healed his wounds, replenishing his aura and returning him to peak condition.
He barely had time to savor the relief before his surroundings changed once again.
{Wave 2 charged. Enemy: 1 Elite D- Rank Monster.}
Mikael glanced at the screen before taking in his surroundings. He now stood in what appeared to be a massive coliseum filled with an enthusiastic crowd cheering with excitement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a magnificent fight in the coliseum!" an announcer's voice boomed over the din.
"To my right stands a young warrior, ready to prove his worth as a gladiator! Let's hear it for him!"
The crowd erupted in cheers so thunderous that it felt as if the ground itself was trembling.
Mikael kept a neutral expression, but inwardly he marveled at the realism of the virtual reality.
As the cheers settled, the announcer's voice echoed again, hyping the crowd further. "This brave warrior will face a formidable enemy!" He dramatically pointed to a large gate that was beginning to open.
From the gate emerged a towering figure—half man, half beast. The creature stood three meters tall, clad only in a loincloth, its muscles bulging with raw power. Its bull-like head gave it an even more menacing appearance, and it dragged a massive battle axe behind it, the blade screeching against the ground.
The announcer let the crowd take in the sight before shouting, "Behold, the Minotaur!"
The audience roared louder than ever, their cheers reverberating through the coliseum.
Mikael ignored the noise, focusing entirely on his enemy, who was now slowly approaching him.
When the Minotaur was only a few meters away, it stopped and roared, "ROOOAAAARRRR!"
Mikael seized the opportunity. While the Minotaur postured, he created five aura threads—one from each finger. Four of the threads were sent out to bind the Minotaur, while the fifth connected to the sword that lay harmlessly on the ground.
The Minotaur noticed the binding and exerted its immense strength, snapping the threads with ease. It glared at Mikael with enraged eyes.
Unfazed, Mikael recreated the threads, this time channeling a great amount of aura into them at the place of just creating them. As the threads wrapped around the Minotaur once more, it struggled but found itself unable to break free immediately.
Muscles bulging, the Minotaur summoned even more strength. Mikael felt the strain through the threads, his fingers aching as they neared their limit. Knowing he couldn't hold the beast for long, he dashed forward, sword in hand.
The Minotaur attempted a clumsy punch, its movement hindered by the threads, and Mikael dodged easily. He retaliated with a powerful slash to its extended arm, leaving a deep gash. The beast roared in pain, but Mikael remained composed, knowing the injury was far from sufficient.
Fueled by anger, the Minotaur found a surge of strength and began to thrash violently against the threads. The force snapped the bindings, and Mikael was suddenly yanked forward, flying directly toward the Minotaur.
Seeing the "helpless" human rushing toward it, the Minotaur prepared a devastating headbutt.
Mikael stayed calm, dissolving the threads that were binding the Minotaur and creating a stronger one that latched onto the Minotaur's arm. Using the new thread, he propelled himself sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack and landing behind the beast.
As he descended, Mikael unleashed a full-power slash behind the Minotaur's knee. Simultaneously, the sword he had left on the ground shot forward, aiming for the Minotaur's eye.
Squish.
Both attacks landed. The Minotaur lost an eye, and its knee was badly injured, severely limiting its mobility.
The crowd screamed even louder seeing the blood flow.
The enraged beast let out a guttural cry of pain, yanking the embedded sword from its eye. With a furious roar, it hurled the weapon back at Mikael.
The blade hurtled through the air with incredible force, leaving Mikael almost no time to react. He barely managed to raise his arm and summon an aura cloak, its intensity far higher than usual.
Although the sword pierced through the aura cloak, its power was significantly diminished. However, it remained strong enough to stab into Mikael's arm and hurl him across the coliseum.
BAM!
His body slammed into the coliseum wall, the impact leaving him dazed and bloodied.
"Oof, that must hurt! Will our brave warrior be able to rise, or will the ferocious Minotaur claim victory?"
Mikael coughed violently, his chest convulsing from the effort, before spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground. The sight confirmed what the pain coursing through his body already told him—he was badly injured.
Still, he raised his head to see the Minotaur limping toward him. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand. He took a moment to assess his condition: 'I'm in a terrible state. My whole body aches from the impact, but that's not the worst of it. Both my arms are broken, and the sword is still lodged in one of them…'
Drawing an aura thread from his shoulder, he wrapped it around the sword's handle and yanked it free in one swift motion.
"Arghhh!" A pained scream tore from his throat as he did so. Without hesitation, he connected the sword to his hands with another thread. It was the only way he could fight with his unusable arms.
He had no time for further preparation as the Minotaur closed in, swinging its enormous axe. Mikael rolled on the ground just in time to avoid the deadly blow.
Thud.
The ground shook violently from the impact. Mikael quickly created another thread, connecting it to the second sword that had been knocked away during the earlier clash. With both swords now tethered to him, a small smirk spread across his face.
"Now you're screwed!"
Squelch.
Guided by his aura threads that were being controlled by his fingers, the swords flew behind the Minotaur and severed its tendons. With a loud crash, the beast fell forward, immobilized.
"The Minotaur is down! Could this be the turning point for our young gladiator?" the announcer shouted.
Pain radiated through Mikael's body, but he pushed it aside, focusing entirely on ending the fight. The Minotaur thrashed its massive arms wildly, trying to rise but failing. Keeping a safe distance, Mikael directed his swords to pierce the beast's neck from behind.
The first strike wasn't enough to kill it, but after several more, the Minotaur finally disintegrated into glowing blue cubes.
"The winner: the young gladiator!"
Hearing his words the crowd began to loudly cheer for Mikael.
Mikael ignored the announcer's proclamation and the crowd reaction and collapsed onto his back, too injured and exhausted to remain standing. As his body hit the ground, a painful grunt escaped his lips—the impact only intensified the agony of his injuries.
He lay there, trying to catch his breath and rest as much as possible. Soon, however, the now-familiar healing energy surged through his body, wrapping him in a soothing sensation. Mikael groaned in relief as the pain faded away, his energy fully replenished.
Just as he began to relax, the ground beneath him shifted, replaced by soft grass. He heard voices:
"Human!"
"Eat food!"
"Food appeared before us—a good day!"
Mikael opened his eyes to see a new scene.
{Wave 3 charged. Enemy: 1 D- Rank Monster, 2 E+ Monsters, and 13 E- Rank Monsters.}
He let out a tired sigh, murmuring, "Seriously? Can't you let me rest?"
Suddenly, his surroundings froze, and a notification appeared before him:
{Rest time granted. Speak when ready to resume. Time left: 28 minutes 32 seconds.}
{28 minutes 31 seconds.}
Realizing that the timer was still running even while he rested, Mikael forced himself to stand. Though the credits for this session weren't hard earned by him, his personal rule never to waste money remained firm.
That mindset had kept him alive during his younger years, when every coin he earned had to be stretched to secure enough food to survive. Even now, with greater wealth, the habit persisted—every resource had to be used to its fullest potential.
"Can you extend my virtual training time by 4 more hours?"
{Transaction available for 200 credits. Confirm the transaction: Yes/No?}
"Yes."
{Transaction completed. Time remaining: 4 hours 27 minutes 58 seconds.}
Mikael nodded as the confirmation message appeared. He took a moment to observe his surroundings—a vast, beautiful, yet eerily empty plain seemingly frozen in time.
Not far from him was a group of 13 small, green, goblin-like creatures with ferocious expressions frozen on their faces. They were likely the E-rank monsters. At the back of the group stood a single goblin clad in a mage's robe, holding a staff. It appeared to be a goblin mage, likely the D-rank monster of the wave.
Flanking the mage were two goblins that towered over the others by at least two heads. Their bulky frames and muscular build suggested they were hobgoblins, probably the E+ rank monsters.
Mikael couldn't help but find the scene strangely captivating in a haunting way. The goblins, frozen mid-charge with their vicious expressions, looked almost like a macabre painting.
After a brief pause, he broke the stillness: "Resume the time!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mikael found himself back on the ground, lying on the grass. "Huh?" he muttered in surprise. But he quickly pushed himself up, realizing the danger, and put some distance between himself and the charging goblins.
"Food!" roared the goblin.
Meanwhile, the goblin shaman at the back was conjuring a fireball.
Mikael, now fully healed, wielded his two swords and swiftly decapitated two nearby goblins before the rest could attack. Just as he was about to press forward, he jumped back—a fireball exploded on the ground where he had stood a second ago.
The mage sent wind slashes his way, but Mikael dodged by crouching, then leaping into the air to avoid the swing of a goblin's sword. In mid-air, he connected the sword in his left hand to an aura thread and sent it flying towards a nearby goblin, piercing its head and killing it instantly.