Chapter Seven: The Little One Who Wants Candy

The hulking brute, massive as an ox, did not teach weapon use at all; his specialty was hand-to-hand combat. Charging in, grappling, and close-quarters slaughter were his forte. He knew that, with his strength weakened to roughly that of the Staff Master, defeat was inevitable. Yet he did not want to lose without backbone and forfeit the pride of a reality warper, so he set himself one demand: no matter what, he had to last thirty seconds.

“This kid’s burst power is certainly impressive, but once that stored energy is spent, he’ll be knocked right back to form. So long as I’m not stupid enough to offer my neck up to him, and use Charge to open distance and stall him out, lasting past half a minute won’t be hard at all.”

The Combat Master quickly sized up both sides and formulated his battle plan. His goal was not victory, but to lose with dignity.

“The only problem is, even if I don’t stick my neck out for him to beat on, I still need a way to avoid those three strikes! Once that energy is unleashed, the power is absurd, and it carries a slow effect too. If I can’t dodge the first blow, then the next two can only be taken head-on. So the key is still how to avoid that first hit.”

The Combat Master, who seemed reckless but was in truth cunning, rolled his eyes and at once had an idea.

“So it seems that I still have to shamelessly be shameless!”

[Tip: Defeat the Combat Master to obtain the Charge skill book.]

Standing on the arena platform, Ember once again heard the boisterous voices of the spectators below. But unlike before, those battle masters who loved a spectacle were now jeering and telling the Combat Master to get off the stage at once and stop humiliating himself, lest he be beaten senseless by a junior and mocked for his own overreaching arrogance.

“Shut your damned mouths! Even if I am making a fool of myself, I’m still better than some loser who got beaten to death in five moves or surrendered on the spot!”

Flushed with shame and fury, the Combat Master roared, then said to Ember, “Kid, come on!”

As a trainee, Ember still had the initiative. As usual, he used the Eye of Appraisal first to inspect his opponent’s attributes.

...

Name: [Combat Master] (Battle Mentor / Weakened / Boss-Class Human)

Health: 90/90

Attack Rank: Weakest (10)

Defense Rank: Average (15)

Attack Speed: Relatively Fast

Alert Range: Far

Skills: Melee Mastery, Grappling, Charge

Description: The combat instructor of the Illiterate Novice Training Base, with exceptionally high mastery of close-quarters fighting.

...

Compared with the more offense-oriented Staff Master, this Combat Master had high defense and a deep health pool, and he also possessed both a displacement skill and a control skill. Though a plain grappling skill, without any complementary enhancements, could not threaten Ember in the slightest, if his opponent was determined to stall, Ember figured he would still have to expend some effort.

If he could not finish the fight within five seconds, then it would be he who was embarrassed.

“Forget it. Since I have to test both weapons anyway, I might as well use the Direwolf Gauntlets first.”

“Kid! What are you dawdling for? If you’re going to fight, then fight already!”

“Oh, oh! Coming right now!”

Seeing the Combat Master standing there like a man going to his death, Ember also felt it would be unkind to keep him hanging any longer. He quickly equipped the Direwolf Gauntlets, only to notice the other man’s eyes go wide.

“What is that?”

“Uh... a weapon?”

“No! Aren’t you a staff fighter?”

“No one said a staff fighter can’t use gauntlets!”

“The issue is how could you possibly have spent seven thousand credits on that lousy staff and still have money left to enhance gauntlets? And not just any gauntlets either—Smash Gauntlets, for heaven’s sake! Do you know how rare those are? Do you know that even in the novice stage, anyone who gets them is bound to face all kinds of restrictions? And to top it off, you actually ran into Totem Enhancement, that kind of once-in-a-lifetime luck! Why was I never that fortunate?”

“Not bad, really. The credits from the first three trials alone exceeded twenty thousand, and with all the free and discounted perks I picked up along the way, I still have two thousand eight hundred left, plus one free enhancement voucher. In a moment, I’ll use it to complete the fourth enhancement on the telescoping staff and evolve it into an anomalous weapon.”

“You must be a reality warper, right? Tell me you are. Tell me you’re just a normal person in disguise!”

The Combat Master was nearly driven mad by frustration. Including this assessment, Ember had only gone through four trials, yet he had already secured three matching anomalous pieces of gear, plus the priceless Direwolf Gauntlets and Sun Badge. Even his skills and attributes far outstripped the average standard. That rate of growth was practically on par with the most outstanding reality warpers.

In truth, not only the Combat Master was astonished; many of the battle masters below the stage were also clicking their tongues in admiration. They were not jealous that Ember, still in the novice stage, possessed such terrifying reserves of resources. Rather, they were marveling that for an ordinary person to reach this point was simply too hard. It was a sight not often seen, even among reality warpers.

“Um, are we fighting or not? I’m a little pressed for time!”

Having heard enough praise to become sick of it, Ember now only wanted to finish the Combat Master as quickly as possible and leave with the skill in hand.

Watching Ember poised and ready to spring, the Combat Master truly wanted to cry out, “Stay away from me!”

But since he was already on the platform, if he were to slink back down in disgrace, it would be even more humiliating. So he could only shout with all the force he could muster, while inwardly weak.

“Come on!”

Ember gave him no courtesy. He charged in with his fists raised. With the other man having no chance at all to defend, the best way to fight was the most unadorned one: punch after punch, flesh to flesh. And the Combat Master, knowing there was no longer any hope of struggle, simply abandoned the idea of using Charge to create distance. Instead, he took his stance and, just like the Staff Master, traded blows with Ember in a back-and-forth exchange of injury for injury.

...

[Tip: You dealt twelve points of damage to the Combat Master. The Direwolf Gauntlets’ equipment effect, Smash, has activated.]

(18 x 1.5 - 15)

[Tip: Determination in progress... successful! The target’s Strength Rank is four, not exceeding your Strength Rank + 1. The equipment effect activates successfully, dealing double damage.]

[Tip: You dealt twenty-four points of damage to the Combat Master.]

[Tip: The Combat Master’s Agility Rank is below five points, and cannot ignore the average-rank Slow effect. For the next five seconds, both attack speed and movement speed are reduced by twenty-five percent.]

...

Called a trade of wounds for wounds, Ember actually was not broken through at all. The Combat Master could only use fists that looked as if they had some force behind them to choose a somewhat more dignified way to die. Alas, he was ended by Ember in just four strikes, which still drew the Staff Master’s sarcastic jeering.

“I was the sort of loser beaten to death in five blows. Then may I ask what that makes you?”

“Get lost!”

The Combat Master shot him an irritated glare, then tossed the Charge skill book to Ember. After a moment’s hesitation, he still said, “Once you get through the novice trial and gain the permission to act freely, you can try contacting me. Given the direction you’re developing in now, you’re actually well suited to digging deeper into the potential of close combat. Of course, if you don’t want to, just pretend I never said anything.”

[Tip: You have defeated the Combat Master and obtained the Charge skill book.]

[Tip: You have completed the learning tasks for three skills and obtained a Qualification Seal.]

[Tip: The Combat Master’s favorability toward you has risen from Indifferent to Friendly.]

As soon as he finished speaking, the Combat Master leaped off the arena and strode away. No one knew whether he was trying to flee the embarrassment, or merely intending to depart with the lofty back of a discerning patron who had recognized a gem at a glance.

“A pleasant surprise.”

Ember raised a brow, noted the Combat Master’s promise, then used the Charge skill book.

...

Skill Name: [Charge]

Type: Active

Cost: 25 percent stamina

Cooldown: Five seconds

Effect: Rush forward twelve meters at twice your maximum speed, with a collision effect equal to your own Strength Rank + 1

Requirement: Strength Rank four, Agility Rank two

Description: A new storm has appeared. How could I possibly stand still? Crossing time and space, I will give everything I have and come to your side!

...

“Hah! I’m a man with skills at my side now too!”

Ember exhaled, then took out the guidance form and found the easiest Staff Master to talk to. After getting the seal stamped, he left the arena space amid the cheers of the battle masters—and then found himself trapped in an awkward choice.

“Where did the captain’s little fellow go?”

Leaning against the rail, Ember looked down toward the ship’s belly. Before him lay only darkness; not a single tentacle of the North Sea Kraken could be seen. But without those tentacles, he could not complete the enhancement, so he had no choice but to ignore the captain’s warning and clutching a candy in his hand, head down to the lower decks.

“Since the captain places so much importance on the lower levels, I wonder if he’s hiding something interesting down there.”

Just as he was about to reach the bottom of the stairwell, a figure suddenly approached him head-on. Ember was startled. Before he could decide whether to slip away or stay, he heard a familiar voice.

“Want candy...”

“Uh?”

“Want candy...”

“No, wait. My head’s a bit of a mess!”

“Want candy...”

Ember was truly confused now. On this ship, the only one who liked candy had to be the captain’s little fellow. But the one asking him for candy at this moment was not the huge, tentacled North Sea Kraken at all. It was a humanoid creature with an octopus face and a captain’s hat on its head. Ember activated his Eye of Appraisal on it, but aside from learning that its name was Captain Jones, he obtained no other useful information.

“Captain Jones, North Sea Kraken... which one of you is the real little fellow? Or could it be...”

Suddenly thinking of something, Ember held up the candy and said, “You can have the candy, but trade me the tentacle!”

At that, “Captain Jones” froze for half a second, then without the slightest hesitation ripped one of the octopus tentacles from its own face and handed it to Ember, staring at the candy with pleading eyes as it continued, without fatigue, “Want candy...”

[Tip: You have obtained the enhancement material “?? Tentacle.” Please go to the equipment enhancement room to complete the final enhancement.]

“For you!”

[Tip: After eating the candy, Captain Jones is in a cheerful mood and will not request candy from you for a period of time.]

Satisfied after eating the candy he had longed for, Captain Jones, or rather the captain’s little fellow, immediately turned and walked down the stairs, his figure swallowed by the dark veil.

Seeing that, Ember decided to follow and find out what was going on.

Because he had just observed carefully and indeed seen a string of glittering golden keys hanging around the little fellow’s neck...