The Primal Hunter 11, page 19
While the refund policy was an option to get half back, Jake still ended up settling on an ancient-rarity bow that he believed would suit his needs.
[Immutable Hunter’s Bow (Ancient)] – The best bow does not need to be complicated, but one made with the basics refined to perfection. This bow is made of a type of wood often compared to metal, making it effectively indestructible and with incredible mana conductivity. Each end of the bow is sharpened and allows the bow to be used as a melee weapon in an emergency.
Enchantments: Insured.
Requirements: Soulbound. Warlord Colosseum Rank.
Cost: 26,000 Colosseum Points.
Jake had purposefully gone for a weapon he believed would be able to handle his destructive arcane energies. While he didn’t have the Arcane Powershot skill, the dozens of broken bow fragments in his practice room were a good indication he could still use something incredibly similar.
This bow should be able to handle that. It was one that threw away all other enchantments just for increased durability, after all.
Having the ability to hit people with the bow was also a fun little option. Blocking with it, too. Jake did a few stress tests when he received the bow, and the durability truly did live up to the name. He seriously doubted any level 0 could break it.
Jake also already had a plan when it came to the arrows he would use.
The Earthborn Faithful had used a special technique to effectively infuse magic spells into gemstones that he could activate during combat for swifter casting and lower mana expenditure. Seeing this had given Jake an idea, and after confirming with Owen, Jake got to work.
As for what he confirmed?
That one was allowed to bring their own weapons into the arena as long as they were self-made. This honestly didn’t affect a lot of people and was incredibly rare, but in retrospect, Jake had already seen it a few times. As an example, Jake seriously doubted some Quartermaster or blacksmith had given those weird hidden magical tattoos to the Benevolent Monk.
What Jake wanted to do was a bit different, though. He wasn’t planning on crafting any weapons, but instead taking a far simpler route: conjuration. When Jake had asked Owen and Polly if one was allowed to bring their own conjured items into the arena, both of them had looked at him as if he was an idiot. It was common knowledge that summoning anything drained energy as upkeep, so even if one did conjure weapons, it was usually done right before the fight started… but Jake was different.
He would make his own arrows. Doing this, he would even save points by not having to buy a quiver. The basic one the Quartermaster had given him the very first day he joined the Colosseum of Mortals was more than enough.
Due to the nature of Jake’s arcane affinity, if he made an arrow with purely stable arcane mana, it wouldn’t begin to dissipate at all by itself within any short period of time. To test, he had even made an arrow and left it sitting out for over a month before it gradually began to crack and break, simply due to the environmental mana slowly wearing it down.
So, for arrows, Jake would conjure them himself. He also prepared two other surprises, as he did have two more slots in his Ring of Deft Hands alongside his katars and bow. Because, yes, he could even store his stable arcane constructs within; the system recognized them as physical objects and not just normal conjured items that usually dissipated if deposited in a spatial ring. This was, for example, why the Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter couldn’t be stored in his usual spatial necklace… though now he was interested to see if he could store the Protean Arrow. Probably not, and it didn’t really matter due to his quiver, but he still wanted to test it once outside.
But making arrows was not the only thing Jake had worked on when it came to utilizing his arcane mana. No, he had a project he had been working on even before he began to conjure arrows.
While Jake had lost all his skills, that didn’t mean he couldn’t replicate at least some of them. And there was one thing he had wanted to do for a long time that he was now finally confident in:
Transmutation.
That’s right—it was time to make his katars far deadlier… and save tens of thousands of Colosseum Points by not having to buy replacements.
Chapter 20
Benevolent Monk Rematch
Transmutation for Jake had always been a bit out of the ordinary compared to other alchemists, especially after he began to play around with all that Origin stuff. But one had to remember that the precursor to all that was Jake experimenting with combining transmutation and his arcane affinity.
There had been a lot of trial and error on his transmutation journey as a level 0, and throughout it all, he had leaned on the experience he had from Touch of the Malefic Viper, which he’d also practiced with extensively. When he first began practicing using it for transmutation, he had instantly jumped to using his arcane affinity, which to Jake meant that his arcane affinity was well suited for transmutation… or maybe it was just well suited for Jake to infuse into everything he used.
That was exactly what Jake was trying to do… though it did turn out to be quite a bit harder without the Malefic Viper Legacy skill. However, that didn’t mean Jake wasn’t confident. As mentioned before, Jake’s control of arcane energy was monstrous for a G- or F-grade, and the items he wanted to transmute were ultimately only level 0, so the energy he needed to transmute lacked in both quantity and quality.
However, he quickly hit a bit of a snag.
Jake had, at first, experimented with the free items the Quartermaster handed out, but they turned out to simply be too weak to handle the influx of arcane energy without crumbling to dust. That had been quite an annoyance, as Jake really didn’t wanna spend points on weapons that he knew he had a high chance of breaking… but then Jake got an idea he really should have gotten a lot earlier.
See, Jake had found a bit of an… error in the way the Colosseum of Mortals operated. The rules dictated that any insured items could be replaced if they broke, but nothing said they had to break in combat, right? So what if Jake experimented with his epic-rarity katars, and if he felt like he would fail, he totally, accidentally went HAM with infusing destructive arcane energy, breaking his weapon?
He had to admit he had been a bit apprehensive the first time—not just because he was essentially committing insurance fraud, but because he feared that the system had accounted for someone trying this and would refuse to give him replacements. That turned out to be an unfounded fear; when he presented the cracked katar to the Quartermaster, the man just shrugged and handed him a new one.
To make a long story short, that’s how Jake broke around a hundred and twenty epic-rarity katars over the course of a few weeks, with more than fifty of those being in the week leading up to the fight against the Benevolent Monk as Jake refocused his efforts. He was confident in succeeding, and only two days before his fight against the monk, he was successful. The same day, he upgraded the second katar using the exact same method as the first, giving him two identical weapons.
[Arcane Aersteel Katar (Ancient)] – This katar is made of a metal called Aersteel, making it incredibly light yet equally durable. The design of the weapon is simple and, due to the material used, has exemplary mana conductivity. This conductivity is increased further if one channels arcane mana through it. All of the air-affinity energy within has been consumed and replaced by powerful arcane energies, making it lose many of the usual properties of Aersteel in exchange for increased durability and empowering all arcane mana being channeled through it.
Enchantments: Arcane Empowered.
Requirements: Soulbound.
His transmutation had led to quite a few changes. First of all, there was, of course, the rarity upgrade, though that far from fully encapsulated how meaningful this upgrade was. Equally as big was how much better the items now suited Jake. The Aersteel properties that made the katar lighter had remained, but the mana that helped things like air resistance was gone. What he got instead was a far sharper and more durable weapon.
It was a little sad to see the insurance was gone, even if he felt pretty certain breaking the new katars was borderline impossible. No, the problem was that he doubted he could get a refund now. Alas, sometimes sacrifices had to be made. The Requirements had changed, too, no longer requiring any specific rank, even if they were still Soulbound. It could be said that many of the unique aspects of the Colosseum had been stripped away for a weapon that was now truly his.
Jake also naturally tested his improved weapons and found the result more than satisfying. The quality of the energy Jake had infused into them had transformed the epic-rarity katars into peak-quality ancient weapons, with the mana conductivity causing his arcane mana to not just flow through the weapons freely, but even receive empowerment.
Before, something like extending the katar with an arcane edge had been costly and difficult, but now it would be incredibly easy. With how much the katars suited him, Jake doubted even legendary katars would necessarily be better. While he considered buying ancient-rarity weapons to try and transmute, based on brief experiments with his bow, Jake doubted he could pull it off within any reasonable timeframe. At least, not without sacrificing all of the other things he wanted to practice—and even then, it was doubtful it would take less than half a year.
Besides upgraded katars, Jake prepared two more things to put in his Ring of Deft Hands. Both took some time to get just right, but when done, Jake was more than satisfied and could only grin when he imagined the monk’s reaction upon seeing them.
Overall, Jake’s preparations for the fight were extensive, and he even had Polly look into all she could find regarding the monk, though it quickly became obvious Jake already knew more than the information packages provided due to their prior encounter.
He also couldn’t help but consider what would happen when he was done in the Colosseum and returned to his C-grade form, as he had no doubt made many improvements that would matter even if he was 250 levels higher. But all things in good time. For now, all that mattered was defeating the Benevolent Monk.
“So, I assume you already know by now what you are in for,” the Battlemaster said as Jake came and waited close to the gate to begin his fight. “The monk is a damn monster, and with the referee there, I doubt the fight will end without any bloodshed, so be prepared for a real battle. It may even be one of life and death, and if that’s the case, not being the dead one tends to be the best option, in my experience. Are you confident?”
Jake smiled. “As confident as can be.”
The Battlemaster nodded. “Good enough. Go get him, then, and don’t get killed, yeah? I placed a bet on you winning, and I am a sore loser.”
Shaking his head, Jake headed toward the arena that was now about to open up. He felt a mix of excitement and trepidation as he walked up the steps to the incoming battlefield and heard the echoing voice of the announcer in the distance.
“Countless wins, but only one loss. Today, the Benevolent Monk is not just here to fight another day, but to reclaim his honor and his perfect winning streak. To make things even. But to do that, he will have to beat the only opponent who has ever defeated him: Doomfoot! Or at least, that is the name I am certain the Benevolent Monk remembers him by…”
Jake listened but didn’t pay much attention. Instead, he focused on the monk at the other end of the arena, and even through the bars, he noticed something. New tattoos, far more visible than the normal ones, had appeared on his wrists and forearms.
He’s made preparations too, Jake thought to himself, smiling. It was gonna be a good fight.
“But! Before we get the action started, we have a bit of a special announcement. This match will be overseen by a referee! We have already seen these two fight once before, so let’s mix things up!”
As the announcer said this, a side door in the wall of the arena opened up, and a man wearing a suit walked out.
Jake was ninety-nine percent sure that door hadn’t been in any of the other arenas.
This referee walked to the middle of the arena, first looking at Jake and then the Benevolent Monk. “Due to complaints after prior matches involving the Benevolent Monk, I shall be overseeing today’s Promotion Match. In this match, the winner will be decided when one party becomes unable to continue fighting or dies, or I stop the match and declare a victor. There will be no surrender, but a true battle to the end. I will give both of you a choice now, though… Do either of you wish to surrender before we begin? This will naturally result in a default win for the other party.”
Jake heard murmur all around from the stands, and in his sphere, he even saw Polly and Owen look nervous. Nevertheless, he didn’t say anything. The monk also stayed silent.
“Very well. In that case…” the referee began, the announcer finishing for him:
“Lower the gates!”
With impressive speed, the referee ran back from the middle of the arena as both of the gates began lowering at once.
The idea of bringing his bow out from the get-go did appear, but Jake decided not to as he walked forward toward the Benevolent Monk. His opponent did the same, and they met toward the middle of the arena.
“Here we stand again,” the bald man said with a smile as he bowed when he got around ten meters from Jake.
“Indeed we do,” Jake said as he also bowed slightly. “Though this match won’t be a friendly competition.”
“Alas, it shall not be a spar of learning but a true fight that will only result in a valuable experience for one of us,” the monk said, standing up straight as he smiled radiantly. “So let us fight to our heart’s content. Let us determine whose Path shall remain and who shall embrace samsara. There shall be no grudges, no animosity… just two souls trying to prove themselves.”
With those words, all air of benevolence disappeared as the monk took a stance. The runes on his arms lit up, and Jake saw what appeared to be ethereal bracers covering both his forearms.
Jake nodded in acknowledgment before launching himself toward the monk. In prior fights, he had tried to focus primarily on countering, but in this one, he planned to go on the offensive from the get-go to try and get some momentum.
As katar met forearm, the arcane-empowered weapon failed to cut the spirit-like bracers. The monk countered, but Jake wasn’t a slouch either. Dozens of blows were exchanged within a few seconds before a palm and katar smashed into each other, sending both sliding back, only stopped by the sand after a few meters.
A slight smile marred Jake’s lips as a trail of blood trickled down the monk’s palm. He was strong… but he couldn’t fully block Jake’s weapons.
He seemed to realize this, too, as he went on the offensive. Jake was ready and engaged the monk. The monk’s attacks were downright savage, every one of them aiming for vital spots, but even so, one party had a clear advantage.
Jake messing up meant his already-powerful soul took a small blow, losing him a few health points. Meanwhile, the monk slowly began to accumulate wounds all over his arms and upper body. Every single blow also left a tinge of destructive arcane mana, almost making it look like Jake’s attacks left electric burns.
It wasn’t an equal exchange of blows, either, as Jake landed far more minor attacks compared to his opponent. He and the Benevolent Monk had fought once before… but the version of Jake back then hadn’t had his equipment. He hadn’t had katars that switched up how he fought, and his stats had also been lower as he hadn’t used proper gear. In addition, every single blow that meant to pierce his soul also had to go through a bit of armor first, lessening the impact slightly. It wasn’t by a lot, but it definitely played a part.
This ultimately resulted in Jake having a far better feeling for the Benevolent Monk and his fighting style than the monk did for his, giving Jake the initial advantage. After a few minutes, the monk did improve and make the exchanges more equal, but he had already paid the price.
The two of them utilized much of the arena as they switched between retreating and advancing, trying to get the better position or cornering their opponent. Jake once more had the advantage here. While the monk seemed to be able to sense Jake in an uncanny way—probably some kind of soul-sensing—that wasn’t the case for random pillars placed around the arena.
Not that Jake was entirely untroubled, either. The monk had several things he’d never had to show before, giving Jake quite a few injuries. Outwardly, it didn’t show much, but inside his body, his organs were suffering.
During all this, the referee simply stood back, observing silently. He never showed the slightest inclination to end the fight, even as both of their wounds worsened. Not that this was bad for Jake, because the more time passed, the bigger his advantage would become.
If nothing changed, the monk would run out of energy or simply fall due to blood loss, especially after he tried a risky exchange where he ended up with a shallow stab in the stomach. The Benevolent Monk had tried to use that insane combo he had killed the Earthborn Faithful with, but Jake had been quick and done the only logical thing:
Minimized the damage.
Jake had blocked it as best as he could while also countering, leaving the monk open for Jake to land his stab, truly putting the monk on a timer. In return, Jake did get a nasty palm to the chest that broke a few ribs, but before the monk could combo, he had managed to get some distance.
Jake was happy he had survived the devastating attack that had left him half-dead the last time he took it, but he knew the monk had to at least have one more trump card as he felt some build-up within the monk. Something he had also felt during their first fight. It almost reminded him of Hunting Momentum… and Jake would be ready.
As their fight passed the twenty-minute mark, the sand was covered in blood all around them. Jake breathed heavily as the monk also looked nearly wholly spent. The spirit-like bracers were pretty much entirely destroyed by now, while Jake’s katars didn’t have a single mark on them besides blood. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of his equipment. Definitely had to file an insurance claim on all of it.
