1,000,000 Karma: My Reward Is a Quiet Life-Chapter 88: Champion of Stars
["It's a theory. But, it's all I've got, so–"]
[Mana Surge]
From within him, the reservoirs of mana amplified greatly and fleetingly. The sudden emergence of bountiful magical energy poured out in the form of azure sparks, coiling around his body.
"You–?!" Sylvan watched.
The degree of wild lightning of his own making caused him to shock himself, pouring from the inside outward. Across the barriers, chaotic bolts struck, scraping along as spectators screamed at the proximity.
"Haah…! You crazy bastard!" Sylvan called out from behind her helmet. "You purged it yourself with your own lightning! That's some wild thinkin' there!"
["Mage" Proficiency +10] [106/999]
[New Skill(s) Obtained: "World Reservoir"]
Somehow, Noah found himself sharing in the same, thrilled smile as their contest of combat reached new heights. A new feeling, one that he never would've guessed he'd experience:
Joy for fighting; utter exhilaration in placing his strength against another.
'I can feel it all connecting–new concepts, the synapses firing off in my brain, untapped potential, all of it,' he thought.
The moment the one in accursed armor moved, he responded, snapping his fingers as a volley of azure bolts rained down. He cast it with pinpoint accuracy, striking both the position the swordswoman was at, and where he predicted she'd be moving.
"Tch–!" Sylvan clicked her tongue, sliding back, forced to block with her blade.
"--A BATTLE OF LIGHTNING?! A STORM IS BREWING FOLKS!"
The onslaught of the electrical discharge didn't cease as he moved his hands, conducting the untameable element.
Rather than outright evading, Sylvan welcomed the challenge—
An array of cursed bolts clashed against the bright-blue discharge. The colliding magic shrieked, flashing a spectrum of lights.
"BE THANKFUL FOR THESE BARRIERS, FOLKS…! IF YOU WERE INSIDE THE ARENA, YOU'D BE TURNED TOASTED…!" The announcer commentated, having to shout over the shrieks of electricity.
["Mage" Proficiency +1] [107/999]
["Mage" Proficiency +1] [108/999]
["Mage" Proficiency +1] [109/999]
With each passing moment their magic pushed back at one another, with each ascension through proficiencies, knowledge engraved itself into his mind. He moved with natural instinct, ceasing the lightning as he ducked beneath the passing curses.
Almost to the same moment, he watched the one clad in black lightning charge right towards him. Without blinking, he pressed his foot against the stone, shifting the temperature rapidly into a blistering winter–
From his position, a sheet of frost expanded into waves of sharp, protruding ice. The sudden emergence of combative cold blockaded the path of the swordswoman, causing her to break by slamming her boot through the ground.
"Hrgh–!" Sylvan grunted, pulling back.
["Mage" Proficiency +3] [112/999]
[New Skill(s) Obtained: "Dual-Program"]
From the stands, even those closest to Noah were left in disbelief at the rapid developments unfolding. To those unaware in the audience, this was simply the same strength he always had, only tucked away–though that was far from the truth.
Astrid watched, "Ice magic?! I never instructed him on that…"
"I've sensed it since our encounter," Redrum acknowledged, watching studiously from his seat with a surprising calmness. "In terms of experience, Noah is a whelp compared to even an amateur, but he rapidly learns and grows. This is a unique opportunity for Noah…He's met someone strong and talented enough to continually push his limits."
"But, he fought a freakin' Saint! Well, a former one, but still…Shouldn't that have pushed him?" Otto asked.
The orc shook his head, "Noah did grow from that, yes. I wasn't there to see it for myself, but if I had to guess, though Noah claimed victory, it wasn't an equal bout."
"It's true," Rain confirmed. "For most of their fight, Noah was simply surviving against Octavius' onslaught. It was because he found a path to victory, in a single strike, that he won."
"That's the key difference then," Redrum explained with his vast experience. "Right now, Noah is exchanging with an equal–a prodigy that is growing with him."
From the other side of the spontaneous glacier, Sylvan grunted, bisecting the massive wall of ice with one swing. A follow-up of black electricity shattered the rest of it, leaving winter raining down on the arena.
"Hfff…" Sylvan exhaled, looking around. "--Nice trick, but sneaking around isn't gonna help ya'!"
"Who said anything about sneaking?"
"--Nrgh!?" Sylvan immediately swung around, leading with her claymore.
The blade swept through nothing but a cold mist in the shape of Noah, though the presence wasn't cut away in the slightest.
'A fake?! Since when can he do that?!' The electric swordswoman questioned, huffing out the cold air from her lungs.
It was instead from the front that Noah obscured himself within the cold mist, flipping his axe just in front of his fingers.
[Giga-Chop]
'If I do this, it should work…' He theorized with eyes that remained unblinking, as if shutting them for a moment would wash away his intense focus.
He spun the enormous axe, causing the frosted winds to swirl around the enchanted steel. As he manipulated the bitter breeze, Sylvan found his position, immediately dashing to close the distance–
The axe was swung, sending forth the gathered wind into a spiraling storm of frost. In the path of the sharpened winter, ice formed, presenting a tangible weight as Sylvan attempted to block it.
It pushed her back, only cementing herself when planting her boots down firmly, "Nnngh…!"
As the ice was repelled, he was right there–
Noah closed the distance, using the ice as a veil as static coiled around his fingertips. Rather than using the axe, he swept his hand upward, letting his palm make contact with his opponent's abdomen.
'When lightning gets used in an area as cold as this, the result should be…' He theorized.
From his hand, a rupture of electricity was gifted directly to the sturdy warrior's gut, ascending with a bright-blue radiance.
Inspiration embedded into his mind allowed the fulminating energy to take the form of a dragon. Of ethereal scales, the mythical element roared into creation.
The rising beast carried Sylvan into the air, causing a chain reaction of explosions from the sudden emergence of heat into the cold air.
From the brief ascend, the swordswoman landed back to the arena with her mystical armor shattering in the process.
After some cautious silence–
"W-WINNER…! YOUR NEW CHAMPION OF THE STARS…IS NOAH SOUL!"
And the crowd went wild.
Cheers filled the stadium as confetti rained down in all its colorful glee, parading the newly crowned Champion in his triumph.
'Huh…I did it,' he thought with an exhale, looking up.
[EXP: +100,000]
[Level 18 Reached.] [Current Experience: 60,000/100,000]
[Body: 3500] [Spirit: 3500]
["Mage" Proficiency +5] [117/999]
["Close-Quarters Combat" Proficiency Up +15] [205/999]
["Dueling" Proficiency Up +10] [51/100]
["Axe Mastery" Proficiency Up +1] [236/999]
["Grit" Proficiency Up +1] [71/999]
["Stamina" Proficiency +10] [132/999]
[Skill(s) Acquired: "Disarm" | "Solo Combat++"]
Amidst the cheers, he found his friends, waving to them while they cheered him on. A smile found his lips before he glanced over, seeing the opponent he defeated picking herself up.
Sylvan winced, using her claymore as a cane to support herself, "Hff…You got me good, huh? Were you holding out on me that whole time?"
"Not at all. You pushed me to try new things. Guess I got lucky it worked out," Noah humbly admitted.
As if reading the lack of enthusiasm clear as day, the swordswoman huffed, "Still on your mind, even after becoming a champion?"
"Yeah," Noah confirmed. "What happened down there? I just can't remember. Every time I try to think back…It's like there's a fog around those memories."
"Same here," Sylvan shared while the oblivious crowd went on. "After you're done celebrating your…err, you know, I say we pay a visit to Lamore and Ogatrina in the infirmary."
"Those two…Right, they were there too, weren't they?" He recalled.
As Sylvan took her leave from the arena, it was the Concierge that soon came down, bearing the grand prize–an enigmatic orb.
"I knew I had a good eye when inviting you," the manager said with a congratulatory smile.
"Guess you did," Noah responded, looking around.
It was a new feeling to be showered in such abundant cheers, being the center of attention like a star in Hollywood. While it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, it wasn't exactly a position he strove for.
The Concierge handed the orb over, "Here you go."
"Err, thanks?" Noah said, taking it into his hand.
It was small enough to fit into his palm; the light-green sphere housed a series of engravings, though held no obvious purpose at a glance.
"What do I do with this, anyway?" He asked, inspecting the odd sphere.
"That's for you to figure out, I hope," the Concierge answered. "Zeno only awakens in the hands of one it finds worthy. A Champion like yourself…I imagine will do the trick."
"Imagine? Well, whatever."
"On another note…Do you need to see a healer?" The Concierge pointed in concern at the wound on the champion's chest.
Noah glanced down, actually surprised at how much it had already closed as he laughed it off, "No, I'm fine. Just gonna need a new shirt, I think."
