Chapter 255 - Pass or Fail?

Condensing his essence into the most compact hammer possible, Oli readied himself for the imminent collision.

Zelsh admired the determination Oli was showing. What remained for him to see was whether or not that determination could be matched with strength. Without enough strength, no amount of determination could clear the hurdle of a cultivator many realms superior.

The moment Oli's hammer crashed against the beast's claws was the first moment when both of them were stationary. But it was only for a moment. Thrown back a couple of krin, Oli swiftly landed on his feet and reevaluated the situation with a better idea of the beast's strength. Given the terms of their friendly wager, Oli also assumed that the beast was a peak-adept, leaving Oli no wiggle room or a chance at victory through luck.

That beast titled his head but hadn't been moved in the slightest. "Not bad… for a human. But not enough!"

Coming back with another slash, Oli countered with another hammer. Little to no harm came to either opponent from such clashes but Oli was gradually getting pushed toward the arena walls. 

Before getting within ten-krin of the walls, Oli let his dark essence explode out of him. With someone at a higher plane, his best bet was to hit fast and hard, not drag out the fight. Perhaps with a less cautious foe, but Oli could tell that the beast was treating Oli as a serious threat despite their difference in cultivation. Whether that was due to the king's order or the beast's personality was unknown. However, Oli had no reason to waste time trying to deduce that when he needed complete focus for his all-out barrage, his only chance at victory.

The dark mist created by Oli never enveloped the great beast, only surrounding it. It concealed Oli and his movements while forcing the beast into a change of circ.u.mstances.

But again, the beast seemed unfazed as he looked back and forth throughout the area. When a hammer was thrown at him, the beast actually ignored it and allowed it to crash on his essence-coated scales. The beast blinked and glanced at where he had been hit, but the hammer shattered without being able to damage the scales underneath the jagged essence armor.

Another hammer was thrown, but this time the beast swiped and split with his claws. However, he did so without staring at it. His eyes were focused on the ground beneath him as his second arm dove claw-first into the ground with misty, dark essence galore. 

Suddenly, Oli jumped out of the ground just in front of where the beast's claw attacked. But he had to quickly adjust for the follow-up strike of the second claw, parrying as best he could with a hammer. When the beast readied his poisonous breath attack, Oli was already covering himself in his bestial dark essence armor. At the same time, another energy began to gather around his claws. They were so close to each other now, staring eye to eye as they traded another set of blows. 

The dark mist poured out of the beast's mouth, fully dousing Oli in the poisonous, gassy essence. Yet Oli's claw-like armor managed to cut through the mist with a focus on a single hand, letting a single strike of that ethereal energy smash into the beast's face.

Finally, the beast had been moved by Oli. His head was thrown back and he slithered a few krin aside, shaking his body while keeping an eye on Oli.

Still covered in that dark mist, Oli landed on his feet but was startled to see the mist still active. It refused to be consumed by Oli's corrosive dark essence, continually trying to corrupt Oli's own essence and find a crack in his defenses. That was something Oli finally felt firsthand as his lower body began to feel a sharp pain spread across his pores.

"You survived!" Clapping and laughter filled the area as Zelsh hopped into the ring. "That's enough, Kraz!"

That dark mist immediately evaporated and both contestants dropped their essences without delay. But Oli's throbbing pain lingered still.

"Congrats! Now I owe you a meal you'll never forget." Zelsh waved to the massive beast, letting the beast leave the arena. "Here, this should take the sting away. Drink every drop."

Accepting the small vial, Oli immediately popped the seal and downed the grey liquid inside. It was almost syrupy but tasted of nothing. That didn't matter though, all Oli cared about was the relief he felt as the pain in his pores began to fade.

"Don't go complaining that you wanted more time. If I gave you that, you would've died," chuckled the king. "Rhyner surprised me again! It makes me wonder what that guy has been up to behind my back."

"Nothing much. Just Rhyner being Rhyner." Jarrit shrugged before teleporting to King Zelsh's side. Then, Jarrit bowed his head to Oli. "Congratulations."

"You mean I passed?"

"Why not? I'm only letting you in the qualifier, it's not like I'm sending you through for free. You didn't win, after all."

Sighing, Oli blinked and asked, "What kind of beast was that?"

"A Rot Wyrm, one of the few beasts that naturally have death essence."

"Death essence?! You mean--"

"I told you to survive and that's what you did. That's the same as victory in the real world!" cackled Zelsh, slapping Oli on the back and knocking him to the ground. "Hey, stand up! Dinner's been waiting long enough!"

The king grinned and nodded to Jarrit. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all."

Suddenly, all three men were covered in purple essence and carried away. They instantly appeared in another grand, ornate room with dozens of tables scattered throughout. Jarrit and Zelsh took their seats without hesitation while Oli was still scrambling to get up and rubbing his sore back.

"You sit there. Before eating by me, you need to earn it!" Zelsh pointed at the table nearest theirs, one a few steps lower but still close enough to hold a conversation. "Go on! Don't keep our food waiting any longer!"