Chapter 332: Pre-Tournament Shivers

Chapter 332: Pre-Tournament Shivers

No one noticed Dallion as he sneaked his way down the staircase back to the training room in the basement. As far as anyone was concerned, he had only left the guild hall for a bite. The only thing that could link him to the sword was the new wave of hunger that was going through himwanting food so soon after having lunch was a sure tell that hed done something suspicious.

Training continued as before. Dallion spent the next hour reading, after which he lost patience and entered into his awakening realm to practice a few basic attacks with the whip blade. Upon arriving, he noticed that something was differentthe items along his skill walls had been rearranged.

Finally here, Nil greeted him, somewhat more aggressively than Dallion expected. The only times the echo had been so direct were at the very beginning, when his opinion of Dallion was quite poor. You have some explaining to do, and Im not talking about the ludicrous deal you made with the guardian.

It wasnt that bad, Dallion mumbled beneath his breath.

There was a moment during which you blocked everyone from your realm. After that you got something youre not supposed to have.

Oh? Dallion perked up. What?

Thats what you ask? There are reasons for the Moons rules. Ignoring them always does more harm than good. Are you aware that there was a time during which otherworlders were imprisoned on sight? Not the best period of history, but you can understand the reasons. When someone is not bound by the rules, its inevitable that they dont follow them.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

There was no joking around. The echo was deadly serious. Dallion could see the fear and anger within him. It was more than just a scare of what had happened, it was a deep fear that the next time Dallion went and did something he wasnt supposed to, the consequences would be far more serious and not only for him alone.

Dallion had many ways to respond to this. He could ignore Nil, he could come up with some justification why he had to do what he had to do. He could even use his music skills to try and change the echos mind on the topic. However, doing so was only going to prove his point. While Dallion didnt appreciate the tone, he knew deep down that Nil was right.

Im sorry, Dallion said, even if he still believed his actions to be correct. Ill try not to repeat that.

Had his grandfather thought the same thing when he had created a chainling during the war? Clearly, it had given him a huge advantage. It was even possible for that to have been the reason for his side to have won the war. Was it the right thing to do, however? That was a very murky subject and one Dallion didnt want to get into for the moment.

So, what did I do?

With a sigh, the old echo turned around and headed towards the corridor. A single gesture was made, telling Dallion to follow. The two went past the achievements room to one marked DANGER. Dallion found that to be a nice touch, even if somewhat ominous.

Gen was already there, looking at the only item in the entire rooma silver frame with a single spark inside. Never before had Dallion seen a captured spark, but it was impossible to mistake it for anything else. It was like watching minuscule lightning perpetually moving about, bouncing off the frame.

Mesmerizing, isnt it? Gen asked. Been staring at it for hours.

I can see why.

While training in his realm, there was one more thing that Dallion noticedhis mystery stat had increased by one. This time he knew the causeguardian boons. That suggested that he had received his first faction point back in Dherma village, when facing the Colossus in Glorias ring. More important, that left only two points until the stat was hopefully revealed. The question was whether it was worthwhile to do so at this stage. With the festival approaching, Dallion had a mind to level up at least once before his first fight. In the end, he decided that reaction was the better choice.

The leveling trial was remarkably simple compared to the recent ones. Not that it was easy, it just didnt require anything more than defeating some echoes. However, in this case, some ranged in the hundreds. Initially, Dallion thought that it was a matter of endurance, but soon he realized that the trial was to teach him the importance of resource management. While that was a skill Dallionas any Earth gamerwas supposed to have acquired naturally during his gaming life, it turned out that he was quite wasteful when it came to actual combat. All that talk from Nil and Vend about needless actions now became quite apparent. With numbers so large, and no magical means to restore stamina, Dallion had to maximize efficiency. Even the option of having his familiars do all the work was goneif the enemies were three or four, it would have worked. Against hundreds, though, it was more efficient to use the abilities of the familiars rather than let them at the enemies.

Come evening, Dallion was utterly exhausted, yet also anxious. This felt like cramming before an important exam. And for better or worse, Dallion considered it to be very important. Winning his first victory was the same as creating a good first impression. It was going to take seven days of victories for Dallion to reach the top eight. However, the tournament wasnt the only thing he was anxious about, it was the festival itself. Tomorrow morning would mark the arrival of Countess Priscord along with all the festivities that this entailed. Already it was known there would be fireworks, but Dallion remained clueless as to what else was planned and everyone who knew him refused to spoil the surprise.

Youll do fine, Nil said as Dallion lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. You know the basics, you have the experience, and youve trained as much as you possibly could.

My first fights going to be against Mord, Dallion thought.

Honestly, you dont have anything to worry about. Maybe a while back there would have been a reason for concern, but Mord isnt as strong as youd think. Most awakened arent. They rely on skills that cant be used outside the realms.

Dallion chose not to mention that he, too, relied mostly on skills that could only be used in the realms. He knew that the echo had good intentions. It also helped that he had found a way to utilize the skills of Nox and Lux in the real world. The Nox Dagger had the power to crack anything destructible, and Lux had the ability to heal light wounds as long as Dallion pressed the kaleidervisto against the wounded area.

The semi-fury was strong, Dallion thought. Shed be even stronger in real life.

You have the reflexes to handle her now. Besides, it is highly unlikely youll face her. The organizers usually tend to keep the wildcards separate for as long as possibletheres a greater spectacle that way.

And if she isnt the only one?

Dear boy, if theres another fury or someone considerably stronger, youll lose. Thats the way of things. Keep in mind one thing, though. The strongest people are those watching. Make a good show to attract their interest and the rest wont matter. Victory relies on luck and skill. Youve been lucky so far and youve improved your skills considerably. The only thing you can now do is fight like you mean it.

Wise advice. It also put Dallions mind somewhat at ease. There remained one big question, though.

Do you think Eury will be there? Dallion asked.

Most probably. Does it matter, though?

It does to me.

Dallion wanted her there, regardless if he won or lost. Not having seen the gorgon in several days made him miss her more than ever. Also, he couldnt shake the feeling that something was wrong.