Chapter 2
999 Words
Just moments ago, they had been convinced that Ray had reached his limit, that he had no chance of winning.
Yet now, that very same person, whom they had written off, stood firm like an unbreakable rock.
Then Riya witnessed something she would never forget for years to come.
The wounds caused by her full-powered holy strike began to heal at a speed visible to the n***d eye.
"What kind of bullshit healing ability is this...?" she muttered in shock.
"That wasn't just any attack; it was imbued with holy power. Normally, wounds inflicted by holy energy require extensive healing potions and time. How is he recovering so fast?"
She couldn't believe her eyes.
Narrowing them in focus, she activated her heightened elven senses, pouring all her energy into analyzing Ray to uncover the secret behind his rapid regeneration.
She knew Ray was just a mere human.
He shouldn't have any natural self-healing or accelerated recovery unless he possessed a special healing-type ability.
Then, after a few moments of intense scrutiny, she finally detected a unique energy coursing through his entire being.
"Wood essence...? But how…?"
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Isn't that an energy exclusive to dryads and dryad-like beings? How can he possess it?"
"Just what is this monster?"
While Riya was grappling with the reality of Ray's mysterious power, Ray himself was internally debating whether fighting this elf was even worth assessing his spearmanship.
Just then, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes.
[Your talent, [Boundless Refinement] is taking effect.]
[Your constitution, [Unyielding Warrior's Physique] is taking effect.]
[Your resistance to Holy energy-based attacks has slightly increased.]
"Holy energy?" Ray narrowed his eyes at the elf. "So she has holy power… just like the Saintess?"
Looking down at his wounds, he noticed that unlike regular burns, these injuries hurt far more.
Faint traces of silvery-white energy were still creeping into his skin, slowing down his regeneration.
His body was forced to exert more energy to heal the damage caused by the holy power.
"Holy energy, huh? Should I extract it from her when I defeat her?" Ray pondered.
But after a few moments of thought, he dismissed the idea.
He was in the middle of a ranking battle.
If anything went wrong while attempting to merge holy energy into his own, he wouldn't be able to continue fighting.
That would cost him the special rewards he would receive for securing first place without breaking his winning streak.
Even if he successfully absorbed the holy energy, the process would require time, time he couldn't afford to waste.
With a reluctant sigh, he let go of the tempting idea, though his heart ached at the thought of passing up such a valuable power within arm's reach.
"Let's see how long she can hold out." Ray muttered as his own aura exploded, a thick blue energy flaring around him like flames.
He activated two techniques he had copied from the Heavenly Sword Demon.
[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated.]
[Heavenly Tyrant's Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated.]
A dense layer of Qi enveloped his entire body, forming a protective layer like a second skin.
The pressure he emitted increased dramatically.
"He was still holding back?"
Riya's frustration boiled over.
She had believed she had forced the undefeated monster to his limits.
He was the highlight of the entire First Tower Realm, and she had thought she had at least pushed him to his breaking point.
But it seemed she was mistaken.
This monster had been hiding even more.
Ray's figure vanished.
A blue streak of light flashed, leaving behind multiple afterimages, each seeming to chase the real one.
Riya gritted her teeth and activated her own movement technique, turning into a streak of light as well.
Then, a battle of pure spear skills unfolded, continuing for more than fifteen minutes.
Waves of energy blasted in all directions each time their spears clashed.
The concentrated energy tore through everything in its path, leaving the battlefield riddled with spear scars created by Spear Qi and holy energy-infused attacks.
"How are you this strong?" Riya gritted her teeth as she barely managed to deflect a spear thrown at her.
"That's classified information," Ray replied casually, launching another barrage of spear strikes from all directions.
"This..." Riya was at her limit.
No matter how much she tried to defend, she was never on the offensive.
She wasn't faster.
She wasn't stronger.
And most importantly—her spearmanship fell short compared to her opponent's.
"Are you... are you a Grandmaster?" she asked, her voice shaky, her expression intense.
"No… just a Master," Ray said before unleashing another devastating attack.
[The Thousand Armor Impale: Spear Technique Activated.]
The Spear of Torment in his hands was enveloped in thick, raging Spear Qi.
"This is bad," Riya realized, sensing the impending danger.
She poured every last drop of holy energy into a desperate defense.
Ray executed a rapid impaling gesture.
The moment the sharp tip of his spear shot forward, a massive, car-sized spear made of pure Spear Qi rocketed toward Riya, accelerating at a terrifying speed.
Riya did everything in her power to maintain her defense, but the sheer intensity of the attack overwhelmed her.
The same eerie sensation she had felt from his spear before now radiated from the incoming strike.
The spear pierced through the battlefield, colliding with Riya.
A deafening explosion of energy erupted, sending shockwaves in all directions.
When the dust settled, Riya was revealed.
Her armor cracked all over, a massive hole in her stomach, blood pouring from the wound like a broken pipe.
Blood dripped from her mouth and nose, yet unlike Ray's previous opponents, she was still conscious.
"You're more resilient than the others," Ray acknowledged as she began to fade into specks of light.
[The system judges that the Awakener 'Riya' is no longer in any condition to battle.]
[The Power Rankings have been updated.]
[The Awakener 'Divine Ascendant' has obtained the 10th position in the Power Rankings.]
- Writer
