Chapter 63

  After descending the stairs, Keith entered a long corridor dimly lit with braziers attached to the walls. There was no sign of the others. The System had separated them into a dungeon unique to them, meaning Keith was alone.

  Mustering his courage, Keith walked down the corridor, remaining wary of sudden ambushes. Sometime later, he spotted an opening in the distance. Emerging from the corridor, Keith’s vision widened as he stepped foot onto the arena of a colosseum.

  Looking around, he saw that though it was currently night, moonlight graced the entire colosseum, providing enough light to see that the thousands of seats in the stands were empty.

  Just then, a notification screen popped up in front of Keith, startling him.

  Welcome to the Colosseum of Limits.

  Here, you will undergo consecutive challenges.

  The challenges are uniquely tailored to your statistics (age, stats, level, equipment, etc).

  After each challenge, you will have one hour of rest time.

  During that period, you can choose to take your rewards and leave, or continue.

  The first challenge will begin in 60 seconds.

  Challenge 1: Evasion.

  Description: Dodge the projectiles.

  Note 1: There are three types of projectiles: slow (green), medium (yellow), and fast (red).

  Note 2: All types of projectiles cannot be blocked.

  Note 3: Once the challenge begins, no movement-type skills can be used.

  Keith quickly read through the message, and seeing he had only a minute to prepare, immediately began buffing himself with his usual skills. After that, he glanced around the arena, his heart racing with anticipation. As the timer counted down, he made a mental note that he couldn’t use Blink or Void Shadowstep to evade the arrows.

  3…

  2…

  1…

  Right as the counter disappeared, different colored arrays flashed into existence all over the arena. Some were green, others yellow, and a few red. Without warning, arrows shot out from the arrays, each moving at different speeds based on their color.

  Keith expanded his senses, relying on sight and hearing to capture the arrow’s movements. The red arrows arrived first, followed by the yellow and green. Keith stepped to the side, ducked, and twisted, avoiding everything that came his way.

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  As time went on, more and more arrays popped up, increasing the number of arrows fired at Keith.

  One minute…

  Two minutes…

  Three minutes…

  Ten minutes had passed, yet the arrows showed no signs of stopping.

  Keith had just dodged another wave of arrows when he felt a sudden weakness.

  Oh no, my buffs wore out! Keith thought, shocked by the change.

  Almost immediately, a few arrows pierced into his limbs, wounding him.

  The next volley of arrows gave Keith no chance to rebuff himself, and he felt the presence of death. At that moment, time slowed to a crawl as adrenaline gushed through his brain, heightening his thinking speed.

  Memories flashed through his mind as he recalled his last near-death encounter.

  Back then, when Entangling Roots had wrapped him in a cocoon, Keith’s mana sense allowed him to see the world beyond. Like a drowning person, Keith latched onto that memory, analyzing it.

  Without warning, Keith closed his eyes, shutting off his vision.

  His consciousness expanded, connecting to the mana around him.

  Through them, the whole colosseum reflected itself in Keith’s mind, including all the arrows and their trajectories. The arrows boring down on him had a particularly unique signature, making them easy to sense.

  Most importantly, due to having the surroundings in his mind, Keith could view the arrows from any angle. He no longer had a blind spot. In fact, he saw places where he could stand safely.

  Walking forward and to the left, Keith avoided a dozen arrows.

  Back, right, left, forward.

  Keith appeared as if he was taking a casual stroll through the park.

  None of the arrows could touch him.

  If someone happened to see this scene, they’d be astonished by the ease and grace of Keith’s movements. He was like a tiny ship in the eye of a storm. All around him lay deadly threats, yet he remained safe and sound.

  Finally, the arrays disappeared at the twenty-minute mark.

  Even though the challenge ended, Keith stood still, his eyes closed as he familiarized himself with his mana vision. After nearly dying to the demon squad in the past, he had tried entering this mode to no avail. Now that it appeared again, he wouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste.

  Half an hour went by.

  With no danger, Keith relaxed, and as a result, lost his mana vision.

  However, a few minutes later, he adjusted his state of mind and reactivated it.

  Over the next ten minutes, he continuously turned it on and off, locking onto the key that made it work – his consciousness. It was like trying to move a new muscle. At the start, it was hard, but once you got it to twitch, everything afterward became easier.

  Eventually, Keith opened his eyes to see several blinking notifications.

  Congratulations! You’ve unlocked a sub-skill of Mana Manipulation: Mana Vision.

  (Universal, Sub-skill) Mana Vision

  Description: Connect your consciousness with the surrounding mana to see what they see. Drains mental stamina during use.

  Note 1: The range of mana vision depends on the strength of your consciousness.

  Congratulations! You’ve taken your next step on the Path of Mana! Title upgraded!

  [Path of Mana: Novice]

  Description: You’ve taken multiple steps on the endless path of mana. Reduces the mana cost of all skills by 10%.

  Keith clenched his fists in excitement as a wide smile spread across his face.

  The appearance of the Mana Vision sub-skill signified to Keith that the System had given its seal of approval. Mana Vision was now under his control and not something he had to wait until nearly dying to activate.

  The last notification revealed Keith’s score for the evasion challenge.

  Congratulations! You’ve passed the first challenge.

  Reward: Celestial grade movement skill.

  Do you want to attempt the next challenge or take your reward and leave?

  Time remaining until forcibly expelled: 10 minutes, 31 seconds

  I earned a celestial grade skill so easily? Keith was visibly delighted.

  While he had nearly lost his life during the evasion challenge, it wasn’t because he couldn’t do it, but that the unexpected loss of his buffs forced him into a deadly situation. Even without using Mana Vision, Keith was confident he could’ve passed the challenge, though at great cost to his stamina.

  Regardless, now that Keith could actively rely on Mana Vision, he was fully confident he could pass the next challenge.

  Full of vigor, Keith spoke aloud, “I want to continue.”