Chapter 32 - A Challenge

My dungeon diving that was filled with vigor continued for the next few hours. On the 10th dungeon run, I had maxed out my [Vitality] and [Strength] attributes by absorbing all of the cores that dropped, bringing me to the peak of rank B

I only dived 3 more times after that before calling it a night. I was lucky enough to receive an [Item] or [Skill Book] on every single one of those 13 runs, with all of them being rank B. Even though everything randomly dropped, I was able to pick up one defensive skill similar to [Arcanist's Sphere of Protection] that was called [Golden Halo], which when cast would form a halo of light around my body that rejected any attacks directed at it

One was an offensive Mage skill called [Doom Bolt], which called forth a dark red lightning bolt that had even higher damage than [Miniature Tornado] as it could stun the TITAN of [Mangrove Swamp] with one hit. The only downside was that it was a single target skill

There were 3 skills that required specific weapons to be cast so they would be left out to be exchanged later, and the remaining 5 skills were support skills that buffed me in all sorts of ways. [Light Foot] and [Windrider] both collectively increased my speed by 100%, increasing how quickly I moved and flew to an insane degree.

[Rigorous] increased the effects of all defensive skills by 50% and [Shadow Veil] was another skill similar to [Stealth] and [Camouflage] that I was confident once I had this activated, only rank A hunters would have a chance of noticing me. The last skill that came out in these first 13 runs, [Wild Heart] was my favorite as it increased the damage all my skills dealt by 50%, continuing to make the damage of my skills even deadlier and causing rank D skills to still be somewhat usable even at this point

Not a single rank A skill was in sight even after these 13 dives, disappointing me but also making me even more expectant for when one actually drops.

There were 3 [Item]s that dropped along with the skills, 2 of them being [Scale Armor] and a [Fanged Sword]. [Scale Armor] was a rank B item that had vastly better defenses than the rank C [Igneous Armor], so I changed those right away

[Noah Osmont][Occupation: Hunter]

[Vitality: 250+40]

[Focus: - ]

[Strength: 250+60]

[Skill(s): [F][E](D-Flames of Torment-100)(D-Safeguard-57)(D-Danger Sense-100)(D-Rough Skin-100)(D-Fleeting-100)(C-Arcanist's Sphere of Protection-100) (C-Camouflage-100) (C-Aura of Haste-100)(C-Explosive Rune-100)(C-Life Essence-100)(C-Increased Penetration-100) (C-Regeneration-88) (C-Whirlwind-89) (C-Smite-95) (C-Gracefulness-100) (C-Precision-100) (C-Adamant-100) (C-Sharpen-100)(C-War Cry-100) (C-Retaliation-100)(C-Kings Rage-100)(C-Military Tactics-100) (C-Unpredictable-100) (C-Elemental Damage-100)(B-Giant's Strength-75) (B-Stealth-67) (B-Miniature Tornado-23)*(B-Golden Halo-13)*(B-Doom Bolt-7)*(B-Lightfoot-12)*(B-Windrider-12)*(B-Rigorous-11)*(B-Shadow Veil-11)*(B-Wild Heart-10)*(A-Flight-5)*]

[Equipment: (3x C-Ring of Storage)(C-Fiery Boots)(C-Fiery Helm)(B-Scale Armor)*]

My panel looked vastly different from a few days ago, and something I hadn't focused on caught my eye. Without my knowledge, my [Strength] attribute had already exceeded the common standard of rank A. The [Core]s dropping from rank A dungeons could bring your attributes all the way to 300. Because I always kept a few skills that added attributes active, I gained a bonus that most people have temporarily and made it permanent

Because of this, my [Vitality] attribute already neared the 300 cap and [Strength] already passed it with 310 even before I absorbed any rank A [Core]s. Just the thought of this was thrilling, as I was already catching up to the rank A hunters, even if I barely had any rank A skills and items

The disappointment of not gaining any rank A skills from the first day of rushing through the dungeon lifted as I felt the increased force and strength of my body.

I transferred out of the dungeon for the third time today while not hidden, and received a standing ovation from soldiers that had begun gathering the moment I cleared it alone and 'came out' 2 hours later.

It was a big deal to the army as these were things only those standing as rank A hunters could attempt, and they had just effectively sided with such a person. Vice Admiral Magnar came out from the throngs of soldiers and look at me with a hard to read expression and then said

"I underestimated you, I apologize"

I laughed off the Vice Admiral's apology and pulled out the extra [Scale Armor] and [Fanged Sword], along with one of the rank B skill books I didn't use that dropped in the dungeon

"I was unlucky enough to receive loot that didn't fit me at all in these three dungeon runs" I kept the lie going and was planning on selling these to the military, or better yet exchange them for skills that I wanted from their inventory

The Vice Admiral looked at the items and skill with a thankful expression before his face turned dark

"I'm thankful that you came to our city and are already contributing to the cause as much as you can, but it seems we might have just brought trouble to you."

I was surprised at the Vice Admiral's words and asked "What happened?"

He looked at me briefly before sighing and continuing "A Death Match has been issued and confirmed between you and Hunter Andrei Nikolaev. Tomorrow is the set date for the match."

What?!

This was a complete surprise, as this was something I had never thought to find myself associated with. Death Matches were set up between high ranked hunters that had irreconcilable differences. The Empire didn't want it to be a habit for its peak hunters to kill one another, so deathmatches were instituted if two hunters found themselves at a point where the only way to solve their issues was to fight

The matter was to be taken seriously though, so before the match could be issued both the hunters had to agree to put their lives on the line. Only then would the match be confirmed.

So why the hell was a match involving me that I had no idea about confirmed?

Seeing my angry expression, the Vice Admiral seemed to have confirmed something. "I heard what happened at The Coliseum today, the issue seems to have arisen from there. Andrei, the son of The Blessed Empire's Admiral Chekhov, was next in line to be receiving the rank A skill that Lightning Hand was transferring"

Things quickly began clicking after hearing all of this. I was still irked and asked, "So because he's the son of an Admiral, he can target someone else entirely, call for a match, and just get to bypass the rules of Death Matches?"

The general looked down with an apologetic tone as he continued "They cannot touch Lightning Hand for his actions unless they want to cause a fight between the peak powers of the Empire, so targeting you was the easiest thing for them. This is why I have to apologize to you, me bringing you to Star City indirectly put you in the middle of this"

I thought about this new situation and then asked "So what happens if I attend that deathmatch tomorrow and the other guy ends up dead?"

I was fairly confident in my strength and didn't plan on losing to someone who should have yet to be rank A, what I was worried about were the repercussions from it. There was a difficult expression on the Vice Admiral's face as he said nothing

I looked at this and at the soldiers around me that were listening in and saw the anger and resignation on their faces. To them, I was a strong hunter that just began clearing [Mangrove Swamp] by himself multiple times a day. This meant there would be more resources flowing into their department

Yet, this hunter was now about to be taken away. Nobody had to say what would happen if the son of the Admiral of the Empire were to be killed in broad daylight, even if it was in an arena match. None of them saw a way for me to come out of this. The Vice Admiral's voice rang out again, "I've made multiple calls to friends and higher-ups, but nothing worked. Admiral Chekhov has many people among the higher-ups and his pull is strong. The match cannot be rescinded. The one who doesn't show up will also be blacklisted"

I nodded at this and laughed to ease the tension, "Haha, there's no need for all that gloominess. We still don't know who will still be alive tomorrow. Tell me about this Andrei Nikolaev"

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Attributes: Vitality 250 +30 from Life Essence,+10 from Military Tactics=290. Strength 250, +50 from Giant's Strength, + 10 from Military Tactics = 250+50+10=310