Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 83: Virtual Training Against Beast Waves

When the beasts roared, Mikael didn't hesitate. He propelled himself toward them, determined to bring the fight to them. Just as he was a few meters away from the first beast, he unleashed his attack.

Wind-Explosive Style

His speed skyrocketed, and he moved like a blur. In the blink of an eye, the heads of five nearby beasts flew into the air, blood splattering everywhere. But before any could fall on him, Mikael had already vanished.

Just as he was about to strike down another beast, he heard the sharp whistle of arrows whizzing past him. Two nearby beasts fell, their heads pierced by the arrows. Seeing Amelia's support, Mikael smiled before continuing his offensive.

His swords hacked at the beasts with incredible speed. With Amelia's help from a distance, the beasts were falling rapidly. But even so, Mikael frowned when he noticed most of the beasts were ignoring him and heading straight for the town's wall.

Knowing he couldn't let that happen, he cast his second-circle shadow spell, Projected Taunt. This spell, typically used by mages on a tank, draws the attention of monsters, causing them to focus on the caster. It works just as well on beasts.

After successfully casting the spell on himself, all the beasts around him, as well as those who had already passed him and were rushing toward the wall, turned toward him, charging with fierce aggression.

Undeterred by the intimidating spectacle, Mikael continued his assault, using the incredible speed of the Wind-Explosive Style to weave through the beasts' claws and teeth. He counterattacked with well-placed slashes that killed each one in a single strike.

Mikael was like a tornado of steel, cutting through the beasts as if they were wheat before a sickle. The E-rank beasts—wolves, boars, and others—couldn't withstand a single hit from Mikael's sword before collapsing.

The E+ rank beasts were more durable, thanks to their natural resilience and higher rank. They could survive the first strike while heavily injured, but the second would always prove fatal.

"Roar!"

A loud roar echoed through the battlefield, and the nearby beasts momentarily hesitated before pulling back, breaking the "torpor" induced by the taunt. While the taunt spell was useful, especially against mindless beasts, it couldn't completely override their survival instincts, especially in the presence of their alpha.

From the crowd of beasts emerged an enormous Panther, standing four meters tall. Its fur was as black as the void, absorbing the light around it, and its claws were sharp enough to tear through steel.

The Panther's ferocious eyes locked onto Mikael, and it let out a challenge. Mikael recognized the beast as the leader of the horde, a D rank creature. He smiled provocatively, eager to face it.

The Panther let out a furious roar, then lunged at Mikael with a speed that, physically, should have been impossible to match. The Panther was at least five times faster than him.

But that was only in terms of raw physicality. With the potency of his aura and his superior speed, even with his stats limited to just 100, their speeds were comparable—if not slightly tilted in Mikael's favor. And when combined with the Wind-Explosive Style? The gap became insurmountable.

A cut appeared on the lunging Panther before it could react. Mikael disappeared and reappeared in an instant, landing another slash across its neck. At the same time, the Panther felt a weight on its head.

Mikael glanced at the beast, his frown deepening. 'It seems that my attack power really isn't high enough...'

Lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly forced to dodge a massive claw swiping at him from the enraged alpha below.

Mikael executed a flawless flip in the air, narrowly evading the attack while leisurely continuing his mental evaluation. 'I could either upgrade my sword or develop a technique to increase my attack power... I'll think about it once this fight is over.' With that, he refocused on the attacking Panther.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that the other beasts had formed a circle around him, ceasing their chaotic attacks. Occasionally, one would fall with a bloody hole in its head.

Realizing that Amelia was helping clear the horde, Mikael smiled and decided to take the fight more seriously. At that moment, he darted beneath the Panther's paw, using his superior speed to disappear. In the next instant, multiple gashes appeared on the Panther's neck.

The alpha had no time to react before its head fell to the ground. The strike was so fast that it didn't even have a chance to defend itself. Mikael had used nothing but normal sword strikes—no Blade Tempest needed.

As the alpha's body hit the ground, the surrounding beasts hesitated. Instinctively, they had obeyed their leader, but now that it was dead, they were lost.

At that instant, numerous arrows appeared in the sky, descending upon the beasts in a relentless barrage. The arrows multiplied rapidly, transforming into a deadly storm as they rained down.

Although some beasts were injured and a few were killed, the majority sustained only minor wounds. The sheer volume of arrows was impressive, but their individual power was insufficient to deal significant damage.

Instinctively, the beasts began to retreat, sensing the danger and the loss of their alpha. They turned and fled back toward the forest.

Mikael pursued a few of the beasts, killing several more before he halted and made his way back to the wall. With a quick leap, he landed beside Amelia.

"You're really something," Amelia said, her tone a mix of disbelief and awe.

Mikael simply raised an eyebrow at her.

She elaborated, gesturing toward the horde of dead beasts scattered across the ground before the town wall. "I mean, look at that. The majority of these were taken down by you and your movement technique... It's incredible. I couldn't even see you," she admitted, shaking her head. Despite the disparity in their skills, she didn't feel discouraged. Instead, she felt a renewed determination—not necessarily to surpass him, as she doubted her ability to match his rapid growth—but to stand as his equal.

Mikael remained silent at her praise, his attention fixed on the forest. He was alert, prepared for the next wave of beasts, as he had configured the virtual space to send progressively harder and larger waves.

Amelia turned her gaze toward the forest as well, gripping her bow tightly. She was ready for another fight.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble again. In the distance, more ferocious beasts emerged from the forest, charging toward the simulated town behind them.

Mikael and Amelia's eyes met briefly before they turned their focus back to the approaching wave, ready to face the challenge head-on.

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***

The lids of two pods opened simultaneously. Mikael and Amelia emerged, the latter looking visibly mentally drained.

As they stepped out, Amelia, feeling tired, asked, "Can you accompany me to my dormitory?"

Mikael hadn't expected this unusual request but responded without hesitation, "Sure, no problem."

Amelia approached him, wrapping her arms around his left arm and pressing it against her chest. Her soft curves enveloped him, and he felt a pleasant warmth. Mikael was momentarily surprised by her unexpected display of affection but chose not to comment, simply walking beside her as she leaned on him.

Their walk was peaceful, and they eventually arrived at the dragon girl dormitory. At the entrance, Mikael gave her a quick peck on the lips before saying goodbye. Amelia smiled softly before heading inside, while Mikael turned to leave for his own room.

Once in his dormitory, Mikael checked the time. Seeing that it was evening, he paused to consider his next move. 'Like usual training,' he thought with a wry smile.

He mulled over his options for a moment before making a mental list. 'Okay, so here's what I could do:

First, I need to create a spell that works like an automated cleaning spell for... intimate situations. Second, I could make a contraception spell. Third, I need a skill that can mask my rank, so my rapid progress doesn't raise suspicion.

Fourth, I could create a technique to increase my attack power. Fifth, I could study arrays to upgrade the mana and aura concentration array I designed for the training room. Lastly, I could train to increase my aura and mana reserves until I hit saturation and rank up.'

He paused to evaluate his priorities. 'So there are six different things I could focus on. Which one should I pick?'

After a moment, he decided. 'Hmm, all six are worthwhile, but if I want quick results, I should focus on one of the first four. But honestly, I'm not in the mood for heavy mental strain right now. Creating new techniques is draining, and I'd rather do something less intense.'

He nodded to himself. 'Studying arrays it is. While it's still mentally engaging, it's not as taxing as inventing new techniques. In a way, it's almost relaxing.'

With his decision made, Mikael grabbed a book on arrays from the table and settled onto the couch. He began delving into the intricate knowledge of array creation, his focus sharp yet unhurried.

Time passed, and soon it was the next day. After attending another class, Mikael returned to his dormitory. With his book in hand, he prepared to continue his studies on arrays, ready to expand his understanding further.

At this moment, Mikael was seated on the couch once again, but this time, he was in the mood for more serious training. While he hadn't wasted time the previous day, he felt he hadn't been as productive as he could have been. Frustrated with what felt like slow progress in his study of arrays, he decided to review his knowledge, hoping to find a way to advance more efficiently.

'Arrays, at their core, are like "programs" designed to manipulate mana—whether in the air or within specific objects—to achieve various effects. These effects can range from increasing the mana and aura concentration in a room, concealing spaces, fortifying defenses, or even launching elemental attacks.'

'All of this is possible with arrays. It's worth noting that while warriors can learn them, the process is extremely difficult. Mages have an easier time, thanks to the unique property of mana, which is "reality-altering" compared to aura, which is more centered on reinforcement and physical enhancement.'

'Arrays are divided into two main categories: mobile arrays and anchored arrays. As the name suggests, mobile arrays are portable. They usually consist of an item that serves as a mana battery, storing a significant amount of mana, with runic scripts inscribed on it by an array master.'

'Once complete, mobile arrays are user-friendly and can be activated by anyone with mana as long as they have the "access code".

'Anchored arrays, on the other hand, are stationary and more complex. They are "permanent" in nature, requiring significantly more time and effort to construct. These arrays are far more efficient but demand various components depending on the array master's proficiency.'

'Generally, anchored arrays follow this structure: a core at the center acts as the focal point, while nodes are positioned around it to anchor the array. These nodes are interconnected by runes inscribed by the array master. The runes dictate the array's purpose, potency, and various other properties.'

'For the array I created, I used low-grade materials. The core is adequate but far from exceptional, and the magical ink I used is of poor quality. These are aspects I could improve—but not right now, as I want to concentrate on expanding my knowledge first. The array I've constructed is fairly complex, with 43 nodes covering the entire training room.'

'To improve it, I could try increasing the number of nodes, which would enhance its potency. However, the problem with this approach lies in the presence of another array in the room. The two arrays are already dangerously close to intersecting, and adding more nodes could cause them to overlap, leading to malfunctions. That's a risk I can't afford to take.'

'Yeah, that won't work well...' He continued reviewing his knowledge, searching for an alternative solution.

Suddenly, an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. 'I've got it! I could modify my array to become a double-layered one. This way, I could double its power and the number of nodes without increasing the space the array occupies. The only problem is...I don't know how to create double-layered arrays,' he thought with a frown.

Determined, he decided to visit the library to find a book on layered arrays.

Not wasting any time, Mikael got off the couch and headed to the library. Before long, he returned to his dormitory with a book in hand and immediately began studying.

Hours flew by as he delved into the intricacies of layered arrays, finding the subject fascinating. He made significant progress, but eventually, he had to stop—it was already the next morning, nearing 10 AM, and he needed to head to the central plaza.

Author Note:

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