Dimensional Descent

Leonel took a step forward. 

He realized that no matter what he did, his steps were measured. Exactly 0.50 meters apart without the slightest hint of deviation. He couldn't speed up, nor could he slow down. Even taking a sidestep was difficult. If he wanted variations in his steps and speed, the only way was to begin unlocking the physical root. 

However, he wasn't worried. He had already seen one person pass this test so all the stats of the beast had long since been reflected in his mind. 

[Metallic Beast]

[Power: 1 Stars (Black)] 

[Strength: 1 Star (Black); Speed: 1 Star (Black); Agility: 2 Stars (Black); Coordination: 4 Stars (Black); Stamina: ?? Stars (Black); Reactions: 4 Stars (Black); Defense: 3 Star (Black); Spirit: ?? Stars (Black); Force: ?? Stars (Black)]

[Power Accuracy: 100%] 

Leonel knew that this assessment was 100% accurate. This metallic beast was purposely nerfed by Merlin. As such, all of its abilities were perfectly measured without the variation one would expect in real life. 

In addition, during this first trial, it seemed that the beast's long, whip-like tail couldn't be used to attack. 

There were only three attack patterns: 'Lunge', 'Sweep', and 'Bite'. 

'The beast can lunge at most 1.5 meters. A sweep of its claws extended its range by half a meter at most. Bite will only activate if I enter a two meter range of its and also has a range of half a meter. It can attack only once every two seconds and will be stunned for 0.20 seconds after suffering a hit, however, if I hit it in that spot…'

These kind of perfectly measured battles… They were simply too easy for Leonel. 

SHUUU!

An arrow appeared right between the brows of the metallic beast just as it was stalking its way toward Leonel. 

'Stacked Shot.' Leonel thought to himself. 

He reloaded his bow, shooting again. 

Normally, having unlocked 'Quick Reload', Leonel could fire a normal 'Single Shot' once every 2.5 seconds instead of once every 3. However, when 'Stacked Shot' was activated, Leonel could fire two shots consecutively with a reload time of just 1 second. 

Leonel used his steps, circling around the beast. A normal hit would stun it for 0.20 seconds. However, whenever its single eye was attacked, it would be enough to stun it for a full second, allowing one to get more hits in. 

However, Leonel didn't use it in this way. He had a limited amount of arrows and wasn't like the others. It was inadvisable for him to just unload. In addition, a single second wasn't even enough time for him to do so. 

Rather than doing so, Leonel took this time to constantly adjust his footsteps, taking care to control not only himself, but the angles of attack the metallic beast could use. 

Leonel realized that while this space could hinder almost all of his abilities — whether it be his abilities as an Earth Mage or a Light Mage — the one thing it could not hinder in the slightest was his ability!

He realized this was the same for Little Blackstar as well. There were only two reasons he didn't use Little Blackstar. First, he needed to properly vet his new path and potential use for his Dreamscape himself. If he used Blackstar, it would defeat the purpose. And secondly, while this space couldn't block Blackstar's ability, what it could do was stop his ability to move at all. 

Leonel believed that the moment he unlocked the Familiar special skill, Little Blackstar would be able to use his full range of abilities. 

As Leonel was lost in thought, falling into the steady rhythm of battle, the demon who had gone before him felt his whole world plummeting. Why did Leonel make it look so… easy?

BANG!

The invisible protective barrier shattered once more, sprinkling down like a rain of broken glass. 

<First Trial Complete>

<Time Taken: 27:22>

<Trial Grade: A>

<Skill Points Rewarded: 4>

<Special Reward: 1 Special Store Ticket>

'Special Store Ticket…?'

Leonel didn't use this ticket immediately. He assumed this special store was a place he could go to to upgrade his equipment. His bow was fine, but his quiver was lacking, as an example. However, Leonel also noticed that there was no currency. This made him realize that he likely had to pay skill points to buy items, And, in the case it wasn't skill points that were necessary, that just meant he didn't have the funds necessary to buy anything to begin with. 

in that case… it wasn't worth it just yet. It was better that he spend his skill points on himself for now. 

Leonel turned his attention back to his skill tree. 

'I need 5 skill points and something called a 'star point' to give Little Blackstar the ability to move… In that case, I'll just focus on myself for now.'

<Basic Skill 'Side Step' Chosen>

<Basic Skill 'Advanced Quick Reload' Chosen>

<Basic Skill 'Reinforced Arrow' Chosen>

<Basic Skill 'Critical Arrow' Chosen>

Leonel had already made his decision before his battle even began.

'Side Step' would allow him some more freedom in movement. It was essentially a lunge to the side that he could use in critical moments to move himself to the left or right by a meter. 

'Advanced Quick Reload' would quicken his reload from 2.5 seconds to 2 seconds. 

'Reinforced Arrow' was his first Force ability. It undid the shackles on his Force by a small amount and allowed him to reinforce his arrows. With this, he would finally be able to use the Tier 9 Black Grade gloves he had designed for this bow, albeit it by a small margin. 

'Critical Arrow' worked just like a video game's critical strike did. It gave him a boosted chance of dealing more damage to his foes. Though it was a passive ability, due to the percentages, it would become very useful in the future especially when he began to fire more arrows. And, most importantly, 'Critical Arrow' was a prerequisite for many of the higher level skills he was eyeing…

Leonel took a deep breath and stepped back onto his platform. He could sense numerous gazes on him, many of which were both hostile and cautious. It was clear that after his performance, many had begun to take him as a serious competitor. 

<A-grade Recovery Rewarded>