'Lemme get this straight. I've had to outrun a wave of undead animals in the forest, Kill 12 moldy, flying wyverns with wooden stakes and rusty swords, and now I'm staring at a menacing looking tree spirit that clearly wants to obliterate me.'
'This first trial is stupidly unfair, the trial barely providing me the tools to survive the wyverns, and now I gotta fight this ominous lookin asshat with a single rusty sword, practically no aura, and a wooden stake. Amazing, absolutley fucking fantastic!'
The androgynous tree spirit was radiating malice, a wicked sneer plastered on its face, practically oozing with blood lust.
Raising its pale ivory arm, the ground shook, three large wooden tendrils bursting from the ground whipping towards me.
I quickly burst into action, dodging the initial strike while weaving underneath the other two.
I had to end this in a single strike.
If I used the power of my star, I could mimic sword seeker level swordsmanship while still a sword expert, but only for a brief moment. The sword in my hand and the body I inhabited unable to withstand more than a single strike.
Sword experts are experts of the sword. They've hone their swordsmanship to a competent level and are able to draw out sword aura.
Sword experts are considered exceptionally powerful among regular humans for their ability to enhance their bodies with aura and their mastery of the sword; however, sword seekers are on a different level.
Sword seekers have transcended what it means to be human but haven't yet touched the transcendent realm. In order to reach the level of a sword seeker, one had to go through metamorphosis, a short period in which the warriors' imagery expands and the aura coating their weapon underwent a qualitative change. This metamorphosis completely restructured a person's aura, allowing them to infuse imagery into their aura, manifesting a part of themselves into their swordsmanship.
I had already reached transcendence, the realm of a swordmaster, and was well versed in the process of imbuing imagery into one's sword aura, the problem was the body I currently possessed.
I had mentioned it earlier, but this body was far too fragile. If I had tried to use my swordsmanship the backlash would've incapacitated me.
My swordsmanship and aura were up to snuff, the only thing that was limiting my progression was my physique.
So, the plan was simple. I had to get close enough to the tree fucker and overload my body with starlight and aura, empowering my physique just enough to achieve psuedo metamorphisis and wipe it's ugly mug off the face of the earth.
Easy right?
Well, it would be if I had more sword aura left. I was basically running on empty, literally only possessing enough to execute my plan.
The problem?
I had to fight far more economically, wasting any more sword aura would mean losing my one hit kill.
I was essentially raw dogging it, zero aura enhancements, just my body's base capabilities.
Sweat dripped down my brow as I narrowly dodged another vicious swipe of one of the spirits' wooden tendrils.
I had to close the distance between me and the tree spirit unharmed, without sword aura, while the pervert was trying to molest me with its wooden tentacles.
"Awesome sauce."
I groaned as I tilted my head, avoiding another tendril.
The bastards attacks are getting more and more complex too, tendrils attacking me from multiple angles.
The tree spirit moved its arms like a conductor, manipulating the tendrils in a symphony of destruction.
This time, two wooden tendrils tried to corner me while another flew towards me at a breakneck speed. I dove to the ground just before the plant tentacle could hit me, the sound of wood hitting wood echoing in the clearing. I rolled out of the way of another strike, deep in thought.
I clearly had to reassess my strategy.
I was getting nowhere just dodging, the tendrils were blocking my advance while simultaneously keeping me subdued. If I kept this up, it wouldn't be long before I ran out of stamina, becoming an easy target for the eerily pretty tree.
My movements were not only too inefficient, but also put me in awkward positions. I needed to account for every possibility, read the bastard's intentions and plan around it while closing the distance.
I needed to predict, to foresee it's every move based on my senses and the information I've gathered so far.
The tree spirit could only manipulate three tendrils from what I've seen so far, but I couldn't be sure that there wasn't more.
It hadn't moved at all since the start of the fight, standing stationary in the center of the clearing where the brilliant ivory tree once stood.
I couldn't figure out the correlation between the movements of its arms and the movement of the tendrils, the swaying and swinging of its arms a complete mystery to me.
I took a deep breath, my eyes sharpening as my brain started working overtime.
The slight tremors of the ground as the tendrils moved around, the sound they made when they swung, the bulging of the ground when one of them was about to sprout from the soil, even the slight woody smell that filled the air when they got close. All of these small, minute details could help me pinpoint their position and predict how each one would strike.
My will and body acted in unison, my consciousness piloting my body with precision.
There was no hesitation in my actions, no take backs, only decisiveness.
My brain exerted its maximum effort, each of my movements deliberate and calculated.
I swayed, dodged, and ducked, avoiding the coordinated efforts of the three tendrils.
My gait was slow, but my approach was inevitable.
The tree spirit seemed to sense this, the wicked grin that marred its flawless features faded, an expressionless caution taking hold.
The androgynous spirit's expression grew grim, the movement of its arms became faster, more erratic.
Another tendril sprouted from the ground complicating my calculations, but it didn't matter, it was simply an inconvenience.
My movements flowed, the fight becoming more and more like a performance, each attack and ensuing dodge seemingly rehearsed.
I was slowly but surely closing the distance, the sword in my hand gleaming in anticipation.
My posture relaxed, my expression shifting from concentration to complete calm.
I had found my rhythm, my brain dissecting the spirits' attack patterns and habits with clinical precision.
I inched closer, the spirit's expression contorted into what I could only assume was fear.
I was close enough, the spirit a mere 3 meters away.
The ground shook as the four tendrils flew out of the ground, attacking me simultaneously.
It didn't matter though.
Starlight burst forth, its platinum hue lighting up the forest in a radiant glow.
The dregs of my aura coated my blade, a tide of violent energy encasing the blade in a deep purple hue.
I burst forward, a trail of platinum light following me like a shooting star.
I drew a deep breath, raw power coursing through my limbs, as I broke through the encirclement of wood tendrils.
The air churned violently, an invisible weight pressing down on the tree spirit before me.
My aura and starlight enveloped me like a cocoon.
I raised my sword, the violent swirling energy coating it radiating danger.
Smiling slightly, I let my inner world partially manifest, completing the pseudo metamorphosis.
The violent tide of sword aura settled, immediately dispersing into the air.
The cocoon of starlight and aura encasing me shattering like glass.
My imagery expanded.
A motionless, pitch black ocean manifested itself before us.
The blue sky disappeared, swallowed up by an endless sea of stars.
The androgynous spirit looked on, genuine confusion lacing its expression.
With an almost leisurely swing, I traced a single dark purple line down the middle of the tree spirit, the tip of my sword shining with a mix of purple and platinum light.
My eyes glowed with a deep purple light as my body touched the sword seeker level.
The eyes of the spirit before me betrayed a look of utter bewilderment, before slumping over, split into two perfect halves.
It was then that a voice whispered in my mind:
[You have slain awakened tyrant, Guardian Spirit of the Undead Forest.]
[Wake up, Audun! Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal...]