All thoughts of Amphinome in a bikini and feeding me chocolate-covered strawberries flew out of my head as my battle instincts kicked in.
I rolled under it easily, the mana fizzling out against the walls of the dining hall. Malice was already off of my back as a sword came shooting toward me.
— - —
Quest Alert!
[SIDE QUEST] {The Greatest Showman!}
[Quest Prompt:
You have arrived in your father's court, after a short, yet confusing journey through Atlantis. Right as you've attempted to get your bearings back, you find yourself challenged by one of his commanders! Put on a show and demonstrate your natural aptitude as a warrior until your father decides to step in!
[Time Limit: 5 minutes!]
[Total Possible Rewards:] - [Variable] boost in reputation! - [+][40,000][EXP]!
Please select: [YES/NO]
— - —
Survive for 5 minutes? I can do that.
"Ha!" I grunted, Malice spinning in my hand as I deflected the slash. I turned to face my opponent, noting that my dad was behind him, sitting on the table with a smile on his face.
He had chiseled features, sharp cheekbones, and a strong jawline that looked like it could cut through steel. His skin had a smooth, sun-bronzed tone, and his deep blue eyes shimmered with an unnatural intensity, like the sunlight dancing on the surface of the sea. His raven-black hair was neatly combed back. Lean, wiry muscle was padded by a sleek-looking, black armor. A faint scar traced his collarbone.
Who the hell was this guy?
— - —
Due to the level of your [Observe] skill, not all stats and titles will be fully displayed.
{Delta} [Leader of the Fourth Quadrant] [Hand-to-Hand Specialist]
[LVL]: 265
[HP]: 1,500,000/1,500,000
[MP]: 390,570/400,000
[FEALTY]: Atlantis
[STR]: 288 [+10]
[VIT]: 225 [+30]
[DEX]: 417 [+70]
[INT]: 283 [+35]
[CHA]: 190 [+5]
[WIS]: 475
[LUC]: N/A
[Info]: Delta is the squad of the 4th Quadrant, the espionage division within the Atlantean Army. He is widely known as their strongest soldier, having been under the tutelage of Poseidon since he was a small child. Once, a few centuries ago, he dueled the Lernean Hydra while his teammates escaped.
{Titles}
[Leader of the Fourth Quadrant]:
- This title signifies that the bearer is the commander of kataskopeí, Atlantis's espionage division. This quadrant handles all covert operations—from reconnaissance behind enemy lines to intelligence gathering on both mortal and divine adversaries.
[Hand-to-Hand Specialist]
- This title is awarded to those who excel in unarmed combat, honing their body into a living weapon through rigorous training and refined technique. Whether derived from ancient martial traditions or raw, battle-tested experience, a Hand-toHand Specialist wields their fists (and feet) with lethal precision.
— - —
FWOOSH! Malice lit on fire as I deflected another slash from Delta. No one batted an eye—oh wait, that's right. They've been watching me, so they know my abilities. Nothing will surprise them too much.
— - —
4:42:34
— - —
My eyes narrowed at him as he took a step back, circling me, trying to figure me out. The art of battle really was like chess. The art of battle and strategy went hand in hand. According to one of the ancient tomes written by Athena herself, any sort of true battle potential was a mix of a couple of different things.
She called it her four principles of battle. Strategy, experience, power, and mana. I parried another slash from Delta, this time twisting my spear and grazing his sword hand with the flaming tip.
— - —
[-][600][HP]
- Burn afflicted!
- [-][5000[HP] over the next 5 MINUTES!
- [5%] chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed!
— - —
The strategy part of it was easy enough. You might think strategy and experience are the same things, but I'll be the first to tell you— they're not. The strategy of a battle is more like the ability to problem-solve. How fast can you find a solution to a problem? If I don't give you context and tell you something, how quickly can you work your way through it? It's how fluid you are in your thinking, how immovably unshakeable your logic is.
On the battlefield, this sort of ability is never overestimated. You'd be surprised how much fighting is just memorization. The angles of the slashes, the pivot of your opponent's feet—it all boils down to knowing some numbers and patterns and putting them to work in the real world. Like now, for example. I mean, come on. It's clear to all of us that Delta is a good fighter. You read his summary just like I did—it looks like he's one of the strongest fighters my dad's got. He's got years and years of experience on me, but he hasn't gotten a hit off.
Why is that?
Well, to be fair, I doubt he's trying as hard as he can. It wouldn't be a good look for him if he beat his king's son into the ground the moment he walked in the door. Outside of that, though, the main reason he's struggling to touch me is because of the range difference in our weapons. This is the true advantage of using a spear. Delta is definitely taller than me and much stronger, but he's using a sword.
— - —
3:22:19
— - —
To deal insane amounts of damage with his sword, he'd need to get in close to me. He'd need to slash my chest or my arms. The only obstacle in his way?
The spear offers much more range than the sword. Not to mention,myspear is dripping flames. There's the strategy. I know I'm toast if he gets in close, so I'm keeping him just barely out of reach. That way, I can hit him without putting myself at too much risk. Experience, on the other hand, is the direct opposite of strategy. Whereas the strategy of the battle could be learned from a book, the experience can only be built from battle after battle. You can't learn how to fight from a book.
You can be the most devout follower of a certain style, a specific weapon—but if you don't know how to use it in real life, you'll be decimated. Not to mention, not all books are written by the actual creators of the styles. In the olden days, not everyone could read and write—some of the most skilled warriors went their whole lives without seeing their names on paper. Because of this, some of the books are altered. Whether it's due to misinterpretation or mistranslation, many of the books written about battle don't hold up too well in the heat of a fight.
Delta spun his sword in his hands, sending a shockwave of mana at me again. The floor of the dining hall rippled, like a pond after a stone was thrown in the middle of it. I grinned, throwing my spear at his left side as hard as I could.
— - —
[Nike's Leap]
— - —
Oh, boy. No one was expecting this one. I disappeared from my spot across from Delta, spinning out of thin air behind him, Riptide lit on fire. The water all around me propelled me, shooting me toward him even faster. I grinned—they might know my moves, but they don't know my brain! I smashed into him.
— - — -
[-][250][MP] - [-][7300][HP] - [10%] chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed!
— - —
CRACK!
Delta went flying into the wall, his body rocking against the bronze metal.
— - —
2:49:38
— - —