Chapter 105: The Night Before the Tournament
"The tournament will start tomorrow."
I had been pushing my body to its limits with sparring and personal lessons during the day, and at night, I squeezed out blood for magic training.
All that effort had definitely borne fruit.
My dagger skills and basic magic had improved to a fairly respectable level.
Even I could feel it—the way my movements had become sharper, more fluid. The way my mana responded faster, smoother. It was easier to control than before.
I think, for the most part, I am ready.
I have one S-rank movement skill and one S-rank blood magic skill given to me by Velra.
My basic stats are not good, but I am going to upgrade them in the next few hours.
Anyway, I also have a new skill given to me by the system—Shadow Pin.
It is an A-rank skill that would surely come in handy in every situation, and unlike my Ghoststep, it doesn’t require much mana.
Now it was time to use the Enhancement Orb that I robbed from the Valstein family.
I quickly put my finger on the right-hand side of my ring and pulled out a hand-sized orb from within.
I held the Enhancement Orb in my palm, its surface faintly pulsing with a soft, bluish glow. It felt warm—almost alive. A remnant of the alchemist’s pride, infused with a surge of mana that made the air around it hum ever so slightly.
"Alright," I muttered under my breath. "Let’s see what you can do."
I sat cross-legged on the floor, centering my breathing as I rested the orb on my lap. My room was quiet, lit only by the dim light of the mana lamp in the corner. Outside, the moon peeked through the curtains, casting pale streaks across the wooden floor.
The instructions had been simple: pour your mana into the orb, focus on your body’s internal state, and the orb would do the rest—enhancing your physical condition based on compatibility and current limitations.
The risk? Minimal, if you were stable.
The reward? Substantia.
How many times can I use it? Just once. After that, this orb would become useless.
I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Mana flowed from my core, sliding down my arms like warm water before seeping into the orb.
The reaction was instant.
Crack.
Fine hairline fractures formed along the orb’s surface as a web of light expanded across it.
Then—
Shhhhck.
A sudden wave of energy surged outward and into me.
"Guh—!"
It felt like my bones were being stretched, muscles twisted, tendons yanked tight—and then released. My body convulsed as heat tore through my limbs, like molten threads weaving into every inch of flesh.
My veins glowed faintly. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst.
But I gritted my teeth and bore through it.
Minutes passed. Maybe more. I wasn’t sure.
Then, the pain stopped.
Everything was still.
The orb had crumbled to dust in my lap, spent. My hands trembled as I stared down at them.
My breath came out ragged—but steady.
I felt... different.
Lighter. Stronger. Clearer.
The kind of clarity you get after shedding a layer of weight you didn’t even know you were carrying.
A system message flashed in front of my eyes.
[Enhancement Orb (Valstein Alchemy) – Effect Applied]
Your base stats have been enhanced.
– Strength: +2
– Agility: +3
– Magic Power: +1
– Health: +2
Total Bonus: +8 (Stats adjusted to suit current class potential)
I blinked.
A full eight-point increase across the board. That was... far more than I’d expected.
"Status Window."
I immediately called out Status Window to see the effects of the orb.
[Name: Julies Evans]
[Occupation: Assassination Thief]
[Titles: (Loyal Servant), (Faceless Imposter) (Vigilante Of The North)]
[Base Stats]
Health: 6
Strength: 6
Agility: 11
Magic: 3
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Skills: 4
Ghoststep (S-Rank)
A secret footwork technique perfected by generations of elite assassins. Designed for complete evasion and surgical precision in combat.
— Greatly reduces chance of detection during stealth
— Drastically increases evasion in close quarters
— Counterattacks deal bonus damage based on agility when parrying
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Split Reputation (A-Rank)
"A true thief knows how to separate the shadow from the mask. The moment the two blur, the game is over." — Master Thief, Nocturne Shade
Your fame will now be divided into two personas: Julies Evans and The Faceless Imposter. Each reputation develops independently, unlocking separate events, rewards, and reactions.
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Blood Manipulation (S-Rank)
Discription: The user manipulates their own blood to manifest offensive and defensive constructs. Blood can be shaped into needles, blades, whips, and barriers. The potency and scale of the constructs are influenced by the user’s vitality and mana control.
Note: Excessive use can lead to severe blood loss, dizziness, and death. Use with caution.
Active Techniques Unlocked:
— Blood Needle: Forms a high-velocity needle of blood. Pierces soft tissue and bone. Cost: Low.
— Shard Bloom: Splits multiple droplets of blood into slashing projectiles. Wide range. Cost: Medium.
— Blood Clone (Locked)
— Bloodforged Armor (Locked)
Shadow Pin (A-Rank – Stealth-type)
A targeted strike aimed at key nerve clusters or tendons. Upon successful impact, the enemy is partially immobilized for 4 seconds. Vital movement is restricted—perfect for ambush or disengage scenarios.
— Can be used mid-air
— Cripples target if used from stealth (reduces speed by 40% for 5 seconds)
— Cooldown: None
— Mana Cost: Minimal
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Quests
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I leaned back against the wall, staring at the status window floating in front of me. The numbers had gone up. My body felt leaner, tighter, more responsive than ever before.
Eight points—more than I dared hope for. Especially in agility. Eleven now.
That alone put me far ahead of most academy cadets in terms of sheer movement speed. With Ghoststep on top of that, I’d be nearly untouchable if I played it right.
"...Not bad."
But stats alone wouldn’t save me in the tournament. There would be monsters in that arena—students raised in knight households, children of war generals.
Still, this time... I wasn’t just a nobody scraping by with subpar stats and raw instinct.
I had tools.
I had skills.
And, for once, I had time to prepare.
My eyes flicked back to the status window.
"Blood Clone... Bloodforged Armor..." I mumbled, scrolling down the locked techniques. Both sounded like game-changers, if I could ever figure out how to unlock them. The conditions weren’t listed, but if I had to guess, it probably involved pushing my limits again.
Maybe in the tournament.
If I survived long enough.
I shook my head and closed the window.
Outside, the moon had shifted. It was late—maybe past midnight.
"Tournament starts tomorrow, huh."
I stood up slowly, feeling a slight soreness in my limbs, but nothing unbearable. If anything, it was a sign that the orb’s enhancement had settled properly.
The training, the orb, the skills... everything had been leading to this moment.
And I was going to win.
"...Julies Evans, huh."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.
"Let’s go raise hell."
Winning tomorrow’s martial arts tournament was the only thing waiting for me.
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Author Note:
Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.
It’s my second novel so if there’s any kind of mistakes you find in the novel related to grammar please tell me and I’ll edit it as soon as possible.