My Skill Creation System

Chapter 150 A Test Of Wills

?

Titus sprang to his feet, his face twisted with anger. His eyes narrowed, lips forming a thin smile. Clenching his fists, he glared at Nathan. "You have made me so mad, I know you, and I will make sure you regret what you have done to me."

At the same time, several other people approached Nathan and Yudan, forming a circle around them. These were Titus' friends, who had been eagerly awaiting a moment like this. They thrived on chaos, and if the people they provoked fought back, they would relish the opportunity to teach them a lesson they would never forget.

"I didn't expect a junior like you to have the audacity to do something like this to me," Titus said softly as he walked towards Nathan. He had to duck slightly due to his towering height.

"I guess you're really eager to finish your time here at this academy, huh?" he added.

Nathan helped Yudan to his feet, "Are you alright, Yudan?"

Yudan cast a quick glance at Titus before nodding in response to Nathan's inquiry. "I didn't expect you to come to my rescue, as I'm certain they weren't planning on being quiet about it. Nevertheless, now that you're here, I'm hoping we can wrap this up quickly."

Nathan nodded affirmatively in response to Yudan's words. He had specifically asked Linda and Meriel not to accompany him, as he was aware that the situation would only become more intense with Linda's presence. Yet, this time he was determined to be more assertive when confronting them.

Titus huffed firmly, his men surrounding Nathan and glaring at the two of them with a mixture of disgust and annoyance.

"I challenge you to a duel!" Titus raised his hand, pointing at Nathan. His voice was stern and resolute. "I will not let you leave this place until you have bowed before me and done whatever I say."

"I accept your challenge!" Nathan declared, his voice reverberating throughout the area. His face was determined, and his stance was unwavering. "I will not be defeated so easily!"

"Very well," Titus replied, his expression stern.

The academy provided a dueling facility for anyone wishing to test their strength against one another. It was conducted in a closed room with specific rules, such as any participant receiving fatal damage being ejected from the arena, as well as any participant running out of Mana or Energy being removed from the duel.

Furthermore, the two parties which carry out the duel can mutually agree on who wins and who loses. Though duels were classified as safe for the safety of the two participants, it does not rule out the possibility of any short-term or long-term effects as a result of the duel due to the fact that both parties are aware of the consequences.

Nathan lifted his face and looked at Titus with a flat expression. "You know, I'm not interested in having a duel with unappealing stakes," he said firmly. "I hope you place an attractive bet on me so that I get something out of this duel. Because if it's just hurting you guys, I think I can do it without needing a duel and I'm sure the CEHA won't know that I did it," Nathan added provocatively.

Nathan wasn't feeling overly confident, but he knew he had the skills and abilities to take on anyone in the academy, at least the students. Although he was still unsure of facing the mentors in that place.

Titus chuckled softly in response to Nathan's words. "Show me what you've got," he said confidently. "I'm not backing down. Plus, I'm giving you the chance to decide what form our duel will take: one-on-one, or however many people you want."

Nathan held his arm aloft, and with a sudden sparkle of light, a gleaming gemstone appeared in his right hand, leaving everyone in awe.

[Soul Stone Elite Frost Giant Lv. 90]

Titus was taken aback when he saw what Nathan was attempting to wager on him. "Monster soul stone?" he whispered incredulously.

The people who had witnessed Nathan's actions were astounded and began discussing the sudden escalation of the feud between him and Titus. 

"Is he out of his mind?" someone exclaimed. "He's actually trying to gamble with the Monster Soul Stone? Does he really think he can beat Titus?"

"He's way too sure of himself," another chipped in. "He thought he was unbeatable because he was top of the entrance exam, but he vastly underestimated Titus. He'll regret it soon enough."

"This could be the worst day of his time here in this academy. It's only his first day and he's already on the brink of disgrace."

Titus remained silent for a while after hearing Nathan's words.

"I will fight three of you alone, or five if you have the guts," Nathan said quietly. "Bring a Monster Soul Stone with a minimum of level 50 as a bet. I'll meet you at the dueling arena in 15 minutes."

He then turned around and added, "Yudan, follow me." With that, he walked away.

Titus watched Nathan leave with a smile on his face and then let out a hearty laugh that Nathan could still hear. "Prepare to be crushed after this, Junior!" he said firmly.

As soon as Nathan was out of sight, some of the people watching them immediately sensed that they were about to be entertained, and most of them immediately ran towards the Duel Arena.

"Come on, let's go watch some duels. I want to see that junior brat learn a lesson. I'm sure he will be disgraced for his arrogance," one person remarked.

"I also feel like I want to teach that junior a lesson. He had the audacity to act like that even on the first day at this academy. Can you believe that?" another added.

"But still, didn't he manage to beat the monster hydra that even Olivia herself failed to do?"

"That's only because the monster was already weakened, right? And he borrowed his strength from Olivia. I'm sure Nathan isn't that strong. He's just cunning and uses the power of his friends to get what he wants," a third person chimed in.

Titus quickly assembled his group of friends and began to strategize on how to best fight Nathan.

"Alright," he said, a glint of determination in his eye, "what kind of special abilities does that son of a bitch have?"

Knowing that he was in for a great day, Titus was confident that he and his team would not only teach that junior a lesson but he would also be rewarded with a Monster Soul Stone—an item of tremendous value.

"Before we get into that," Donnie, a young man with blond hair, replied, "are you sure you want to bet using the Monster Soul Stone, Titus?"

Titus stared at him with a sharp gaze. "What did you say?" he asked. "Do you think we will lose to that newbie? And do you think I have trouble getting a Monster Soul Stone to bet against him?"

Titus was aware of how precious a Monster Soul Stone was. With the Elite grade, its minimum price was an astounding 20 million US dollars, an extraordinary amount that he himself did not possess. Nevertheless, he was confident that he could acquire one if he could persuade his father, and he was certain of it.

Donnie paused for a moment, contemplating. "Well, I think we can exploit the fact that he has overstretched himself with the entrance exam. We can divide our forces and try to overwhelm him with our numbers." 

Titus nodded, his gaze traveling across the people gathered before him. "We'll fight him with five people, I won't let him get away with this insult. He'll soon regret challenging me like this," he declared, then turning back to Donnie, he asked, "Now, tell me what his possible weaknesses are."

Donnie nodded to Titus' words, his eyes widening as he continued, "I knew he had the ability to manipulate multiple elements at the same time. He has an area-of-effect attack in the form of a lightning bolt that lasts a few seconds, and also a meteor shower that deals a considerable amount of damage. Also, I noticed he had an artifact that could gather the lightning bolts and combine them into one devastating attack, though it would take some time to do so."

Titus listened to Donnie's explanation slowly. "And then?"

"Yes," replied Donnie, "I'm sure he has the skill to move quickly, so it's best to have people with high defenses to defend his surprise attacks."

"Makes sense," Titus nodded. "So, he's a magic swordsman then?"

Donnie paused for a moment before replying. "Well, I think he can also control spirit beasts," he said hesitantly. "I've seen him with a spirit beast wolf that's more than capable of facing many monsters at once."

"Ch!" Titus scoffed, his face contorting into a look of annoyance. "Spirit beasts aren't something we need to concern ourselves with. They're essentially just monsters in their spiritual form."

Titus nodded in agreement and clapped his hands lightly. "I'm certain I have a good understanding of the abilities of that scoundrel," he said confidently. "I'm confident I can take him on my own with my assassination skills. However, to ensure we have a sure victory in the duel, I plan on bringing a few others with me."

Titus then turned to Donnie and John, "Donnie, with your tank role make sure we are prepared for a surprise attack from him. John, with your poison magic I need you to immediately weaken him with your poison attack. After that, I need crowd control to neutralize any spirit beast attacks he might have, and a support to make sure we can last longer in the duel if something unexpected happens." 

John and everyone else nodded in agreement, "Alright Titus."