Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Umm… Freya," Rey called, his voice laced with concern. "What spell did you use?"

Freya didn't answer immediately, her breathing shallow and her body trembling. Rey's sharp eyes caught the faint glow around her fading unevenly, a clear sign that something wasn't right. He moved closer, gripping her shoulders to keep her steady.

"What exactly did you do?" Rey asked again, his tone more urgent.

Freya finally spoke, her voice weak. "I didn't think it through… I just used the first spell that came to mind without thinking." She paused, struggling to stay upright. "I don't think I can hold it for long…"

"Then let go!" Rey ordered, his worry quickly turning into frustration.

"I… I can't…" Freya choked out. "It's eating my Mana dry…"

With every second that passed, Rey could see the toll the spell was taking on her. Her complexion was pale, her hands trembling as she tried to maintain control.

'If she keeps this up, she might actually die.' Rey's mind raced. 'As much as I'd love to help Jett, I can't let her do this to herself.'

His resolve hardened as he made a decision. 'Never thought I'd use this skill on a friend… especially not Freya. But if I shut down her Mana, the spell should forcefully break.'

Rey raised his hand over Freya's back, his expression grim. [Mana Seal], he whispered.

A soft glow enveloped his hand before sinking into Freya's body. The overwhelming aura around her started getting weaker and then dissipated completely. Freya gasped as her legs gave out, but Rey caught her before she could fall.

"It's okay, rest now" he murmured, easing her to the ground. 'You better do it now Jett.'

*****

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Jett felt the sudden change. The overwhelming energy coursing through him was no more, but it left him feeling whole, his body revitalized as if he were freshly healed.

He cracked his neck and smirked, shifting his gaze back to the king, who was still recovering from the brutal throw.

"I guess it's time to end this," Jett said, his voice calm but deadly as he started moving toward the king.

"But… how?" the king managed to utter, his voice weak as he knelt on the ground, holding his chest.

[Royal Heal]

Jett stood silently, gripping a lifeless body in one hand while watching the king's wounds begin to knit themselves back together. Blood ceased dripping, and the gashes faded rapidly as the healing took effect. The battlefield was eerily quiet, the tension thick as the king's labored breathing filled the space.

'What's he planning now?' the king thought, his eyes narrowing as he studied Jett. 'He's just standing there, letting me heal myself? He must be plotting something.'

The king remained motionless, unwilling to act rashly. 'He should know I still have the advantage in stats. So why isn't he attacking? What is he trying to pull?'

His mind raced, considering every possibility. Another trap? A hidden skill? A bluff? But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't decipher Jett's intent.

[Tactical Mirage]

"You know," Jett began, his voice cutting through the silence, "you lost the moment I stepped foot on this battleground."

The king's gaze snapped back to Jett, whose smirk oozed confidence. "The only reason you're still breathing is because you were faster and stronger than me. But now? That advantage is gone. Plus I that annoying skill of yours, I wasn't about to risk it but now that's out of the equation."

The king clenched his fists, frustration mounting. "You made a big mistake letting me heal myself!" he roared, pushing himself to his feet.

As he surged forward, something flew toward him.

Instinctively, he caught it, a corpse, limp and heavy in his arms. It was the same one Jett was just holdig. His eyes widened in confusion. 'What just happened? Does he still have more tricks up his sleeve?'

"You really think I made a mistake?" Jett sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "It's game over for you."

"[Corpse Grenade]," Jett said, his tone casual as if announcing the weather.

The corpse in the king's arms began to glow faintly, flashing with an ominous light.@@novelbin@@

The king's life flashed before his eyes. He tried to toss the body away, but it was too late. The corpse detonated with a deafening roar, engulfing the immediate area in a fiery explosion.

Jett stood firm, his hair swaying from the shockwave as he watched the blast tear through his opponent. He smiled grimly, his voice calm but cold.

"For some reason," he said to himself, "I just wanted to make sure you felt the pain all over again."

The battlefield was a scene of destruction, and amidst the chaos lay the king, battered and bruised once again.

His armor was dented, his face streaked with blood and dirt, and his body slumped near the mangled corpse of his dragon. He struggled to rise, leaning against the beast for support, his once-mighty presence now reduced to a pitiful sight.

"C'mon," Jett said, approaching with an air of finality. "I know that's not enough to end you, but this will."

Placing a hand on the dragon's lifeless body, he activated his skill.

[Corpse Grenade]

The dragon began to glow ominously, its massive form radiating danger.

{Gluttonous Earth}

The ground beneath Jett and the dragon shifted unnaturally, splitting open and swallowing him whole just as the explosion erupted.

A deafening blast rippled through the battlefield, engulfing everything in its radius. The shockwave was immense, shaking the very earth and leaving no space for escape.

*****

When the dust settled, Jett emerged from the shattered ground, his figure silhouetted against the smoke and flames. Surveying the devastation, he noted the aftermath with grim satisfaction.

Craters pockmarked the terrain, and scattered survivors clung to life, some injured beyond recognition, others struggling to aid their comrades.

"3… 2… 1," Jett counted down.

As if on cue, smaller explosions erupted across the battlefield, taking out the remaining stragglers. Shouts of pain and the rumble of destruction echoed in the distance.

"That should be the last of them," Jett muttered, wiping sweat from his brow as he began walking toward the castle walls.

The battlefield grew silent, save for the sound of his footsteps crunching over debris. Yet, as he moved, a nagging thought tugged at him.

"Am I forgetting something? Right, still haven't seen a clear notification." he muttered, furrowing his brow. "We didn't exactly get a clear description of how to finish this trial, but I can worry about that later."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I still haven't even received my reward for my personal trial."

Just as the words left his mouth, a new notification materialized in front of him.

[[I never said you had a reward for your personal trial.]]

"What the hell?!" Jett's voice echoed in the desolation, his expression a mix of disbelief and fury. "You mean I stayed in that cell for nothing? You told me to."

[[You willingly stayed in that cell for nothing.]]

[[Don't make me the bad guy. I only gave a suggestion.]]

"This is fraud! What kind of system are you?" Jett whined, gesturing wildly at the notification.

[[Look on the bright side. You gained some nice rewards from this event.]]

Jett scowled, muttering under his breath. "I feel like you did affiliate marketing in your past life."

[[What's that?]]

"Nothing important," Jett replied dismissively, shaking his head.

The system was unusually verbose today, and Jett couldn't help but comment, "You're awfully chatty today."

[[I have no idea what you're talking about.]]

'How did I end up in this sad situation?' Jett sighed, dragging his feet toward the castle. "This trial better be worth all this trouble…"

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Did not see that one coming. (@_@)