[Arriving at Training Room – T-092]
A cloud of white particles formed a blurry figure as Sophie walked out of the transporter with only a small stumble.
Her stomach still felt a bit queasy, but she fought down the urge to throw up.
She was getting much better at this!
Astrid and Rachel had already arrived in the training room and were engaged in a casual chat that Sophie was too far away to hear.
Rachel beckoned to her cheerfully at some type of podium-like device in the corner of the room, so Sophie jogged forward to meet them.
"So, this is the device we can use to adjust the training room settings for our spar," Rachel explained.
"I was thinking we could do the free-for-all mode with a points system to determine the winner."
"May I take a look at the other settings?" Sophie asked.
"Sure!" Rachel stepped back and allowed Sophie to look at the interface.
The premium accommodation really provided a comprehensive sparring system. There were various options from team based to individual spars.
Other options such as weapons allowed, handicaps and even medical foam in case of emergencies.
The point-based system that Rachel was suggesting would require all three participants to wear a tiny shield emitter that would coat their bodies to prevent heavy damage from attacks.
Points were allocated by the AI monitoring the training room that judged the damage and accuracy of all moves.
"Sounds good to me," Sophie looked at the other options but felt that Rachel's choice was the best.
"What do you think Astrid?"
"I'm just thrilled to fight," Astrid growled.
Rachel reached out and speedily typed out a series of commands and a mechanical voice soon echoed around the room.
[Sparring type – Point based selected]
[Dispensing barrier protection devices]
There was a small platform that suddenly rose up from beneath the ground and three metallic orbs appeared on top.
Sophie picked up one and found that it was surprisingly lightweight.
She placed it on the side of her hip and the orb unfurled into a rectangular sheet that clamped onto her bodysuit.
Rachel and Astrid also followed suit and soon a golden glow enveloped their bodies and a thin barrier was formed on the outer surface of their skin.
This barrier was capable of withstanding attacks from cultivators at all levels of the qi spirit stage so there was little chance of injuries.
Sophie still decided not to use her spider legs to directly attack as the penetrative power of her appendages might pierce right through the barrier directly.
The pillar device could also be used to summon training weapons as actual weapons would turn this friendly spar into something else entirely!
Astrid did not choose any weapons but simply flexed her claws with an arrogant expression on her wolfish face.
Rachel chose a plain wooden sword with a sharp edge and thin blade that was inspired by the style of the ancient katanas from the former earth nation of Japan.
Sophie glanced at the different choices before picking up a sturdy looking whip and some knives.
[Activating Countdown….]
A light beamed down from the ceiling of the training room and three red circles appeared at different locations in a triangular formation.
The trio each stood on a separate circle as a blinking holographic projection of a timer counted down from thirty seconds.
[30 seconds]
Rachel took a deep breath as her body figure shifted slightly into a more streamlined form which was suitable for combat.
Her hands tightened around the wooden sword and molded to form a perfect grip while the length of her curly hair shortened into a neat bun style.
[20 seconds]
Astrid gazed at her two competitors and gave out a ferocious grin as she crouched forward like a beast on a hunt while producing a small growl of excitement.
Her claws were fully extended and glistened menacingly in the light while her razor-sharp teeth added to an intimidating atmosphere.
[10 seconds]
Sophie curled her hand around the practice whip and swung it around a few times to get a better feel of the weapon.
She could not help but become inflected by the thrill of the upcoming fight and her golden eyes shone with a reddish tint.
[4…3…2…1…Battle Start!]
Rachel and Sophie instantly vanished from their former positions and appeared in the center of the room.
Sophie swung her whip forward with a resounding crack, but Rachel's body shifted into a liquid which caused the whip to pass through harmlessly.
Rachel gave out a mocking laugh and ran through the gap of the whip's range and pierced the training sword towards Sophie's chest which she narrowly avoided.
Neither side was planning to use qi attacks so early in the duel as they were still feeling out their respective opponent's strength.
The winner of the duel would be the one who scored more points on the opponent as judged by the AI, so Sophie knew that she had to engage as soon as possible.
Plus, this was just a practice session…to run away the entire time would defeat the point of training.
She clashed head on with Rachel but could not see the figure of Astrid anywhere in her vision.
Astrid defied expectations and chose to leap backwards to the far corner of the room and observe the initial round of fighting.
This was not like the standard Mendolesa warrior who had the reputation of proudly charging into battle headfirst without any sense of fear.
But then again….
Astrid was not a typical Mendolesa.
"Flamma fulmine mega impetum" a loud cry came from the corner as an enormous fire ball rushed towards the clashing duo in the center.
A mage?
Sophie and Rachel both showed startled expressions as they leapt away in an attempt to dodge the fiery attack.
Boom!
The fire bolt crashed against the opposite wall and left a steaming crater with dark soot marks around the edges.
"Gelida dominico de hieme," Astrid chanted with determination as a ring of frost spread out from under her feet and turned the floor into solid ice.
Sophie wobbled unsteadily but used two of her spider legs to pierce into the ground to retain her balance.
Rachel was not doing any better and shifted her feet to form tiny spikes to enhance her grip.
Mages were undoubtedly more powerful than cultivators at the same level.
They possessed the ability to change qi into mana to form mana bodies that provided the base for spell casting.
The downside was that mages naturally progressed much slower than cultivators and found breaking into higher levels to be quite difficult.
Mer University was the smallest university when compared to the other three of the four great universities, but it was their mages that made them a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, mages were not invulnerable, and one of their biggest weaknesses was the fact that disruptions to their concentration could cause their spells to fizzle into nothingness or even backfire!
Astrid stood proudly upright as blood red runes formed around her fur and radiated a sense of power and strength.
She had achieved the second stage of the qi spirit realm and had also specialized in elemental based spellcasting.
Astrid was one of the extremely rare talents among the Mendolesa race who had a talent for mana affinity that was even S grade.
Sophie knew how dangerous mages could become if the battle dragged on, so she dropped all pretenses and launched a qi attack.
Black Viper Art!
Sophie leapt into the air and channeled the qi from her palms into the whip which transformed into a deadly black serpent that charged towards Astrid.
"Now this is going to be fun!" Rachel smiled lightly before circulating her qi in a strange pattern around her body.
She was quite the perverted battle maniac and fighting her two new friends gave a sense of pleasure that almost made her moan in delight.
Rachel closed her eyes and the training sword in her hand became illuminated by a white glow as her figure vanished once more from the battlefield.
Holy Sword Art!
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