Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 905 905: Improvements

"What do you think of this?" Rain asked.

"It seems like something I would do, using concentrated blasts of water to repel attacks and attackers," Nigel said. "It is pretty nasty as well since it is barely visible, so we can tell that it agrees with my personality."

"At least you are aware of it," Rain frowned.

"His attack won because he was in the ocean, and because we are weaker than we are supposed to be," Larisa said. "Your best chance is to take the fight out of the ocean, but he should know that his best chances are underwater as well."

Rain nodded… at least Larisa wasn't trying to lure him to follow the path that would be the most convenient for her as well. In any case, Rain began to consider his options in that scenario. If he was weaker and he couldn't fight where his chances would be better, he had to even things a bit in a way that wouldn't be obvious to the enemy.

Slowly, but surely, Rain began to remake another crystal death knight using the parts that he was able to Savage, that helped him save some mana.

Along the way, Rain had a certain idea… it was a dangerous one, but it could help him quite a bit… he equipped three of his Meditation Mastery rings on the crystal death knight to see what would happen, and soon he found the creation glowing and slowly growing in size as well.

"How is this possible? Is this because I am still under control of this?" Rain asked. "I thought that only living beings could meditate."

"That is true, but some of the pieces of crystal that you recovered had been drenched in that guy's blood, and since he is strong, it is affecting the crystal… whatever this thing is," Larisa said. "It is only working because he has great affinity as well to the basic materials of this thing."

"Just a bit of blood can do that much, huh?" Rain said while rubbing his ching thoughtfully.

"As I told you, it depends on the person and the affinity of their skills. That is why our relics have the abilities that they have because we obtained the power to use magic from the blood of the first dragons," Larisa explained. "Their blood contained a lot of power, just like yours and that guy's."

"Well, let's see how I can use this to my advantage…" Rain said and then sighed when he saw the sun rising. "Time passed awfully slowly while I was in the ring. Why time passes so fast now?"

Rain, acknowledging the relative nature of time, found his life continually troubled by a massive number of challenges. His mental list of seemingly impossible feats to learn grew longer, with aspirations of learning skills like time manipulation and teleportation occupying the only positions.

Understanding the complexity and sheer impossibility of these goals, Rain recognized the enormity of the task ahead. These pursuits weren't merely ambitious; they bordered on the realm of the impossible. Delving into the mysteries of manipulating time and traversing distances instantaneously were colossal aspirations that he knew might remain unattainable or, at best, only partially comprehensible.

It will take a long time… if at all.

In any case, this time, Rain didn't make the shield and the spear for the death knight… making the same items would make the enemies think that it was truly just a summoned monster or something similar… even though no one actually used them for real combat.

This time, Rain made a katana copying the design of the ominous blade that he got on the previous day… if any old dragon were there, they certainly would feel spooky at the design alone. Still, that wasn't all, Rain also added a gem on the handle of the sword.

Level 20: Frostbound Aura Envelop yourself in a freezing aura, granting resistance to physical damage and reducing the speed of nearby enemies. Reduces physical damage by 20 points per level and decreases enemy movement speed by 1% per level. Cost: 100 mana per minute

Rain added the effect of that skill to the gem in the hopes that it would make the whole creature harder… At the same time, he realized that the crystal death knight had stopped growing when he had equipped the sword.

Rain realized the gem's impact on the crystal death knight. While the gem's frost-bound aura significantly fortified the knight's defenses, its constant mana consumption caused a gradual reduction in the creature's size. This unexpected consequence posed both challenges and strategic opportunities.

Understanding the trade-off, Rain acknowledged that the knight's decreased stature was offset by an unprecedented defensive capability, courtesy of the amplified aura. This altered state presented a unique advantage: the knight could repel a wide array of physical attacks with exceptional ease, despite its size.

Amidst this revelation, Rain realized the situation was a delicate balancing act. The knight's fortified defenses, while impressive, came at the cost of continuous mana depletion. Yet, the defensive prowess, amplified by the Meditation Mastery rings, offered an invaluable asset in combat. Rain strategized to optimize the knight's defenses while seeking ways to manage its mana consumption.

It was the only real solution.

"I don't have time to do anything else, so this will have to do it," Rain thought when he looked around and saw the warriors moving toward the beach again, even though it was only noon.

Rain, amidst the intense situation and strategic planning, found himself thinking about the limited involvement of the demi-humans in defending the island. Observing their relatively subdued presence in the ongoing conflict against the dragons, he wondered about the potential reasons behind their seemingly reserved participation.

He speculated that the demi-humans might primarily excel in terrestrial combat, hence their lesser involvement in the sea-based confrontation.

Their lack of active participation in the oceanic clash against the dragons hinted at a potential limitation in utilizing their forces effectively in such aquatic conflicts. Considering the history in the last one hundred years, it made a lot of sense.