Chapter 66: The Tanking Challenge i

The moment she finished speaking, the entire arena became silent.

Kael and Gareth stood several dozen meters apart.

Both were already wearing their armor, but neither had drawn a weapon.

A system notification appeared above the arena.

[Round 1 Begins]

[First Attack: Storm Lancer]

The next moment, two figures appeared in the arena.

One stood in front of Kael.

The other stood in front of Gareth.

Both figures wore silver armor covered in faint blue lightning. A long spear was held in each of their hands, and lightning constantly moved across their bodies.

Aria’s eyes widened.

"A Storm Lancer?"

Liana immediately became serious.

"That’s not an ordinary profession."

Ethan remained silent as he looked at the two simulated opponents.

Storm Lancers were pure offensive fighters. They relied on speed, explosive charges, and powerful piercing attacks to overwhelm their opponents before they had a chance to fight back.

The two Storm Lancers raised their spears at the same time.

Lightning gathered around the spearheads.

Zzzzt!

The air around them began to tremble.

Kael’s armor became brighter, and a large spectral figure slowly appeared behind him.

The spectral guardian stood several meters tall, holding a huge shield in front of Kael.

At the same time, Gareth stomped his foot against the ground.

Boom!

The ground beneath him turned dark brown, and thick layers of earth quickly covered his body.

The two Storm Lancers moved.

They didn’t charge straight toward their targets.

The moment they appeared, both of them suddenly accelerated.

Whoosh!

Their bodies turned into flashes as they moved across the arena.

One Storm Lancer appeared beside Kael and thrust its spear toward his side.

Kael raised his shield.

Clang!

The spear was deflected, but the Storm Lancer twisted its body and thrust again from a different angle.

Clang!

Another thrust.

Then another.

The attacks came in a relentless storm, each one faster than the last. Every time Kael blocked, the Lancer had already shifted position and struck from a new direction.

Kael’s expression remained calm.

Behind him, the spectral guardian moved in perfect sync, raising its massive shield to cover the angles Kael couldn’t reach.

Boom!

A heavy thrust slammed into the spectral shield, forcing Kael several steps back. The Storm Lancer pressed forward without pause, spear flashing toward his chest.

Kael blocked again.

Clang!

The impact pushed him even further back.

At the same time, the second Storm Lancer had already started attacking Gareth.

Unlike Kael, Gareth didn’t try to block every attack. He simply stood firmly on the ground with both feet connected to the arena floor, as if he had rooted himself there.

The Storm Lancer charged forward.

Boom!

Its spear stabbed hard into the earth armor covering Gareth’s chest. Gareth’s body shook from the impact, but he didn’t fall.

Half of the damage was transferred into the ground beneath his feet.

Crack!

The earth around him split open. The Storm Lancer pulled its spear back and charged again without hesitation.

Boom!

Another piercing attack landed. More cracks spread across the ground, but Gareth still didn’t move from his position.

Aria stared at him in confusion. "He’s just taking the attacks?"

"Not exactly," Ethan replied while carefully watching Gareth. "Look at the ground."

Aria lowered her eyes. The area under Gareth’s feet was already covered in cracks.

"So that’s where the damage is going?"

"Part of it," Ethan answered.

Before Aria could say anything else, the Storm Lancer’s body suddenly disappeared. A moment later, it reappeared behind Gareth and thrust its spear toward his back.

Boom!

Gareth’s earth armor shattered in several places. He was also pushed backward slightly, but he quickly regained his footing without lifting either foot from the ground.

Meanwhile, Kael was still fighting his own Storm Lancer. The simulated profession suddenly lowered its body as lightning gathered around its legs.

Whoosh!

It charged forward at an even greater speed. Kael raised his shield just in time. The spear struck the center of the shield with heavy force.

BOOM!

Kael’s body slid several meters across the ground. The spectral guardian immediately stepped forward and slammed its huge shield into the Storm Lancer.

Bang!

The Storm Lancer was forced backward, but before Kael could counterattack, it disappeared again.

A flash of silver crossed the arena as the Storm Lancer appeared on Kael’s left, then his right, then directly in front of him. Thrust after thrust landed against his defenses.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kael continued blocking while the spectral guardian moved together with him, covering his blind spots.

The attacks were becoming faster and more powerful. Suddenly, Kael raised his shield with both hands, and the spectral guardian did the same.

BOOM!

The next thrust struck both shields at the same time, creating a powerful shockwave. Kael’s feet dug into the ground, but he managed to remain standing.

Suddenly, the Storm Lancer stopped attacking and created some distance.

Kael took a short breath and looked at his shield. Several cracks had already appeared across its surface.

Across the arena, Gareth’s earth armor was also heavily damaged, but he was still standing firmly in place.

The two Storm Lancers raised their spears once more and charged again. The attacks continued, giving neither Kael nor Gareth a chance to rest.

Several minutes later, the Storm Lancers finally disappeared. The arena slowly became quiet as dust settled around the two participants.

Both Kael and Gareth were still standing. However, their conditions were clearly different.

Kael’s armor was covered in cracks, and his shield had already suffered noticeable damage.

Gareth’s earth armor was also damaged, but much of the damage had been transferred into the ground beneath his feet.

Large cracks had spread across the arena around him, showing just how much punishment the ground had absorbed.

A system notification appeared.

[Storm Lancer Attack Complete]

[Kael: Passed]

[Gareth: Passed]

[Round 1 continues]

Aria blinked.

"Wait. It isn’t over?"

Ethan shook his head.

"This is only the first attack."

Another notification appeared.

[Next Attack: Berserker]

Aria’s eyes widened.

"Another profession?"

Liana’s expression became serious.

Two new figures were already beginning to appear.