Crouching, Michael stared at the Forgotten in the center of the Village he was in.


    …That one looks like trouble.


    The dark elf was much taller than the other Forgotten he’d faced, just like Sullivan and the dark elves at Bluestone. With long white hair and strong muscles, the only injury in the dark elf chief’s body was a gaping hole in the chest, right where the heart should have been.


    The Forgotten looked around, one hand grasping the hilt of a large broadsword. There were no other enemies around, but the pressure was significant, even though Michael was some distance away. Danger Sense flared up whenever Michael looked at the dark elf.


    At the same time, he watched the large sphere of golden light floating just behind the Forgotten. It was obviously his goal, since it was strikingly similar to the other light spheres he’d found, only much bigger and of a different color. If its size was any indication, the rewards would also be much greater. It could even be related to the acquisition of Territory, as Michael had theorized.


    Naturally, the problem was the Forgotten guarding it.


    He frowned.


    Warriors aren’t a good match-up.


    Without Dual Casting, he would be forced to alternate between attack and defense. It was highly likely that, despite his stats, he would only be able to avoid the dark elf chief’s sword with Lightspeed. Because of the Heritage Skill’s time limit, he would need to end the battle quickly.


    But I don’t think I can beat someone like that fast enough.


    Even if he tried to cope with the Forgotten’s speed with Illumination, that would only result in him drawing more Forgotten to his position.


    A bit lost in his thoughts, Michael continued to watch the dark elf. White, glowing tears streamed out of the Forgotten’s clear eyes. If it weren’t for the injury in his chest, the darkness that wrapped itself around him, and the tears, Michael wouldn’t have been able to guess that the dark elf was a Forgotten.


    A minute passed. Michael still didn’t know what to do. He took a deep breath.


    Fuck it.


    In the worst-case scenario, he would pour everything into Lightspeed and try to escape. Sitting here trying to guess the power level of his enemy would achieve nothing. To become as powerful as he could before the Tutorial ended, he needed to take risks.


    Michael slowly stood up and walked out of cover, raising his staff and dismissing Shroud. The white-haired dark elf immediately snapped his head toward him and lifted his sword. Michael readied himself, chanting. The Forgotten’s body tensed up like a taut bowstring.


    Here goes nothing.


    Michael finished chanting as the Forgotten shot toward him like a bullet.


    “Mana Wave.”


    His mana merged with the atmospheric energy and coalesced into the shapes of two large crescent moons. The twin Waves flew toward the dark elf, one vertically and the other horizontally. Michael’s intent was simple – to avoid his Skills, the Forgotten would be forced to either jump or duck and ruin his balance. During that opening, Michael would decide his next move with the assistance of Lightspeed.


    But the plan crumbled the moment the dark elf’s aura of darkness wrapped itself around the broadsword. The Forgotten swung his weapon and met the Mana Waves head on with a ferocious slash.


    The Waves and the blade clashed. For a split second, the dark elf’s aura and Michael’s mana pushed against each other in a struggle of their own. Then, they both collapsed at the same time. The Waves shattered into particles of light, and the dark elf took a step back as his sword bounced backward.


    Michael watched this happen with wide eyes.


    He can destroy the Waves head-on?


    The broadsword also didn’t appear to be damaged. His Skills’ only achievement was knocking the dark elf off balance.


    The Forgotten took a strong step backward and steadied his footing in a heartbeat. Michael blinked and jumped backward. The Forgotten ran towards him like a freight train. He quickly jumped behind one of the wooden houses for cover, but didn’t stop moving. A second later, the house was veritably split in half. The whole structure collapsed as a blade of dark energy sliced through it, looking like Michael’s Mana Wave.


    Michael gritted his teeth. Pure light flooded his body, making him feel as if time had slowed down. There was no time to think about what to do. The Forgotten was too fast to allow him to make mistakes. Michael ducked under the dark wave, sliding on the ground. The Forgotten burst out of the destroyed remains of the house as he was about to stand up again, sword raised up high.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Still using Lightspeed, Michael hurriedly jumped to the side as the sword descended. On its way down, another wave of darkness extended itself from the blade. The attack missed him and landed on the stone ground. The blade and darkness sliced through the stone as if it were butter, creating a deep scar on the ground, almost to the point of creating a small ravine.


    Michael let out a breath.


    I can’t get hit, or it’ll be over. Even if I don’t die outright because of my high Constitution, I won’t be able to continue fighting.


    It was to the point where it was confusing. How the hell was anyone else supposed to beat a Forgotten this powerful? He had Leveled up with a Class unique to a descendant of the Dragons, which raised all of his stats with every Level. Even though he wasn’t completely whole, as some of his draconic Titles and abilities made it clear that he needed to prove himself, he was still much stronger than any human he’d seen.


    Are the other bloodlines and species truly great enough to face an enemy like this in the Tutorial?


    For the second time, the thought that this wasn’t the extent of his draconic bloodline’s full power struck him. But there was no time to think about it too much. The Forgotten glanced at him and grasped the hilt of the sword tighter. Michael moved, tilting his body back, as if he were falling.


    The blade cut through the air right above him, almost hitting his nose. The still atmosphere trembled because of the sheer might of the attack. Another wave of darkness shot out of the weapon and carved its way through another one of the houses. Michael took full advantage of Lightspeed to recover his balance and move away. However, the tall dark elf took only a single step to get Michael back within his range.


    Michael pointed his staff at the Forgotten, cursing in his mind and still moving.


    “Mana Missile!”


    Twin Missiles came into being and shot toward the Forgotten, one aiming for its legs and the other for its head. Both were larger than the usual Missiles Michael could cast, but there was no decrease in their power.


    The Forgotten dark elf barely had the time to move his head out of the way and bring his sword closer to its lower body before the Missiles arrived. Michael grinned as the first Missile seared through the dark elf’s left shoulder, creating a large gash, and the second one went around the broadsword to hit the Forgotten’s foot. He chanted unceasingly.


    The distance between him and the Forgotten also meant that the dark elf would have a harder time dodging his Skills.


    I have the speed advantage with Lightspeed.


    Of course, it was an ability with a timer. Still, his Intelligence was high enough to damage the Forgotten with basic spells. Even though the dark elf had been able to block the twin Mana Waves head on before, it wasn’t as if there had been no effect.


    I can do this.


    Michael’s Dragonheart thumped powerfully within his chest, going at full throttle. He felt like his blood was screaming at him, telling him to win no matter what. Ironically, it calmed him down. Clyranth flashed through his mind as he let out a breath and finished his chant.


    “Mana Wave,” he said. His voice was steadier than before.


    The twin Waves took shape as the Forgotten raised its sword above its head. The two attacks met each other a split second later, but Michael didn’t even blink and kept moving. He dashed to the side, feeling the strain that Lightspeed was putting on his entire body. He pointed his staff at the Forgotten.


    Magic spells and blades of darkness clashed continuously. Neither was strong enough to overwhelm the other. Michael attacked and defended as needed, completely forsaking his Mana Shield Skill, which would put him in an utterly defensive position.


    The first attack to graze him was a thrust.


    The blade tore its way through the left side of his torso amidst a burst of crimson. Michael gritted his teeth as the Curse of Darkness tried to flood into his body through the wound. Once it met Lightspeed’s golden light, it reacted as if it had encountered a mortal enemy. A much greater amount of the Curse started to try and enter his body, but the Forgotten dark elf’s attacks continued, uncaring about his situation.


    The seconds ticked by, each extended by his current perception.


    Another attack reached the surface of Michael’s left shoulder, followed by another that created a gash on his right leg. His Dragonheart thumped ever stronger in his chest, to the point that the only thing he could hear was his heartbeat. Michael watched the blade descending toward his head with a dazed expression. A single thought struck him.


    My powers won’t help me more than this.


    If he wanted to win, he needed to struggle desperately and use everything he had. He narrowed his eyes and took a small step to the side. The blade almost reached him, but in the end, the attack landed on the ground and created another ravine. Michael didn’t even glance at it.


    “Mana Missile.”


    Twin Missiles dealt even more damage to the Forgotten dark elf’s lower body, making him stumble. Michael knew he couldn’t miss this chance. He quickly cast more Missiles as the dark elf struggled to recover its footing, but the Forgotten destroyed them with a single slash.


    The battle became a dangerous dance. Wounds accumulated on both fighters, even as Michael tried to avoid everything he could. Lightspeed kept the Curse of Darkness out, but the time limit drew ever closer. There were less than ten seconds left. However, he felt strangely calm.


    This is something ‘I’ need to do.


    He let out a breath and dodged another slash. The wave of darkness destroyed another house, but it didn’t matter. In his state of heightened concentration, Michael perceived an opening. No, it wasn’t large enough to be called that. An opportunity? A minor gap? It was something he normally wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of.


    But I can do it now.


    Michael ducked under the Forgotten’s swing. Instead of moving away, he stepped closer. His staff almost touched the largest wound on the dark elf’s belly.


    “Mana Wave.”


    The Elder Chief’s Staff trembled. As the dark elf turned towards him, the Waves came into being in the small space between the staff and the Forgotten’s body. They were much smaller than usual, but that only made them denser.


    Go.


    The Waves crossed the insignificant distance between them and the dark elf’s body in an instant. They mercilessly tore through everything in their path.