Jian's ancient eyes opened, focusing on Drake with an intensity that belied his calm demeanor. "You have been swift, seeker. The [Chamber of Echoing Steel] served its purpose. You stand at Level 20, the minimum required to attempt the Trial of Resonance, to prove your aptitude for the path of the [Twin Soul Bladesworn]."
"Twin Soul Bladesworn... finally going to learn what this Hilt is truly about."
Jian continued, "This trial is not a single conflict, but a series of stages. Each will test your ability to master a core technique of this demanding combat art. You must achieve a minimum of 80% Skill Completion Rate on each technique before you can proceed to the next. Only by mastering each component can you hope to survive the final integration. Understand?"
"I understand, Master Jian," Drake affirmed, his focus absolute.
"Very well." Jian raised a hand. A ripple of energy passed through Drake. His interface flashed. << System Alert: Current Class Skills (Warrior) temporarily disabled for Trial of Resonance. >> His familiar [Basic Slash], [Defend], and even his recently improved [Ground Stomp] greyed out on his action bar. His equipped [Rare Bandit Chieftain's Blade] and [Rare Guardian's Buckler] dematerialized from his hands, returned to his inventory. He felt oddly vulnerable without his shield.
Then, two identical blades materialized in Jian's outstretched hands. They were simple, unadorned, perfectly balanced, and made of a dark, matte Alvari alloy – clearly [Trial Blades]. "These will be your tools," Jian said, offering them to Drake.
Drake took them. One in each hand. The balance was utterly different from his sword-and-shield style. Lighter, faster, but also feeling less inherently defensive. He adjusted his grip, trying to get a feel for wielding two weapons. << Item Equipped: [Trial Blade] (Main Hand) >> << Item Equipped: [Trial Blade] (Off Hand) >>
Jian nodded. "Stage One: The Foundations of Defense. The way of the Twin Soul does not rely on the brute interposition of a shield, but on the precise, economical deflection of a Parry, turning an enemy's force against them or away with minimal effort using your blades. Your previous defensive skills are an inadequate measure. You will learn [Parry] from its very inception."
<< New Skill Available for Trial: [Parry] (Twin Soul Bladesworn - Active Defense) >>
Drake quickly checked its basic description: A precisely timed defensive maneuver using one or both blades to deflect an incoming physical attack. Requires predicting attack timing.
[Parry] SCR Mechanic:
<60%: Failure (take full damage).
60-89%: Standard Parry (Damage negated or significantly reduced
90-99%: Adept Parry (Damage fully negated, slightly staggers melee attacker, reduced stamina cost).
100% (Perfect Parry): Damage fully negated, applies 'Off-Balance' debuff (brief Def/Attack Speed reduction) to attacker
The sanctum around them seemed to shimmer and expand slightly, the air growing colder. From the metallic floor, translucent, silver-blue energy constructs began to coalesce – ethereal Alvari warrior phantoms, each armed with a simple energy blade. They moved with fluid grace, their attacks telegraphed but incredibly swift.
<< Trial Stage 1 Initiated: Master [Parry] to 80% SCR. >>
The first phantom glided forward, its energy blade tracing a quick downward slash. Drake, relying on years of combat instinct, tried to meet the blow, initiating [Parry]. He focused on the incoming strike, attempting to time his dual-blade defensive motion. A phantom guide for this new Parry skill flashed almost too quickly for him to register.
Clang! But it was a clumsy, jarring sound. << Skill Failed! [Parry] SCR 45%! >> A jolt of energy seared his arm. << Damage Taken: 70!>>
"Damn! Failed. Completely different timing from Defend. Faster, much less forgiving window. And no Eidetic Execution baseline to fall back on here... this is raw learning."
The phantom attacked again. Drake focused, tried to anticipate. << Skill Failed! [Parry] SCR 52%! >> << Damage Taken: 65!>>
He was taking significant damage. These phantoms hit hard, and his leather armor offered little protection against their energy attacks. Another phantom glided in from the side. He was quickly being overwhelmed, his attempts to Parry their rapid, multi-angled strikes resulting in a cascade of failures. His health plummeted.
<< You have died in the Trial! Attempt Resetting... >>
The world dissolved and reformed. He was back at the start of the stage, HP full, the phantoms re-coalescing. "Okay. Can't just react. Need to use Perfect Recall on every single failure, analyze the exact attack telegraph, the Parry window, my input timing..."
This became his grueling process. A phantom would attack. He'd attempt [Parry]. He'd fail, take damage, often die. Respawn. Instantly activate [Perfect Recall], meticulously dissecting the milliseconds of the failed interaction: "Attack initiated 0.3 seconds after arm raise… Parry window opened 0.1 seconds before impact… My input was 0.05 seconds too late…" He'd adjust his mental timing, try again.
The difference from his previous [Defend] skill was stark. [Defend] with a shield was about solid interposition. This dual-blade [Parry] was about deflecting with precise angles and timing, using the incoming force to guide the blow away. It required an entirely new muscle memory, a different kind of focus.
Dozens of attempts ended in failure and a quick reset. But with each failure came data, meticulously analyzed. He began to internalize the phantoms' limited set of telegraphed attacks, the exact moment their energy blades would connect. Slowly, agonizingly, he started to land successful, albeit low-SCR, Parries.
<< Skill Success! [Parry] SCR 62%! Damage Partially Mitigated! >> << Damage Taken: 40! >> This was a breakthrough. He wasn't dying that fast anymore. And critically, because it was a success, [Eidetic Execution] had something to work with. << [Peak Performance Replication] active. Best recorded SCR for [Parry] updated: 62%. >>
Now, against that one attack pattern, he could reliably execute a 62% Parry. It wasn't great, but it was consistent. He focused on another attack pattern from a different phantom, dying repeatedly until he landed a low-SCR success for that timing. Then another. It was like learning to walk again, one painful, stumbling step at a time.
Hours in the trial felt like days. The repetition was immense. But [Perfect Recall] allowed him to learn from every single mistake, and [Eidetic Execution] ensured every tiny success was locked in, forming a new baseline to build upon. He pushed his SCR for specific parry timings against different phantom attacks from 62% to 65%, then to 68%, then into the low 70s. Each percentage point felt like a monumental achievement.
He was now surviving longer, parrying multiple blows, though still taking considerable damage. He focused on pushing the overall quality of his Parry higher, aiming for that 80% SCR threshold Jian had set. He identified the phantom attack pattern he was now most consistent against, and drilled that parry timing relentlessly, always trying to be a fraction of a second more precise, a degree more perfect in his blade angle.
Finally, after what felt like his thousandth attempt against a standard overhead chop from an Alvari phantom, he felt it – a perfect interception, his trial blades moving with an intuitive grace he hadn't possessed moments before, deflecting the energy blade harmlessly aside with a resonant shiiing.
<< Skill Success! [Parry] SCR 80%! Damage Negated! << Damage Taken: 15! >> << [Peak Performance Replication] updated: [Parry] SCR 80%! >>
A soft chime echoed through the ethereal chamber, different from the combat sounds. << Trial Stage 1 Complete: [Parry] mastery threshold (80% SCR) reached! >> << Please await Stage 2. >>
The attacking phantoms around him dissolved into wisps of silver-blue energy. Drake stood alone in the now-quiet chamber, breathing heavily, his virtual arms aching. He checked his skill interface: [Parry] SCR: 80%. He had done it. He had learned a brand new core defensive skill from scratch, under immense pressure, and ground its execution to a functional, reliable level. The cost in virtual time and repeated "deaths" had been enormous, but the foundation was laid.
He took a steadying breath, the unfamiliar feel of two blades in his hands now a little less alien, the absence of his shield a little less unnerving. The Trial of Resonance had just begun.