The heavily armored phantoms from Stage 2 dissolved as the << Trial Stage 2 Complete >> notification faded from Drake's view. He stood alone in the ethereal Alvari training chamber, his [Trial Blades] held ready, his mind still processing the intricacies of the [Twin Fang Strike] he'd just managed to lock at an 83% SCR baseline. The brief respite was shattered as the chamber's ambient energy shifted again.
This time, instead of humanoid constructs, a dozen small, brightly glowing Energy Orbs materialized, zipping and darting through the air erratically, like agitated fireflies. They emitted a low, continuous hum but showed no immediate offensive capability beyond their evasive movements.
Elder Jian's voice resonated once more: "Stage Three: Unfocused Assault, Controlled Flow. The battlefield is seldom static, nor are foes always singular. The [Twin Soul Bladesworn] must command the space around them. Your task is to strike these evasive energy orbs using the [Blade Dance] – a spinning attack utilizing both weapons in wide arcs. Control your momentum, strike multiple targets, and maintain your balance. Only this skill and basic movement are enabled. Achieve an 80% Skill Completion Rate to master this stage."
A new skill icon illuminated on Drake's trial interface: [Blade Dance]. He quickly absorbed its description.
[Blade Dance] (Active - Unique AoE/Mobility Skill - Twin Soul Bladesworn)
Description: A spinning attack utilizing both weapons in wide arcs, hitting multiple enemies around Drake. May involve slight forward momentum. Good for dealing with crowds but might leave Drake briefly vulnerable during the spin.
SCR Mechanic: SCR determines damage per hit, number of targets effectively struck within the radius, and potentially control. High SCR might add a stagger effect. Perfect (100%) could significantly increase damage/radius and add a pull effect.
"AoE spin attack... forward momentum... vulnerable during. This isn't about a single precise hit like Parry or Twin Fang. This is about controlled movement and spatial awareness while attacking multiple evasive targets. Different challenge."
<< Trial Stage 3 Initiated: Master [Blade Dance] to 80% SCR. >>
Drake targeted a cluster of three erratically moving orbs and initiated [Blade Dance]. He pushed off with his feet, intending a controlled spin, blades extended. The phantom guides for the skill – perhaps twin swirling arcs showing the optimal paths for his blades during the rotation – flashed. He tried to match them, but the added forward momentum was disorienting. He spun, but his balance was off, the arcs of his [Trial Blades] clumsy and wide. He clipped one orb, missed the other two entirely, and ended the spin facing the wrong direction, slightly dizzy.
<< Skill Success! [Blade Dance] SCR: 61%! Targets Hit: 1. Damage Dealt: 25! >> The single orb he hit pulsed weakly and continued zipping around.
"Damn. Clumsy. 61% SCR is garbage. Only hit one. That forward momentum is tricky to control, and the orbs are fast."
He tried again, focusing on a different cluster. This time he overcompensated for the momentum, his spin too tight, his blade arcs too short. He missed all targets. << Skill Failed! [Blade Dance] SCR <60%! (No effective targets struck in optimal arc) >>
Frustration began to set in quickly. This was nothing like the previous stages. [Parry] and [Twin Fang Strike] required intense focus on a single point in time, a single target. [Blade Dance] required him to manage his own body's momentum, track multiple evasive targets, control the sweep of two weapons through a 360-degree arc, and hit the SCR timing for the overall maneuver.
He attempted it again and again. Some attempts failed outright. Some, like his first, resulted in a low 60s SCR, hitting only one or two orbs for minimal effect. The slight vulnerability during the spin also became apparent; if he misjudged and spun too close to multiple orbs, their ambient energy seemed to cause minor, distracting feedback or a slight slowing effect on his recovery.
"This is much harder than it looks. It's not just about the SCR of the swing itself, but the application of that swing in a dynamic 3D space with moving targets and my own momentum."
He started using [Perfect Recall] after each attempt, not just analyzing his blade paths, but his footwork, his center of balance during the spin, the trajectory of the orbs, and how he initiated the forward momentum. He realized he was often starting the spin too late or too early relative to the orbs' flight paths, or letting the forward momentum carry him too far, making it hard to adjust for the next target.
Progress was agonizingly slow. Locking in a slightly better SCR, say 65%, felt like a minor miracle, only for him to struggle to replicate even that improved baseline consistently when trying to hit multiple targets. The orbs seemed to deliberately juke just as he began his spin.
"This grind is brutal. These orbs are deliberately evasive. Pushing this SCR up manually, even with Eidetic Execution locking any gains, is taking forever." He thought of the [Medallion of Clarity] in his inventory. Its 10-second buff significantly eased SCR achievement. Using it now could potentially let him lock in an 80% or even 90% SCR baseline for [Blade Dance] in one go, saving hours of this frustrating practice. The 7-day cooldown was extreme, but the thought was tempting.
He mentally accessed his inventory screen, hovering over the Medallion. "One use per week... If I use it now, it's gone for any other trial stages, or if Jian has more immediate skill tests. And I am making progress, however slow. That last attempt hit two orbs at 68%..." He considered the upcoming stages of the [Twin Soul Bladesworn] trial. The outline Jian gave was "master core techniques... then a final integration test." That final test sounded like it might be the truly critical moment for such a powerful, limited-use consumable.
"No. Save the Medallion. This is frustrating, but not impossible. It's just a different kind of grind – more about spatial control than pure timing. I can do this the hard way. Kallan's lesson was about finding perfection through understanding, not just through temporary aids."
The decision made, a sense of grim determination settled over him. He dismissed the thought of the Medallion and returned his full focus to the darting orbs and the complex mechanics of [Blade Dance]. He started smaller, focusing on just hitting two specific orbs with a controlled spin, ignoring the others. He analyzed how the forward momentum could be guided into a tighter turn. He practiced initiating the spin from different distances and angles.
Slowly, painstakingly, his execution improved. [Eidetic Execution] locked in a 70% SCR, then a 73%, then a 75%. Each step forward was hard-won, the result of dozens of failed or suboptimal attempts meticulously analyzed. The key, he found, was less about raw speed and more about a smooth, controlled rotation, anticipating the orbs' paths, and guiding the skill's inherent momentum rather than fighting it.
Finally, after what felt like several more hours of intense, focused practice within the timeless trial chamber, he saw a perfect opening. Three orbs converged briefly. Drake initiated [Blade Dance], his body moving with a newfound fluidity, the twin [Trial Blades] scything out in perfectly controlled arcs, the skill's forward momentum carrying him precisely through the cluster. Each blade connected solidly with multiple targets.
<< Skill Success! [Blade Dance] SCR: 81%! Targets Hit: 3! Significant Damage per hit!>> The three orbs he struck pulsed erratically, their movements briefly disrupted by the stagger from his higher-SCR execution. << [Peak Performance Replication] updated: [Blade Dance] SCR 81%! >>
A moment later, the familiar chime echoed. << Trial Stage 3 Complete: [Blade Dance] mastery threshold (80% SCR) reached! >> << Please await Stage 4. >>
The remaining energy orbs winked out of existence. Drake lowered his blades, his virtual muscles aching with the strain of the prolonged, spinning exertions. He had done it. 81% SCR locked for [Blade Dance]. It wasn't perfect, but it was a significant baseline for his first AoE ability, achieved through sheer persistence and without resorting to his precious Medallion. He felt a quiet satisfaction in the hard-won progress. The trial continued to push him, forcing him to truly master the fundamentals of this new path.