It was time to pick my third and final skill, and it was definitely bittersweet. Surging Step was my first skill, my first real taste of this new reality, and there hasn’t been a skill that I’ve used more.

  It has got me out of plenty of trouble and kept me alive more times than I can count. Losing that speed is definitely going to come at a cost, but it is a risk I’m willing to take in the journey for power, not just power for the sake of power, but immediate power.

  The dangers I face are here today. I can’t wait for tomorrow to get stronger. It has to be today. So, with that being said, let’s see what I got.

  Reward Granted: Skill

  Aqua Barrage

  Condense dozens of high pressured water bullets around the user and fire them towards a target in rapid volleys.

  I was hoping to get the luck of the draw once again and receive another movement skill, but that was apparently asking for too much. The mana powered machine gun doesn’t seem like too bad of a compensation though.

  Well I suppose it could actually work more like a shotgun than a machine gun, but either way it sounds like a sick skill. Plus I’m sure since it’s Unbound, each individual water bullet will deal immense damage to anything that gets hit by it.

  Of course, I’ll need to test it out, and another gauntlet of battles to get back to this point is the perfect training ground. So let’s get on with it.

  And that’s exactly what I did. With plenty of time to experiment with my newest skill, and after forty plus battles in a row, I’ve learned a couple things.

  One, I was correct. It is indeed strong as hell, and nothing it managed to hit was able to withstand even a few bullets without being reduced to a bloody mess.

  Two, the mana drain of the skill only increased the longer I kept it active, which was interesting. Upon initial activation, a dozen bullets would form out of water and shoot toward the target I willed it at. As long as I kept the skill active and had enough mana to sustain it, a second volley would form, and so on.

  So far, I’ve only reached a fourth volley before needing to take a significant break and recharge due to how depleted I was. That was with my new Trait and new skill. I can only imagine that without both of those, activating the skill once would’ve been my hard limit.

  I reached that fourth volley against the damn crab, since it was the only thing that allowed me to rest and recharge enough to get my mana and stamina back to full. That wasn’t the only reason though since the crab was also a really good practice target.

  That’s where I learned that while I could definitely get the bullets to go toward a general direction, it was hard to focus them on a single point. I never once managed to hit the crab with the damn things.

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  Something big and slow like that six armed gorilla turtle hybrid though was very easy to destroy. Faster opponents will likely still pose a challenge, but only if they’re quick enough to get out of range of all twelve bullets. I suppose that’s where that Will stat will play more of a role?

  Anyway, I lost my quick burst speed but gained quite a bit of versatility in my offense and far more destructive power. That versatility will only increase once I learn to control the bullets better.

  Battle 48: Solareth Direon

  The next opponent was a massive lion like creature, black in color, with a mane made of magma that dripped molten rock onto the arena floor. It was a fighter that preferred ambushes over prolonged engagements.

  It would rush in, unleash a few swipes of its paw or a bite, then dash away to reposition before attacking again. Unfortunately for it, once I caught the flow of the battle and met it head on with Ocean’s Maw, the fight was over. The beast could do nothing to stop that.

  Battle 49 was against a serpentine creature with a triple layered jaw. Its body was covered in segmented plates that locked together to form a rigid shell. I’m sure that improved its defense, but it also severely limited its movement. It was called a Varkuun Devourer.

  The biggest ability it had, apart from those plates, was something I probably should’ve guessed, but it was a suction ability. It could literally suck in air and anything in front of it. It almost got me at first, I wasn’t exactly prepared to be pulled toward a monster, but unfortunately for it, all that did was make it an easier target. It was met with the maw of the ocean.

  Now I had long suspected that this dungeon would only go as far as fifty battles, since level 50 is the peak of the F Grade, and everything I’ve fought so far is still well within the confines of the F Grade or at least that’s what I judge them to be.

  But that was not my truth per se and was still only a guess. I was more than prepared to fight many more battles unit I reached the point where I thought that I could not only contend with the lava people but dominate them as well.

  And since I didn’t think I was at that point, I was ready to go on after Battle 49, but I was instead met with a message. One that was different from any the Dungeon had shown me previously, and vastly more important.

  Congratulations on reaching this point in the Gauntlet Dungeon.

  It is recommended to stop here and collect your reward.

  To progress further, defeating the Gatekeeper must be accomplished.

  Be aware that the Gatekeeper is the bridge between Grades. While the beast you face will still be a step below the next Grade, it is without a doubt above the standard of the Grade displayed in the previous Battles.

  You have been warned.

  Well, shit. If that isn’t the most ominous message I’ve ever seen…well actually, it probably isn’t considering everything that’s happened so far, but it’s still ominous.

  Anyway, I suppose I was right, there are fifty battles for the F Grade. The first forty nine sit firmly within what defines the Grade, but battle number fifty pushes that boundary far beyond. Still, I needed to decide whether I was going to fight that final battle now or later.

  Considering the implications, if I’m not strong enough when I come out of this dungeon, then everyone outside is in danger, so of course I’m going to fight it. But not right now. I’ll accept my current reward and come back.

  This time, I chose gold and received 300 Gold coins for my decision. Nice I guess.

  Before the faction shop, that number would’ve sent me over the edge with excitement. But I’ve long since learned we’re just frogs in a well when it comes to money. Still, I’ll take it, nonetheless.

  Now, to take a small break and do this all over again, hopefully far more efficiently, so that when I enter that last battle, I’ll be in much better shape.