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One of the legendary Nine Summoners had not only defended him against Varick\'s insults but had recognized his intellect and offered to reveal the mysteries he knew behind the System... if he could prove his mettle against the Water Monster.

A rush of determination flooded through Elio\'s veins, mingled with a healthy dose of trepidation.

This was an unprecedented opportunity, one he couldn\'t afford to squander. Gripping the common dagger and apprentice magic glove tightly, he took his book that was floating near him, painfully aware of Varick\'s murderous glares boring into his back.

The guard checked Elio with a disdainful sneer, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, well, looks like you\'ve got yourself a powerful admirer, boy. Though I can\'t for the life of me understand what Von Lucien saw in a scrawny thing like you."

Elio bit back a retort, his jaw clenched resolutely. Let the doubters mock him; their scorn would only make his eventual triumph all the sweeter.

"Very well," the guard grunted, gesturing impatiently. "Open your book and begin the trial. Try not to die too quickly, eh? Wouldn\'t want to disappoint your new patron."

With trembling hands, Elio opened the weighty tome, its pages seemingly whispering dark secrets waiting to be uncovered. A cold shiver ran down his spine as the familiar question appeared:

Do you wish to challenge the second trial?

Drawing a fortifying breath, Elio gave a firm nod. Immediately, the world around him dissolved into a swirling vortex, transporting him to the Water Monster\'s lair.

♢♢♢♢

Instantly, he found himself in a stone chamber, similar to the Fire Monster\'s, but with a colder atmosphere.

And there, in the center of the room, waited his opponent: an enormous frog roughly a meter tall, its bulging eyes watching him warily.

The time had come to face the dreaded Water Monster, and Elio\'s mind filled with his father\'s… teachings. The words resonated as clearly as the day they were told.

"Remember, son, the Water Monster\'s a tricky bastard. It disables your ability to create fire. The little apprentice level 1 trick the women like to use on the day of the Sacred Flame ritual won\'t work for you. Most failed men are idiots who thought their attempt to burn the monster would bear fruit. And for the love of all that\'s holy, keep your hand sealed to your mouth.

Let that frog\'s skin touch water, and you\'re in for a world of hurt."

Elio\'s chest tightened at the memory, but he pushed the feeling aside. Now wasn\'t the time for sentimentality. He had a monster to defeat and a future to secure.

He knew his father… had studied this challenge thoroughly, learning the harshest lessons firsthand. He could not afford to make mistakes.

Elio held his breath, recalling his father\'s… warnings about the creature\'s elusive nature.

The frog tensed, ready to leap at any moment. Elio began his approach, moving with exaggerated slowness. One step. Two steps. The monster\'s muscles coiled tighter with each passing second.

"Listen, you must run slowly until it jumps, and then change to a sprinting speed as soon as it is suspended in the air to catch it as it falls. The damn thing won\'t understand what happened."

According to his teachings, the frog tended to wait for summoners to make a mistake, letting them create the water it needed to attack. So it would hop around the room for hours, keeping away from its attacker in a battle of stamina attrition.

Suddenly, the creature sprang backwards, its body twisting gracefully in mid-air. Elio\'s heart raced as he exploded into a sprint, his speed increasing exponentially, his legs pumping furiously to close the distance.

The frog was mere inches from landing when Elio struck. His dagger flashed in the dim light, slicing into the monster\'s soft underbelly. A shrill screech filled the chamber as the blade cut through, exposing a glimpse of the glowing core within.

He had tricked the frog.

Elation surged through Elio, but it was short-lived. The core remained intact, protected by a thin layer of... something.

"Damn it!" Elio cursed under his breath, frustration burning in his chest. "If that privileged bastard hadn\'t taken my magic dagger..."

Elio grimaced, feeling adrenaline coursing through his veins. The strategy to win instantly had failed!

He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. Dwelling on what-ifs wouldn\'t help him now. The frog\'s body began to glow with an ominous energy, and Elio knew his father had been right once again. The creature had gauged his true speed and would now move with impossible agility.

The frog leapt again, this time with an agility impossible to follow. Elio cursed under his breath, realizing he would not be able to overtake it until he tired it out. But relying on his stamina to exhaust it was risky, 3 out of 10 died with that strategy.

After a while he could grow weary and his hand might slip from his mouth, he could trip, there were too many ways to fail. He needed an alternate plan.

A memory surfaced, another of his father\'s lessons... It was risky, but Elio was out of options. He removed his hand from his mouth, holding his breath.

With trembling fingers, he pulled off the apprentice magic glove and summoned the tiniest spark of his Sacred Flame.

A minuscule drop of water formed in his palm. The effect was instantaneous. The frog froze, its massive eyes locked onto the liquid, halting its frantic flight.

With a guttural roar, the creature lunged at an insane speed. Mid flight its front foot touching the drop and one of its toes transforming into a sharp water claw. Elio barely had time to react before the claw struck his chest, ripping through his uniform and into his flesh.

The pain made him grimace, but Elio did not falter. He had been prepared for this counterattack, and with a rapid motion, he plunged his dagger into the frog\'s exposed core.

An ear-splitting shriek filled the chamber. The frog thrashed wildly, its body slowly dissolving into a fine mist. Elio stumbled backward, clutching his wounded chest and gasping for air.

As the last wisps of the monster faded away, Elio fell to his knees. Blood seeped between his fingers, but already he could feel a warm sensation spreading through his body. The wound began to close, new skin knitting together before his eyes.

"By the walls," Elio muttered, watching in fascination as his injury vanished. "Father wasn\'t exaggerating about the healing properties of leveling up."

Elio smiled, this was part of the process, upon overcoming a level, his health would be fully restored, though he hadn\'t expected a mere drop could create such a long claw.

How had the damn old man defeated the frog if, according to him, he made the mistake of generating a stream of water upon entering the challenge?

His mind buzzed with questions he could ask Von Lucien. Would it be possible to obtain information about the familiars only powerful Level 4 Summoners had managed to invoke? How was it that their power allowed them to hurl energy balls at high speeds?

When the last part of his wound vanished, the System Book opened before him, showing his new stats:

Elio Elian\'s Statistics

Skills:

Sacred Flame

Holy Water (New)

Familiars:

Salamander (0/100)

Frog (0/1000)

Level 2

Mana: 20/20 (+10)

Resistance 20/20 (+10)

Stamina 6/6 (+1)

Attack 2 (3) (+1)

Magic Damage 2 (+1)

Strength 2 (+1)

Defense 2 (2.1) (+1)

Speed 2 (+1)

Perception/Agility 1.2 (+0.2)

Resistant uniform / Defense 0.1

Common dagger / Attack 1

Apprentice magic glove / Fire spark

Balance: 0 Mana points

Elio stared at the numbers, pride and curiosity swelling within him. He stood up, marveling at the newfound strength coursing through his body. On impulse, he crouched and leaped upward, sailing nearly two meters into the air before landing with surprising grace.

A strength of 2 was basically the combined might of two people.

Elation swept over him, and Elio began jumping all around, reveling in his newly acquired agility. In a moment of carelessness brought on by the ecstasy, he lost his balance and fell to the floor, but to his surprise, it didn\'t hurt at all thanks to his increased defense (it stung a little).

"Well, that\'s new," Elio chuckled. "Guess I don\'t have to worry about bruises anymore."

Elio got to his feet and flexed his arms, marveling at the sensation of vitality coursing through his body. He had never felt so healthy and strong before. He even got some muscles, not a lot though… He was still scrawny.

Elio tossed his glove into the air and focused, directing his attention to the details of his surroundings.

The increased perception intrigued him most. The world seemed to slow fractionally around him. It wasn\'t much, but in a fight, that split-second advantage could mean the difference between life and death.

Elio smiled, understanding that his increased perception granted him this ability. Though the 0.2 increase this level was not substantial, and only 0.1 in the next levels according to his father…

His elation faded as his thoughts turned to Von Lucien\'s words, offering him the chance to learn the secrets behind summoning and the System.

Elio clenched his fists. If he could impress the Summoner, perhaps he would finally obtain the answers he so desperately craved.