Return of the Woodcutter

"Well… since you're lacking a mage… I can't simply refuse, can I?" George grabbed his club. "It'll be my honor, black challenger."

"Oh, please stop calling me by my title, Aito would do just fine."

"Alright… you're the boss, Aito," George said before walking towards the medical team.

'Interesting guy,' Aito thought as he watched George exiting the ring. 'I still don't know if he's entirely trustworthy. I'll have to keep an eye out for any sign of betrayal. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. His skills might come in handy later on.'

"Who's next?" He asked, looking at applicants.

None replied immediately. A few breaths later, Olmera took a step forward and entered the ring.

"I'd like to challenger one of your teammates, hero," she said, bowing once to pay her respect.

'Damn fanatic…,' Aito thought before asking, "Who?"

Olmera turned towards Ogoro, a small grin on her face. "The big guy over there."

Aito smelled there was bad blood in the air between the two, but simply nodded and said nothing. If push comes to shove, he'd stop the fight.

Walking outside the ring, he patted Ogoro's shoulder, telling him to be careful, warning him Olmera had reached level 2.

Ogoro simply smiled, "Doesn't matter."

Aito sent him a quizzical gaze as Ogoro walked away, heading for the center of the ring.

"It is the gods' will that we face each other again," Olmera said, coating her staff and robe in Durability. "All sins must be purged. Ready when you are, sinner."

She was truly thankful to the black challenger for giving her this opportunity. Ogoro had previously threatened her in the cathedral, something Olmera wasn't ready to forgive.

Well, Aito had indeed slapped her away, but he was a hero sent by the gods—or so she assumed—so that did not matter. She'd happily offer him her body if he wished it so.

"I fail to see why you didn't purge yourself then," Ogoro replied, drawing out four daggers from an inventory bag strapped to his belt, coating them with Durability.

He then rapidly hurled them at the bald woman, before grabbing his sword sheathed in his morpho shield that instantly deployed once he injected it with mana.

Olmera used her robe to deflect the daggers and rapidly cast a fireball glowing orange-red, hurling it at Ogoro.

He sidestepped, dodging the fiery projectile. Surprisingly, another was already coming his way, her casting time was faster than the norm.

She had survived the Lunar Eclipse, after all. Not only because of sheer luck, but because she could fight.

Ogoro blocked it with his shield, feeling the heat of the impact.

"Do you feel the divine's wrath now, sinner!?"

He clicked his tongue, dodging another fireball that smashed onto the ground, burning for a few moments before eventually dissipating.

'Those fireballs volleys aren't about to end soon if she's got Mana at level 3. So annoying,'

Ogoro breathed in, breathed out, then activated his gift, enhancing his sense of touch. He could feel the changes of temperature in the air, the breath of the crowd surrounding him.

That ability has plagued him until now because he hated how gross it felt. However, it was undeniably an asset during fights. With some training, he had managed to increase his control and tolerance to it.

He charged straight for the old hag. Feeling the change of temperature, he could assess the trajectory of her projectiles with more ease, helping him dodge any incoming fireballs.

However, when he was almost in striking range, he sensed a drastic shift in the heat beneath his feet and instantly backstepped.

—Active skill: Fire Pillar Lv1—

A two meter (6.5ft) fire pillar rose from the ground, blocking Ogoro's path. Its scorching heat forced him to take a few steps back.

He had never really faced a mage before, one on one. If it were a warrior or archer, he could have managed, but magic was something beyond his domain of expertise.

Suddenly, another pillar of fire appeared. Ogoro barely dodged it, but a fireball bit into his chest.

'Hot! Hot! Hot!.'

Keeping him at a distance was crucial for Olmera. She knew close-quarter wasn't her forte.

In what looked like a desperate attempt to reach her, Ogoro threw his sword, aiming for her chest. Olmera simply grinned as she bashed it away with her staff.

"Haha! See! The gods are with me!"

At that point, Aito thought about intervening, but something about his teammate's poise told him it wasn't necessary.

Ogoro dashed again towards his opponent, dodging the fiery projectiles. When he estimated that this circus had lasted long enough for Olmera to stop paying attention to her surroundings, he injected mana into his gauntlet.

The thin wires attached to the daggers and sword he had previously thrown came alive, lifting the weapons in the air.

After the Lunar Eclipse, Ogoro had used his rewards to level up his passive skill String Mastery, increasing his control over wires or string-type weapons and skills.

Practicing day and night, he barely got a hang of it. To be sure it worked, he wanted Olmera's attention elsewhere at first.

He moved his fingers, sending his weapon flying towards Olmera. Too busy, the pyromaniac only saw, at the last minute, the floating weapons heading her way.

Some daggers rebounded on her robe, one managed to get through but was repelled by her clothes coated in Durability.

Without much momentum and power, the sword didn't fare any better.

"Ahahaha! Is that all you got, sinner! Commendable but still a petty attemp—Urg," she tried to say.

However, Ogoro wasn't exactly done. Closing his fist, using the weapons as counterweights, the wires wrapped around Olmera's body, imprisoning her.

Ogoro pulled, tightening his hold. Where they touched skin, his wires slowly but surely sliced through Olmera's flesh.

Steel wires wrapped around her neck threatened to strangle, or worse, behead her.

He walked slowly towards Olmera in the scorching heat, making sure to maintain a good hold between them, then stopped before the distance would be too short for the wires to be efficient.

"Forfeit, or I'll purge you of your sins," he said, tightening his hold on her entire body.

In response, she tried to cast another fire pillar.

In response, Ogoro pulled so hard on his wires it strangled her, impeding her ability to think.

No more response came as she fell unconscious. Ogoro approached her, placed a hand on her flat chest, using his enhanced touch to feel her pulse.

"*Sigh* What a stubborn old hag. I almost killed her," he said, retracting his wires, dragging her body to the medical team. 

No piggyback or princess carry for the old hag.

With burn injuries all over his body, he refused any other sparring offers and sat on the side to heal his wounds. 

Since he was out, six other applicants' gazes focused on Sheyla.