Reincarnated Avatar; I got 2 SSS-Rank Unique Skills
Chapter 133: Skill Challenge [2]

Chapter 133: Skill Challenge [2]

[Phase 3 passed]

[Phase 4: Trial of Strategy]

For the fourth time, the arena reshaped itself again, turning into a massive warzone this time with multiple enemy factions fighting at once.

This time, instead of a prompt, the voice returned.

"Lead a battle to victory with strategic decision-making!"

Noah exhaled. "Feels like it never stops".

For this trial, he was given a squad of AI-controlled warriors while opposing forces outnumber them 3 to 1. This wasn’t a test of personal combat, rather, it was a test of leadership and tactics.

Good thing Noah was used to leading though.

He may not seem like it but he was the captain of a Pro Club, the widely acknowledged best in England’s Pro Scene for over a decade.

Leadership was second nature to him.

But this challenge though...

Noah tsked. "Let’s see if I can lead A.I-controlled warriors".

This time, to win, he must position his forces, set traps, and predict enemy movements like a General in a war.

Every decision mattered. If he choose the wrong engagement, his forces can get overwhelmed, leading to annihilation.

He can only intervene personally at key moments, reinforcing the importance of strategic command in this trial.

Noah didn’t hesitate though. Using quick battlefield assessment, he set up ambush points after observing the battlefield where they were to fight on.

It was not too complicated, making it easy for him. Another thing that played in his advantage was his experience in playing in countless arena locations in the game, he knew how to best utilize his environment to his advantage.

Apart from ambushing enemies, Noah also implemented tactical retreats, knowing when to advance and when to retreat to preserve his forces.

And then, most importantly and lethal were his precise counterattacks, knowing when to tell his army to press the advantage or take advantage of an opening no matter how tiny and counterattack.

Utilizing these strategies, one step at a time, Noah soon wiped off the numbers advantage, giving his army the edge.

After more than 2 dozen minuets of going at it, he finally led his squad to a decisive victory despite overwhelming odds.

Noah won, and then...

[Phase 4 passed!]

[Phase 5: Trial of Mastery]

After 4 different trials that tested different aspects of his ability, finally, Noah was down to the last trial.

The final trial transcended all the previous ones.

A mirror image of Noah appeared, wielding an identical Aetherforge, moving with the same combat prowess. Everything was mirrored to perfection.

And then the voice reverberated again.

"Defeat yourself".

A simple phrase but it held a lot of meaning to it.

Noah narrowed his eyes, staring the mirror image of himself down.

This wasn’t just going to be a battle of skill; it was a battle against his own strengths and weaknesses.

And since Noah didn’t believe that he had any glaring weaknesses in the game, theoretically, he was fighting against an opponent with no witnesses.

Every technique that he’s mastered was mirrored by this guy. Every feint he attempted would definitely be anticipated and countered. Afterall, Warstar utilized high-level machine learning technology in developing their A.Is.

After months of observing him control Lord Doom, the A.Is already learned a lot about his transcendent skill to replicate it.

Noah can’t overpower, outmaneuver, or out speed his opponent. To win, he must outthink himself.

"This again...," he muttered, feeling a headache coming.

But still, Noah didn’t back down from the challenge.

He grinned. "Let’s see what you’ve got".

And he moved.

BOOM!

The battle started.

And like expected, it was a clash of two monstrous individuals.

All the skills that Noah learned with his Lord Doom Avatar, both old and new were used to devastating effect, literally terraforming the terrain in the aftereffects of this terrifying battle.

But Noah was not just fighting. As he fought, he listened, he observed.

He was searching for that one thing, that clue that differentiated this A.I from him. Afterall, A.Is were not perfect.

No matter how perfectly they were designed, one thing that A.Is can never accomplish is that human authenticity.

And so long A.Is could not be human, there would always be something to exploit. Something human.

After an intense exchange of perfectly matched attacks, Noah finally found it, a subtle flaw in his mirrored self, a human-sized flaw..., adrenaline.

Noah was good, but he was not omnipotent.

No pro player was omnipotent in Warstar.

But then, there are certain situations that forces players to go above their limits. Not just players, athletes in general.

Of the 5 Warstar RPG Champions League trophies that he had, Noah believed most of them were won due to adrenaline.

In most situations, they call it the flow state, others call it adrenaline.

In the end, no matter how seamless this A.I fought, utilizing its knowledge bank from observing him for months, his real self’s ability to adapt on the fly was superior to an AI-driven copy.

And with that lack of adrenaline, A.I could not exceed its limit, but Noah could.

BZZZ!

Adrenaline took over, and Noah entered a state of ultra instinct!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

All his moves flowed in one terrifying cacophony of attacks, indefensible, unstoppable and with a flawless execution of an unexpected move, he landed the final strike, shattering the mirror image.

The coliseum erupted in golden light.

A grand system notification followed.

[Congratulations! You have completed the Skill Challenge!]

[You have received the following rewards:]

*+400 Skill Points

[SSS-Rank Unique Skill, 10x Skill Points have been triggered, please wait...]

[400 Skill Points have been upgraded to 4000 Skill Points!]

*NEW! Passive Skill: Unshakable Mastery.

>Unshakable Mastery: Your execution speed and precision slightly improve under pressure<

*NEW! Exclusive Title: The Peerless Challenger.

>Your presence alone commands respect among warriors and tacticians<

Noah completed the second Trail at record time.

And then the golden gateway opened fully, revealing a glimpse of the Heavenly Domain beyond.

Noah felt his blood boiling. ’Just 1 more step now’.

Yes, one last challenge remained... the Arena Challenge.