47

The Master of Form

You have obtained a new quest: “Deal damage to ‘Form Master Sidna.’”

Reward: Secondary alignment (Altir); advancement to Monk.

Time limit: 10 minutes.

“Step forward,” Sidna said, “and we will begin. If you fail this test, you can try again in an hour.”

“But aren’t there others after me?” Rian said. “If the System knew I was coming, wouldn’t it know if I’m going to fail or succeed?”

“Perhaps. Only the System truly knows. And I suppose it’d be best if you found out yourself.”

She was right. This was no place for ruminating on the nuances of determinism. Regardless, an hour delay between attempts—that wasn’t going to happen. There was no way he was keeping Kat waiting for that long.

As he casually approached Sidna at the center of the room, Rian glanced at the notifications he’d received. “Altir alignment?” he said. He hadn’t even known that a secondary alignment was a thing.

“Alignment with Altir,” Sidna answered, still retaining her stance, “is reserved for the more delicate and spiritual aspects of the game. Negation of the self, formlessness, and so on. Most of the healers and social classes have a primary Altirian alignment. Monks, however, are the most solitary of them. They’re primarily aligned with Goam, so they retain their physical aspect.”

Rian stopped walking when he was within the range of two Dashes, then readied himself. All right, he thought. I’m severely out-matched. Again. How are we going to do this?

He could assume that she wasn’t going to fight back but dodge everything he threw at her. From what he could see of her musculature, she had a tremendous amount of DEX that was hiding most of her Strength. He would need to catch her off-guard somehow because her movement speed would be insane.

The goal of the exam—landing one hit—made half his class’s kit irrelevant from the start. He’d have to rely on Earthen Harmonics, Parry, and his gauntlets’ effects to get through this—basically the exact opposite of the first advancement fight in which he’d had to use every class skill.

He cast his buff.

You have gained a buff: Lv. 4 Earthen Harmonics (Movement speed +20%) (Time remaining: 60 seconds)

He dashed toward her.

Sidna merely stepped out of the way, as he’d expected. Canceling the dash, he pivoted and swung, only for her to lean back, dodge his fist, and then grab him by the lapel of his linen jacket and throw him across the room with one hand.

“Yeah,” he said, finding himself midair yet again, “thought it wasn’t going to be that easy.”

Bracing himself, he landed harmlessly.

“Of course,” Sidna said, relaxing her stance. “You can’t simply charge into a fight like that. Our subclass requires more finesse, if you will. Kickboxers like to say they’re the ones who deserve that title, but they’re really just wild animals compared to us. And even though we’re technically a ‘speed’ class, we’re also a ‘control’ class like Grapplers.” She assumed yet another stance, fully extending one palm and keeping the other close. “But where Grapplers exert raw physical control over their opponents, Monks exert mental and physical control—over themselves.”

Righting himself, Rian could see how this would go. Her goal was to throw him off mentally, get him frustrated by negating whatever attempt he made at hitting her. Part of the exam, he supposed, was his ability to control his emotions in combat. A test of fortitude.

He approached, canceling his dash short again and attempting a fake-out. He led with one fist, feinting an attack, and then struck with the other.

Sidna simply nudged his arm away and tapped at his ribcage.

His entire body snapped backward as if she’d slammed a sack of bricks against him. He’d barely taken damage, but she’d stunned him so hard that it felt like his lungs were caving in. When he tried to move, it was as if his bones were grinding together.

Critical Hit! You have taken 50 damage! (HP: 602/652)

You have been slowed! (Movement speed -27%) (Time remaining: 5 seconds)

Charge Punch meter: +12% (→12%)

And then he realized what he was feeling. He hadn’t been stunned—she’d hit him with Vital Strike.

A new skill window appeared, which surprised him at first. He hadn’t thought she’d used anything new against him.

Combo Attack (Level 10 [MAX])

(Passive)

Tapping into the flow of combat, a Monk performs each strike with increased vigor. Consecutive hits within 0.5 seconds of each other are granted +10% damage. Performing a Vital Strike after a Parry will now inflict critical damage and a critical de-buff (multiplier: 1.5x).

He was really glad she wasn’t striking to kill. If she’d put even a fraction more power into that hit, it would’ve blown him away.

Sidna straightened up, holding out her palms. Her hands glowed, encased in blue, slow-burning flames. A similar aura encompassed her body—the same aura that had surrounded Goam.

Spirit Fists (Level 10 [MAX])

(Passive)

Channeling energy into their fists, a Monk gathers spiritual residue from any living creature they strike. Grants +1-5 bonus Armor and Spirit depending on the severity of impact, up to a maximum of +25; depletes at a rate of 0.5 per second to the Monk’s original attribute levels.

It was nice to know that he counted as a “living creature” at least, but that skill wasn’t going to make much of a difference if he couldn’t hit her in the first place.

He dashed in and punched short this time, keeping his arm from fully extending to avoid giving her an easy parry opportunity. He was already preparing the follow-up for when she dodged.

Except, instead of dodging as he’d expected, she stood in place and took the hit.

You have dealt 0 (+0 lightning) damage to Form Master Sidna. (HP: 4658/4658)

Well, scratch that. This was going to be harder than he’d thought. Much harder. When she’d said “one hit,” she’d meant “deal damage,” as the quest notification had said.

A level 27, attempting to damage a fully-geared level 40. He didn’t even know if it was possible.

“By the look on your face,” Sidna said, “I’m guessing you figured out your predicament.” With incredible grace she spiraled her hands around Rian’s and then thrust her palm against his wrist.

The gauntlet on that hand went flying off.

Rian hesitated for an instant before retreating. The item had passed through the physical matter of his body as if it wasn’t there. Pulling back, he even heard the gauntlet clank against the floor as it landed a few feet away.

Counter Critical (Level 10 [MAX])

(Passive)

Striking in moments of heightened vulnerability, a Monk’s fists become lethal. If the target is struck while attacking, the Monk has a 100% chance of inflicting critical damage. Parrying has a 50% chance of causing a critical Parry, forcing the target to drop their weapon or anything in their hands.

Oh my god.

It was beautiful, the exact skill he’d been hoping for. A method of disarming people with weapons.

He was grateful that she hadn’t used that skill to land a critical hit on him, but that wasn’t her goal here. Aside from just showcasing all the Monk skills, she was also removing his sources of damage—to make it that much harder to pass the advancement test.

He dashed for the fallen gauntlet only for Sidna to gently kick off, soar through the air, and land in front of him nigh-instantaneously. Just seeing it happen was almost enough to give Rian whiplash. As she landed, Sidna’s body swayed in place from all the momentum before she righted herself.

Dash-canceling, Rian slowed and began to circle around her. She continued to step in front of him, blocking his path to the gauntlet.

“Is that avatar of yours what you look like in real life?” Sidna said with an air of curiosity.

“Yeah,” Rian said, breathing steadily. He’d already used a sizable chunk of his stamina.

“See, I admire that. You could probably guess I look just like this in real life, too. I could look like anyone I want, but I’m fine with just being little old me.”

He dashed in, went for strikes while she was talking, hoping to catch her off-guard, but she kept lecturing him even while dodging his fists.

“Everyone always wants to be someone different in these worlds,” she said. “But there’s merit in being yourself—not to say that it makes you better than others, but that it gives you a certain foundation to work with. You can’t master the body without taming the mind as well and the connection between them.”

Even while keeping his method of attacks short and quick with rapid jabs, she outmaneuvered any attempt he made. As his Earthen Harmonics buff wore off, Rian rested for a moment. Sidna made no attempt to strike him.

“Is this like…some kind of martial arts roleplay,” Rian said, “or are you being serious?” He was seriously starting to wonder if this was one of those authenticity things that non-adventuring players did for bonus experience or gold.

Sidna hesitated at that. Then she dropped her stance, folded her hands together.

“I’m sure you’ll find some truth in it nonetheless,” she said. “After all, when you commit to something so strongly, you’ll find that there is no distinction between yourself and your pursuit. Much as there is no true distinction between body and mind. In the same way, that in combat”—she breathed in deeply through her nose, then exhaled through her mouth and closed her eyes—“there is no true distinction between your actions and mine.”

A peculiar effect played out in the air: like a haze, an image of herself projected a few inches into the space around her.

“Knowing this,” she said. “Understanding the boundaries that both exist and do not exist between you and your opponent. Learning to shape them—the body, the mind—to exert dominance over the will of your opponent. That is what it means to be a master of form.” Her posture relaxed. “All who seek the ways of combat are, in a way, seekers of this mastery. But no one can tap into it as strongly as a Monk.”

Meditate (Level 10 [MAX])

0 MP

Cooldown: 0 seconds

While closing the eyes and maintaining a steady rate of breath (required Stamina: 70%), a Monk may enter Meditation. While in Meditation, heal for 5% of Max HP per second and temporarily gain 50 SPR. Upon exiting Meditation, gain 50 INT for 1 second.

She said nothing further, and Rian took the moment to retrieve his fallen gauntlet. As expected, she didn’t stop him.

She’d set up a trap: the moment Rian approached her, she was going to easily parry anything with that INT bonus from Meditate. As if she even needed it to begin with. Her base INT was undoubtedly high enough that she’d see him coming from any direction—not with her eyes, but with her hearing. Time from her perspective was probably a slide show if the perception mechanic worked as he suspected.

He had no choice but to attack due to the time limit. There was no telling how long she could stay like that, just standing there with her eyes closed and breathing deeply. And she was experienced enough that, with careful positioning of her hands, she would likely be able to block and parry anything.

He’d have to plan ahead, anticipate her blocking, and then predict what she would do afterward—in the same way that she could apply such a tactic against him. His only way of winning was to amass enough momentum using Dash and the speed bonus from Earthen Harmonics to hopefully deal even one point of damage.

Placing the right-handed gauntlet back on, he flexed his hand, then clenched his fists. Electricity crackled up and down his gauntlets. Enough time had passed for the Electrified keyword to activate, giving him a 10% damage bonus for his next hit. The cooldown period for his buff had ended as well.

Leaning into the dash, he felt the ground resonate through his body as he re-cast Earthen Harmonics.

Sidna opened her eyes, held out her palm to parry his attack. Rian withdrew, repositioning to knock away her hand with the outside of his gauntlet—to parry her parry.

Her hand touched the gauntlet, and thin jags of lightning suddenly appeared around her figure. She stopped moving; the paralysis effect had kicked in.

Rian threw his fist with everything he had. A wind effect surged around Sidna moments before his fist collided, an explosion of lightning discharging from the gauntlet. Electric arcs surged near her but ultimately didn’t touch her. His hand stopped as if he’d struck a boulder.

You have dealt 0 (+0 lightning) damage to Form Master Sidna (HP: 4658/4658).

Sidna, the paralysis effect ending, merely smiled up at him. The Electrified keyword had paralyzed her to keep her from moving—but not from casting a buff.

Rian glanced at the window appearing in front of him.

Earthen Resonance (Level 10 [MAX])

(Passive)

The vibrations of the earth itself strengthen a Monk’s body. Casting Earthen Harmonics now increases movement speed (+50%) for everyone in the party and increases the Monk’s Armor by 25%.

“Almost,” she said, and when Rian swung again, she retreated, gently kicking off with one foot and careening through the air. She moved so fast that her hair trailed out behind her. “Now you’ve seen the breadth of skills I hold,” she said, landing gracefully. “But, of course, there’s one more subclass skill I have yet to use, if you’re unfamiliar with it.”

“I’m assuming it’ll knock me flat on my ass?”

She held up a finger. “Every subclass will obtain a specific, pre-designated Mirage skill at level 40. But I won’t use such a thing here unless I’ve deemed that you’ve failed this test.”

So yes, basically.

She likely had a variety of other Mirage skills too, given her experience. As curious as he was to see one used, it wouldn’t be worth dying for.

He dashed after her, but she continued to retreat whenever he came close. Given the size of the arena and Earthen Resonance bringing her movement speed to absurd levels, she effortlessly avoided him. Something had changed in her expression—from observant to a more pensive look. She said nothing else as he struggled to close in.

The chase went on for entire minutes, Rian sprinting and dashing, cycling through Earthen Harmonics multiple times. And yet Sidna refused to let him near.

“What the hell?” Rian said, his breaths quickening as his stamina dropped lower. “This is impossible!”

: did you win yet?

Dammit, how long has it been?

When he glanced at the time remaining, he only had three minutes left. Sidna was really going to run the timer down to fail him.

: is everything okay? The fight doesn’t usually take that long.

Out of nowhere, Sidna stopped retreating just as Rian’s stamina ran out.

A flicker of thought appeared across her expression, and then she folded her hands behind her back.

“You pass the test, Cobalt.”

He blinked. “But I—”

“You couldn’t have dealt damage to me even if you wanted to—not with those skills, and not with that equipment. The quest requirement isn’t the true test. The truth is, you are outmatched. And for the majority of your time on this server, you will be outmatched. How you respond to such a situation is more important than overcoming the obstacle itself.”

The timer on the quest notification froze, but nothing else happened.

“Ultimately,” Sidna said, “whether or not you pass is up to me, and you handled yourself competently enough. You adapted to the situation as it evolved with each subclass skill and landed an adequate amount of hits. You’re more than ready to become a Monk.”

She glanced down, smiled faintly. “You’ll have to forgive me for delaying you, by the way,” she said. “I just wanted to see something. Your style of fighting happened to remind me a bit of someone. It may go without saying in the Ezre server, but do you plan on PVPing with this character?”

It took him aback a little to hear that term—character. As if it wasn’t just him, everything he’d ever been, contained in this body he was inhabiting.

“I do, actually,” he said.

“Good. Then there’s a long, wonderful road ahead of you.” She began to turn aside, then stopped. “Oh, and one thing. You’re unusually guarded on your left side for some reason. It’s causing you to drop all attention on your right.”

He clenched a little. He’d been entirely carefree about the Mark while sparring with Kat, but after what had happened with Decha, he realized he’d been overly defensive of his left arm during this fight.

“I suggest you address that habit before someone takes advantage of it,” Sidna said. “The more skilled PVPers are going to pick up on things like that right away. Just pay more attention to your habits.” She smirked. “It’s dangerous out there, kid.”

She started unwinding the gauze around her hands again. Finishing, she held out her empty palm.

“Now,” she said, “you may step forward to accept your secondary alignment.”