CHAPTER 162: TEMPEST ROC’S END

The Tempest Roc was grounded but not defeated. It thrashed against the octopus’s grip, electricity crackling along its feathers as it tried to break free. It was still trying to break through Jax’s threads and was succeeding at it too.

"While it’s down!" Lucille shouted. "This is our chance!"

Now they had to finish it before it could take to the skies again.

The Tempest Roc’s shriek of rage filled the arena as Melayne and Ning started attacking. Jax could hear the satisfying sounds of combat.

He forced himself upright, his body protesting every movement. The black sword felt heavy in his grip, heavier than it should have been. But he could fight, and that was enough.

"Stay down!" he commanded the struggling bird, weaving more threads around its body.

The Tempest Roc thrashed against his bindings, its powerful wings straining against the dark strands. Each time it began to break free, Jax used his spell again, creating fresh loops to hold it in place.

"Jax," Melayne called out between swings, "how much Navi are you using?"

"However much it takes," Jax replied through gritted teeth.

His party were surprised.

They’d never seen him use his Divine Threads spell this freely before. Usually he was conservative with his Navi, rationing it carefully depending on how necessary it was. Now he was spending it like water, constantly creating fresh binds to keep the bird constricted.

The drain was enormous. Each new thread required focus and energy, and he was creating hundreds of them. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool arena air, and his breathing grew labored.

But it was working. The Tempest Roc, for all its power, couldn’t break free fast enough. Every time it tore through one set of bindings, three more replaced them.

"Keep hitting it!" Jax shouted.

The bird continued to thrash around, trying to release itself. The sky continued raining down lightning bolt.

"It’s dying," Lucille observed, helping herself.

Jax maintained his threads until the very end.

Then, with a slash from Melayne, the bird fell. Suddenly, there was a burst of blue feather that disappeared, and all that remained behind was the loot.

Jax finally stopped using his spells, the feeling of the lack of constant Navi throughout his body leaving him drained.

"Easy," Roman said, moving to support him as he fell. "You did well."

The familiar loot scatter began around the fallen boss. Five Emerald stones materialized first, followed by a Lightning stone that crackled with residual energy. A pair of boots appeared next, their leather seeming to shimmer with motion even while stationary. Finally, a spell scroll dropped next to them all.

But before anyone could examine their prizes, the sky above them cleared dramatically. The storm clouds that had been gathering throughout the fight simply vanished, replaced by the darkness with floating names.

Then, five bright lights emerged from nowhere, descending slowly like falling stars. As they drifted down, the lights transformed into green tickets, each marked with two stars in the center.

"Two-star tickets," Melayne breathed, catching hers as it settled into her palm.

The others grabbed their tickets as well, the familiar notification appearing before each of them. The option to leave the trial was now available again, along with whatever rewards a two-star ticket could provide.

"We should use these," Roman said suddenly, his voice tight with concern. "Look how much more difficult it’s getting. We barely survived that fight. Jax is tired too"

He held his ticket up, eyes glancing at the two stars. "Maybe this is enough. Maybe we don’t need to push further."

"No," Lucille said firmly. "We keep going."

"But—"

"We keep going," Jax agreed. "It’s only 2 stars. We are going to fight for a 5-Star ticket. Don’t you want one?"

Roman looked at each of them in turn, then sighed and put his ticket away. "Fine. But I still think we should quit while we’re ahead."

He looked up at the names with over half of them already dimming. "I don’t want us to end up like them as well."

"Two minutes until Round 41," Lucille announced, checking the countdown timer. "Let’s distribute the loot quickly."

The Emerald stones were divided as always, one for each party member. Jax claimed the Lightning stone and no one complained.

He now had 2 Metal stones, 1 Nature stone, and 1 Lightning stone. He had also already absorbed 2 Lightning Opal stones, so the single one would go further than the rest.

"It’s a defensive spell," Lucille said as she unfurled the scroll. "It creates a barrier against projectiles for a set period. Duration depends on the caster’s stage."

"Is it good for you?" Ning asked.

"Not particularly," Lucille said. "Defensive spells that are time based are bad for me. So, I won’t be learning this."

"None of us really specialize in defensive magic," Ning observed. "We could sell it later."

"Agreed," Melayne said, already examining the boots. "These are more interesting. They provide increased speed and resistance to lightning and wind magic."

It was quickly decided that Ning was to use the shoes, considering his need to constantly run around, trying to find the monster’s Critical Spot.

Ning caught the boots and immediately began switching them out for his current footwear. "That’s nice. Feels light too."

As the others organized their gear, Jax reached into his inventory and pulled out a familiar bottle. He had bought a bit of healing wine before he left the village, which he had been keeping with him until now.

He paused, staring at the bottle. Would drinking this count as using a potion? The rules had been specific about only three potions per person, but they’d never clarified what they considered a potion.

"Only one way to find out," he muttered.

The wine was exactly as he remembered: bitter and sharp, with an underlying sweetness that barely made it drinkable. He took a single swig, then waited for the familiar notification that would tell him if he had drank a potion or not.

Nothing appeared.

"Interesting," he said, then immediately regretted speaking as the wine began to take effect.