56. Gary’s Gift

Jason crosses paths with the badly burned Mobley, reflecting on how his disregard for status and his friendship with Humphrey have made him an outsider among the wealthy candidates. He advances on the rune tortoise and releases his leech familiar, Colin, by cutting his hand.

Jason uses throwing knives to provoke the tortoise. The shell discharges electricity, scorching many leeches and dimming a rune. Subsequent runes power water bullets and then a dust devil, scattering Colin across the field. Jason recalls the leeches and closes in as the tortoise, now with one rune left, retreats into its shell.

Vincent approaches and identifies the tortoise’s strongest ability: a metallic defense that resists bronze-rank attacks and blocks afflictions. Jason refuses Vincent’s offer to intervene, choosing instead to test a gifted sword from Gary.

Jason remembers receiving Dread Salvation, a legendary iron-rank growth sword crafted with care. He recalls Rufus’s training with straight swords and the team’s unspoken debt from the sacrifice chamber, underscoring their bond.

Jason uses Punish on the sealed tortoise; the affliction fails, triggering the sword’s effect to gain Stone Cutter. Persistently stabbing, he stacks the effect until the defense begins to chip like stone, proving his methodical approach. He tells Vincent that as an affliction specialist, he wins through inevitability, not speed.