No matter what he tried, the trident only gave a faint response. The seawater he had been able to control before could now only form tiny water arrows, which could not hurt Reno at all.
"It looks like I have to make the trident recognize me as its master."
A thought flashed through Lin Taichu's mind. King had said before that the trident would only fully unleash its power after recognizing his character and strength. At a life-or-death moment like this, perhaps this was his chance to make the trident acknowledge him.
But how could he earn its recognition? As Lin Taichu dodged Reno's daggers, he recalled how it had felt to hold the trident before.
Back in the undersea temple, the trident had sent a warm current into him. Could he find that feeling again now?
The instant he was distracted, Reno seized the chance and thrust his left-hand dagger toward Lin Taichu's shoulder.
Lin Taichu failed to dodge. The dagger cut through his armor and left a wound on his shoulder, blood immediately flowing out.
"Distracted? Lin Taichu, do you think you've already won?" Reno sneered, stabbing again with the dagger in his right hand. "Today, I'll show you that the beast arena rankings aren't just for show!"
Enduring the pain in his shoulder, Lin Taichu stopped thinking about anything else and focused all his attention on the trident.
He remembered everything he had gone through since arriving in Atlantis—Ollie making things difficult for him, fighting the Sea-Splitting Beast in the beast arena, risking his life to protect Alicia and Gabriel's family. Every time, he had only survived by giving it everything he had.
I can't lose! Lin Taichu shouted in his heart. *I still have people to protect, and I still have to uncover the beast arena's