YM778.TV Chapter 127: Realisation
Standing right before me I stared at the blade filled with aura... I didn\'t realise I was aware of seeing aura from the start.
But the feeling was definitely strange, something I couldn\'t ever imagine myself using.
FWANG!
[Quest: 3 ON 1 Defeat your opponents and win this unexpected ambush!]
[Rewards: 125 QP, 1,000 BP, ?/ ???]
[You have 205 QP... would you like to use QP for rewards enhancement?]
Sure? Why not.
[Please select which rewards you\'d like using QP...]
[105 QP: 5.00 Stamina, 2.00 HP, ?/???, 25 QP, 1,500 BP]
[150 QP: 7.00 Stamina, 4.00 HP, ?/???, 30 QP, 2,000 BP]
[205 QP: 10.00 Stamina, 6.00 HP. ?/???, ?/???, 2,500 BP]
haah...
The potential was too tempting. More stats, maybe even unlocking new skills... better than nothing, right?
Should I go all-in? These guys were side characters, but if the system scaled them up... well, that was a big "if". Still, with the tournament quests done, I\'d need all the power I could get for those mercenary missions.
Might as well take the gamble.
Click!
[Confirmed Quest Enhancement...]
[QP: 0, All Rewards Have Been Enhanced!]
[Quest Restrictions: The following abilities and stats cannot be used: All Archer Stats, Piercing Shot [Grade 10], Vulnerability Reader [Grade 8], Quick Shot [Grade 9], Deadeye [Grade 9], Clockwork of Time [Grade 3], Mitigation\'s Phenomena [Grade 1], Sixth Sense [Grade 9].]
[Rewards: 10.00 Stamina, 6.00 HP. ?/???, ?/???, 2,500 BP]
My jaw dropped. WAIT... what?! No archery? No abilities?
I can\'t even use anything other than my sword?
Isn\'t this too much system?
[Not for you Mr. Axel! You are more than capable enough for this reward! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧]
FWANG!
And with that, the system vanished. Great. At least I knocked out two of them, right?
FWANG!
[Opponents defeated: 0/3]
... Seriously? They\'re still alive?
A scream – "Firebolt!" – followed by a streak of flame erupted from the bushes.
SHAAAAA!
I didn\'t have Sixth Sense to warn me, just instinct and reflex.
I gripped my blade with both hands, muscles tensing.
Just as the fireball reached me, my sword swept out, a curving arc that sliced through the air.
[Parry Successful!]
"Shit..." If they were still up, then...
rustle, rustle...
"...?"
"RAHHHHHHH!"
Another scream, rang in my ears this time from above.
Looking from above Thiago, recovered from our earlier fight.
He was in the air plummeting down with a wind blade manifesting into his hand.
SHING!
My blade clashed with Thiago\'s wind sword.
I gritted my teeth, using all my strength to shove him back, and then broke away.
My legs pumped with adrenaline as I backpedalled, eyes darting, desperately searching for that third bastard.
BANG!
Then, from behind the cover of trees, a glint of metal – a shield – and a blow struck me in the head...
"fuck..."
Pain exploded across my skull, feeling the dizziness reach to my head.
drip...drip...drip..
Warm blood trickled down my face.
"Damn it..." The words rasped in my throat as I looked around for these characters.
It wasn\'t that they were stronger. It was that I had gotten weaker.
But they\'d taken damage earlier.
That had to count for something.
I couldn\'t spot Sergio, but I knew he was on his way back, and Thiago... the cocky wind-wielder seemed to have vanished.
[Projectile Disarm [Grade 4] Has Been Activated!]
There is no time to waste. My blade coated in aura crackled with lightning as I charged, hacking a path through the bushes towards Carlos.
There.
SLASH!
My blade tore through the bushes, revealing the wooden staff – and a figure right before my eyes.
"...!"
Just as I thought.
The look on his face was priceless.
His eyes were wide with a terror that went deeper than any spell he could conjure.
SLASH!
[Critical Hit!]
My blade struck with a sickening thud, aura biting into his chest.
BANG!
Carlos shrieked, his body slamming into a tree.
I raised my sword for the finishing blow, when... light flared, pixels dancing around him… and he vanished.
"So he got sent back then..."
[Opponents Defeated: 1/3]
The number on the system screen confirmed it.
One down, two to go.
Thiago\'s curse echoed in the clearing. "Shit... he got Carlos good."
At his side, Sergio stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "We\'ll make him pay."
"Twofold," Thiago hissed.
Then, the ground shifted. Sergio stomped, launching a chunk of earth towards me. I reacted on instinct, slashing through the makeshift projectile with a spray of dirt.
SHING!
But even as the wall shattered, Thiago was there.
The wind swirled around his fist, a whirlwind readying to strike.
BANG!
The force of the blow slammed into my chest.
ACK!
A choked cry escaped me as I was hurled backwards, sputtering blood.
I staggered the world into a blur, then stabbed my sword into the ground, anchoring myself.
Sergio seized his opening, charging with surprising speed.
Before I could fully recover, his shield was back in his hands, then wham – he hurled it at me again.
SHING!
I barely had time to parry, but I quickly connected my sword with his shield sending it spinning away with a harsh clang.
"Seriously? Does he think he\'s Captain America?"
I muttered, shaking dirt from my sword.
Sergio running, gripped his sword with both hands, swinging with raw force.
CLASH!
I blocked, felt the tremor in my arms, and then with a raised leg, I launched a swift kick striking true to his gut.
"...!"
[Critical hit!]
Gasping, Sergio dropped his sword, clutching his stomach – just enough time for me to activate my skill.
[Projectile Disarm [Grade 4] Has Been Activated!]
Black lightning danced around my sword as I lunged.
SLASH!
The aura-infused blade struck, piercing Sergio\'s defence.
"AH!"
Like Carlos, he vanished the moment he was struck, a scattering of pixels the only trace left of him.
[Opponents Defeated: 2/3]
Thiago\'s voice filled with disgust spoke up.
"This... this is a disgrace. You\'re supposed to be an archer... not some swordsman wannabe!"
"Who are you?" His wind sword flickered into existence, rage twisting his features.
They all get so worked up, these side characters, when someone breaks the mould.
Did they not realize a little flexibility made for a far more dangerous opponent?
Then again... maybe I shouldn\'t be too surprised.
As the author, I had, after all, designed them to be limited in that way.
My reply was a smirk, a whisper that carried across the clearing. "I\'m a walking god."
tap...tap...tap...
my steps were slow at first, then building into a dead sprint.
Thiago mirrored the movement, as the anticipation sparked between us.
He was ready for a clash of steel and wind... but I had something far more devastating in mind.
CRACKLE...CRACKLE...CRACKLE...
A slow smile spread across my face as my blade changed.
Gone was the steel\'s familiar greyness, replaced by a darkness that crackled with black lightning.
Then, just as we closed the distance, the words that burst through my lips felt so natural...
"Divine Severance."
SLASH!!!
In a single, fluid motion, I swung. Pure aura carved a crescent of blackness, scything towards Thiago.
BANG!!!!
[Critical Hit!]
The force of the blow sent him flying.
His body crashed through trees, shattering wood, a path of destruction mirroring the slash aura that had sliced across his torso.
I watched him finally collapse, body slumped against a tree, head bowed.
Slowly, those pixels danced around him, and he was gone.
[Opponents Defeated: 3/3]
[Ability: Trickster At Arms [Grade 5] has been deactivated due to the time limit.]
[Mana Percentage: 20%]
I surveyed the shattered trees, the scars left by Thiago\'s impact.
This fight... it was done. Good thing, too.
haah...
A weary sigh escaped me.
That time limit on my ability had been hanging over my head the entire battle.
Any longer, and I was screwed.
But I think this causes for a celebration!
Definitely time for a celebration... and maybe a nap.
Taking down three side characters was a huge deal, after all.
It meant I was finally getting stronger.
A little peace and quiet would be nice... at least until I got transported back to the IDS Portal.
FWANG!
Or not. The system window was staring straight into my face...
[Quest: 3 ON 1 Defeat your opponents and win this unexpected ambush! - Status: Complete!]
[All Ability and Status Restrictions have been lifted...]
[Displaying Rewards...]
[10.00 Stamina, 6.00 HP. ?/???, ?/???, 2,500 BP]
[Transferring Rewards]
[1%...25%...50%...75%...100%... Transfer Complete!]
____________________
The Following Base Stats Have Been Upgraded:
>HP: 98.00 >>> 104.00 (6.00+)
> Stamina: 64.5 >>> 74.50 (10.00+)
____________________
[A New Stat Has Been Unlocked!]
>? / ??? >>> Swordsman [Grade 10]: 1/10 | Mastery: 0%
"...!"
My jaw dropped.
Swordsman? Really? So, I was a dual-class now, archer and swordsman at the same time?
This was incredible... the absolute best...
This is the best... wow...
I blinked at the screen, still in disbelief.
FWANG!
Then, another window popped open. there was another reward?
[A New Category Has Been Unlocked!]
[Category: [Skills and Techniques:] Has Been Created!]
[A New Skill Has Been Added...]
[Skill: Divine Severance: A powerful aura attack that unleashes a crescent-imbued slash capable of severing strong defences. (Note: this skill can only be used while Trickster at Arms has been activated or has swordsman grade at [Grade 5] or above.)- ]
_______________
Authors Notes:
- Thiago assumed that Rel could use his crossbow at any given moment so he kept his distance, staying out of Rel\'s sight.
- If aura is coated around a blade, aura is guaranteed to always hit first on impact.