ACT 7 Using the Divine Skill
[TL] Iâve been using bayonet as Breadâs weapon since thatâs what all the translation sites and dictionaries gave me. However that didnât really make sense to me especially considering this chapter. So I split up the korean and it translated more into greatsword, so that is what I will be using as his weapon from now it. If you want to have an idea of what it looks like then check out these google images.
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
The noises rang out on the previously quiet mountain ridge. The earth shook like there was an earthquake coming and there was a dense cloud of dust. Then everything suddenly seemed to stop. The deafening roar quieted as the dust storm slowly settled down. The only thing moving quietly was the dust floating in the air. After a whileâŠâŠ!
The dust was split in half by a sword enveloped in flames. Then the dust exploded and scattered as a greatsword descended from the other direction.
When the greatsword collided with the sword, a storm occurred once again. The form of two people could been seen through the storm. The one holding the flaming sword was Ark. Opposite Ark was the distinctive form of a huge person. The man wearing animal leather was obviously Bread.
Bread ran up and brandished his greatsword.
The dust on the ground was sucked up at a tremendous speed and started twisting. Ark fell down to avoid being hit by the greatsword. He rolled his body to another spot and sprang up before swinging his sword at Bread. However, Breadâs reflexes also werenât inferior to Arkâs. Bread moved his greatsword to a diagonal angle to deflect the attack before striking downwards.
It was a really unexpected attack. Ark took a quick breath and stepped back but the greatsword had already grazed his shoulder. He instantly lost 400 health from the attack. Just a graze had seriously wounded him! However he couldnât hesitate in this situation. In the short time Ark had stopped moving, Bread had pushed forward and continuously wielded his greatsword. Ark stumbled and the greatsword barely missed his nose. Bread murmured as the greatsword descended into an empty space.
âDamn, I really thought I would cut you this time.â
âHuk, do you think Iâm that easy to kill?â
Ark laughed and replied but he was inwardly sweating.
âDamn, he interrupted it and counterattacked? If it had hit correctly then he wouldâve received a critical hit. As expected, he really has troublesome power. Not only are the skills great but he is also familiar in a fight. No, not just a fightâŠâŠâ
Ark used Dark Dance to avoid the attack and observed Breadâs movements. Ark had been astonished by Breadâs weapon when he first saw it. Bread used a two handed greatsword. It was similar to Arkâs Promised Sword but much larger. The greatsword was the largest of the two handed swords. Of course its attack power and durability were among the strongest. When compared to an average long sword, it had an average of 1.8 times more damage. In addition, it automatically dealt 1.5 additional damage to large monsters. But despite its enormous damage, there were few people who used the greatsword in New World. There were a number of reasons but the largest penalty was that the size and weight meant the attack speed was extremely slow.
When in close combat, there was no difference between the number of times Ark attacked.
âHow can he attack so quickly when carrying a greatsword? Did he increase attack speed with his other equipment?â
He had thought this at first. But he still wasnât convinced. After exchanging a few blows, Ark realized that it wasnât that simple.
Yes, Bread didnât waste any of his movements. He avoided the opponentâs attack and then struck back. It was a very simple movement but difficult to do in the middle of battle. Only people accustomed to holding a sword were able to perform such movements. It required being accustomed to the body in order to change movements. Yes, that was the secret to Breadâs attack speed. Breadâs movements were similar to a machine. There was no rush whenever he stabbed. While attacking and defending, he minimized any unnecessary movements and counterattacked. It was some tight movements! Even though he was holding the greatsword, he could match Arkâs movements.
âHe can also utilize his class skills.â
Breadâs profession was a Beast Master. The feature of a Beast Master was to stack up to 3 Beast Spirit Possessions. As soon as the battle started, Bread instantly chose three animal spirits to possess him. He chose the soul of the bear which raised strength by 50% and the cheetah soul which raised agility by 50%. That was only two Beast Spirit Possessions. He had seen Bread use them on the ferry and in Bosaga village. Ark hadnât understood at the timeâŠâŠ
âBeast Spirit Possession, power of the Bull rise! Dash!â
Ark instantly used Dark Dance as Bread yelled. Then Bread grew horns on his head and shot forward like an arrow. Ark used Skill Penetration and the information window floated in front of him.
-Breadâs profession skill: Beast Spirit Possession
* Additional skills of Beast Spirit Possession identified.
[Bull] When possessed by the spirit of the Bull, the breakthrough power increases by 50%.
When attacking an enemy with the âDashâ skill, movement speed will increase by 100% and attack power by 50%. When Dash is successful, the defense will decrease by 30% and the abnormal state âfall downâ will be induced.
âHuck, another strange skillâŠâŠRiposte!â
Ark panicked and hit the horns with Riposte. Riposte was an attack which pushed the enemy back 10 metres. But thanks to the power of the bull, Bread barely moved. Rather, Ark was the one pushed back several metres thanks to the breakthrough power.
âHow many spirit animals do you have?â
Bread laughed proudly as he touched his horns. The reason why Bread had only used two Beast Spirit Possessions was because of this. Two of them were necessary skills which raised his stats. The remaining spot he could switch between attack or defense as needed. And that strategy was considerably successful in PVP. Especially when combined with other skills. His basic skill âRushâ increased his movement speed by 50% and his attack speed rose by 25%. When combined with the power of the bull, the Dash effect became twice as powerful. Bread often linked his skills with Beast Spirit Possession. If the user was unable to grasp the skill beforehand then they would suffer.
âIf I hadnât used Skill Penetration beforehand then it wouldâve caused a lot of damage.â
Ark wouldâve needed herbal medicine if he had been hit. Luckily he used Skill Penetration to see through it. If he knew the special effects of Breadâs Beast Spirit Possessions then Ark could cope with it.
âThat Bread, he is definitely strong butâŠâŠâ
Ark stopped Breadâs series of attacks and clenched his sword firmly.
âIs it my turn? Take this. Dark Strike!â
Ark released the charged up aura. The black aura shot like an arrow from his sword. Bread moved his greatsword to block it before swinging his sword vertically downwards towards Ark. It was the accurate timing needed to switch the greatsword from defense to offense! But Ark suddenly braked and the greatsword vainly split through air.
âIt is indeed the weakness of the greatsword.â
A small smile spread on Arkâs face. It really was amazing that Bread could move the greatsword at such an incredible pace with both hands. However, the disadvantage of the greatsword wasnât just its attack speed. It was possible to grasp the direction of the greatswordâs attack with just one look. Of course, estimating the greatswordâs trajectory with one look while it was moving so quickly and reacting to it wasnât an easy task. But he had trained for many years so it was possible for him.
âBread certainly isnât an easy opponent. However the odds are in my favour if it is only this much!â
Ark determined that after 10 minutes of fighting Bread. When comparing capabilities, the two of them were almost equal. Bread used a greatsword as a weapon. Each swing took 500~700 health in one blow. On the other hand, Ark wasnât as powerful but he dealt more hits. Therefore the consumed health was similar. Then the only thing left was stats and level! After calculating it, Bread was superior to him in stats. But if they compared the remaining health left, Ark had 60% while Bread had 57%. Ark was a little ahead of him. The reason whyâŠâŠ
âThis is the real attack!â
Ark noticed a gap and thrust his sword.
âCancel power of the Bull! Beast Spirit Possession, power of the turtle rise!â
Breadâs skin looked like the shell of a turtle after he used Beast Spirit Possession. There was a roaring sound and Bread stumbled. This was the perfect chance to attack the opponent. Ark pressed forward with his sword. As expected, Bread was a user with a lot of fighting experience and he blocked the attack.
ButâŠâŠpepepepeng! Hwarrrrruk!
An explosion occurred when the two swords touched. Then flames spread over Breadâs face and skin.
âThis is it, this is it!â
A satisfied smile appeared on Arkâs face. The explosion was the effect of the rare Hearthstone, the Explosion Stone. It gave a 33% chance of flame 50-100 damage, and caused an explosion dealing 10~50 splash damage within a 2 metre range! This 33% chance didnât occur when the sword damaged the enemy. The 33% chance occurred when the sword impacted with another weapon. Of course, this wasnât a direct blow so the 50~100 damage didnât apply. However, the 2 metre range of splash damage couldnât be avoided. Even though the damage was 10~50, Redianâs Elemental Defense meant only half the damage was applied. But it was still some damage!
Kang, kang kang, pepepepeng! Kang, kang, pepepepeng!
Ark tirelessly swung his sword and caused flames to soar. Breadâs health slowly went down. Moreover his sword was left intact despite the flames. Breadâs movements while holding the greatsword became slow. Arkâs method of âpouring continuous attacks like an evening showerâ made it difficult to avoid the attacks.
Bread frowned as he was pushed back by the flames. Then he stepped to Arkâs side and swung his greatsword. Rather than being on the defensive, he had been looking for a chance to counterattack. Ark was so engrossed in attacking that he couldnât avoid the greatsword which hit his shoulder. He received a violent impact to the shoulder and lost 700 health.
âUgh, this bastardâŠ..!â
Ark stumbled and stepped back. However Ark wasnât the only one hit. He had hit Breadâs side at the same time that his shoulder was damaged. When his sword hit, fire emerged and a blue and red pattern also flashed.
-The âExplosionâ effect has dealt the enemy additional 73 fire damage.-The Vampire Stone has absorbed 5% of the 523 damage and 26 of your health has been restored.-The Mana Steal Stone has absorbed 5% of the 523 damage and 26 of your mana has been restored.
âIt really is crazy.â
Ark laughed as he saw the effects. This was the true power of Promised Sword. Every time he inflicted damage to the enemy then he would absorb health and mana.
âUnfortunately it isnât as effective in a 1-on-1 fightâŠâŠâ
In fact, the health and mana absorption would show the best effect when dealing with a large number of monsters. When fighting a lot of monsters, it was normal to deal a lot of damage. This meant he could absorb 5% of the health of all the monsters. If he attacked 10 monsters for a total of 10,000 damage, 5% of that meant he would absorb 500 health. Even if he recovered 500 health at the end of the battle, that just meant he didnât need to waste time recovering his health. In 1-on-1 PVP battles, the effect was cut in half even against a strong opponent like Bread.
âBreadâs level and health is quite high. His maximum health probably exceeds 10,000. It might be possible to recover 500 health by the end of this fight.â
Of course, in this fight 500 health would be lost with just one blow from either Ark or Bread. But an extra 500 health couldnât be ignored when it could be the difference between life and death with a strong opponent. Yes, Ark was currently a little bit ahead because of the rare Hearthstones in the Promised Sword.
âIf this keeps up then I can win!â
Ark was sure of his victory. Of course, the prerequisites were necessary for Ark to win. In a wide open place, Ark was at disadvantage since his defense and offense were inferior. And preparations were needed to use some of his skills. Some warrior skills needed a certain amount of time or action to be used. Ark indiscriminately attacked without giving Bread time to use those skills. His attacks were to stop Breadâs offensive rather than to decrease the health. It wasnât just the splash damage gnawing away at Breadâs health.
âUgh, this bastardâŠ.. Youâre stuck like a leechâŠâŠâ
Bread had noticed Arkâs strategy. No matter how much he wanted to maintain a distance, Ark clung to Bread to prevent his attacks. Then he used the 33% chance of explosive damage to shave away at Breadâs health. Of course, it wasnât that easy to maintain that state. Bread had a few skills that were difficult to prevent. Just one hit would cause 500~600 damage. The health which Ark took 3~4 minutes to shave away using splash damage was caught up with just one blow. Was it like a war between a needle and an axe? So that situation continued for 30 minutes while Ark and Breadâs health remained close to each other. Ark had 55% health left while Bread had 48%! If he concentrated and maintained this state then it was possible to win against Bread. It was at that time. Bread who had been unable to break through Arkâs shower of attacks suddenly jumped forward.
âHeh, he realized he canât win so he is running away. That makes me feel more comfortable.â
Ark swung his sword and laughed as it impacted with Breadâs greatsword. Then Bread lost his centre of balance and stumbled. What could he do in this desperate situation? Bread made a huge mistake considering his skills. It was a chance to win!
âVictory after all that patience!â
Arkâs feet shot up like the wind. His kick shot out at an incredible speed. A flying kick! If this kick hit then there was a high possibility of causing a rigid state. It would only last for 1~2 seconds but that was a decisive difference in PVP with high level users. Ark would put an end to the duel with this attack. However Ark had a hunch that something was wrong the moment he started the kick.
It was an attack that couldnât be avoided judging by the timing. Moreover, Ark had never used kicks against Bread so far. It was an attack with unexpected timing and method! However, Bread seemed to know what attack was coming and the timing as he avoided it. At the same time, a light smile appeared on Breadâs face.
âVictory after all that patience?â
âThis is thanks to my preparations! Earth storm!â
Bread swung his greatsword like a golf swing. At the same time there was a massive storm which swirled around Arkâs body.
âNow shall I pay you back? Knife Blade Storm!â
Breadâs greatsword split into dozens of copies and floated in the air around Ark. It was the devastating combo of Earth storm and Knife Blade Storm which flew him into the air! Arkâs health drained out after he was hit by them. Just before he fell to the ground, Bread used the spirit of the Bull again and used Dash. Ark flew many metres and bumped into several obstacles before finally hitting the ground. 30% of Arkâs health was lost in an instant. But the situation just puzzled him further. How on earth did Bread perfectly know the timing of Arkâs kick?
âUgh, h-how on earthâŠâŠ?â
Bread laughed and murmured after he saw Arkâs confusion.
âI told you. I made preparations to win. What do you think I did during the last 10 days?â
âWhat he was doing during the last 10 days? What does that have to do with this situationâŠ..? ?â
Arkâs forehead suddenly wrinkled.
âT-that damn bastard BuksilâŠ..!â
Ark now understood the situation. Bread was able to perfectly calculate the timing of Arkâs kicks because of Buksil. Bread and Buksil had been waiting together for Ark for 10 days. Clearly Bread had watched Buksilâs memory crystals. All of Arkâs combat scenes were recorded on the memory crystals! Yes, during the last ten days Bread had been learning Arkâs attacks, kicks, habits and skills from the memory crystals. However, the Promised Sword was an unexpected item. The reason it was so one-sided in the beginning was because Ark had never used the Promised Sword before so no countermeasures were taken against it. The moment Ark had used his habit of a kick combo, Bread managed to deal him a decisive counterattack. Ark paled as he belatedly realized the situation. Thanks to one moment of carelessness, he had instantly lost 30% health. Now Ark had 25% health left while Bread had 48%! The distance was now huge. Previously Bread had engaged in close combat but now he would stay at a medium range. No, with his health like this then there was no chance even in close combat.
âIâm screwed. Victory or defeat was decided with one combo!â
Ark intuitively sensed his defeat.
âIs it going to end like this?â
In fact, there was no reason to really worry about victory or defeat in this fight. He wouldnât receive any experience, items or skill proficiency from it. Anyway, he had just accepted this duel to make Bread give up chasing him.
âIâd rather not have a user like Bread chasing me.â
But he couldnât accept his defeat so easily after accepting the duel. It would hurt his pride.
âHowever there is already a 4000 health difference.â
Ark felt hopeless as he checked the information window. He had roughly 1,700 health left. If Bread had 10,000 health like Ark guessed, than he should have approximately 5000 health left. If Bread stayed at a medium range and fired his skills then the odds werenât in Arkâs favour.
âIf only there is a way to reverse the situationâŠ..â
There was the Area Declaration skill of the Dark Soul called Glory of the Night which could increase his attack and stats by 50%! If he used Glory of the Night than the fight might become balanced. However, Bread already knew the way to stop the Area Declaration skill. It was by making Breadâs Area Declaration skill overlap to cancel it. Area Declaration was a skill which couldnât be used between two users with a 2nd stage profession.
ââŠ..Is there another way?â
Ark had completely lost his will to fight. Suddenly a brilliant idea came to his head.
âWait? The Area Declaration skill invalidates each other. Canât I take advantage of this weakness? Thatâs right, wasnât there that unexpected skill? If I use itâŠ..Thatâs it! There is a chance if I use that skill! The problem is using itâŠâŠ Anyway, I donât have a choice. If I donât try it then Iâll die.â
âWhat is it? Youâre already giving up?â
At that time Bread muttered as he approached. Ark took out the Fire Stone from his bag and threw it. A column of flame appeared causing Bread to flinch and retreat. Meanwhile Ark escaped using Sprint.
âUgh, what? Are you running away?â
âYou idiot. It is a strategic retreat!â
âI wonât let you retreat. Beast Spirit Possession, spirit of the cheetah!â
Bread used the cheetah spirit to chase after him. But just before he caught up with Ark, something wound around his leg.
âHuhuhu, this Nadingkaâs Fruit is the specialty of Seutandal!â
The Nadingkaâs Fruit reduces movement speed by 50% for 1 minute! Ark gained some time and blindly used his skills. The skill Ark used at that moment was Entrusted Volumes. When he used Entrusted Volumes, the slot machine appeared.
-You have used the power of Entrusted Volumes.
Results: [Properties] <brave>[Alignment] <warrior>{Environment] <mountain>The selected effect is âSlightly Brave Warrior.â</mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>It was an amazing effect for Entrusted Volumes. But Ark just frowned and shouted!</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>âNo, not this one!â</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>âTake this!â</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>Then Bread caught up and swung his greatsword. Ark used Nadingkaâs Fruit on Bread and once again ran away. This time he hid behind a rock and waited for Entrusted Volumes to end before using it again. However, this skill couldnât be used for an unlimited amount of time. It consumed 500 health each time he used it.</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>âIâve already failed twice so I only have 700 health left. But if I use the Power of Resurrection from the Mantle with a Strange Power than I have 1700 left. I can use the power of Entrusted Volumes three more times!â</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>Ark was about to recover his health using Power of Resurrection when he hesitated.</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>âWait? The effect of Entrusted Volumes is not completely random. The effect that appeared depended on the situation. The last time the effect appeared was when my health was less than 10%. Then?â</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>After considering it again, Ark used Entrusted Volumes when he only had 700 health left. After praying desperately, the information window he wanted to see appeared.</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>-You have used the power of Entrusted Volumes.</for></mountain></warrior></brave>
<brave><warrior><mountain><for>Results: [Properties]