STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 761
Chapter 761: Secret Garden (2)
The stage was set up in no time. People stepped back to form a circular space, and then a few additional measures were taken by some spectators with special talents to finalize it.
[Leit Naimon has cast rank 4 defense magic Flowing Water Barrier.]
[Kelde Rius has cast rank 4 black magic Barrier of the Dead.]
[Murta Elverita has cast Heavenly Guardian Formation……]
Numerous wizards and sorcerers demonstrated their powers, layering dozens of barriers. Occasionally, skills that obstructed vision were included, but they were quickly dismissed due to the outcries of the surrounding spectators.
“Hey, are you kidding me? I can’t see anything because of the wall of corpses!”
“If it’s not transparent, just don’t use it!”
“Ah, no… I just thought since everyone else was doing it, I should as well…… and isn’t it better to be safe……?”
“Don’t do that! If something flies through the barrier, we’ll get hit!”
“……”
Some performers who missed their chance to showcase their skills looked visibly disappointed, but the principles of the market were unforgiving. The spots they left were quickly filled by other capable individuals.
“…Rise! [Twilight Veil]!”
“Oh! It’s a bit yellowish, but it’s better than before!”
“But why do you say ‘rise’? It just looks like mist settling…”
“……That question is difficult to answer.”
Anyway, a duel arena of considerable quality was created, despite being hastily improvised. Well, apart from the quality of the barrier, it was just like any other market floor.
“Ooooooh!”
“Vice-Leader! Show us!!”
“I’m finally going to see the ‘Demon Eyes’ with my own eyes!”
Cheers echoed from outside the barrier. Some of them were even for me. Only one person though…… Or was it two?
“Bjoorrrrrrrn! Great warrior!!! Auyen! What are you doing! Yell already!”
“I-I’ll cheer for you, Captain……!”
Auyen seemed to be saying something, but it was hard to hear over Ainar’s booming voice and the barrier. Not that it was important.
Swish.
I shifted my body slightly to look at Amelia. When I stared at her with a look that said, ‘Why aren’t you cheering?’ she sighed and mumbled something. Judging by her lips, it seemed like ‘Good luck’……
‘Well, it’s fun to tease her.’
In response to her cheer, I gave a faint smile and then tilted my head to check the roof of the three-story building. The moment our eyes met, he grinned widely and shouted something.
“What are you doing! Aren’t you going to fight?”
He looked like a bully watching two quiet classmates fight. Thinking about it, it was a ridiculous sight.
The Vice-Leader of Orcules VS Me.
To think this matchup would become a spectacle in the middle of the street because of one troublemaker.
‘He’s truly an impressive bastard in many ways……’
At first glance, his actions might seem childish, but I’m not underestimating him. That’s because I know his childish behavior is intentional. In a way, it was similar to how I pretended to be a reckless barbarian whenever needed.
To get what you want. If it’s more efficient, do it without hesitation.
‘But not knowing what he really wants is driving me crazy.’
I tore my gaze away from Baekho, who was leisurely sitting on the roof, munching on jerky like he was eating popcorn. No amount of thinking would yield an answer at this point. So, I decided to leave this worry to my future self……
‘Let’s focus.’
I decided to pour my energy into solving the current problem.
Demon Eyes, Roland Banozant.
Not much is known about him publicly, but the key points are his job class is ‘Sorcerer’.
And……
‘Taurburd.’
He has a rank 1 essence.
***
Taurburd.
In some aspects, this monster is similar to a ‘doppelganger’. Not in terms of its unique abilities, but rather because it can only be encountered within a specific rift and not in the general field.
‘Hell Fortress.’
Taurburd appears as a guardian of ‘Hell’, one of the Ninth Floor rifts. Simply put, like the doppelganger, only its ‘Guardian Essence’ exists… but how on earth did it obtain such a rare essence? There was no need to ponder this question further.
‘So this is why they call it the Golden Generation……’
Just a little over a decade ago, this city had quite a few clans exploring up to the Eighth Floor… no, even the Ninth Floor. Naturally, gaining experience was easier then, and the prices of high-rank essences were much cheaper than they are now. Well, it was an era when even a bastard like the ‘Dragon Slayer’ could reach level 9, so that says it all. Well, one dimensional collapse nearly wiped out that entire generation.
Anyway.
“You seemed unbothered on the surface, but it looks like you’ve been backed into a cornered as well.”
At that moment, Demon Eyes, keeping a bit of distance, spoke to me.
“Since you’re willing to fight even knowing it’s disadvantageous, you probably had no other choice.”
“…Huh?”
Initially, I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying, and it took me a moment to understand.
But……
‘It seems he’s being sincere……?’
Of course, from his perspective, it’s understandable. He was a top-ranking veteran master of the famed Golden Generation. No matter how much fame I’ve garnered recently, to him, I probably seem like a novice who hasn’t even reached the Ninth Floor.
‘There’s also the issue of compatibility.’
Tanks suck in one-on-ones. Sure, if I set up for PVP, it fine but… then there’d be no point in being a tank. Tanks exist for ‘team play’. Therefore, they need allies around them to truly shine. That’s the ‘common sense’ of this era.
No, to be precise, that was the common sense of the old era.
Okay, so……
“Alright, then let’s get start—.”
Before this out-of-touch old man could finish his sentence.
“Behell—aaaaaaaahhh!!”
I let out a battle cry and charged forward.
Boom-!
With my body enlarged by [Giantization], I took wide strides, rapidly closing the distance.
And……
[You have cast Swing.]
Like a boxer throwing a jab in the first round, I landed a basic attack.
“There are some things that can’t be achieved just by charging in.”
Of course, my basic attack didn’t reach him.
[Roland Banozant has cast Green Demon Eyes.]
The moment his eyes turned green.
Bang-!
A translucent green barrier formed between us, blocking my hammer.
And……
[Roland Banozant has cast Red Demon Eyes.]
As soon as his pupils turned red.
Like a mutant with superpowers from a movie, he shot a bright red beam from his eyes.
Pew-!
It didn’t hurt much, of course. It felt like being shocked by an electric toy from a stationery store. Still, getting hit on bare skin repeatedly would be painful, so I raised my shield to block it.
“Uoooooh-!!!”
Shielding my upper body, I charged forward. His eye color changed once more.
[Roland Banozant has cast Blue Demon Eyes.]
As soon as his eyes turned blue, a blue aura swirled around his skin like a vortex.
And……
Whoosh!
He vanished from my sight in an instant. However, he didn’t go far…….
‘Behind me.’
Zzzzt-!
Feeling a (physical) presence from behind, I turned around to see him already scorching me with red eyes.
“You cannot defeat me.”
How long has it been since we started fighting for him to start running his mouth? Though I wanted to shut that trap of his, I blocked with my shield and quietly collected my thoughts instead of charging in like before.
‘That essence really is overpowered.’
Taurburd’s essence is quite unique. For one, it doesn’t have a passive skill but comes with seven active skills. For example, [Green Demon Eyes] for defense, [Red Demon Eyes] for offense, and [Blue Demon Eyes] for mobility. Simply put, with just this one essence, you can cover attack, defense, and utility.
‘I wonder how he’s set up his remaining essences.’
Dungeon and Stone isn’t a game where you can coast on a single essence. What truly matters are the supporting essences. Taurburd’s essence is just a top-tier ingredient. You can pack it with essences that enhance [Red Demon Eyes] to become a top-tier DPS, or focus on [Green Demon Eyes] for stability. So, what about this guy?
“As expected, that is shield as troublesome as they say.”
As he muttered this, the red glow in his eyes deepened. I could tell what skill it was as soon as I saw that.
[Roland Banozant has cast Light Refraction.]
This rank 3 conversion ability changes the form of ‘projectiles’ into light, allowing them to travel in curves instead of straight lines. Incidentally, if the projectile is already light, its damage increases. Very significantly.
Pew-!
Like a guided missile from a game, the red beams from his eyes dynamically dodged my shield and hit my body. That’s when I realized.
‘I’m already under its effect.’
I already had a pretty good idea of how the Demon Eyes finished his essence setup. I heard it from Ainar, after all. Those red eyes aren’t ‘real’. They just appear that way to my eyes. In reality, they must be……
[Roland Banozant has cast White Demon Eyes.]
They must be a blank white, like a canvas. It casts ‘hallucinations’ on all targets within its line of sight. Of course, being a rank 1 essence, it’s not just a simple ‘hallucination.’
[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]
Unless I break free from the hallucination, all damage taken here will be applied as real damage. And the real overpowered part is……
‘As long as the victim doesn’t break free, he can use his skills indefinitely.’
To clarify, ‘indefinitely’ doesn’t refer to cooldown or Soul Power consumption. In the game, once the hallucination is cast, you can use any nine essences rank 3 or lower as you wish.
[Roland Banozant has cast Light Refraction.]
In other words, those lasers bending in curves aren’t because of a genuine skill but just appears that way due to the hallucination effect……
‘I bet the story of him killing the former vice-leader in one strike was also just caused by his hallucinations making it appear that way.’
Anyway, the important thing is that this guy has optimized his lower rank essences flawlessly. It’s telling, considering I have a pretty high spirit stat myself and didn’t even notice until I was already under its influence.
‘…If we classify him as an illusionist, he must have equipped [Reality Escape], and he’s probably set up a few skills to reduce mental resistance.’
Most opponents are bound to die without being able to fight back. Not that there aren’t ways to counter it. It’s just extremely difficult.
1. Overwhelm him physically, illusions or not.
2. Hold out until the caster’s MP runs out.
3. Break free from the hallucination.
Those are the three main strategies, but the choice for me was obvious.
[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]
Get hit.
Pew-!
Keep getting hit.
Whooosh-!
I threw myself at him, yelling and uselessly swinging my hammer to avoid suspicion.
[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]
And get hit again. If the Dragon Armor stacks I got from Thunder were still available, I wouldn’t need to do this, but sadly, they disappear over time. It’s been hours since Thunder hit me, so they’re long gone.
Yeah, so……
[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]
I accumulated stacks diligently.
And……
‘Alright, this should do it.’
The moment I reach my target threshold.
“I must admit, no one’s lasted this long before—.”
Keep talking you crazy bastard.
“Are those your last words?”
Instead of kindly answering his confusion, I retrieved a piece of equipment from my subspace and put it on my head.
“……?”
Even then, he had no idea what I was up to. How complacent. Dungeon and Stone is a game where ‘gear advantage’ is just as important as essences.
[You have equipped No.???? Crown of Agony. You gain a mental immunity bonus.]
My mind cleared up as if a storm had passed. Looking straight ahead, I saw him staring at me with his pupils turned white.
‘Ugh, creepy.’
Should I say he looks like an alien? Feeling unsettled, like staring into the uncanny valley, I immediately activated the effect of my second item.
[You have used Dragon Plate of Aegis. Reflecting accumulated damage.]
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