Chapter 43: Ascension in the Valley of the Fallen
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The scene was intense as a Hurricane made of light began to engulf one of the Fallen Knights. The damage inflicted was rapid and severe, with the knight taking three devastating hits in quick succession.
The first strike from the Light Hurricane reduced the knight's health by -29,640 HP, followed by another hit that dealt an additional -29,640 HP of damage. The third hit was equally powerful, slashing away yet another -29,640 HP. The Fallen Knight was at a significant disadvantage due to the light element's attribute advantage over the darkness element, causing it to suffer 75% more damage than it normally would.
Gabriel observed the battle with a critical eye, clicking his tongue in mild disapproval at the ease of the initial assault. However, he didn't waste any time. He quickly cast two potent buffs on himself— [Goddess Blessing] and [Blessing of the Ocean]. These buffs increased his magic attack power to 1,920 and provided a protective shield that could block damage up to three times his own HP. Additionally, Gabriel activated [Immunity], which rendered him immune to negative buffs, and [ArmorUp], which significantly bolstered his defense to 1,225.
As the buffs took effect, Gabriel unleashed his unique skill, [Conqueror's Haki], on the Fallen Knights. A majestic and overpowering aura radiated from his body, expanding in a 20-meter radius. The sheer force of the aura momentarily halted the movement of the Fallen Knights for 2 seconds.
One of the Fallen Knights resisted the effect of the skill and launched itself toward Gabriel with swift, powerful strides, intending to strike him down. Gabriel, however, stood his ground, unshaken by the sudden attack. He quickly recognized the technique used by the knight—it was none other than the [Dashing Strike], a signature skill of the Fallen Knights known for its speed and agility. But Gabriel was prepared.
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[Dashing Strike [Weakened]: Quickly strides toward the location of the enemy, dealing massive damage. 10% Chance to trigger a critical strike increasing the damage dealt to the target.
Damage: 300% of PATK
Critical Damage: 350%-500% of PATK
Mana Cost: 200
Cooldown: 3 seconds]
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Anticipating the trajectory of the knight's attack, Gabriel's reflexes kicked in. He deftly dodged the incoming strike and countered immediately with his skill [Curse Totem (☯)].
In an instant, a massive totem crowned with a skull materialized on the battlefield, unleashing a powerful area-of-effect attack that delivered a devastating blow to both knights.
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BOOOOM!
-16,200 HP
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The deafening explosion echoed across the battlefield as the knights were hurled back several meters by the sheer force of the attack. But Gabriel was far from finished. He activated [Conqueror's Haki] once more, overwhelming their willpower.
Caught off guard, the knights were momentarily paralyzed, unable to move or react. Meanwhile, the totem's skull opened its jaws wide and began to draw the life force from everything within a 20-meter radius. The suction effect was so intense that it was visibly apparent, as the enemies' life forces were drained, causing their HP to drop by a staggering -82,240 points over two seconds.
In the third second, both knights suffered another DoT (Damage over Time) effect.
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HOOOOOH!
-41,120 HP
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The knights, breaking free from Gabriel's [Conqueror's Haki], suddenly surged forward. One of the knights vanished from its position, reappearing instantly before Gabriel. Dense auras enveloped the knight and its sword as it executed two rapid, powerful slashes aimed at Gabriel. One of the slashes is the skill [Dashing Strike [Weakened].
The first slash inflicted -4,675 HP, but Gabriel's shield absorbed the brunt of the damage. The second slash dealt critical damage of -32,971 HP, but this time the shield could only withstand part of the impact, resulting in a deduction of -1,046 HP. Unfortunately, the shield shattered under the force of the relentless attack. Gabriel, momentarily caught off guard, barely noticed as the second knight leaped towards him, its sword poised for a downward strike—a skill known as [Jump Slash]
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[Jump Slash: The user jumps with full force, damaging the area upon landing and dealing 500% damage multiplied by the user's attack.]
Mana Cost: 500
Cooldown: 20 Seconds]
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As the knight lunged at Gabriel with its powerful [Jump Slash], Gabriel instinctively cast [Tail Wind], boosting his Agility by 30%. This sudden increase in speed allowed Gabriel to move with such swiftness that he left an afterimage behind as he dodged the attack. The afterimage took the brunt of the [Jump Slash], while Gabriel narrowly avoided the fatal blow.
Meanwhile, the two Fallen Knights were dealt another massive blow of -41,000 HP due to the ongoing DoT effect from Gabriel's totem.
A bead of sweat rolled down Gabriel's forehead as he realized how close he had come to death.
"I'll be finished if that attack hits me," he muttered to himself, his heart still racing.
Quickly glancing at his skill cooldowns, Gabriel noted that his [Curse Totem (☯)] had cooled down, thanks to his 20% cooldown reduction. Without hesitation, he reactivated the skill, unleashing it at the fourth second.
The totem reappeared with another explosive impact, dealing -16,500 HP damage to both Fallen Knights and sending them flying several meters away.
Seizing the opportunity, Gabriel used [Conqueror's Haki] once more to freeze his opponents for two crucial seconds. During this window, the totem dealt another -80,200 HP of damage.
As soon as the skill took effect, Gabriel unleashed a [Light Hurricane] on the Fallen Knight with the lowest HP, delivering an average of -28,100 HP damage per hit. He repeated the skill twice more, inflicting a total of -168,600 HP damage Killing it. The totem's DoT continued to chip away at the remaining enemy's health, dealing an additional -82,500 H.
After several more seconds of intense fighting, Gabriel emerged victorious. A prompt appeared before him, notifying him of his success.
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[Prompt! You have killed Fallen Knight! Exp gain 18,000] x 2
[Prompt! You have obtained a skill book: Rapid Thrust]
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Gabriel paused, surveying the battlefield with cautious eyes, fully aware of the strength of his opponents. He knew that vigilance and careful strategy were necessary to survive the impending battles. With this in mind, he began circling the area near the safety zone, eager to find more foes to help him level up.
His cautious maneuvering paid off. Gabriel encountered ten more Fallen Knights, each battle proving challenging but ultimately rewarding. He gained 180,000 experience points and a significant increase in his gold coin collection, which now held an additional 240 coins.
During one of these battles, Gabriel obtained a crucial item—the [Dead Man's Soul], which he needed for Harold's class advancement. With most of his requirements met, Gabriel pressed on, determined to uncover all the secrets of the Valley of the Fallen.
After an hour of relentless combat, another prompt flashed before him.
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[Prompt! Congratulations, you have leveled up, +1 level]
[Prompt! You have obtained 20 stat points]
[Prompt! You have obtained 4 skill points]
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Gabriel's eyes widened in surprise as he read the notification. The reward of double stat points and skill points was more than he had expected.
"Double!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
For a moment, he was lost in thought, trying to understand the sudden windfall. Then it dawned on him—he was now a Bronze-level Orion.
His mind raced as he accessed the information stored in the memories of the former Gabriel. He quickly recalled that each time an Orion advanced in rank, their rewards for leveling up increased. At the Bronze level, Orions received 10 stat points and 2 skill points per level. Silver-level Orions received 15 stat points and 3 skill points, and so on. Following this pattern, a Legendary-level Orion would receive 30 stat points and 6 skill points with each level gained.
Gabriel realized that the soul fusion he had experienced had granted him an incredible ability—each time he leveled up, his rewards were doubled. Initially, he had thought this was simply a compensation from the Heavens due to the error that had occurred during the fusion.
But now, understanding the full extent of his ability, Gabriel realized that when he reached the Legendary level as an Orion, he would receive a staggering 120 stat points and 12 skill points with each level-up. Ecstatic with this revelation, Gabriel quickly set about allocating his newly acquired stat and skill points.
The recent battles had taught Gabriel an important lesson—he needed to increase his HP and defense even further to survive the challenges ahead.
Opening his status window, Gabriel carefully reviewed his improvements. He also took a moment to examine the changes in his buff skill [Goddess Blessing].
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[Name: Gabriel Heart]
[Class: Cleric]
[Level: 11, Bronze Early Stage]
[Health Point: 6,830/6,830(+6,147)]
[Mana: 7,820/7,820]
[Experience: 17,321/350,000]
[Magic Attack: 1350 (↑270)]
[Defense: 913(+60)]
[Attributes: STR: 25, AGI: 21, DEX: 41, INT: 93 (+142), VIT: 73 (+157)]
[Skills:
Light Hurricane Level 10
Healing Totem Level 10
Goddess Blessing Level 5]
[Tome Skill:
Tail Wind
Blessings of the Ocean]
[Talent [☯]: Yin-Yang Soul Harmony (D)]
[Harmony Essence: 62,600]
[Equipment: Gold Staff, Gold Robe, Gold Boots, Gold Mitten, Gold Mitra, Crimson Shield]
[Equipment Effects:
+100% Healing
+90% Max HP
+300 HP
+200 Mana
+50% Mana Regeneration
+20% MATK
+15% Movement Speed
+20% Cooldown Reduction
+60 Defense
+25% Damage Reduction]
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[Goddess Blessing Level 5: Summons a light that increases the Physical Attack (Magic Attack) of all allies (including yourself) by 35% and grants a shield that blocks damage equal to 450% of the caster's HP. The skill also provides an immunity buff, protecting the caster from any negative status effects for a set duration.]
Shield: Blocks any damage (physical and magical) equal to 450% of the caster's HP
Shield Duration: 5 minutes
Buff Duration: 5 minutes
Immunity Duration: 15 seconds
Mana Cost: 600
Cooldown: 20 seconds]
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Gabriel meticulously analyzed his damage output, scrutinizing every detail. While the improvement in his offensive capabilities was minor, he noticed a significant increase in his defense. Comparing his current stats to his performance in previous battles, Gabriel deduced that if the Fallen Knight had used its [Dashing Strike] skill now, he would have been able to withstand the attack without losing any HP. This remarkable improvement in defense could be attributed to the increased level of [Goddess Blessing].
Satisfied with his progress, Gabriel closed his status window and resolved to continue leveling up. He was determined to max out [Goddess Blessing] and push his abilities to their utmost limits.