A Skinning Knife’s Sharpness
As Vecna stepped into the first Suppression Chamber and listened carefully to the voice of the Observer from his quick assumption, the Administrator or Boss of this Suppression Chamber, the air crackled with anticipation.
'Can't take an accurate estimation of their health gauge. Still, level 30 mobs should be in the 5000-8000 HP category. More or less.'
Keeping on his observations, the size of the chamber couldn't evade his vampiric senses.
'Not something a human could achieve on his own. Ohh, those runes imbued with mana…'
The chamber was a large, enclosed space, its walls adorned with intricate Dwarven runes that hummed with residual magic, runes that made Vecna's gaze stop on them, being reminded of a particular item that had a smaller rune imbued on its handle.
'That's right. The one on 'Miner's Resolve' is similar if not identical in shape as that one.'
'Tsk, unfortunately I can't confirm it now. Only after I get to level 50 can I wield the pickaxe again.'
His train of thought took a break when the creaking and motioning of the Automatons alerted him that the previous "Good luck" meant "Let the Games Begin.".
'I wonder how well they can fight.'
In the center stood three imposing figures, the Training Automatons prepared by the mysterious old man. Each automaton stood nearly seven feet tall, their metallic frames gleaming in the dim light.
'Do they have an AI controlling them too? Or is the one who spoke with me the one controlling them?'
From outside, their minute movements give the impression their bodies were imbued with artificial intelligence or a form of intelligence, granting them the ability to adapt and respond to the movements of the approaching Challenger.
[ENEMY LOCALIZED]
The mechanical voice coming from the Automatons acted like a metal kickstart for Vecna's cogwheels to turn.
'You want a fight? I'll give you a satisfying one.'
Instinctively, he opened the inventory to grab his trusty sword, a Rare sword of level 75 that dropped from the corpse of a Lizardman Warrior, yet the notification he was under-leveled burned his ego for a slight second.
Scrambling around his inventory for a metal blade he could wield and cut those Automatons, he reached a simple conclusion.
'Apart from the Skinning Knife, I got nothing on hand that might be useful.'
[Skinning Knife]
Rating: Rare
[Durability: 95/120 Attack Power: 35-58
* Can cut types of leather of beasts up to level 100.
A knife specialized in beast hunting and skinning. Crafted by an apprentice blacksmith who had efficiency in mind when forging the blade. This blade serves as an essential tool for those seeking to harvest valuable resources from slain creatures.
Conditions of Use: Skinning Subprofession.
Weight: 10]
.
Wielding the knife, whose blade was relatively short, measuring about 15 centimeters in length, with a distinct slight curvature to the blade, allowing for precise cuts and controlled movements during the skinning process.
The handle as per its makers' desires for efficiency had an ergonomically shaped handle, fitting snugly in Vecna's large hands, presenting a subtle contour and grooves that enhanced his grip on this makeshift weapon of murder.
While the Automatons started moving slowly toward him, as if still gauging the potential abilities of their target, Vecna began waving the knife gently, slashing the air, adjusting his grip to the lightweight and compact blade.
'Good enough.'
Vecna took a deep breath, his relaxed grip tightening again around the Skinning Knife, the chosen weapon for this battle.
'Hope it doesn't break in this battle before I get some new weapons.'
'Sanguine Quenching.'
The knife's blade shimmered with an ethereal red glow, infused with the power of Sanguine Quenching that reinforced the lightweight blade into a macabre form, with monstrous bloody veins pulsing around.
His crimson eyes peered into the Automatons that sprang to life, their joints creaking and gears grinding as they lunged toward him.
Their attack pattern was straightforward, all three of the Automatons attacked from one direction as they wielded different weapons. The first one to strike Vecna was wielding a Halberd, while the second Automaton was wielding a Staff, leaving out the third Automaton wielding a Longsword to have a final blow.
Taking a defensive stance using the knife, Vecna didn't panic since he could see the attacks coming at him at a rather slow pace thanks to his Vampiric Senses.
Vecna's basic swordsmanship served as the foundation of his combat style. With precision and efficiency, he deflected the initial onslaught of the Automatons, parrying their blows and maneuvering with calculated grace.
His vampire instincts granted him an advantage, enhancing his physical abilities and granting him supernatural skills.
[Health: 1195/1346 | Mana: 544/544 ]
'Even parrying the attacks of those mobs managed to hurt me.'
Continuing parrying their attacks, taking small steps around the battlefield as if he was dancing around the Automatons, his facial expression grew rigid. His predatory eyes had a cold glint as he formulated a strategy to take down the enemies the fastest way.
'This should be enough for you? Then let me also see how you react once I attack.'
Vecna started taking the fight toward one of the walls of the Suppression Chamber, continuing parrying around the barrage of strikes the Training Automatons had in store for him, without showing a sign of tiring themselves in process.
Once his back touched the wall of the Suppression Chamber, he instantly used his [Uncanny Grip] dodging a Halberd Impaling strike by clinging on the wall.
Next, he reached higher by clinging on the ceiling of the chamber, swiftly evading the Automaton's coordinated attacks.
'Great! My body reacts just like how I think of doing the maneuvers.'
After evading all of the attacks, Vecna commenced his offense by activating his [Soaring Leap] allowing him to jump higher and further, granting him the aerial advantage as he assessed their patterns and weaknesses.
The first Automaton swung its Halberd with formidable strength, but Vecna's [Split Second] instincts allowed him to react with lightning reflexes.
He dodged the attack and countered with a swift strike, leveraging his [Lightning Strike] ability to prevent the Automaton from defending itself.
[You have dealt 292 damage to the target.]
[Training Mana Automaton - LV. 30] [4580/5000]
Landing on the ground, he was welcomed by the second Automaton who unleashed a basic magical spell from its Staff, a Fireball which forced Vecna to tap into his Vampiric Powers further.
'Balance. Once I disturb its casting the spell might blow on its face.'
Vecna's body followed up as his mind ordered, delivering a forceful slam of his fist which triggered [Earthshock], sending a shockwave through the ground that knocked the Automaton off balance, disrupting its spellcasting, and also harming the other two Automatons with its shockwave.
[You have dealt 204 damage to the targets.]
With the Automatons regrouping for a coordinated assault, Vecna activated [Golden Flash], his movements becoming a blur as his speed increased by 50% for a short span of time. He weaved through their attacks, his sword slashing through the air in a blur of deadly arcs.
In those three seconds, he was a Reaper against the Automatons, his macabre blade scraping off chunks of metal plates from the Automatons whose health reflected in their appearance.
His Skinning Dagger, enhanced by the Blood Magic of Sanguine Quenching, sliced through the metal with ease, leaving deep gashes in their metallic bodies. Sparks flew as the Automatons retaliated, their mechanical fists and blades clashing against Vecna's agile defense.
'They seem to be linked in their reaction.'
In the midst of the battle, Vecna's mind raced with thoughts and calculations. He analyzed the Automatons' attack patterns, searching for any weaknesses to exploit. His inner monologue echoed with a mixture of confidence and strategic assessment.
[Training Mana Automaton - LV. 30] [2426/5000]
'So far, so good.'
'These Automatons may follow a straightforward pattern, but their coordination poses a challenge.'
'There must be a way to disrupt their synchrony and exploit this weakness.'
Soon enough, with his tempo lowering the Automatons decided to push ahead, sensing that with Vecna's most skills being on cooldown, it was high time to strike him down. With their combined attacks, killing this Vampire was a matter of seconds.
It was a possibility with a higher probability of success which the Automatons took.
'Hah, they can smell a kill when it's in front of them.'
'It's at this moment when machines and humans are similar. The drive to exterminate one another is as primal as it gets.'
[Health: 579/1346 | Mana: 247/544 ]
Vecna's mind frame was also set on killing those Automatons, yet because of their uniform coordination, their survivability was high enough to prove troublesome for his attacks.
Triggering this reaction from the Automatons with his Low Health State, it made his cold face to abruptly grin maliciously, creepy and with evil intent.
'Open Inventory.'
Before the Automatons could reach him, in Vecna's left hand a Black Book with an crimson eye imbued on its cover akin to a Diamond revealed its true colors.
'Activate Blood Bank!'
Swiftly tentacles wrapped around his left arm, and with a pumping sound, the veins around his left side shone with a crimson light.
[Your health has fully recovered!]
Sensing that their target's state changed, the Automatons reacted as if a conflicting error triggered in their AI, conflicting choices hitting one against another.
Dissangage or Commit?
The mana in their eyes intensified as the choice was made by them. Commit to the kill.
"Truly. Marvelous."
Vecna's voice sounded impressed by what he just saw, committing to his own strike, even if he didn't consider this choice of the Automatons. His aim got locked on the Halberd wielding Automaton who took a telegraphed posture of a swing that might cleave his body if landing.
Before that even became a reality, he activated [Split Second] skill and vanished from the detection of the Automatons who couldn't help but watch their brethren get its legs blasted from its joints.
"I guess this isn't enough for you." commented Vecna appearing behind the downed Automaton who still held on the Halberd.
His next strike aimed at the joints of the elbow, slicing off the lead hand holding on the Halberd.
Since the beginning of the fight, Vecna's top priority in where he aimed was their joints that were left slender compared to the rest of their plated body.
It was a vulnerability of the Automatons that could be exploited by an agile and sharp fighter that wouldn't bitch out from tanking some hits head-on.
Watching the two remaining Automatons as they were locked on their target, he stomped on the downed machine, crushing its head, and breaking off the circuit that breathed life into its body.
"You two are next. Along with the others that might follow afterwards."
He spoke, unsure if psychological attacks would have any effects on some AI-controlled machines. It could be an advantage, and it wasn't as if his mouth would hurt if he taunted his enemy.
The response of the two Automatons got a small delay, but their reaction seemed to be fueled by fury.
Vecna's smile had already reached a level of eerie creepiness that seemed impossible to surpass, yet somehow it managed to intensify even further.
'Yes, that's it. Get mad at me. Do everything you can to kill me.'
Vecna seized another opportunity served on the platter by the Mage Automaton when it became stationary as it started casting a Grand Spell that could viscerate him. Even if the Sword wielding Automaton was leading a charge of his own, apart from looking maliciously at the poor robot.
His figure vanished in the shadows after throwing his blood imbued Skinning Dagger at the throat of the Caster, using his [Soaring Jump] to force himself at the base level. His dagger found its mark, and the Automaton staggered, its defenses momentarily compromised.
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 816 damage to the target.]
[Training Mana Automaton - LV. 30] [1610/3980]
The visage of a Vampire wearing a creepy expression that turned him malicious like a demon, could jump-scare even the bravest player, as he appeared in front of the Caster that stopped his spell as it held on the dagger stabbed in its throat.
"Let me give you a hand."
His voice was sarcastic as he kicked the Automaton on the ground, lunging his hand at the knife and with a withdrawn motion he followed up by executing some slashes targeting its joints, following with a step-by-step destruction of his enemy.
He executed swift and deadly maneuvers, combining his basic swordsmanship with his vampiric skills. The chamber reverberated with the clash of metal, the crackling of magic, and Vecna's deranged laugh.
"If you can't take me down while I'm this weak, there's no chance in Hell that you can do something about me as I grow."
A comment said calmly for the sword-wielding enemy, or going as far as the Mastermind of this Suppression Chamber.
Before the third enemy could reach him, he used his [Uncanny Grip] digging out the chest plates of the Caster mob, revealing its core, a large-sized Mana Stone that outshined what he procured from Caine's Dungeon.
'This one must be refined. Right. Alchemy is a thing in this Game, but usually avoided for its sham prices for procuring desired products.'
[Ding!]
[You have defeated a 'Training Mana Automaton' gaining the following rewards.]
[You will gain: 10,800 EXP; 1x Radiant Mana Gem; Conjurer's Staff; Spell Book: Fireball]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
The reinvigorating sensation brought by the level up, swung the fight into an overwhelming victory for the Vampire monster who didn't show a moment of breaking away from its Vampiric Mask.
Previously, the sound of defeating the Training Automatons didn't ring with the customary notification the System would bring, and it didn't take a genius to grasp the reason for this, especially after he butchered the Halberd-wielding Automaton, leaving him in a sorry state at only 1/5000 HP remaining.
That Mana Gem acted like a Power supply, their hearts, and as such Mechanical Construct could survive even without their Brains as long their Core was still turning.
'Check Status'
[User: Vecna / Class: Caine's Reincarnate / Race: Low-Grade Vampire
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Level: 13(2816/3850)/ Title: The Fallen One; +4 more (Open Tab to see all) ]
'High risk, high rewards? Hmm, leveling already to 13 after only 4 days of being a Vampire.'
'If I took the route of slaying Goblins and other Vermins I would be higher, by now level 40 or 50 with AoE grinding.'
Ignoring all of the distractions to his ongoing fight, he allowed the Swordsman Automaton to get into his range and slash his sword, blocked flash with the Reinforced Knife, pulsing around with Blood Magic.
An interesting effect he started noticing from this Sanguine Quenching was that with successful parries, he could do some life-stealing as the veins would spring to life and act like leeches.
Clashing blades with the Automaton, all sort of thoughts flowed continuously. From delivering a finishing blow to end this charade, to taking his time into adapting to the style of fighting the Automatons had integrated.
However, the thought overwhelming the others in Vecna's mind was a simple, straightforward one.
Acquire more power.
'This one is a Training Dummy overall. Should treat it as one.'
"Sorry. But I will not give you peace yet. There might be some Stats I can farm from you."
His declaration was too arrogant, but his abilities proved his words. His rudimentary swordsmanship learned from YT videos, practiced against Goblins, Kobolds, Lizardmans,Wild Beasts of all varieties, took shape right in this Suppression Chamber.
Unlike the stationary Training Dummy all the Players sweated around by striking at least one hundred strikes, a moving Training Dummy was a whole other bargain for Vecna.
He was conscious of the part that he shouldn't destroy it too fast and instead land his strikes on the plates of the Automaton.
[Strength has risen by 1]
The stats gain happened far quicker than on the surface, his body was stimulated from all sides, with the Automaton trying to defeat Vecna.
However, as minutes passed, it only turned into a Nightmare.
One might consider the Automaton being the monster considering the Quest requirements, but from how the fight played out it was the opposite.
Vecna had everything in his pocket, and used the Automaton in a controlled way, finding out that he could boost his Agility Stat by allowing himself to get attacked and dodging at a hair-length distance.
[Agility has risen by 1]
This type of bullying kept on going for 30 minutes, point where the Automaton fighting Vecna suddenly stopped, confusing the Vampire who also paused, gazing at its body for any minute changes.
[UNABLE TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT!]
[APPROPRIATE ANSWER WILL FOLLOW.]
[INITIATING THE DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE!]
Vecna's sharp eyes instantly noticed that from the Automaton's plated chest, around its heart, the Mana Core that he stripped the Caster Automaton started lighting up in Mana Particles.
It was an unpredictable response that had him frown, and with a long sigh, he finally decided to put an end to this fight.
He launched himself at the Automaton, and utilizing a combo of skills with Traversal and Golden Flash, he swung his knife
'Tsk, I shouldn't have left the Halberd bot motionless. Or kill the Mage one so quickly.'
Finally, with a calculated strike, Vecna dispatched the last Automaton.
[You have defeated a 'Training Mana Automaton' gaining the following rewards.]
[You will gain: 14,650 EXP; 1x Radiant Mana Gem; Novice Knight's Blade; 6x Reinforced Metal Plate.]
[You have leveled up.]
…
…
The room fell into silence, broken only by Vecna's steady breaths, and a small grunt of annoyance from missing out on the endless benefits of training with the Automatons.
He stood amidst the defeated machines, the taste of victory mingling with the iron tang of blood, only to break when the sharp sound of beeping came from the last surviving Automaton.
'Biiip' 'Biip' 'Biip'
"Could it be?"
"Soaring Leap! Uncanny grip!"
--BOOOOM--
The Halberd Automaton self-destructed, clouding the entire Chamber into heavy dust, and this cowardly method of going into the unknown infuriated a certain someone who was hanging on the ceiling of the Dark Chamber for dear life.
[You have defeated a 'Training Mana Automaton' gaining the following rewards.]
[You will gain: 12,650 EXP; Apprentice's Vanguard Halberd; 2x Reinforced Metal Plate.]
[You have leveled up.]
…
--Cough--
"Stick it up your ass. I almost got blasted by that Boom Bot."
His mood didn't change for the better even after gaining the rewards and levels the third Automaton would bring. An important item missing from the list was the Radiant Mana Gem that he could see great use in Elysias's growth or by investing in a future Alchemical Workshop.
"Hah. Hah. Let's calm down. It wouldn't sit well for the ones watching me to see this Vampire Lord pathetic."
"Afterall, I'm a predator born of darkness. My Maid even worships me as her God."
"No way, I'll get myself done by some machines." murmured Vecna to self-asset his commitment for this challenge.
'Open Status Window'
[Status Window]
[User: Vecna / Class: Caine's Reincarnate / Race: Low-Grade Vampire
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Level: 17(4,466/7,600) / Title: The Fallen One / Strongest Man in the Neighborhood/ Avid Explorer / Sharp Lumberjack / Rookie Explorer / Novice Adventurer
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Health: 1814/1814 | Mana: 672/672
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Strength: 105 | Stamina: 74 | Agility: 90 | Persistence: 28 (From Lumberjack)
Intelligence: 84 | Charm: 230 | Dignity: 40 Composure: 20 (Novice Adventurer)
Regeneration: 45 | Indomitable: 46 | Insight: 28 (Avid Explorer)
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Available Stat Points: 160]
.
'Let's take a stretching break, and also eat my lunch. Stressing next to the second door wouldn't do me good either way.'
'Enough time to freshen up, and think of all sorts of plans. Ahh, and I shouldn't forget to mine the Mana Stones here.'
'Log Out.'