Chapter 33: Lightning Blade

Outside the Mysterious Realm

The sound of an alarm echoed through the spacious room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn their attention to the source.

The projection screen displayed the image of a student who had triggered the alarm, and all the teachers, as well as the principal, were now fixated on the screen. The atmosphere in the room was tense and curious, as everyone started to watch the events unfold.

...

As Tigram prepared to face his trial, he focused his energy and cast his skill. He spoke the incantation softly under his breath before channeling his power into the spell.

"Earth Armor."

A sudden burst of energy surrounded him, forming a glowing yellow aura that enveloped his body. The energy continued to gather and coalesce, eventually taking on the shape of a transparent yellowish armor. The intricate details of the armor were visible, from the engraved patterns etched into the surface to the small, glowing gems that dotted its surface.

[ArmorUp] Experience effect! Decrease damage received!

As Tigram faced the fearsome Orc Warrior, he knew he had to act quickly. With a deep breath, he activated his next skill [War Cry], unleashing a powerful War Cry that echoed throughout the battlefield. The sound was meant to intimidate the Orc, to weaken its resolve, and to decrease its attack power.

[WarCry] Experienced effect! Increase physical damage!

He also activated his talent, multiplying his HP and damage by 3 times and his attack speed by 30%.

[Name: Tigram Gray]

[Class: Barbarian]

[Level: 5, Iron Middle Stage]

[Health Point: (1,360/1,360) (x3)]

[Mana: 430/650]

[Experience: 1,421/2,500]

[Defense: 92]

[Physical Attack: {104(+290) (x3) – 124(+350) (x3)}] (↑142)

[Attributes: STR: 27(+13), AGI: 7, DEX: 6, INT: 3, VIT: 19(+7)]

[Skills:

Wrathful Attack Level 5

War Cry Attack Level 1]

[Tome skill:

Earth Armor]

[Talent: Berserk (O)]

[Equipment: Grizzly Earth Axe, Battle Plate

Equipment Effect:

+100 HP

+10% Ignore Defense

Splashed Damage]

....

Tigrams total HP increased to 4080 points and his damage limit increased to 1422(↑142) points.

At the same time the orc experience [DamageDown] and its total damage was reduced by 52 points.

Tigram activated his skill [Wrathful Attack] and his axe slashed the Orc Warrior with a powerful blow, causing a deafening BOOM! The Orc had taken a significant hit and lost 1549HP points.

As they continued to fight, the sound of their axe clashes echoed in the air. However, due to the side effect of Tigram's talent, he was receiving damage over time (DoT) per interval, causing him to lose 30HP points in the first interval, 29HP points in the second interval, and 28HP points in the third interval. Despite this, Tigram's [Wrathful Attack] special effect had taken effect, buffing him.

[AtkSpeedUp] Experience effect! Increase attack speed!

When Tigram acquires the [AtkSpeedUp] buff, he undergoes a significant enhancement in his attack speed, allowing him to strike his enemies with greater speed and precision.

Despite Tigrams' increased attack speed, his relentless barrage of attacks was abruptly halted when the Orc unleashed its powerful [Stomp] skill. The ground shook violently and Tigrams stumbled his HP decrease by 716 points and he was unable to maintain his rhythm.

.....

[Stomp: Stop its feet to the ground, shaking it and interrupting the momentum of the enemy. Dealing damage 1.2 x physical attack.

Mana Cost: 30

Cooldown: 3 Seconds]

....

Tigram halted for a brief moment before he unleashed a sudden barrage of attacks. The Orc was caught off guard and was hit three times in quick succession, causing it to stagger back.

However, Tigram's talent side effect took effect, inflicting him DoT of 31 points. Despite the pain, Tigram ignored it and continued his relentless attack on the Orc.

With a deafening slash, Tigram's axe, cut through the Orc's thick skin, causing massive damage of 1000HP. The Orc was still standing, unable to react. Tigram didn't give the Orc a chance to recover and followed up with two more Hacks, each dealing a significant blow of 1024HP and 999HP respectively.

As the Orc received the barrage of attacks, it grew angrier and more desperate for revenge.

The sound of clashing metal echoed through the battlefield as the muscular orc warrior deftly executed his skill, [Double Chop]. Tigram managed to block the initial attack with his trusty axe. However, the sheer force of the second impact caused significant damage to him.

....

[Double Chop: Caster charges it weapons and brandishing twice in succession towards the enemy damaging enemy by 2 times the casters attack and an aftershock damage equal to the caster damage.

Mana Cost: 200

Cooldown: 10 seconds]

....

With a loud slashing sound, the Orc's health points dropped by a whopping 581. Tigram's talent negative effect took effect, inflicting damage over time (DoT), which caused Tigram to lose an additional 25 HP.

Despite the pain and injury, Tigram remained focused and, with a fierce determination, unleashed his skill, [Wrathful Attack], in retaliation.

Tigram's powerful attack shook the ground beneath the orc's feet.

The impact of the skill dealt a massive 1500HP damage to the orc, causing it to stagger backward. However, Tigram suffered damage over time, draining 25HP from his health.

[AtkSpeedUp] Experience effect! Attack speed increase!

Despite this setback, Tigram was undeterred and continued to fight. His skill, [Wrathful Attack], gave him an edge, as every hit he landed boosted his attack speed by 15%. With this advantage, Tigram launched another attack, determined to take down the orc.

(A/N: After the buff AtkSpeedUp was applied, every time Tigram attack using normal or skill, his attack speed will increase as long as he hit his target)

Tigram relentlessly attacked his enemy with a flurry of strikes. His sword flashed through the air as he delivered one powerful blow after another.

With a loud SLASH, he struck his foe, and the enemy's health bar dropped by 1020 points. Tigram struck again, and this time the damage was 1024 points. He continued his assault, each blow landing with deadly precision.

The Orc he was fighting tried to use its powerful Stomp attack, but Tigram was ready. He darted backward with lightning speed, causing the Orc's attack to miss.

But then, out of the smoke and chaos, a shadowy figure appeared. It moved toward Tigram with incredible speed, and he barely had time to react. He dodged the attack, but the shadow landed behind him and exploded.

The blast sent Tigram flying, and he hit the ground hard. He suffered some damage from the explosion, but he quickly regained his footing and charged back toward his enemy.

With a fierce determination, Tigram slashed at his foe with incredible speed. Each attack hit its mark, and the Orc's health bar steadily decreased.

Finally, after a series of devastating blows, Tigram landed the killing blow. The Orc fell to the ground, defeated.

[Prompt! You have killed Orc Warrior! Gain exp 2400]

[Congratulations! You have level, +1 level]

[Prompt! You have obtained 5 stat points]

[Prompt! You have obtained 1 skill point]

[Prompt! You have obtained skill book [Demolition Swing]!

[Prompt! You have obtained Leather Brace!]!

Hearing the series of prompts, ignored it and spoke.

Tigram heard a series of prompts but chose to ignore them and spoke instead. Looking at the points, he saw a wide gap between them and muttered to himself, "This is not enough!"

....

Dusk Valley

With his heart pounding in his chest, Dave quickly concealed himself in the shadows as soon as he heard the deafening roar of the Earth Bear.

He stayed hidden there for a while, waiting for the beast to move on before he emerged from his hiding spot and made a run for it toward Lightning Valley.

......

Lightning Valley

Once he reached the safety of Lightning Valley, Dave's emotions got the best of him, and he began to unleash his anger on the events that had just transpired in Dusk Valley. Though he tried to convince himself that he had hidden for self-preservation, the reality of the situation was that he was ashamed of himself for being so afraid.

The sound of Dave's screams and curses echoed through the valley as he violently attacked anything that came within his reach, his rage and frustration fueling his every move. The air was thick with the sound of slashing and spilling of blood as Dave's fury reached new heights.

Despite the chaos around him, Dave couldn't help but steal a glance at his current Ranking Points, which had increased significantly due to his recent outburst.

.....

[Name: Dave Blake

Place: Third

No. of Kills = 109- Iron ★, 11 - Iron ★★, 5 - Iron ★★★, 5 - Iron ★★★★, 2 - Iron ★★★★★

Points = 2560

Class: Warrior - Type, Swordsman]

.....

Dave's confidence was dealt a severe blow as he caught sight of his rank on the assessment ranking. His emotions, which he had been struggling to keep in check, threatened to spill over again. But he took a deep breath, pushed the disappointment to the back of his mind, and instead focused on checking his gains.

As he journeyed from Dusk Valley to Lightning Valley, Dave was fortunate enough to collect a few pieces of equipment from his kills, as well as a skill book that he eagerly used as soon as he got his hands on it.

Although the equipment he acquired was only of white grade, it was still top-tier white grade equipment that could give him an advantage in battles to come.

...

[Name: Battle Sword]

[Type: Sword, One-hand]

[Physical Attack: 100 - 150]

[Rarity: White]

[Description: Sword favored by gladiator; it is especially designed for prolonged battles in the arena.

Additional Attribute:

+2STR

+2AGI

Special Effect: + 30% increase in PATK when the wielder attacks]

[Durability: 100/100]

.....

[Name: Greaves]

[Type: Footgear]

[Defense: 35]

[Rarity: White]

[Description: Boots made by steel, a standard equipment for the knights of the empire. It is dependable when protecting the foot.

Additional Attribute:

+2STR

+10 Defense]

[Durability: 100/100]

.....

[Name: Steel Gauntlet]

[Type: Arms]

[Defense: 25]

[Rarity: White]

[Description: Arm bracer made by steel, a standard equipment for the knights of the empire. It is dependable when protecting the arms.

Additional Attribute:

+2STR

+5 Defense]

[Durability: 100/100]

...

[ Lightning Blade: Coats the blade with lightning attributes that increase that PATK by 30%. There is a 20% chance to do [Paralyze] on the enemy when attacking. Monster with a water element will receive 75% more damage when taking hit, while monster with earth element will receive 55% less damage.

Duration: 5 minutes

Mana Cost: 100

Cooldown: 20 seconds]

......

Dave is currently assessing his abilities and equipment to determine whether he's ready to take on a 1★ - Bronze opponent. Despite his efforts, he still finds it difficult to confirm if he's capable of defeating such an opponent. This uncertainty is also one of the reasons why he's unable to figure out what happened earlier, while Gabriel, on the other hand, was able to take down a 1★ - Bronze monster with ease.

Dave's main concern is that his skill set, particularly his [Tripple Slash], may not be enough to take down 1★ - Bronze monsters. He understands the importance of being well-equipped and skilled to face such an opponent.

....

[Tripple Slash level 4: Rapidly strike the enemy 3 times in succession, dealing massive damage per hit. 

Damage per hit = {(b.level + STR + AGI)/2 x S.Level x 5 x (1+pPen) +PATK}

Mana Cost = 30

Cooldown = 2 seconds]

....

Dave is struggling to utilize his talent as much as he can since it drains his mana pool significantly after each casting.

However, little does he know that with his current statistics, he is already capable of taking on some low-leveled 1★- Bronze monsters. All he needs is to look in the right direction and overcome the earlier shame that has been holding him back.

In a moment of frustration, he slaps himself hard on the cheek, and his face immediately turns red with pain. He realizes that he needs to overcome his self-doubt and surpass the poor performance he has been giving lately.

After slapping himself, he looks towards the direction of Dusk Valley, still contemplating whether he should enter or not.

Suddenly, he notices that Tigram's Ranking has increased by 1000 points. This motivates him, and he instantly becomes resolute. He rushes towards the direction of Dusk Valley with determination, leaving all his doubts and fears behind.