Chapter 17 : Difference
The ruined city slowly faded away, and the dark black room enveloped the two students. Lo woke up suddenly to find Bryan approaching him.
"Did you hold back when you used
Confused, Lo replied, "What do you mean, Bryan?"
"Huh? I thought you used
Shaking his head, Lo quickly explained, "What you saw earlier was a skill called [ Sword Trace ]." As he stared at Bryan.
He then thought to himself, 'I might as well try to deceive Bryan and everyone else that I wasn't using
Meanwhile Bryan muttered to himself, while lost in his thought "I've never heard of such a skill before,"
In the original novel, skills like [ Sword Trace ] were unheard of. However, Lo, with access to the [ System Shop ], essentially had access to all the undiscovered skills around the world of Acendia.
"Care to explain the function of the skill, if you don't mind?" Bryan asked.
"Sure, I'll explain later," Lo replied
As the two began to move out, countless students began to ask Lo questions.
"Lo, what kind of skill did you use just now?"
"Is that
"It looked like you were using
Anne stepped out from the group of students and turned to Lo, her eyes fixed on him. "Lo, was that
The other students looked puzzled, so Anne took it upon herself to explain. "For those of you who may not know, when a person becomes a ranker, they automatically attain the zeroth stage of
Lo nodded in agreement with Anne's explanation before proceeding to clarify the misunderstanding. "I'm sorry to disappoint everyone, but what I used earlier was actually a skill called [ Sword Trace ]. It essentially works just like
As Lo spoke, the group's eyes narrowed with suspicion. However, he continued with a smirk, "How would it be possible for someone like me with no background and weak rank to be able to use
Bryan then spoke out," then can you care to explain how the skill works when you activate it?"
Lo then begins to explain the workings of the skill, as the group listen attentively. "When I activate [ Sword Trace ], I see a thin line in front of me that guides my sword's trajectory," he said. "It also enhances my senses by tenfold, allowing me to anticipate my opponent's movements. However, it's a skill that can only catch enemies off guard."
Anne then interjected, "Then how does it produce the effects that is just like
Lo proceeds to shrug his shoulders, "Who knows."
"...."
Meanwhile, Aya couldn't help but think to herself, 'He is definitely lying just from his posture alone.'
Leo began to talk, "Do you think it's possible for such a skill to exist in this world? I know there are countless strong skills out there, but is there a broken one just like this?"
The girls then gave Leo a deadpan stare, each thinking to themselves, 'Says the guy who has an arsenal of broken skills.'
Anne stopped questioning Lo and proceeded with the mock battles. As time passed, it was now Lena's turn to face Leo. Lo and Aya's eyes widened in shock at the matchup. In the original novel, Lena was supposed to face Eleanor, and Leo was supposed to face a student called Owen.
Everyone, including Lo, watched the two students walking towards the black chamber. Lo couldn't resist the urge but to check the status window of the two 'characters' he had once read.
'Appraisal'
[ User : Leo, Ashton
Rank : 1st(Peak) Mortal Rank
Title : ■■■■■■■■, 8th Keeper of Celestial Key ( Unique )
Class : Duelist ( Unique )
Martial Technique : [ Eclipse Luminance Sword Art ( ★★★★★★ ) ] < Restricted >
- Eclipse Luminance Sword Style 1st Form : Twilight Abyss
- ???
Blessing : None
Bloodline : [ Gravity Manipulation ] < Restricted >
Talents : [ Legendary : Luminous Lux - Enhances the user's aptitude for light magic and skills, amplifying the potency of any light related attacks, enables the user to use light related magic. ]
Traits : Iron Will ( S- rank ) < Restricted >, Dragon's Fury ( SS+ Rank )< Restricted >
Energy : Mana( Magic ) < Restricted >
< Magic : Solar Flare >
< Magic : Flash >
Skills :
[ Active : Dawn Blade ( A Rank )] < Restricted >
[ Active : Absolute Defense ( SS Rank )] < Restricted >
[ Active : Whirlwind Tempest ( S Rank )] < Restricted >
]
"Everything seems to be the same as in the novel," he continued to check the status window. 'As expected from a walking cheat code. If there were no restrictions in this mock battle, Lena would have instantly lost. No, wait... now that I think about it, Lena should have that broken Blessing,' Lo thought to himself as he began to check Lena's status window.
[ User : Lena, Amary
Rank : 1st(Peak) Mortal Rank
Title : Uriel's Apostle ( Hidden ), The Ice Princess
Class : Sharpshooter ( Unique )
Martial Technique : [ Astral Wind Bow Art ( ★★★★★★ ) ] < Restricted >
- Astral Wind Bow Style 1st Form : Zephyr's Arrow
- ???
Blessing : Sanctuary of Boreas
- Creates a field of frozen terrain that extends outward from the user, decreasing all attribute stats of anyone inside by 20%. The cold and icy environment also causes hyperthermia in those within the field, decreasing their movement speed and perception even further ( Caps at 40% ). The user of this blessing also gains increased potency for their ice-based related attacks, gaining a 30% boost in effectiveness. The field can last for a duration of 10 minutes, and covers an area of 30 meters in radius from the user's position. < Cooldown Duration : 1 Year >
Bloodline : [ Frozen Heart of Skadi ] < Restricted >
Talents : [ Legendary - Natural Predator ] < Restricted >
Traits : None
Energy : Mana( Magic ) < Restricted >
< Magic : Ice Spike >
< Magic : Frozen Barrier >
Skills :
[ Active : Storm Gust ( A Rank )] < Restricted >
[ Active : Glacial Fortress ( S Rank )] < Restricted >
[ Active : Ice Mirror ( B Rank )] < Restricted >
]
'Anne didn't restrict the use of her blessing during the mock battle,'
'...' He paused for a moment before continuing his thoughts, 'Not that she would use her trump card anyway just for a mock battle test,'
Although Lo knew that they possess countless broken skills, he still couldn't help but wonder how they manage to acquire S-rank and SS-rank skills with such ease. Not only that, but Lena's blessing is the most overpowered thing he has ever seen. After realizing how much of a debuff it provides, 'I can understand why readers are angry at the author for creating such a broken blessing for Lena.'
As he continued to skim through Lena's status window, he noticed a title that caught his attention: 'Uriel's Apostle.'
"Since when did she acquire this title? It wasn't mentioned in the novel, and I'm pretty sure I didn't mess up the storyline that badly,"
Lo sighed to himself, frustrated by the number of unknown variables that seemed to be popping up everywhere lately. "I really need to take some rest after this shit is over,"
He then remembered the next big news that would hit at the start of the school year in the human domain: "The greatest alchemist died inside a gate. It is said that the alchemist died trying to escape against beasts."
Shaking the useless thought for now, Lo began watching the match of the two strongest students inside the elite class.
Lena and Leo stood facing each other in a dense forest, surrounded by trees. "Lena, don't be too harsh on me,"
Lena remained silent, her eyes fixed on Leo as she began to contemplate her moves for the upcoming match. The two continued to stare at each other intently as they stood in the midst of the dense forest, surrounded by trees. Suddenly, a loud ding echoed through the woods, signaling the start of the match.
Leo took a step forward and drew his sword, pointing it at Lena. "Come on, let's see how much you have grown," he said.
Lena remained calm and took a few steps back, creating some distance between them. She took out her bow and loaded an arrow, her eyes never leaving Leo. "I don't need to come to you. I can hit you from here," she replied with a confident tone.
Leo charged forward with a sudden burst of speed, closing the gap between them in a matter of seconds. Lena quickly took aim and released an arrow.
Xiu..
But Leo was too quick and deflected it with his sword. He swung his sword at Lena, who dodged it with ease and shot another arrow, but it missed its target.
Cling..
"Looks like you've improved quite a lot since the last time we dueled, the last time I used that attack, you nearly stumbled." Leo remarked.
Lena grinned, "Thanks, I've been practicing a lot," she replied, adjusting her grip on her bow.
Leo nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, as he prepared himself in combat stance. "I can tell. You're a lot more confident now, and your aim is getting better,"
The two continued their intense battle, with Leo relentlessly trying to close in on Lena and Lena skillfully evading his attacks while firing arrows from a safe distance.
Xiu!.
Xiu!..
Cling!..
Cling!..
Leo was skilled and agile, but Lena's accuracy with her bow was unmatched. She managed to land a couple of shots on him, however due to the attribute stat difference, it didn't deal as much as she would expect.
Leo eventually managed to get close to Lena and started attacking with quick slashes, but Lena managed to dodge most of them and shoot some arrows in response. One of her arrows grazed Leo's arm, causing him to flinch in pain, Lena took advantage of this momentary distraction and shot another arrow, Leo gritted his teeth and slashed the incoming arrow on his left thigh.
As the fight continued, the two opponents began to anticipate each other's moves, making the fight even more intense. Leo tried to close in on Lena once again, but she was too quick for him. She shot a volley of arrows at him, but he deflected them all with his sword.
Leo decided to change tactics and began to move in a zigzag pattern, making it harder for Lena to aim at him. Lena tried to keep up, but Leo's movements were too unpredictable. He managed to get close enough to Lena to land a hit on her arm with his sword.
"Aughh.."
Lena winced in pain but didn't let it affect her focus. She shot another arrow at Leo, but he managed to block it with his sword.
Xiu!..
Cling!..
Leo smirked, "Nice try, but you're going to have to do better than that."
Lena gritted her teeth, determined not to let Leo get the upper hand. She quickly moved away from him, creating distance between them once again. She loaded another arrow and took aim, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Leo was not going to let her get the best of him. He charged forward once again, but this time Lena was ready for him. She shot an arrow, which Leo deflected with his sword. However, this was just a feint. As soon as Leo deflected the arrow, Lena quickly shot another one, which hit him in the shoulder.
"Ughh.."
Leo groaned in pain and stumbled back, but he quickly regained his footing. He charged towards Lena again, moving in a zigzag pattern. However, this time Lena was ready for his evasive tactics. Using all of her strength, she released an arrow that was difficult to see with the naked eye.
XIUUU!....
Leo gritted his teeth and summoned all of his might to block the incoming projectile. The arrow collided with his sword, causing the impact to reverberate through his arm. Although he managed to deflect the arrow, the force of the impact sent him crashing back against a nearby tree, creating a resounding thud that echoed through the forest.
BANG!..
Leo struggled to regain his footing, leaning against the tree as he gasped for breath. The impact of the arrow had reverberated through his arm, leaving it aching. As he tried to stand, he noticed a small cut on his hand where the arrow had struck.
"You've grown remarkably," Leo said in a tired tone.
Lena's voice was equally exhausted as she replied, "You too."
Just as Lena was about to speak, Leo raised his hand in a signal of surrender.
Lena lowered her bow and let out a sigh of relief. "It was a tough fight," she said. As her body began to recover, she begins to approach Leo.
"I gave it my all," Leo replied
Lena extends a hand to help Leo up. "You put up a good fight today,"
"Thanks," he said.
As the fight concluded, everyone, including Aya who had previously predicted Leo's victory, was taken aback by the outcome, everyone except for Lo. who had already considered the possibility of Lena winning due to the various restrictions between skills, bloodlines, talents, traits, and energy.
"Class Diff." Lo spoke while shaking his head. "But then again, I have a cheat skill that allows me to see status windows."