Chapter 204: Leviathan’s Will (Gold)
The sea below Martin had nearly vanished beneath the chaos of battle.
Storm’s cannons thundered from both sides of the fleet, hurling heavy iron rounds over the waves. Arrows, thrown weapons, spells, and unique skills followed from every direction, filling the air with fire, lightning, and flashes of steel. At the center of the barrage, the Sea Dragon Monster thrashed through the ocean, its massive serpentine body churning the water with every violent twist.
Martin remained suspended above it all, held in place by a force he could neither see nor understand.
Hold The Line had made him the center of the vanguard, connecting him to the ships and players fighting within the skill’s reach. Supporting so many targets at once should have strained him, but that was not what caught his attention.
The Worldshell Carapace had started vibrating.
A deep pulse spread from the plates covering his chest and traveled across his shoulders, back, and limbs. Within seconds, every plate of the Worldshell Carapace was humming against his skin. At the same time, something firm took shape beneath his boots.
Martin carefully shifted his weight. Empty air stretched below him, yet his feet found solid purchase. The invisible foothold kept him steady against the roaring wind, nearby explosions, and the ocean’s constant upheaval.
What confused him most was how easily the awakening had happened. He had not completed a hidden quest, defeated some legendary monster, or sacrificed an absurd pile of rare materials. The Worldshell Carapace had simply reacted to Hold The Line.
His confusion soon gave way to excitement. Martin had paid a fortune for the armor, and its strange requirements had always suggested that it held more potential than its description revealed. Until now, he had simply never known how to draw that potential out.
The plates around his shoulders suddenly constricted, their edges digging deeper until they seemed to bite into his flesh. A sharp prickling sensation raced down his arms, followed by a painful throb that spread through his muscles and sank into his bones.
Martin grimaced.
Was that actual pain?
The game could imitate heat, pressure, exhaustion, and plenty of other sensations, but this felt different. The armor was not merely adjusting to him. Something dormant inside it was forcing itself awake through flesh and steel.
Before he could decide whether that was exciting or deeply concerning, several system notifications appeared in front of him.
[The Worldshell Carapace has resonated with your skill.]
[The Worldshell Carapace has resonated with your body.]
[A hidden dormant skill has been awakened: Leviathan’s Will (Gold)]
Martin’s eyes widened, but another message appeared before he could process the first three.
[For every attack made within Hold The Line’s area of effect, you receive a corresponding defensive stat.]
[You have received Lightning Resistance (+1).]
[You have received Fire Resistance (+1).]
[You have received Melee Physical Resistance (+1).]
[You have received Ranged Physical Resistance (+1).]
The notifications kept coming.
Every attack unleashed within Hold The Line’s range left something behind. Lightning strengthened Martin’s resistance to electricity, while flaming projectiles increased his protection from fire. Arrows, cannonballs, blades, claws, spells, and blunt attacks all contributed defensive bonuses of their own.
Stat after stat poured into the Worldshell Carapace. Its vibration deepened with each increase, and the plates grew heavier against Martin’s body. Rather than pulling him down, the added weight rooted him more firmly against the invisible surface beneath his feet.
At first, the flood of notifications seemed absurd. Then Martin looked across the battlefield and realized just how many attacks were being unleashed within his skill’s reach.
Storm had brought several ships, each packed with players throwing everything they had at the Sea Dragon Monster. Some attacked from the decks, while others hurled themselves toward the creature with movement abilities.
Cannons continued firing from both sides of the formation. Every projectile, spell, weapon strike, and charging player within Hold The Line’s range fed another bonus into the armor.
Dozens of people were attacking at once, each with a different class, build, weapon, and fighting style. A battle this large was already rare enough, but having a Warden standing at the center of it and empowering the entire vanguard made the situation even more ridiculous.
So that was it. The previous owner never got a chance to hog the spotlight the way I just did.
Martin almost laughed. Hold The Line was not covering a few party members gathered around him. It stretched across the entire vanguard, reinforcing players, supporting the ships, and holding the formation together while attacks poured in from every direction.
The requirement had to be something stupidly specific. The wearer needed to use Hold The Line during a massive battle and gather enough different attacks inside its range.
Even that was not enough. They also had to survive while the Worldshell Carapace reacted to both the skill and their body.
How the hell was anyone supposed to figure that out from the armor’s description?
Neither Martin nor the previous owner had even known the hidden requirement existed. Had he continued using Hold The Line only during ordinary party battles, Leviathan’s Will might have remained dormant forever.
A grin spread across his face.
Well, I found it now, and there’s no fucking way I’m wasting this chance.
The bonuses continued to build, and Martin could feel the change without opening his status screen. Nearby explosions no longer struck him with the same force. Heat from passing fire skills barely registered, while the shock waves caused by the Sea Dragon Monster’s movements scattered harmlessly across the carapace.
For several seconds, Martin watched the battle and let the power accumulate. The Worldshell Carapace had turned him into an anchor above the battlefield, with every new attack making him tougher and harder to move. At this rate, neither the monster nor the ocean would be able to knock him from his position.
He could have remained there and continued supporting the vanguard while Storm’s players and cannons wore the monster down. That would have been the sensible choice, which meant Martin had little interest in it.
Being able to absorb everything was useful, but he refused to float above the battle while everyone else landed the exciting hits. The Worldshell Carapace had just given him an absurd amount of defensive power, and one of his mastery nodes could turn every last point of it into something far more satisfying.
Martin wanted impact, and he intended to deliver enough for the entire battlefield to feel it.
Comments