Chapter 205: Over 2 Million Damage
Martin reached into his inventory and pulled out a warhammer. The heavy weapon materialized in his hand as he rolled his shoulder, adjusted his grip, and braced himself against the invisible foothold. In response, the armor tightened around his body once more.
Below him, the Sea Dragon Monster reared through another barrage. Lightning crawled across its scales while cannonballs slammed into its side and burst against the thick armor covering its body. Players scattered from its snapping jaws as their allies continued attacking from the surrounding ships.
The monster had barely finished turning toward one group when Martin drew back his arm.
"Let’s fucking go!"
He hurled the warhammer with all his strength. The weapon spun toward the Sea Dragon Monster, tearing through the air as it rapidly closed the distance.
Before the hammer could strike, Martin vanished from his position above the battlefield and reappeared beside the creature. Water streamed between its scales, and its enormous body filled his vision. The sheer force of its movement would have hurled most players into the sea, but Martin held his ground without yielding an inch.
The Broodtide Bulwark was already strapped firmly to his left forearm. As he raised it, the Worldshell Carapace responded, gathering every defensive bonus he had accumulated behind the shield’s broad surface.
Martin activated a mastery node he had not used in quite some time. Its effect was simple, but he could not have asked for a better moment.
[Shield Damage Mastery: Converts all DEF Stats into Damage!]
The accumulated defensive power surged into the Broodtide Bulwark.
Every resistance and temporary defensive bonus granted by Leviathan’s Will vanished from Martin’s status at once. The protection he had built during the battle poured into the shield, packing it with so much force that cracks immediately spread across its surface.
[All accumulated defensive bonuses have been consumed.]
Pressure tore through Martin’s shoulder and arm. The Broodtide Bulwark groaned beneath the weight, its frame already beginning to fail before he had even swung it.
The Sea Dragon Monster finally noticed him and began turning its massive head.
For a heartbeat, Martin’s eyes flashed deep blue, their golden pupils narrowing into vertical slits.
Martin struck before it could react.
"SHIELD BASH!"
He drove the Broodtide Bulwark into the monster’s side with everything he had.
For a fraction of a second, the impact seemed to stop there. Then the accumulated power detonated through the creature’s body with a thunderous crack that rolled across the ocean.
The Sea Dragon Monster buckled around the point of contact. Its scales shuddered, and a pained roar tore from its throat as the force traveled along its enormous frame and hurled it sideways.
At the same moment, the Broodtide Bulwark shattered.
Cracks raced across its entire surface before the shield burst apart against the monster’s body. Fragments spun through the air, dissolving into fading particles before they could fall into the sea. The weight vanished from Martin’s forearm, leaving no trace of the shield behind.
A system notification appeared across his vision.
[The Broodtide Bulwark has been destroyed.]
Another followed immediately.
[Shield Bash has dealt 2,317,884 damage to the Sea Dragon Monster!]
Martin stared at the number for half a heartbeat.
Over two million from one Shield Bash? Fucking beautiful.
The Sea Dragon Monster’s health bar plunged by a visible chunk, large enough that every player watching it noticed the drop at once. Several attacks faltered in mid-cast as their owners forgot what they were doing and stared at the boss’s remaining health.
Then the monster slammed into the ocean hard enough to blast the sea open.
A towering wall of spray erupted into the air while the shock wave spread beneath the surface. The water rose in every direction, forming several enormous waves that raced across the battlefield.
The first struck the nearest ships almost immediately. Their decks tilted at sharp angles as the water surged beneath them, forcing players to grab railings, ropes, masts, and one another to avoid being thrown overboard. Loose weapons and equipment slid across the planks, while several cannon crews abandoned their stations before the heavy machines could crush them.
A second wave arrived before the ships had settled, followed closely by a third. For several chaotic moments, the ocean became more dangerous than the monster.
Storm’s formation buckled without completely breaking. Vessels that had been aligned moments earlier drifted apart, their hulls groaning under the pressure while sailors and players shouted over the rushing water.
"What the hell was that?" one of Storm’s guild members yelled while hanging from a rope with both hands.
Another player clung to the base of a mast and stared toward Martin. "Was that seriously a Shield Bash?"
"Is he a Warden or a damn rocket?!"
A cannon operator wiped seawater from his face and looked between Martin and the smoking cannon beside him.
"Forget the cannons! Just load him into one!"
"You want to fire our Warden at the boss?"
"Did you not see the damage?"
The argument ended when another wave struck the ship and sent both players sliding across the deck.
Nearby, the dead fish Shuri had been holding were ripped from her hands and launched into the air. They spun above the waves before disappearing one by one into the spray.
"No, my fish!" Shuri cried, reaching after them.
She barely had time to mourn before the water caught her too. The current swept her away from Angel and sent her tumbling after the last of her stolen prizes.
Farther back, Plume clung to his ship’s railing with both hands. His coat snapped behind him in the wind as another wave crashed across the deck and soaked everyone nearby. The vessel tilted beneath his feet, but he refused to let go.
Around him, his guild members were still shouting over one another.
"That was over two million!"
"With a shield!"
"Captain, can we make everyone switch classes?"
"What happens if we get ten of him?"
Plume stared at the distant Warden who had struck the Sea Dragon Monster hard enough to turn the ocean against them. After glancing at the players struggling to remain aboard his ship, he raised his voice over the chaos.
"Ye darn bastards had better go Warden! We’re definitely building ourselves some Wardens after this!"
Comments