Chapter 147: Lost And Gained (1) (1)
The next evening, at the training ground of Party 1.
I was sitting on a chair, my sword resting on my knee.
In the middle of the square room stood a practice steel dummy, without any other decoration. This was a personal training space set up for me.
There were no special training schedules today.
And it seemed there wouldnt be any for a while.
I came to this room just to sort out my thoughts.
The loss was significant.
The raid of the 35th floor ended in success, but the process was frustratingly inadequate.
The death of Eloka, the only elementalist, was a tremendous loss, and Party 3, which was expected to be a main pillar of our force, suffered near-total annihilation. In addition, most of the promising talents who were growing through the 30th floor died meaninglessly.
Currently, Parties 1 and 2 each have four survivors.
And a few remainders, including Kishasha from Party 3. The damage was significant.
Like it or not, replenishing and restructuring our forces will take a considerable amount of time.
I scratched the back of my head.
The expected period needed for the towers next climb was over a month.
The more I thought about it, the more I had a headache.
Eloka was one thing, but Party 3 was a problem.
According to Jenna, Kishasha has been holing up in Party 3s quarters and refusing to come out.
Party 3 was a force comparable to ours, but their power was halved due to the penalty of an aquatic environment and several unfortunate mishaps. Even if we wanted to replenish their numbers, the chance of non-human races joining was extremely rare. It was essentially a total loss.
I exhaled softly.
There were a mountain of issues to resolve, but I decided to check and implement what I could do, one at a time.
Click.
I drew my sword from its sheath.
Before me stood a steel dummy, a fine item made with all the effort from the equipment workshop.
I took my stance and drew my sword sideways.
Crack! Sparks flew, and a dent formed in the middle of the dummy. But that was all. It didnt have that power to smash both water dragons and a golem at once like before.
Ascend, and then Soulblade Fusion.
These were the two skills I acquired on the 35th floor.
Ascend was a combination of Frenzy and Composure, along with Invinciblity and Combat Wrath, while Soulblade Fusion combined the essence of Heavenly Sword Spirit and Power Strike. As both were skill unique to me, they required analysis for efficient use.
Ideally, I should have tested their performance through sparring and real combat.
I glanced at the hologram window on my right.
The patch log updated in the last update came to mind.
For the Master!
[Convenience Update, The First!]
[Curious about the heros skills? Stop flipping through guides!]
[Skill window updated for easier, more convenient viewing! Viva!]
[1. From now on, detailed specs of skills will be provided. Touch the skill in the status window and]
A convenience update.
Essentially, it meant that now masters could understand the detailed effects of skills without having to go through the hassle of searching skill databases on guide sites.
Things have improved a lot.
Back in my day, I had to figure everything out through trial and error.
I felt a generational gap as I opened the status window.
[Han Israt () Lv. 34 (Exp 280/340)]
[Class: Warrior]
[Strength: 75/75]
[Intelligence: 10/10]
[Stamina: 68/68]
[Agility: 66/66]
[Owned Skills: Intermediate Swordsmanship (Lv.4), Ascend (Lv.1), Soulblade Fusion (Lv.1), Insight (Lv.6), Fire Resistance (Lv.3), Dragon Slayer (Lv.1)]
First, the skill window had changed.
Skills like horsemanship or underwater combat had disappeared into another tab.
Now, such skills were classified as auxiliary and could be viewed separately.
I touched the text labeled Ascend and pressed the View Details tab.
[Ascend (Lv.1)]
[Grade: B+]
[Type: Unique]
[Triggers the Heros body into a rampage, boosting combat power. However, it deducts the users vitality proportionally to the power boost. Death can occur at its maximum.]
[Attributes: Immunity to status effects, combat wrath]
[Remarks: Han Israt ()s exclusive skill]
The effect of the skill was as expected.
Boosting combat power at the expense of physical strain.
Death could indeed be a consequence.
That wasnt wrong.
I had nearly experienced it myself.
Then, I reviewed Soulblade Fusion.
[Sword Harmony (Lv.1)]
[Grade: B-]
[Type: Unique, Link, Double]
[Passive: Activated in normal state. Adds power correction to the Heros swordsmanship.]
[Active: Can be activated in Ascend state. Concentrates all amplified combat power into a single piercing slash. Part of the damage inflicted is also suffered by the hero. Death can occur at its maximum.]
[Attributes: Fixed damage]
[Remarks: Han Israt ()s exclusive skill]
The descriptions were grim.
Both skills could lead to death if misused.
However, their power was undeniable.
Having experienced them firsthand, I couldnt deny their effectiveness.
Unique skills.
The concept and identity of the respective hero.
They could be obtained through breakthroughs and possessed several times the potential of ordinary skills.
Training the hero was the part I paid the most attention to.
Stats were foundational, but ultimately, the heros final performance depended on how the skills synergized.
I corrected my posture, lowering my lower body.
The basic stance. I moved my hands while giving elasticity to my legs and waist.
At the same time, I flipped the switch in my mind as if using Frenzy.
Activate.
[Han () has entered Ascend state!]
Crunch.
A feeling of bones misaligning followed by intense pain wrapped around my body.
A sensation of being torn apart. I could feel the risk of Ascend even before seeing the status window.
Ugh!
I staggered and deactivated Ascend.
My entire body felt as if it was on fire.
Its a skill that consumes vitality.
It couldnt be maintained for long.
On the 35th floor, the aftermath of awakening somehow worked out, but it wont be easy next time. Every use was a gamble with my life.
I massaged my tingling wrist.
Ten seconds at most.
Any longer would put my life in danger.
Although it was a continuous skill, I could only use it temporarily as I am now.
I collapsed into the chair, contemplating how to utilize it.
The final phase of a mission would be the right time to activate Ascend, then move on to Soulblade Fusion.
A sort of finishing move.
To be used when certain of victory.
This is practically a self-destruct skill.
I knew similar skills would appear, but I didnt expect them to be this intense.
I stood up again. More precise calculations were needed.
Once more.
[Han () has entered Ascend state!]
A cold fire wrapped around my entire body.
I clenched my teeth until they bled, preparing for the next move.
Gripping the sword handle as if it would break, I maintained my composure to the end and swung the sword.
Boom!
With the sound of an explosion, the steel dummy in front of me vanished without a trace.
Not satisfied with breaking steel, a deep sword mark was etched into the metal wall in front. I tossed my sword aside. Then, I collapsed in a sprawl.
Sigh.
Troublesome.
I felt dizzy.
The skills power was excellent.
However, this method didnt allow for the full potential of the skill to be utilized.
In the end,
I need to get stronger to withstand the backlash.
My body had already entered the realm of superhumans, but it was ridiculously insufficient.
I needed a skill that significantly increased my bodys vitality.
I had to subject my body to extreme stress.
Pain tolerance training seemed trivial by comparison.
I got up, planning tomorrows schedule.
[Loki! I have news Whoa!]
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