Chapter 16: Desperate Battle
2014-11-28
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
“Shadows hide!” Soren’s figure gradually faded in the darkness. He gritted his teeth, tore a piece of fabric from his tattered clothes, and wrapped it around the wound on his leg to staunch the bleeding. This could temporarily suppress his injuries and slightly alleviate the pain during movement. However, this solution had to be undone in a short time, or it could very likely lead to further deterioration of his condition.
“Allocate all experience to Thief Level!”
Soren calmly drew his long sword and began to distribute his experience points.
This killing experience belonged to a type of soul energy and was the highest level of experience, usable for upgrading any profession level, including part-time, job change, and advancement, as well as for holding prayer ceremonies, summoning rituals, equivalent alchemy exchanges, etc. Generally, no one would easily use killing experience, as there were too many potential future uses for it. However, for Soren at the moment, if he did not stake all his cards, he might never have a future again.
A line of text data appeared before him:
“Thief profession level increased to level 4.”
“Gained 24 * 0.5 points of skill points, health increased by 10 points * 0.5.” “Gained 1 point of free attribute.”
A hint of color returned to Soren’s pale face; the 10 health points gained from the Thief profession level up pulled his condition back from ‘severe injury’ to ‘moderate injury’. This meant that his reflex capabilities had not been weakened, and the rate of physical consumption was reduced by half, so there would be no immediate signs of worsening injuries.
He allocated all skill points to Stealth, boosting his Stealth skill to 102 points in one go.
His figure gradually became fainter in the darkness.
Once his Stealth skill reached over 100 points, activating Shadows Hide produced a hazy spell-like effect.
Unless someone closely observed and listened, it would be difficult to detect his presence.
As for that precious point of free attribute, Soren gritted his teeth and allocated it to Constitution, as 20 points of extraordinary agility was not significantly different from 21 points. Unless he could elevate it to 25 points or above to awaken a legendary ability, he could only allocate this point of free attribute to Constitution to ensure his maximum survival capability at present. Attributes close to extraordinary Constitution meant that his wounds would not become infected or deteriorate further, and just a little more improvement in Constitution would grant him an effectual special ability. This was a necessary capability for high-level outdoor adventurers!
The boost in Constitution made Soren feel his stamina recovering significantly as he cautiously moved his feet and began to stealthily approach the bend.
There might still be traps nearby.
Without the required specialty, he could not proceed with further risks.
He had to kill that Abyssal Serpent Demon!
Only then would he have time to slowly recover from his injuries; otherwise, given the Abyss Demon’s recovery abilities, his situation would likely become increasingly perilous.
“There’s no smell of gunpowder in the air!”
Soren advanced step by step, continuously analyzing with his previous experiences, gradually getting closer to the passage that had exploded. “It should be a burst trap, using a magical device, possibly placed with a Fireball Spell magic circle.”
Without mastered skills, Soren couldn’t sense the elemental powers in the air.
However, his experiential judgments were still quite useful!
He spotted the Serpent Demon not far away; its massive body was in a bedraggled state, with shattered flesh and scales scattered all over the ground. The Serpent Demon’s over 600-pound frame could not evade in the passage; the bursting trap had exploded practically right next to its body. If it weren’t for the strong resilience of demon life, it might have been blown to bits on the spot. But its current state was quite poor; a ghastly white bone was visible at its waist, with a length of intestine lying on the ground, and its spine was nearly completely shattered. If it weren’t for the characteristics of extraordinary life, it wouldn’t have held on this long.
“Hiss!”
The hissing sound of snake-like life rang out as the Serpent Demon suddenly noticed Soren and turned its hateful gaze toward him.
Low-level Serpent Demons have little language capability; their species dictates that only females possess a considerable level of intelligence. Species below the Four-Armed Serpent Demon only grasp low-level demon language, while spellcasters with sacrificial capabilities understand the common tongue and other languages. It wanted to kill the one before it, who had summoned it to attack and caused this predicament. The killing nature of the Abyss Demon made it disregard its injuries, and it forcibly twisted its slender tail, attempting to inch closer to Soren.
Clang!
The Serpent Demon’s physical abilities significantly dropped in its injured state, letting out low groans of pain as it shifted its body.
Facing the long sword’s slicing strike, Soren easily sidestepped and immediately thrust at the enemy’s chest, where numerous scales had already been shattered.
Thud!
Hot blood splattered out.
Most serpent-like creatures are cold-blooded, but Abyssal Serpent Demons have many that live in lava regions.
“Zzzz!”
Some of the blood splattered onto Soren, and he quickly felt a burning sensation.
His expression changed slightly as he quickly pulled back, gravely stating, “Acidic blood?”
The areas splattered with blood already bore slight injuries, as if they had come into contact with diluted sulfuric acid. This was characteristic of demon and dragon blood.
The Serpent Demon in front of him should be a descendant of some high-level demon!
The long sword pierced into the Serpent Demon’s chest, worsening its injuries. It seemed to go berserk, attacking frantically, yet still failing to hit its enemy.
The exhaustion from the physical consumption made it weaker, and its bodily injuries severely affected its agility. In a near-death state, its combat ability was less than a third of what it was originally.
“It’s over!”
Soren dodged the Serpent Demon’s slash once more, then took a deep breath and shouted, leaping into the air, both hands gripping the long sword and plunging it straight at the creature’s heart!
“Die!”
Soren’s eyes were filled with a blood-red hue.
The demon’s skull was exceptionally hard; unless wielding extraordinary weapons, the head was not necessarily the most fatal weakness.
The massive body of the Serpent Demon stiffened briefly!
Then, as Soren pulled out the long sword, its bulky frame, weighing over 600 pounds, crashed to the ground with blood gushing forth, soaking the nearby ground.
“Ha!”
Soren sat down heavily on the ground, the force of forced combat worsening the injury in his leg.
The explosive state had a high stamina cost; few creatures could sustain intensive fighting for more than half an hour before their Constitution reached the extraordinary realm of 20 points!
Even giants, demons, and draconic beings couldn’t.
Only after exceeding 20 points in Constitution to enter the extraordinary realm could stamina consumption and recovery support long-duration battles.
Soren cut the constricting fabric with his sword and then carefully sliced away the mangled flesh at the wound’s edge that wouldn’t heal. It was a painful process but guaranteed he would recover faster.
A line of data appeared:
“Jump Slash successfully hit!…”
“Extra 2 points of strength damage added!… Inflicted 13 piercing damage on the target!…”
“Target dead.”
“Successfully killed Abyssal Serpent Demon!… Extracting target’s soul energy!…”
“Gained 1800 points of killing experience.”
An indescribable warm flow surged into Soren’s body; it was the soul energy from the slain target.
There was once a saying that players’ hero profession templates were solidified with the ability of the “Son of Slaughter” and inherited a trace of divine power from a killing deity, thus possessing a far superior rate of strength improvement than the native inhabitants of the plot. This claim had yet to be confirmed, but Soren remembered that after mastering abilities related to killing, souls, death, etc., killing enemies would grant a 10% – 20% bonus to gained killing experience.
After a brief rest.
Once Soren regained some stamina, he started to collect his spoils.
Abyss demons rarely carried money, but they often had extraordinary gear, like the weapons used by the Serpent Demon; Soren immediately picked up the two long swords.
“Item Identification.”
Soren took a look at the long sword he held, about one and a half meters long, with a blade width of ten centimeters. The hilt displayed snake-like patterns, with a peculiar rune inscribed on it, the blade hinted at a reddish hue, and when touched, it seemed to carry a hint of warmth. The blade was extremely sharp, the steel exceeding ordinary military-grade weapons, but the weight was also significantly higher, making it feel cumbersome in his hand.
A line of data appeared:
“Item Type: Serpent Demon Long Sword +1
Item Level:
Item Description: A long sword forged from Abyssal Fire Rock, possessing strong slashing and piercing effects, adds an extra 1 point of fire scorch damage.
Equipment Requirement: 14 points of strength or above.
Special Effect: Treats small to medium-sized creatures as a type, strength requirement +2.”
Not enough strength!
This was Soren’s first thought upon picking up the long sword.
Since this long sword was intended for Serpent Demons, its size and weight far exceeded what an ordinary person could handle.
Soren could lift this long sword, but while swinging it, he clearly felt the excessive weight, hindering his combat effectiveness. It was akin to a regular person being able to lift a 100-kilogram object, yet one could not use a 100-kilogram weapon in battle; before they’d lifted it, they would have been slashed several times. If the strength requirement of the weapon isn’t met, it means that using it in battle would double stamina consumption, and both attack speed and lethality would significantly decrease.
The dagger could leave afterimages in Soren’s palm!
But when using this long sword, Soren found that his slashing speed was less than half of what it usually was.
“Damn!”
“There’s a strength penalty!”
After just a few dozen swings, Soren felt soreness and numbness in his arms, with significant stamina expenditure.
In “The War of the Gods,” certain aspects demand high realism; a regular person can walk 20 kilometers, jog only 10 kilometers, and sprint less than 1 or 2 kilometers. Such qualities are perfectly simulated in “The War of the Gods,” much to players’ exasperation. So, upon experiencing that aching and tiring sensation, Soren immediately knew he was subject to a strength penalty using this weapon.
Though there were no visible indications yet.
Soren could calculate the penalty formula in his mind: Hit -4, Damage -4, Attack Speed -4, Stamina Consumption +200%.
What could once support a 10-minute explosive battle would now probably last less than 2 minutes.
He could only grin wryly.
Soren put down the Serpent Demon Long Sword with a sigh; after all, it was a weapon meant for a foe weighing over 600 pounds, akin to a ‘giant sword’ for a human. His current physique was adequate, and his stamina was good, but without sufficient strength, using this weapon was less effective than wielding an ordinary dagger.
A normal longsword weighs only about 2-3 kilograms, while this one weighs at least 15 kilograms.
Two would total 30 kilograms.
Add in some refined iron, and it was equivalent to the weight of a young woman.
Without the previous hero profession template, which could allocate strength points above 18, Soren’s current 12 strength could only support using ordinary human weapons.
Fighting with a strength penalty meant that he could unleash less than half his actual power!
“It seems I can only find a way to sell it.”
Soren strapped the two Serpent Demon Long Swords to his back. The 30-kilogram weight made him feel weighed down, reinforcing his belief that his current 12 strength points were insufficient. However, he must take this loot out; first-tier extraordinary weapons in the market typically priced above 100 Gindlers, with the Serpent Demon Long Sword’s value increased by 20-50% being a great deal, meaning these two first-tier extraordinary long swords were worth around 300 Gindlers.
Selling them would let him attain a better standard of living immediately.
