Chapter 61

The next morning, Keith took his position above the Blockade, full of anticipation for the battle to come. With the skill master title buffing Arsenal of the Desert, it now dealt 50% more damage and consumed 50% less mana.

Before, Keith ranked 54th on the Blockade Event’s leaderboards. At that rank, everyone ahead of him was a powerhouse – the strongest of the Innate Nation. It was exceedingly difficult to surpass them.

Keith wondered where he would place after today’s defense now that he had a level 1,000 skill. Top 40? Top 30? It was hard to say.

Soon, the monster horde appeared on the horizon.

Keith prepared for battle.

Thanks to the War Array buffing his intelligence by ten times, he summoned 200 Arsensal of the Desert weapons. He usually never conjured that amount due to losing control over their movements. With low control, the weapons wouldn’t be able to avoid a level 800+ monster’s attacks. A single blow would destroy them.

Now, however, he had no qualms.

Under the empowerment of Keith’s Mana Body, Arsenal of the Desert performed as a celestial grade skill, and with the addition of the Skill Master title, the conjured weapons would easily breach a level 800+ monster's defenses.

And so, Keith hovered in the air, surrounded by 200 floating weapons radiating golden light. There were longswords, spears, halberds, shortswords, and great axes. It was a magnificent sight.

When the monster horde arrived, Keith immediately locked onto a level 830 divine grade Scorched Serpent.

Pointing forward, the Arsenal of the Desert weapons shot off, leaving black streaks in their wake. They were so sharp they cut through space, proving that their lethality had skyrocketed.

The Scorched Serpent, seeing the horde of weapons coming its way, sensed a deadly threat. Hissing, it coiled around itself, its scales glowing dark red.

Even though it entered its strongest defensive state, it was useless.

The weapons drilled through its tough scales like worms and entered its body, dealing catastrophic damage before shooting out the other side. Now riddled with holes, the Scorched Serpent dissipated into motes of light, leaving behind loot.

Miraculously, Keith killed a level 830 divine grade monster in one move.

Filled with excitement, Keith directed his weapons toward a particularly large group of monsters. They swooped down, cleaving through the beasts like a knife through butter. Dozens of monsters dropped to the ground.

The Arsenal of the Desert’s weapons left death in their wake, slaying countless monsters. None could defend against their lethality.

From time to time, Keith resummoned the weapons that broke. That was the only downside of Arsenal of the Desert. The weapons were incredibly fragile. Thankfully, the Skill Master title’s reduced mana cost helped alleviate that weakness.

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It didn’t take long for Keith to clear the area of high level monsters.

Not only had he accomplished his mission faster than before, but he spent far less mana and stamina to do it. Thinking briefly, Keith retreated to the bottom of the Blockade, where a large brawl between close-combat fighters and monsters was underway. He activated Mythril Automaton, grabbed a longsword hovering next to him, and plunged into a group of Undead Warriors.

After a week of tutoring with borrowed talent, his Sword Mastery skill had reached level 560. Unfortunately, the closer Keith got to his tutor’s skill level, the less effective his tutor was at training him. Sparring no longer gave tangible gains. To progress, Keith needed to immerse himself in live combat, where his opponent wanted to end his life.

If the War Array empowered Keith, the Undead Warriors would be no match for him, so he turned it off, relying solely on his own power to face them.

The Undead Warriors outnumbered Keith ten-to-one.

Wielding massive greatswords, they used sweeping attacks that Keith tried to parry only to get knocked back, his sword nearly flying from his hand. After gauging their strength stat, Keith relied on footwork to avoid their blows.

Their wide attacks opened up their guard, which Keith took advantage of to whittle them down. Stepping in and out, the wind brushed against his face as he narrowly avoided their greatswords to slash and poke.

Just then, the Undead Warriors started working together, no longer attacking separately. They locked down the surrounding space, giving Keith little room to dodge.

As the pressure rose, Keith suddenly found three greatswords looming over his head.

Panicking, he avoided one by side-stepping and attempted to parry the second, intending to take the third with his body, when a nearby explosion caused his swing to deviate. It clashed against the side of the greatsword, sending it flying into the third greatsword, knocking it aside.

For a moment, Keith was stunned as enlightenment dawned on him.

So that’s a thing, Keith thought delightedly.

No longer wanting to kill the Undead Warriors, Keith instead used them as sparring partners. The random deflection from earlier showed the path forward for Keith to progress.

However, he quickly learned that it wasn’t so easy.

Sometimes, he messed up and took a hit.

If not for the Mythril Automatons redirecting the majority of the damage, Keith wouldn’t take such risks. As time went on, Keith gradually came to understand how to deflect his opponent’s attacks. Timing was key, as well as something else: force.

For years, Keith had been learning how to control his body to make the best use of his ever-growing stats. He had spent countless hours training in muscle utilization, force exertion, breathing techniques, and more.

And yet, by deflecting his enemy's weapon into another, it opened up a whole new world for Keith to explore. He discovered combat wasn’t just about controlling yourself. It also included your opponent.

In the past, many of Keith’s teachers said to pay attention to the movements of your enemies. He thought he had understood what they meant.

Now, Keith realized that he hadn’t.

Shifting his perspective, he watched the Undead Warrior at his side swinging its greatsword at him. He observed the sound of the wind, the acceleration of its weapon, and its stance. All of it informed Keith the Undead Warrior had used 70% of its strength in that attack.

By knowing exactly how much power it used, Keith no longer needed to overexert himself. He could respond with the precise amount of strength needed to parry the blow.

In addition, Keith instinctually sensed that should he parry at the tip of its greatsword, he’d get the greatest result.

So he did.

And the outcome was wonderous.

Like magic, Keith’s sword attached to the greatsword, guiding it off its intended trajectory. After deflecting it, Keith stabbed the Undead Warrior in the chest before retreating to avoid the attack of another Undead Warrior.

From that moment on, Keith was in total control of the fight.

Sometimes, just as an Undead Warrior was about to swing, Keith thrust at its wrist, causing all its gathered force to disperse. Other times, he deflected the monsters' weapons into each other.

All the while, his Sword Mastery skill gained one level after another.

561…

570…

583…

623…

651…