Kizaki Raku was not having a good day. He was one of three primates who failed to qualify as guardians for any of the seven sin floors. Even worse, the newbie goblin managed to qualify!
Despite Kizaki’s disappointment and anger, he accepted Queen Alia’s command to infiltrate the treasure-seeking army and eliminate known talents amongst the coalition’s troops.
Over the past hour or so, Kizaki successfully eliminated just over thirty targets. There were dozens more who perished alongside the targets, but he did not count them.
Each time, all Kizaki needed to do was antagonize them a little, and the targets would not notice his men surrounding them. Then, he would easily slaughter them.
Stryke of the Hopeful Maggots was one of the highest priority targets. Intelligence suggested he was the lynchpin behind the Maggots’ several successful raids in nearly every dungeon. More than his managerial skills, Stryke’s combat skills were the concerning factor. Intelligence reported that every raid he participated in had a 99% survival rate. It had to be known that Stryke often joined first-time raids in unknown dungeons. That kind of survival rate was unheard of.
Kizaki Raku personally believed the intelligence was flawed. There was no way a single person could have that much influence in a dungeon. It had to be known that dungeons often had traps that easily killed unsuspecting adventurers. Guarding oneself was easy enough, but could Stryke really guard an entire party from so many traps he did not even know exist?
“Impossible.” Kizaki smirked as he looked into the tora’s eyes. “Someone as brash as you could not possibly have that reputation.” Kizaki grunted and jumped back several steps, putting some distance between himself and Stryke. He then pointed his staff at Stryke. “First, I’ll expose you for the fraud you are, then I will kill you.”
Stryke snorted and then charged at Kizaki. “Don’t care about any stinking reputation.” Clang! Stryke unleashed a flurry of strikes which Kizaki parried with his staff.
“Of course you do not.” Kizaki sneered in contempt. “What kind of tank abandons his team for a solo-kill to soothe his ego?”
“Idiot.” Stryke gathered strength in his right hand and then swung down with all his might. “[Gore Slash]!” Dark ki exploded, forming a scythe that blasted Kizaki several meters back. Surprisingly, Stryke did not pursue his advantage. Instead, he held his position and fixed Kizaki with a hard glare. “First, there are no tanks in my raid squad.”
Styrke revealed a deadly, toothy grin. “We only have off-tanks.” Before Kizaki could question what the hell that was, Stryke added with a sardonic laugh, “Also, who said I abandoned my squad?”
A sudden terrible roar burst through the forest, causing many combatants to shake in their books. Stryke’s unleashed [ Predator’s Roar ] served two purposes. First, it temporarily stunned enemies in a twenty meter radius. Secondly, it drew a lot of aggro, forcing enemies to prioritize him over his teammates.
Unfortunately, because L.N.E was a ‘realistic’ game, the second effect had a lot of limitations when used on intelligent creatures like humes. Intelligent creatures could resist the aggro if they rationalized that someone else was a better prized target.
Stryke, however, did not care if the second effect took place. The stun was good enough, giving his squad a brief millisecond where they did not fear attack, or perhaps more importantly, knew the enemy could not defend. The timing was short; so short that it was almost impossible to chain any attack to land at the same time.
Or rather, that should have been the case.
As if by coincidence, several mandalas appeared around the battlefield a second before Stryke’s roar. Rock spires shot up from the ground and impaled many Chaos Order soldiers once they got stunned and were unable to dodge.
Bzzt! Bang ! “Charge!” Sara shouted, leading their squad to tear into the disorganized Chaos Order soldiers. The teenager was like a wolf unleashed into a flock of sheep. Lightning exploded from her fists as she skillfully weaved through the enemy forces and delivered crunching blow after another.
By her side, Hogosha broke into the enemy’s ranks, using its powerful teeth and claws to crush skulls and rip off heads. The Nespian Tiger’s size and strength made it seem like a semi-truck was running through the battlefield. Those that survived its body slam soon fell under its paws.
Craig, meanwhile, kept the fires burning from a safe distance, ensuring the enemy did not escape. At the same time, he controlled the flames so they did not run rampant and start a forest fire. A forest fire would be the worst-case scenario for all involved in this expedition. Occasionally, he tossed an errant fireball at any Chaos Order soldier that gained an advantage over a teammate.
Finally, Yuna, who led the team’s healing unit, threw out healing and rejuvenating spells with excellent timing. Through her timely judgment, the Maggots could fight at full strength without worrying about minor injuries. The Maggots’ Devil May Care attitude, backed up by their healers was one of the reasons no one liked facing them in open combat.
However, the Maggots’ aggressive fighting style relied on more than just the healers. There was one distinct figure, whose buffs and spatial awareness placed the Hopeful Maggots’ raid team firmly among the top one percent in the continent.
A second roar rang out, but this one was much more mellow, almost gentle even. Following the roar, a tiger silhouette appeared over the Maggots and then laid down, as if to protect them with its body. Immediately, every Maggots’ skin glowed as a thin layer of ki formed over their bodies.
[Tiger’s Embrace] was a variant version of [Holy Ground], a popular guardian/paladin skill that boosted all allies’ DEF points by 100%.
[Tiger’s Embrace] instead, boosted the allies with the guardian’s total DEF points. Furthermore, unlike [Holy Ground], which lasted for thirty seconds, [Tiger’s Embrace]’s thirty-second activation period, extended another thirty seconds per enemy slain, stackable for a maximum of five minutes.
[Tiger’s Embrace] was Stryke’s unique signature skill, and also the cause of his squads’ dominance in dungeons. This ability had a seven minute cooldown, but the cooldown could be shortened to five minutes, if Stryke’s [Tiger Rage] reached full capacity.
Incidentally, Stryke’s [Tiger Rage] grew whenever an enemy attacked him.
Due to this cheat-like ability, Stryke’s entire squad fought with the DEF stats of a tank, while retaining their full attack capabilities. This was why their squad did not need a conventional tank. Anyone could take the role of tank as long as Stryke’s buff was active. In essence, it was the ultimate team ability.
Predictably, Stryke did not explain any of this to Kizaki, leaving the cerulean frustrated and in disbelief as the Maggots swarmed the Chaos Order.
“Sleeping Willow, Guran, three’o clock! Box them in!” To add insult to injury, Stryke repeatedly barked out orders while battling Kizaki, and the remaining Chaos Order soldiers outside the flame walls. It was like he could see through the flames, despite clearly facing Kizaki.
“Damn you! The intel was wrong. You’re not a paladin!” Kizaki swore in anger as he struck his staff against Stryke’s shield. He hoped to pin Stryke down, so his soldiers could attack from the sides, but Stryke was unlike any tank he had ever met.
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The tora utilized quick feet to dart across the battleground. Stryke often ended up perilously close to soldiers, making it hard for their mates to swing wildly for fear of friendly fire. As a result, Stryke carefully picked them off one after another.
“That’s enough!” Kizaki roared, unable to bear any further humiliation. His body suddenly exploded into mist that dispersed and surrendered Stryke. “What’s your class!?”
Stryke’s gaze narrowed as he inspected the dense fog. It seemed Kashi’s guess was correct. Some of the Primates, like Froy, had immaterial, elemental bodies.
Clang! Stryke raised his shield, barely blocking a staff that materialized above his head. Before he could retaliate, the staff disappeared in a puff of smoke. Stryke gritted his teeth and then turned around, barely blocking another strike in time.
Puchi! “Ugh!” Stryke groaned in anger as he glared at the spear stabbed into his side. Fortunately, he dashed to the side in time, preventing the blade from digging too far. However, the other soldiers wisely used the fog as cover to launch attacks while Stryke was distracted.
Clang! Bam! Stryke blocked another spear, but then failed to dodge Kizaki’s staff as it struck the back of his head. The tora tumbled, slightly dazed by the sneak attack.
The Chaos Order would not miss this great opportunity. Ten spears wrapped in frightening ki simultaneously stabbed out from the fog. The spear men attacked at different angles and heights, effectively blocking Stryke’s escape route.
“Grrrr.” Stryke let out a low growl at the incoming spears. In response, he stabbed his sword into the earth and leaped onto the pommel. He then kicked hard, launching himself into the air. On the way up, Stryke drew a second buckler from his back and turtled between both shields.
The small shields certainly did not cover his entire frame, but Stryke was prepared. He infused the shields with mana, activating the embedded gemstones. The mana shield spell activated, creating a translucent shield that covered both sides.
Clang! Zzt! Bang! The mana shields shattered under the combined attack, causing the inlaid gemstones to crumble. Stryke trembled from the resulting aftershocks, but he did not mind as the shields had completed their job, briefly stopping the spears’ momentum.
“That’s enough.” Stryke growled as his eyes turned scarlet red. “Now, it’s my turn.” Stryke’s ki exploded, sending the spears flying several meters away. His facial features then became increasingly angled and vicious as [Tiger’s Rage] consumed him.
“Die!” Kizaki did not care about Stryke’s vicious aura. He immediately launched an attack from the fog, hoping to catch Stryke off-guard while the tora was still distracted from his transformation.
Roar! Bam! Stryke suddenly reached out and grabbed Kizaki’s staff the second it materialized over his head. The tora’s vengeful eyes then glared into the fog, causing Kizaki to experience a long forgotten terror – the threat of death!
Kizaki instantly tried to dematerialize the staff, but Stryke gripped on tight. By virtue of Stryke’s grip, Kizaki’s mana recognized him as part of the staff. However, Kizaki could not convert a living being to his fog, so he was forced to release the staff.
But, would Stryke let him go so easily?
Pa! Stryke’s left hand reached out and grabbed Kizaki’s hand before it could turn to fog. The tora’s eyes then flashed red as he unleashed his wild ki, sending it crashing through Kizaki’s hand.
Kizaki did not expect such a crude attack, so he failed to put up defenses in time. By the time he reacted, Stryke’s wild ki had already rampaged through the majority of his meridians, causing massive damage.
Kizaki coughed up blood from the incredible backlash, and his body fully materialized amid the fog, twitching and shivering from the invasive aura.
Stryke’s eyes lit up with a ferocious aura once Kizaki appeared. “Got you.” He reached behind him, and the sword flew up into his hand. Stryke then raised the sword high, and roared as he struck with everything he had, “[First Claw]”
Color seemed to fade from the world as the silhouette of a single tiger’s claw appeared above the battlefield. The claw ‘gently’ pressed down as Stryke’s sword cut a vertical line through Kizaki.
At the last moment, Kizaki managed to activate his fog, barely surviving Stryke’s sword. Still, both foggy halves trembled as Kizaki suffered through the ki embedded in Stryke’s sword.
‘Damn it. I need to retreat!’ The primate wisely chose to retreat. This defeat was largely attributed to a lack of information. He would launch a better attack with the new information.
But, just as Kizaki wanted to flee, the tiger claw finally ‘touched’ his head.
BOOM!
Red, torrential ki exploded, sending Stryke and everyone else flying. The primordial ki, which did not belong in the mortal plane utterly destroyed Kizaki from the inside out. Blood exploded from Kizaki’s halves as the ki destroyed his mana circuits, thereby dispelling the technique.
As blood rained down, a clearly fatigued Stryke struggled to his feet. He groaned as he picked up his fallen sword, and faced off against the surviving Chaos Order soldiers.
“Hey, I don’t suppose you’ll let bygones be bygones?” Stryke weakly laughed. The soldier’s vengeful glares already answered the question. Stryke sighed and then said with a weak smile, “At least I gave you a chance… Gosha, they’re all yours.”
The soldiers panicked upon hearing the last phrase, but it was too late. With a loud roar, a blood-red harbinger of death dropped from the skies into their midst. Hogosha tore into the survivors, utterly destroying their morale and resolve.
Hogosha’s relentless slaughter left no survivors. Within a few moments, peace and quiet returned to that section of the forest.
“You did well, holding off that monster.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. I still can’t feel my legs.”
Hogosha looked at Stryke with a gaze filled with pride. “You should be proud. Killing a Primate is no easy feat.”
“You think that guy was a Primate?” Stryke groaned as he lazily laid on the ground.
“Dear Lord, I would hope so.” Craig remarked as he oversaw the squad’s ‘battleground cleanup’ or more accurately, looting. “I’d hate to think any old rank and file is that strong.”
“Ugh. Is our luck really that shitty?”
“Shitty?” Sara scoffed. “We’re the first to bag a Primate after Kashi. Even Syèl hasn’t done that. Hehe, those 2 nd Division guys won’t talk shit ever again.”
Stryke sighed as he glanced at the combative Sara. “You and your competitiveness. We’re all on the same side, so take it easy on them, okay?”
“Cheh. You were cuter when you were shy.” Sara playfully stuck her tongue in protest.
“You guys shouldn’t fight.” Yuna softly rebuked as she crouched next to Stryke. She cast a healing glow over the raid leader, healing his injuries and restoring his spent stamina. “You’ll set a bad example to the squad.”
“Haha. You’re right, Yuna,” Stryke happily replied as he sat up, fully energized. He stretched his sore muscles and muttered as he stood up. “Like I thought, the First Claw still takes so much energy. What will happen when I summon the full paw?”
“Do not rush it,” Hogosha warned. “Byakko’s ki is not something to be used recklessly.”
“I know, I know.” Stryke let out an exasperated sigh. He was yet to unlock even a smidgen of his class’ true potential. Still, what he had so far was enough to stand proud amongst the monsters in the Hopeful Maggots.
Clap! Stryke clapped his hands and let out a breath to collect his thoughts. Afterward, he looked at the distant dungeon entrance that sparked the entire conflict. “Alright. Let’s go see what Kashi wants from this place…”