CHAPTER XXIV: THREE BODY PROBLEM
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{11:00 LOCAL TIME 1TH JULY 1ME}
UNCOMMON PERIOD
MORTAL REALM
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LONG BEACH
PRIME-
Kekere and Bour looked down at the grove from above as the hundred-meter radius of its entire body started to rapidly shrink.
“That’s not good. Hunter groves are dangerous when they decide to move in their Stag form. I hope they have some high damage output, or it will get away from them.” He looked at a sad Kekere. “Don’t worry, you were a major part of getting them here saving your biggest attacks for the end of a fight is only in the stories of heroes long dead. People who wait for the perfect time to use their powers usually don’t live to tell their stories. You did good pretty girl... hey!” Kekere attacked the dwarf’s ear with a peck.
Below the two observers, the world around the two soldiers was changing. All of the roots and vines were rushing back to the heart of the grove, the ground was churned up in the process, the road was destroyed in seconds and worse, the heart was healing fast.
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{Monster Name: Blood Hunter Grove
Monster type: Living dead(ELITE)(Area boss)
Level:59
HP:99242/184000 +1500 per second
MP:50/2500
DR:0/80000
Highest ATTRIBUTES:
Physical; Constitution
Mental; Charisma
Bane: Fire
Weaknesses: Salt
Description: Blood Hunter Groves are a group of trees that usually set up on opposite sides of throughways such as noble roads and wait for players to rest, then they use their powerful root system to capture the unsuspecting players. Blood hunter groves they feed on them. They are living dead monsters that grow the more blood they consume. They can change any nearby plant life into part of their grove. They are stealth hunters but are formidable in the straight-up fight. The level of the grove can give you an idea of its size, for every ten levels over level 10 the Blood Hunter grove grows 50 square meters. Blood hunter groves have high nature and blood affinity, giving them ridiculous health regeneration. Their primary weapon is their root system, but they can also turn animals into ghouls. Blood hunter groves elites have a permanent boost to HP (times 5), HP regen (times 10), and damage(times 2).
EFFECTS: Immobile, Hungry, Living dead senses, Living dead Regeneration, Fungal bite. Grove Absorb.}
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< BUFF ADDED >
{BUFF NAME: Grove absorb
BUFF TYPE: Burst heal & Heal over Time
BUFF DURATION: draining
DESCRIPTION: One of the primary abilities of a Hunter Groves, Hunter groves often outgrow their surroundings or have to move because of some lack of nutrition. In order to move, it must first absorb its entire mass. By doing so, it sacrifices versatility for physical power and uses all of its Free EXP in the process.}
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The damn thing had also leveled. Colonel groaned.
[This thing just got back like 70K HP in the last few seconds with it’s grove absorb and living dead regen, I hope you are loaded with something...] Colonel stopped his message to Soto when he saw movement from the Heart of the Grove.
The thick roots below the heart of the grove uprooted themselves and form a hoofed foot, then a second, third and forth. The branches above the trunk of the heart start to combine into an elk-like face with massive branch antlers sharp as swords.
It took a good forty seconds for the change to happen, the whole time the Grove kept throwing large branches at Colonel, apparently whatever concentration it took to transform, it didn’t affect its magical sense. Colonel had to had to jump out of the way rather than take on the freight train attacks head on.
Once the Heart of the Grove had fully extricated itself from the ground, it looked like a nine-foot-tall Stag with six legs, a long barbed tail, and its entire body made of braided roots, vines, and branches. The thick bark shield snapped in to cover the entire body of the huge Heart Stag just as five lightning bolts slammed down into it from the clear blue sky, signaling the last part of the fight.
Colonel cursed as he Analyzed it again since it had just specialized by absorbing itself.
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< ANALYZE >
{Monster Name: Blood Hunter Heart Stag
Monster type: Living dead(ELITE)(Area boss)
Level:60
HP:125,000/214,600 +2100 per second
MP:50/2500
DR:0/80000
Highest ATTRIBUTES:
Physical; Constitution
Mental; None
Bane: Fire
Weaknesses: Salt
Description: Blood Hunter Heart Stags are the combination of all the trees and accumulated stats and EXP of the Blood Hunter Grove. Becoming a Heart Stag is the last choice for any Blood Hunter Grove because they will have to find a new place to put down their roots before they can start leveling again, but when choosing between getting or not getting EXP or dying, most Living Dead have a personal preservation protocol. Blood hunter Heart Stags are not weaker by taking this form; however, on the contrary, they become even more formidable. These living dead monsters gain massive amounts of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution while having all their mental stats reduced to the below the lowest values major threshold. Their biggest plus in this transformation is mobility don’t let their massive size fool you. They can change direction nearly instantly by using nearby plant life. They are escape artist with formidable natural camouflage abilities. Blood hunter Heart Stags have high nature and blood affinity, giving them even more ridiculous ongoing health regeneration. Their primary weapons are still their root and branch system, but they can also turn other trees into ghouls. Blood hunter Heart Stag elites have a permanent boost to HP (times 5)HP regen (times 15) and damage(times 1.5).
EFFECTS: Hungry. Living dead senses, Living dead Regeneration, Fungal bite. Ghoul touch.}
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[I think its going to run Sergeant Major.] Colonel said as the attacks slowed down on him.
[What are you waiting on some kind of invitation?]
[AYO, chill Jake, don’t get your panties in a bunch, sir, it's not that serious, let it run.] Soto replied as another bat sigil formed on a bladed arrow in his hand.
Colonel was about to snap back but then an event prompt shot to the front of his HUD, then another.
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< STRONGHOLD EVENT COMPLETE >
EVENT NAME: Noble Road Disappearances I
DESCRIPTION: The Noble Road during the day has been one of the few safe havens during the continuous horde. The mana that it takes to maintain is a constant drain on a Stronghold, but it prevents beasts and monsters of certain levels from lingering on it, allowing for relatively safe passage to connecting Strongholds. Lately however, not only have dozens of merchants and tens of messengers gone missing, an elite team of Stronghold marines have as well. The office of the chancellor has offered this Event to anyone who can complete it in principle by eliminating a threat or threats to the protection of the noble road.
Objective: Find and eliminate the threat(s) to the Noble road of CSU Chancellor Stronghold.(2/2)
Rewards: 100K EXP 1,000 uncommon mana crystal(Collect from Stronghold)and choice of one item from Royal Armory(Collect from Stronghold).
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< STRONGHOLD EVENT OFFERED >
EVENT NAME: Noble Road Disappearances II
DESCRIPTION: Now that you have eliminated a threat to the stronghold by 1) Killing or being responsible for killing and capturing the knights that were harassing the messengers and 2) forcing the Blood Hunter Grove to run (the one that was responsible for the merchant deaths).
Objective: Take information back to the CSU Chancellor Stronghold.
Secret Objective: Kill the Stag.
Rewards: 10K EXP, 100 uncommon mana crystals (Collected from the stronghold), and a meeting with the Chancellor.
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[Okay, it is definitely going to run] Soto added.
[Still think we should just let it go, we still have these civilians to protect.]
Colonel turned back to a dome of walls that he had put his two packages under, and let out a big breath when he saw that it was still intact. It was pretty hastily built, but fortunately the Grove was concentrating on him and not its surroundings.
[After reading the new description I don’t know if it will give us much of a choice, maybe we do...] Colonel began again only to be cut off by an zone alert.
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< ZONE EVENT ALERT >
EVENT NAME: Stag Hunt
DESCRIPTION: Blood hunter Groves are an invasive and dangerous living dead grove of sentient trees that, if left unchecked, can become a major nuisance to commerce in the local area. That can be a problem, but once they shed their immobile status and become Heart Stags, they become even more dangerous. Every tree that a Heart Stag touches becomes a minion of the Stag. Worst yet, if the Stag escapes, even if the minions are killed, the Stag can resummon them with enough mana. Once a Stag has found a safe place, they can bring these minions into their grove and expand rapidly, endangering the nearby local human populations.
Objective: Kill the Stag before it escapes.(0/1)
Rewards: 250K EXP and +100 free attributes.
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[God dammit!] Soto yelled,
[Engaging!]
[Copy distracting.] Clyde replied and sprung into action.
The Heart Stag had gone from just magical perception senses to adding two pairs of leaf-like semi-opaque eyes as well, and it stared all four of those eyes at the small human a few dozen meters in front of it. It sensed locked power inside of the human, but that wasn’t what bother it, it was the unlocked powers this human had that the former Grove couldn’t comprehend. The small human was a monster stuffed into a five-foot-ten frame. He even looked at the Heart Stag like it wasn’t a larger and more powerful beast.
The Heart Stag’s instincts were fighting its tier superiority complex. It was confused, but its personal preservation policy was still in effect. It had to-
A black arrow with a grey glowing bat with blades for wings had appeared in its bottom right eye, and the Stag reeled back in silent pain as the shadows coming off its antlers started shooting the same eye with small daggers of shadow tearing up the leafy membrane, and spilling red blood down the side of the wooden face of the Heart Stag.
Soto was already charging a second shot by the time his first-bladed arrow was in flight. He was impressed with the bonus effect of the spells he had added to each bladed arrow. He released the second arrow and pulled a third one from the ground as the dome of darkness disappeared from around him, revealing him to the world at large.
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{SKILL NAME: Grand Shadow Manipulation Proficiency
(Passive/Active)
SKILL LEVEL: Novice 7
DESCRIPTION: The Dark Noble can use the shadows as his ally. As this Skill Tiers up the more access to more shadow-related effects.
SKILL EFFECT:
See shadows and gain stealth when in shadows. Enhance the shadows while in stealth. Attacks from stealth do double damage on top of all other damage. Any attacks, outgoing or incoming, will break the stealth. Effect scales with Intelligence.
STUDENT EFFECT:
Shadow Step: The player can step into any shadow other than his own and emerge from the shadow within a certain distance from the original shadow as long as there is a connecting shadow.
Cast time: Instant. Cost: 25MP each additional step doubles the cost. Range: 10 meters. Cool Down: None.
NOVICE EFFECT:
Shadow Dome; The player can create a dome of shadow around himself that he and his allies can see in and out of, but impairs the perception of all others.
Cast time: Instant. Cost: 50MP. Range: Self. AOE: 10 meters per tier of skill. Duration: 15 seconds. Cool Down: 30 seconds.
Blinding effect scales with Charisma.}
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The Shadow Dome had let Soto get off two shots undetected, but as it fell, the Stag reacted to the second shot almost too quickly. It kicked off of the ground with its four front legs, and the arrow that was aimed at its heart area now only hit its right center hoof. But that might have actually turned out better for the Prime team. The leg was shredded by the big shadows from the underbelly of the Stag. The shadows were less numerous but much larger. They looked like a final fantasy protagonist’s sword made of shadows. The Heart Stag stumbled at the sudden loss of a limb.
Soto did not let the Stag get its bearings. “Shadow Focus Shot.” He chanted.
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SPELL NAME: Shadow FOCUS SHOT(Active): Form a bullseye of shadow that both zooms and adds additional damage to any range weapon attack.
Cost: 45 mana. Cast time: 5 seconds. Zoom: 1.1-3.9. Additional Damage: 29%. Shadow damage: 29% Duration: 2 attacks. Cool down: 45 seconds. Requirements: Chant, Range weapon.
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As he chanted the spell the shadows form two body size grey targets symbols stacked in front of Soto’s charging arrowhead, with the spell active he could see the enemy even better. He released the arrow, and the bat symbol on it glowed as it went through both of the target symbols, taking half of the shadows from both. The target symbol wrapped seamlessly around the bladed arrow as it flew into the back hind leg of the already reeling Heart Stag. Before it hit, Soto had charged a regular mana shot and started firing. The right back leg of the Heart started to explode with long sword-like shadows tearing it apart from the underside.
As every arrow rained down on it, the shadow damage was building. By the time Soto had fired his fourth and fifth mana arrows, the shadows coming out of the stag's ravaged body were the size of long spears, and they were ripping off huge chunks of bark and branches.
All of Soto's Shadow powers were paying off in pure Damage Per Second(DPS).
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{Shadow dagger(Conjured) The Dark Ranger can create a blade of shadow mana. This blade can be added to an existing blade or as a stand-alone dagger that scales with the Ranger’s intelligence stat. All dark and shadow spells cast with shadow dagger cost Slightly less.
Cast time: 20 seconds. Cost: 35 mana. Damage: Variable Duration: 15 minutes or until destroyed. Cool down: none. Requirements: chant and hand sign.}
{Shadow Blade Mark(Active): Use mana to Mark a blade with a Shadow ward; when the marked blade hits a target, the target is also marked. The Mark makes the target's shadow always visible and trackable by the Shadow Scout.
Cast Time: 25 seconds. Cost: 150 MP. Duration: On weapon 1 hour & On target 10 minutes. Cool down: 60 seconds. Requirements: Chant and bladed weapon.}
{Shadow Stacking Hit(Active/triggered): Every consecutive hit on a target consumes mana and leaves behind a shadow debuff.
Cast time: Instant/Channel. Cost: 30 mana per second. Damage over time: 10HP per second per hit(Additive). Shadow debuff: Nearby shadows strike at the target. Mana drain -.3MP per second per hit(Multiplicative) for 10 seconds. Duration: Target dies or until out of mana. Range: Melee. Cool down: 60 minutes. Requirements: chant, weapon.}
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
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Shadow Dagger made all the costs of the spells cheaper.
Shadow Blade Mark made the Heart Stag’s shadows more prominent, which had the added effect of increasing the damage output of all the shadow debuffs from Shadow Stacking Hit.
Even with all that DPS the beast was not dying nearly fast enough as its regeneration was absurd. It started to dodge a few arrows which showed them like Lizette that a Tier 5 monsters should not be underestimated.
Soto ran out of Mana with a splitting headache, and the Heart Stag made its move as if sensing that very moment. Colonel took out a Mana potion and tossed it up into the air just as he saw where the Stag headed away from him. Soto calmly watched the Stag rush at him with a smile, it was only about fifty meters away from him, but it ate up that distance even hurt as it was fast, way faster than anything that big should be.
“That would have been a great idea if I was alone, homie, but I’m never alone.” The Stag put its head down to ram the Dark Ranger with the razor-sharp antlers.
Soto’s body blurred before the magic senses of the of the Heart Stag, in Soto’s place was Colonel’s dark chocolate expression of satisfaction after chanting, “Rally here,” and swapping places with his damage dealer.
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PLATINUM BONUS: Defensive; Rally here: Any ally within 4m per CL can request your help, and you will either be transported to them or swap places with the requester. Damage will still have to overcome the Player's DR before it can do damage to either player involved. It can be triggered every 4 seconds. This bonus range doubles every Class level.
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The bonus was a staple of their team’s combat style so using it was second nature at this point, and the range was pretty great. Physics still mattered in the GREAT GAME, however, even if Colonel was stronger than the Heart stag (which, in his current state, he was pretty sure he wasn’t, not with his quest debuff.) The sheer size difference and the momentum of the monster did a ton of damage to the Legacy. The antlers penetrate into the tank’s gut, causing him to spit out blood. The Forger only grimaced at the pain even though, at this point, more of the surface area of his body was stag antler than flesh, but it had somehow missed any vital organs. Luck stat for the win.
[Any time now, Soto.] Colonel said in team chat as he struggled to extricate himself from the pointy branches that were the Heart Stag’s antlers.
The stag didn’t stop moving, it wasn’t bothered by a few hundred pounds on its head, and if it was bother it wasn’t acting like it. Colonel didn’t have the strength nor the weight to slow it down, but what he did have was the leverage and position to obscure its vision. He kicked it in the same eye the bladed arrow had hit to start off the next part of the fight, not hard because he couldn’t put his full strength into it, but every hit loosened the bladed arrow ever so slightly.
The Heart Stag ran more gracefully than a wounded animal who was getting kicked in the eye should be able to. It ran away from Soto, who was standing in Colonel’s old position when he summoned his Dark Head Seeker bow in his left hand and placed his right hand out to catch the falling blue potion vial the size of a travel mouthwash bottle that Colonel had tossed up, and analyzed for him sending the item prompt automatically.
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< ANALYZE >
{ITEM NAME: Rare Mana potion
ITEM TIER: Mid-Rare
ITEM TYPE: Mana Recovery
DESCRIPTION:
ITEM EFFECT: Recovers 1500MP plus 100MP per second for 15
seconds.
RARE BONUS: Dark and shadow affinity attacks do 30% more bonus damage.
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The potion vial landed deftly in his hand his high Dexterity up to the simple task. Soto drank it in one gulp, and pulled out a bladed arrow with his bloodline glowing bat sigil mark on it. He started to charged a shot, he held it for a full fifteen seconds dumping his whole mana pool into the shot even as the Stag put more and more distance away from him down the straight road.
He then released the now massive pulsing shot.
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{ITEM NAME: Dark Head Seeker(P)
ITEM TYPE: Weapon; Recurve Bow
ITEM RANK: Platinum(Upgradeable)
ITEM LEVEL:2
ITEM DAMAGE: base 400 critical times 5
ITEM DESCRIPTION: A black recurve bow that is bonded to the Soto bloodline, specifically Anthony Soto. This bow requires no ammo, just mana from the user and environment. The darker it is, or if the user is in shadows, the less personal mana is consumed.
Bonded to Soto
ITEM EFFECT: Mana Arrows: Just pulling back on the bowstring makes a dark arrow made completely out of mana and does weapon damage.
ITEM EFFECT: The longer you hold back the arrow the more dark mana it costs, but the more damage the arrow does.
RARE MOD: Head seeker: Any shot fired from the bow has a 30% chance at a head shot even when the target is moving. If fired with solid arrows, the % becomes 90%
PLATINUM MOD: Growth: Kill 200 enemies to the next level(199/200)}
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The bladed arrow couldn’t be seen, shrouded in all of the dark and shadow mana surrounding it as the shot flew much faster than the Heart Stag, which was trying its best to fling Soto’s Commanding officer off of its face.
[Shot out over.] Soto smiled and spoke smugly in team speak.
The Heart Stag was not so distracted by the minor annoyance of Colonel on its face trying to dislodge a bladed arrow, to not notice an overpowered projectile coming at it with its Magical perception. It made a sharp turn, but to its horror, the dark mana-shrouded arrow turned with it, the wisp of darkness trailing behind it. The 90% head seeker mod was in full effect until it ran out of mana.
The Heart Stag decided that running in a line was not going to help it avoid the dangerous attack, so it turned around and ran right back at Soto, crossing the distance with some type of movement ability. As it got close to Soto it hopped off off three trees that were only a few meters apart just off the road using the momentum to change direction on three dimes, even so the deadly arrow still unerringly followed it. The Stag then ran a full circle around the trees he had bounced off of, then through them again, hoping to throw off the projectile.
To the surprise of Soto, the Stag stopped using its five powerful feet as its speed boost ended, and spun around quickly as it step passed the threesome of trees and flung its head back, the whole action dislodged Colonel and violently tossed him straight back at the jet black arrow that had been chasing the Heart Stag. He had barely managed to get a hold of the bladed arrow that was originally stuck in the Stag’s eye.
“Oh come on,” Clyde yelled as he flew ungracefully, tumbling through the air, the three trees began to move much more quickly than trees should. The oversized black arrow flew unerringly through the legacy doing no damage. It actually healed Colonel a little due to Soto’s title world-first upgrade effect.
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{TITLE NAME: One Shot One Kill
TITLE LEVEL: Platinum(UPGRADABLE)
DESCRIPTION: For killing two targets with one single shot and for being the first in the world to do so with a dark mana-infused arrow, you have earned this title.
TITLE EFFECT: Offensive; Chain attack: Whenever targets are within 4 meters of each other, there is a 4% times Level chance to cause damage to an adjacent target for every consecutive target -1%.
WORLD FIRST UPGRADE: Arrow effect does 120% less damage to family members, 100% less damage to Teammates, 90% less damage to allies
RARE BONUS: Utility; Leach: On target kill, gain +3% times Tier HP back
PLATINUM BONUS: Locked}
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Even though Clyde was flying ass over elbows, he still had the perception to analyze the new threat and hold on to the bladed arrow so it didn’t stab him, or worst, he was having that type of day... week? It doesn’t matter. He was quickly getting his bearings as he flipped, but the prompt of the new enemy was not a good one. It was also not the end of the world.
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< ANALYZE >
{Name: Lesser Tree Ghoul(Undead)
Level:49
HP:25,600
MP:350
DR:1500
Highest Stat:
Physical: Constitution
Mental: None
Bane: Fire
Weaknesses: Salt
Description: Ghouls come in many varieties. The one constant between them all is their insatiable appetite for living flesh. Tree Ghoul's appetite is not just the blood of their prey; they will eat any decaying flesh to increase their strength and constitution. For their level, they will always be stronger and tougher than their frame suggests, and they are unliving trees, so their size can get too enormous. Lesser Tree ghouls are wholly loyal to the Heart Stag that raised them from a simple tress.
At Level 40, the Lesser Tree Ghoul gains +64 Constitution, +32 Strength & Dexterity.
EFFECTS: Insatiable Hunger, Root system movement, Undead regeneration, Obedient.}
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All three read the same as the warlord kept flipping through the air. In that time frame, they had stepped in the path of the jet-black projectile, putting up a three body problem that the powerful projectile was about to solve with force.
Clyde watched the overpowered bladed arrow punch right through all three Tree Ghouls and slammed into the forehead of the Heart Stag, hiding behind them all. The other effects of the One shot One kill title came into play as the first Ghoul took the brunt of the damage, but because of the chain attack and Leach, the other two were also mortally damaged, the Stag was staggered, and Soto had gained a little more HP that he currently had. Soto’s Bane mark also added to a major part of the damage as well.
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{Mark Name: Undead bane
Mark Type: Bane Mark
Effect 1: Do true damage to Undead creatures, bypassing any defensive power. (100 Undead over two tiers above you killed)
Effect 2: All damage against the undead is Critical Damage. All damage against the Living Dead is greatly increased. (1000 Undead over two tiers above you killed.)
Effect 3: LOCKED(Kill 10000 undead at least a tier above you. 5506/10000 killed)}
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The massive red numbers above the three Tree Ghoul’s heads were over 25K critical hits each. The Stag was hit with a 20K Critical hit.
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< BATTLE LOG >
{Tree Ghoul X 3 had died +58,800 EXP}
{Blood Hunter Stag has taken -20,442 damage & -50,000 Shadow damage. For losing over 50% of remaining HP, the Stag has been stunned}
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Soto’s Weapon and Title had upgraded after the first Tree Ghoul died. The prompt jumped to the front of Soto’s HUD there but did not impeding his vision at all he could just feel it at the edge of his sightline. He absorbed it smiling for a second before his got back to work.
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< ITEM LEVEL UP >
{ITEM NAME: Dark Head Seeker(P)
ITEM TYPE: Weapon; Recurve Bow
ITEM RANK: Platinum(Upgradeable)
ITEM LEVEL:3
ITEM DAMAGE: base *500* critical times 5
ITEM DESCRIPTION: A black recurve bow that is bonded to the Soto bloodline, specifically Anthony Soto. This bow requires no ammo, just mana from the user and environment. The darker it is, or if the user is in shadows, the less personal mana is consumed.
Bonded to Soto
ITEM EFFECT: Mana Arrows: Just pulling back on the bowstring makes a dark arrow made completely out of mana and does weapon damage.
ITEM EFFECT: The longer you hold back the arrow the more dark mana it costs, but the more damage the arrow does. *Speed of charge scales with Intelligence*
RARE MOD: Head seeker: Any shot fired from the bow has a 30% chance at a head shot even when the target is moving. If fired with solid arrows, the % becomes 90%
PLATINUM MOD: Growth: Kill *500 enemies to next level(2/500)*}
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A hundred more damage for base weapon damage, the charge effect now scales with his Intelligence, and more people to kill to grow the bow. His basic connection with the Platinum bow had grown as well, and Soto could feel that Item Effects were going to be easier.
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< TITLE BONUS UNLOCKED >
{TITLE NAME: One Shot One Kill
TITLE LEVEL: Platinum(UPGRADABLE)
DESCRIPTION: For killing two targets with one single shot and for being the first in the world to do so with a dark mana-infused arrow, you have earned this title.
TITLE EFFECT: Offensive; Chain attack: Whenever targets are within 4 meters of each other, there is a *10%* times Level chance to cause damage to adjacent target for every consecutive target *-0.5%.*
WORLD FIRST UPGRADE: Arrow effect does 120% less damage to family members, 100% less damage to Teammates, 90% less damage to allies
RARE BONUS: Utility; Leach: On target kill, gain +3% times Tier HP back
PLATINUM BONUS: *Offensive; Consecutive damage: For every target your projectiles hit, the more damage it does to the next target.*}
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Soto’s smile grew as he absorbed the last prompt, and understood the new bonus, it also answered the question of how the arrow had enough power to kill the other two Tree Ghouls, and still had the energy left to stun the Heart Stag so easily. Each Tree Ghoul hit the more damage it did to the next target, even if the projectile’s power was weakened every time.
Clyde landed on his feet, bending his knees as they dug lines in the dirt. His momentum was slowly arrested by the friction. He bumped into his surprisingly still intact Launcher. He grabbed it to hold himself still. Just as he stopped, he felt his Dexterity jump because of the uneven ground mod of his boots, and he used that extra speed to run right back into the fight. He had been tossed a few hundred meters away and had to get back into ‘Rally Here’ range before...
The sound of falling trees came loudly from the Heart Stag as it made a sound for the first time in the fight. Trees were notoriously quiet, but after the beating, the Stag had taken, it was on its last leg as more shadows from its fallen minions started to devastate the exposed body of the Stag just as they turned into globes of loot all the color of brown mud.
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< LOOT GLOBE FOUND >
{Rare Loot Globe}
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Soto looked at the crippled Heart Stag, ignoring the loot prompt. It had tried to get up again after the latest round of shadow attacks from the dissolving tree Ghouls. His mark on the Bladed arrow sticking out of the forehead lit up, and all of a sudden, Soto was holding the hilt of the blade, crossing the distance between them with a shadow step locked onto the mark.
Soto wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to continue to do massive damage. He pulled the bladed arrow out, then stabbed it again, then again, then his Insight Skill pinged him to move, and he stepped to another bladed arrow expanded shadow, leaving the previous location bloody and bleeding from multiple stab wounds and bleeding debuffs.
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< SKILL LEVEL UP >
Insight is now Novice 9
{Skill Quest: Avoid 100 attacks (90/100)}
{SKILL NAME: Insight(P)(PASSIVE)
SKILL LEVEL: Novice 9
DESCRIPTION: See the flow of the world as it is, not your limited perception of it.
SKILL EFFECT: The Noble can see the Minor changes in the world represented by fluctuations in the air. The higher the level of the skill the more information gained from the fluctuations.
STUDENT EFFECT: Once per target, the player can get information on the fluctuation. The longer they observe the target, the more information is given.
NOVICE EFFECT: Stealth target fluctuations gain a red glow the longer they are in the player’s Skill range. Range of Skill is Minutely based on Charisma Stat.}
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A second after the shadow stepped away, the fridge-sized barbed tail slammed into the forehead of the Stag, disorienting the already disoriented creature. The living dead monster took off running like an Atto Bolton from the blocks in a hundred-meter dash. It ate up ground faster than before unfortunately for the Stag a Shadow Scout was still attacking it from every bladed arrow that had hit him he just keep stepping to the different marked weapons and kept stabbing the Stag to refresh the bleeding and stack the damage.
Though the monster wasn’t the most intelligent being it had great survival instincts. The tail split into five separate limbs, and attack all the blades at the same time, again catching Soto off guard, he didn’t expect the Heart Stag to adapt that quickly.
All five tire size harden vines hit all the bladed arrows at the same time, and Colonel was crushed by one as he and Soto swapped places.
“Ouch,” Clyde groaned, the force knocked the wind out of him.
Soto stumbled to the ground where Colonel was running from and turned around to get his bearings when the Heart Stag hoof steps alerted him before his insight skill could, and he jumped out of the way as it clipped him running by with Colonel plastered to the side by oversize vine. “A little help here.” He heard as pain bloomed in his clipped leg. Soto looked down to see his left leg bent in a disgusting angle. He threw up as the pain hit him.
“That’s not good.” Soto gritting out, as he tried to reset his leg, he blacked out as soon as he touched his leg. He came back a second later he knew that because he could still hear the Stag running from him and Colonel complaining.
“Anytime now, Sergeant Major....” Colonel yelled as he struggled to move. The Rally here had put him in a bad spot, and the Stag was going berserk, trying to run away blindly as Soto had stabbed the remaining three eyes of the monster, taking away one of its new senses.
Soto drank a health potion he pulled out of his inventory. The drink was smooth and cool but did absolutely nothing. “What the actual fuck?” He asked as he looked at the empty potion bottle.
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< BATTLE LOG >
{You have taken an uncommon Health potion because of the Rare mana potion in your system; you must take an equal tier health potion, or the Health potion will not work.}
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“Fuck my life,” Soto said. “It’s always something.”
The Stag, in the meantime, had removed the five daggers in its side and was using two of the five vines to beat the living shit of Colonel. The only thing preventing a killing blow was his proximity to the Stag’s body.
He had got his right hand free and stabbed the Stag again.
Soto’s head popped up and looked at the Stag and the shadow that had bloomed to life when Colonel had stabbed it.
[I need a rare healing potion boss coming your way.] Soto said as he summoned his bow to help him stand, looking at his broken leg. ‘This was just a glancing blow from a panicked walking tree. This is embarrassing.
[Oh now you can talk, I got you.] Clyde replied with a little snark.
Soto smirked; he just had one problem. His Shadow step power required him to take a step. That was very hard to do with one foot, as one could imagine. Soto gritted his teeth and took a step with his broken foot, and pain lanced through him like a train, but he had traveled to the Stag’s body anyway.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t aware enough to grab on to something. Fortunately, he had friends. The Colonel grabbed his arm before he fell, and Soto’s broken leg banged against the underside of the Stag as it still ran.
The new pain alerted Soto this time. He looked up at his team lead holding him up. “You have to buy me dinner after saving you so much.”
Colonel gave him a flat look and started to slowly loosen his hand.
“I was totally kidding. I got dinner do not drop me please.” The panicked Soto reflexively said.
Clyde used his strength to pull up his Dark Ranger teammate. “Grab on to your blade hilt.” He lifted him to it, the Stag ignoring them both outside of holding the Colonel in place with its vines.
Soto grabbed the hilt, and then he felt a slap to the leg. The pain came fast and went away just as fast.
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< BATTLE LOG >
{You have been healed for 2500HP, Your leg is no longer broken}
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Soto felt great, he started to stab the vines holding his battle buddy down. One of them falls off after two hacks at it. But just as he was about to start working on another, his Insight had him move again.
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{Skill Quest: Avoid 100 attacks (92/100)}
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He swung away from the first two attacks, but the Stag was bringing more vines to bear. He flipped in the air above the Stag, pushing his Dexterity to the absolute limit, getting a little bit closer to finishing his skill quest.
While in the air above the creature he used another spell to cut his battle buddy away. “Shadow Crescent.” Soto chanted, and a black quarter moon of grey-black shadow mana shot at the Colonel’s body under all of the remaining vines.
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{Shadow Crescent(Active): The Dark Scout can imbue his will and dark mana into a melee weapon to create a mid-range crescent attack that can hit multiple targets.
Cast time: Instant. Cost: 70 mana. Damage: 250+C. Shadow Damage: Shadows of all affected targets lash out, doing weapon damage. Cool down: 30 seconds per hand and melee weapon. Requirements: chant, Melee weapon}
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Soto only had one blade, but it was enough. Clyde was cut free. As the angry man fell, he gave the finger to both of them.
BOOM!
The forger had left a little gift while he was stuck in the side of the huge Stag.
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< ANALYZE >
{CREATION NAME: Flame Nova Style
CREATION RANK: Rare
CREATION DURABILITY: 250
CREATION TYPE: Attack spell(Active)
CREATION DURATION: 0 uses.
Cool down: 67 minutes.
RECHARGE COST & TIME: None & 75 minutes.
Description: By feeding mana into this tattoo, the player can create a grenade that explodes into a circle of flame that pulses twice, causing Low Rare damage.
Cost: 35MP
RARE EFFECT: Double Damage on targets in enclosed spaces.}
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The side exploded with a flame nova as it pulsed three times, lighting the mid-section of the Stag on fire. With the accumulated bleeding debuffs, the overwhelming opening attacks, the Crescent attack, and now the bomb of flame going off inside its body, the Stag finally fell over, leaving groves on the ground, breathing heavily.
Clyde landed on his back and Soto landed on his feet with a wince, he still had phantom pains from the broken leg. They both look at the Stag suffering as it burns slowly. Soto looked to Colonel.
He was the warlord, and the choice was his. He let out a heavy sigh and quickly stepped to the Stag’s face his Legacy glasses became visible looking like reflective aviators. The Heart Stag saw only itself in the glasses, it started to cry like a falling tree again.
Feeling sorry for the monster, he put it out of its misery. “Petrify.”
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{ITEM NAME: Legacy glasses
ITEM TYPE: Eyewear
ITEM RANK: LEGENDARY(set item)
ITEM DESCRIPTION: Stylish glasses that can be turned into any type of eyewear. They are not considered armor and can be as stylish as the legacy likes, you can change the color to whenever you like. These glasses CANNOT be identified by any skill, item, or ability under mid-legendary.
Bonded to Colonel
ITEM EFFECT:(PASSIVE) Doubles range and scope of Legacy Perception Ability per piece
Current extra range: 5 doubles.
RARE MOD: 10% increase to CHA per piece
Current%: 50% (Not displayed on CS)
PLATINUM MOD: Self Cleaning & Self Repair
DIAMOND MOD: (ACTIVE) Once a target, the legacy can use Minor petrify, which allows the Player to freeze the Target in stone for 2 seconds per piece
Cost: 200 Mana -20 per piece. Range: 100 meters per piece
Current cost: 100 mana
Current Range: 500 meters.
EPIC MOD: LOCKED until Hybrid Quest complete
LEGENDARY MOD: LOCKED}
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“The Heart Stag froze bark skin turning to stone in its crying form, and then the Colonel punched it with all his considerable might, ending the life and story of the Blood Hunter Grove, A monster of great power and cunning, but one that learned the most important lesson of all. Match-ups were often more important in the GREAT GAME, but overwhelming power trumped all, and Colonel Clyde Jacob was the big joker!” The narrator stated.