Rebecca, Jessica, and Dexter had significantly progressed in exploring the Mountain Top Crypt.
After their brief yet beneficial encounter with Adam, their new gear and utility items allowed them to overcome the Mountain Top Crypt's challenges. As a result, they gained great loot, allowing them to either upgrade their gear or sell it off for a good profit.
This time, Dexter did not let his share go to the siblings like he used to, so the gain was split three ways. While he used to log in to spend time with Rebecca, now, he is fully invested in the game just as much as the sisters are.
As the trio continued exploring the Crypt, they eventually came across a sealed gate guarded by two formidable enemies. During their first attempt at fighting them, the trio was wiped out almost immediately- only Rebecca managed to hold on a few seconds longer than the other two.
After that, they avoided the dual boss as they were stronger than any opponent they had fought thus far. Instead, they left the area and began exploring other locations to grind and gain more levels. And so, for nearly a fortnight, their focus had been to grind to increase their level.
Eventually, they could not find anything else to fight after nearly two weeks of tireless grinding.
While they don't know what lies beyond the sealed gate, it is clear that the dual boss is guarding the passage that would allow them to continue exploring deeper into the Crypt. After doing what they can to grind and prepare, the obvious next step is confronting the dual boss head-on.
***
Rebecca is locked into a one-on-one confrontation with one of the bosses- an undead swordsman.
Akamir, the Undead Ronin Lvl. ???
HP 3519/3613
Rebecca deliberately steered away from her companions while dealing with an occasional attack on her target to ensure that her opponent's attention was focused on her. She wants to move the fight to the opposite end of the area to ensure their combat will be solely one-on-one.
Slash! Dodge!
Slash! Dodge!
Clang!
[You have taken -191 damage.]
Slash! Dodge!
Strike!
[You have dealt 121 damage to Akamir, the Undead Ronin Lvl ???.]
Dodge! Strike!
Counter-Slash!
[You have taken -258 damage.]
"Damn!" cursed Rebecca. "His attacks are too strong!"
Those two hits had taken out over half her HP. Although it's true that she deliberately did not activate a defensive skill to test her innate resistance against the Undead Ronin's attacks, the damage she took still astonished her.
Luckily, the trio had been grinding for two weeks before fighting the two bosses. Otherwise, her fight with Akamir would have ended right then and there.
Name: Rebecca Rivers
Level: 115
Essence: 62,010 (83,748 Essence to reach Level 116)
HP 226/675
MP 160/160
STATS
Vitality 45 (1:15 Stat to HP)
Endurance 30
Willpower 20 (1:8 Stat to MP)
Strength 32
Dexterity 18
Perception 9
Intelligence 9
Clarity 20
Harmony 8
Mystery 9
SKILLS
Intermediate Warrior (see more...)
Apprentice Paladin (see more...)
TRAITS
Dark Resistance, Divine Absorption, Physical Resistance, Warrior's Conditioned Body
TITLES (see more)
ACHIEVEMENTS (see more)
Despite wearing high-quality armor dedicated to Paladins like herself, the Undead Ronin's attack still dealt noticeable damage.
There is no need to say how high the damage would have been had she been slightly lower-leveled or wearing a more ordinary set of equipment- a single hit might have killed her outright.
Her group had looted an earlier section containing various class tomes and other valuable items. While most of the things they raided were put up for sale, she decided to take the Paladin class for herself to boost her survivability and add holy magic attacks to her skill line-up.
Upon discovering she became a paladin, Adam gave her a high-level weapon and armor set dedicated to her class.
It is evident that Akamir is at a higher level, stronger, faster, more experienced, and has far superior swordsmanship. But the Paladin's equipment and recovery skills, as well as the innate holy affinity of the class, are proving to be a great equalizer to give Rebecca slightly better odds.
Her opponent is undoubtedly powerful, but Rebecca is not intimidated or in a hurry to end the fight.
As a Paladin, survivability and endurance are her main forte. The more skills Akamir uses on her early on, the better she will understand her opponent's skillset.
But first, she needs to recover her HP to a safe level.
Divine Recovery!
Divine Recovery 5
Description: Restores 125 HP and an additional +5 HP per second for 60 seconds
Cost: 40 MP
Cooldown: 90 seconds
+125 HP
+5 HP... +10 HP... +15 HP...
+20 HP... +25 HP... +30 HP...
Instead of focusing on getting a critical hit, Rebecca prioritizes moving at a pace where the Undead Ronin would focus on her even as she runs away to ensure their fight does not include Jessica and Dexter. After confirming she had the Undead Ronin's attention, she increased her pace to create even more distance.
Rebecca is keeping the swordsman occupied as he threatens Jessica and Dexter; Akamir is perfectly capable of one-shotting her teammates.
Meanwhile, Jessica and Dexter keep the other boss at bay to keep Rebecca safe; they are fighting an Entomancer- or insect summoner. Just as Rebecca protects Jessica and Dexter from the swordsman's powerful attacks, the two defend her from the Entomancer. She would be ill-suited against the insect swarm that the enemy can summon.
On top of Akamir's significant damage, they know that the Undead Ronin has a wide-area attack that is difficult to dodge and can kill Jessica and Dexter in a single hit. They have previously died against Akamir's attack in an earlier confrontation.
But thanks to this previous defeat, they know Rebecca can survive the attack due to her life-saving Paladin skills.
And so, this strategy is what they came up with: divide and conquer.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Dodge! Strike!
Rebecca's opponent is proving to be both strong and agile.
Even as he chases her, he can still afford to swing his nodachi while running.
His weapon is an impressive 5.7-foot weapon. Yet, the Undead Ronin wields it with excellent proficiency and precision that it's almost as if the sword's weight and length are not an issue.
It is a testament to Akamir's impressive physical prowess, swordplay, and agility.
On the other hand, Rebecca had top-notch equipment, utility items, and Paladin's skillset to balance the odds somewhat. Plus, Rebecca's combat skills are improving in real time the more she fights the Undead Ronin.
Paladins are highly durable and known for their holy magic, thanks to their numerous defensive buffs and self-recovery-oriented abilities.
Holy-based skills usually come with physical traits, while Dark-based skills are generally magical. As a result, Holy-based skills typically complement warriors, while Dark-based skills synergize more with hunters and mages.
This is another way of saying that Rebeca, a Paladin, fully maximizes the benefits that a divine class grants to warriors.
On the other hand, Akamir, the Undead Ronin, who is also clearly a warrior, is not receiving as much benefit from the Dark- aside from being an undead.
The proof of that is that every technique that Akamir has performed so far is a technique he could have achieved when he was alive. There are no Dark-based special skills that he can use to his advantage. Or at least, that is the case based on what Rebecca has observed thus far.
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Assuming all things are equal and no unique factor is at play, the Holy and Fire have an innate advantage over the Dark. In return, the Dark has an edge against the Elements- except for Fire. And going full circle, the Elements, except Fire, have an advantage against the Holy.
This is why Holy and Fire wielders are effective counters against undead or Dark types. Even at a lower level, the nature of Holy and Fire abilities is ideal for targeting an undead's inherent weakness.
When it comes to level and skill, Akamir has the advantage. But in virtually every other factor, such as equipment, affinity, build set-up, abilities, etc.- everything else is in Rebecca's favor.
Of course, this is under the premise that Rebecca plays her cards right.
The trio initially planned to have her buy as much time as possible until Jessica and Dexter defeated the Entomancer. But Rebecca realized this was an opportunity for her to grow as a player. And so she decided to face Akamir the Undead Ronin, intending to defeat him solo. Despite Akamir's power, she judged that there were enough variables in her favor to turn the fight into a victory.
Concluding that there was now sufficient distance from her companions, Rebecca started to fight back earnestly.
Holy Strike!
Upon activating Holy Strike, her weapon became coated with Holy energy; Akamir dodged the attack and moved to a different position. But Rebecca anticipated this and was prepared for it. While her opponent was in mid-motion of dodging, she estimated the most likely landing spot of the undead ronin. She threw something at where she estimated Akamir would move towards.
Holy Grenade! BOOM!
[You have dealt 250 damage to Akamir, the Undead Ronin Lvl ???.]
Arrrgggggghhhhhh!
The Undead Ronin screamed in pain. Not only did it take a grenade explosion directly, but it was also a holy-imbued explosion- the bane of an undead like himself.
Rebecca used the Holy Strike as a feint to make Akamir dodge before throwing the grenade directly at its body. After all, even if Akamir is agile enough to avoid an attack, he cannot change the destination of his dodge after he's committed to it.
Aside from the explosion of holy energy that significantly damaged the Undead Ronin, this triggered one of Rebecca's passive traits.
[There is latent Holy energy in your surroundings.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
Divine Absorption (Trait)
Description: A paladin's high affinity with the Holy energy allows them to absorb latent Holy energy and use it to heal themselves.
Details: Absorbs 25% of the latent energy and convert it to HP.
Next, she activated her buff skill to boost her regular attacks.
Holy Enchantment!
With her weapon once again coated in holy energy, Rebecca launched a series of attacks with her curved greatsword, the Kriegsmesser, taking advantage of the stunned opponent.
Slash! -171
Slash! -175
Slash! -179
She was about to go for a fourth attack. Unfortunately, Akamir had already recovered from being stunned. Akamir dodged Rebecca's fourth attack and activated a sword skill, delivering a devastating counterattack.
Lacerating Triple Hit!
Slash!
[You have taken -180 damage.]
Slash!
[You have taken -187 damage.]
Slash!
[You have taken -192 damage.]
"Dammit!" cursed Rebecca. "I was too greedy."
[You have suffered Laceration. You will lose additional HP for every movement you make for 00:02:59.]
Not only did she take more damage than she had dished out, but she sustained the Laceration debuff for her troubles. And that is on top of her HP, nearly bottoming out from the counterattack she received.
Laceration is a terrible debuff to sustain while fighting a highly agile swordsman like Akamir.
For every movement one makes while this status is in effect, the Laceration will cause continued HP damage. Whether one decides to run, evade, or fight back, the mere movement one does will cause HP loss. Even blocking will still cause damage, as once hit by an enemy, the resulting impact would still trigger Laceration.
But Rebecca didn't panic.
First, she chugged the most potent health potion to restore her dangerously low HP. She had to use a potion as her Divine Recovery skill was still several seconds short of completing its cooldown.
Health Potion (Superb Quality)
Description: A mixture that restores a decent portion of one's health. Users can drink up to 3 flasks of this potion before any side effects manifest.
Details: Restores 150 HP
Cooldown: 1 Hour
+150 HP
Second, instead of bracing herself for another attack from the Undead Ronin, she lobs several Holy Grenades to keep Akamir at bay.
Holy Grenade!
[You have taken -26 damage from Laceration.]
Holy Grenade!
[You have taken -29 damage from Laceration.]
Holy Grenade!
[You have taken -32 damage from Laceration.]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
She spreads out the grenades so that Akamir is caught by the blast no matter where he goes. Unfortunately, Akamir is agile enough that only one of the three grenades harms him.
[You have dealt 250 damage to Akamir, the Undead Ronin Lvl ???.]
Even though the damage wasn't as significant as she had initially hoped for, the holy energy caused by the explosions once again triggered her passive trait, Divine Absorption. At the very least, she converted the holy energy from the grenades to restore her HP to some degree.
[There is latent holy energy in your surroundings.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
Taking advantage of the holy energy that's restoring her lost HP, Rebecca dashed towards the Undead Ronin.
Holy Strike!
[You have taken -26 damage from Laceration.]
Holy Slash!
[You have taken -29 damage from Laceration.]
Pummel Strike!
[You have taken -32 damage from Laceration.]
Her opponent is not an easy target; Akamir expertly dodged the attacks and countered with his swift slashes and strikes. And with his superior speed and precision, he made Rebecca suffer continuous damage.
[You have taken -157 damage.]
[There is latent holy energy in your surroundings.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
[You have taken -166 damage.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
[You have taken -158 damage.]
[Paladin trait' Divine Absorption' has been activated. +62 HP restored.]
Rebecca's HP keeps going up and down like a yoyo in motion.
"I can do this all day, undead," taunted Rebecca. And as she said this, she activated Divine Recovery after its cooldown ended.
Divine Recovery!
+125 HP
+5 HP... +10 HP... +15 HP...
+20 HP... +25 HP... +30 HP...
Then she continued her attacks.
Mighty Blow! Mighty Slash! Mighty Thrust!
Dodge! Pummel Strike!
Rebecca boasted about being able to fight for a prolonged period. But her opponent can end the fight in a flash if she makes even a single mistake.
Lacerating Triple Strike! Swift Strike! Crescent Double Slash!
At best, the fight can transition towards a war of attrition- provided that Rebecca can suppress her opponent.
However, it turned out that Akamir also has recovery skills.
Nodachi's Weapon Ability: Wound Recovery!
Wound Recovery
Description: Restores HP to the user equal to the damage one has dealt toward the opponent.
Cooldown: 1-Hour
Although Rebecca has no scanning skills, she can tell that Akamir has fully recovered all his lost HP. After all, the Undead Ronin has dealt enormous damage to her in most of their exchange of attacks.
And to top it all off, the undead do not suffer from fatigue, are more robust and agile, and have superior sword techniques. Returning to total health has essentially tipped the odds in Akamir's favor.
On the other hand, Rebecca is slowly succumbing to fatigue. Despite her recovery skills, it does little to alleviate the fatigue that is building up.
And while she has a stamina-recovery potion, Akamir has started wising up and is maintaining a steady slash of attacks to minimize Rebecca's opportunity to use an item.
Just as Rebecca observes Akamir's skillset and fighting style, Akamir has been doing the same to her. And Akamir is proving to be far more experienced in fighting. Hence, the information he gained is better utilized than what Rebecca has learned from him.
But it is not all doom and gloom for Rebecca. Slowly but surely, she, too, is getting the hang of fighting Akamir.
Furthermore, thanks to her tankiness, she can take in hits in exchange for an opportunity to throw a grenade.
She realized she needed to use the opening to throw a holy grenade. The explosions are being used to deal significant damage, stun Akamir, heal her HP, drink a stamina potion, and deliver a counterattack of her own.
In many ways, it is a mirror match between two opposing affinities, and each combatant is utilizing their strengths as efficiently as possible to prevail against the other.
Additionally, Rebecca has other skills that she has yet to use.
However, she has yet to use them because she can't afford to reveal all her cards while the opponent might still have some hidden tricks, mainly since Akamir has just fully recovered his HP.
And so, the pair continued their exchanges.
Holy Strike!
Dodge! Counter-Slash!
[You have taken -157 damage.]
Divine Recovery!
Counter-Overhead Slash!
Evade!
Pummel Strike! Mighty Slash!
[You have dealt 161 damage to Akamir, the Undead Ronin Lvl ???.]
Rebecca is choosing the moment to use holy grenades wisely. During an attack exchange, she's doing her best to keep up and use her numerous healing options to keep her HP safe.
She's prioritizing retaliating with every sword slash she can to ensure Akamir does not control the fight's tempo. Furthermore, her supply of holy grenades is not infinite. She can't keep relying on it to tip the battle in her favor.
Akamir, on the other hand, is focusing on quick and light attacks and counter-slashes to remain constantly mobile and agile so that Rebecca can't pinpoint his spot and throw another holy grenade at him.
This kind of exchange went on for several rounds.
To better control the flow of combat, Rebecca once more tried luring Akamir to a less-spacious location to limit his mobility.
But Akamir did not fall for it.
The Undead Ronin raised his sword with his right hand and began dashing around the Paladin in erratic directions. Every time he moved, he would attack with a flurry of slashes to keep his opponent under the effect of Laceration at all times.
He's selecting the angle of his attack so that Rebecca cannot move beyond where they are, even if she dodges the attacks.
As a follow-up, he leaped into the air and delivered a jumping overhead slash aimed directly at the Paladin. Or at least, he tried to.
In response, Rebecca threw a grenade at him. But Akamir's combat reflex is on full display; he redirected his slash to target the grenade to slice it in half.
Jumping Overhead Slash!
Akamir successfully sliced the grenade in half. The two halves of the holy grenade passed him by and detonated harmlessly away from him.
That's not all the jumping attack did. Even though the slash was redirected, it still contained significant force, and a shockwave effect emanated from it.
The damaged residue is enough to reach Rebecca even when she tries to dodge it.
Bang!
As a result, Rebecca ended up taking splash damage.
[You have taken -187 damage.]
Pant! Pant! Pant!
"You are one troublesome foe," said Rebecca, both in frustration and acknowledgment.
In response, Akamir gave her a curt nod- clearly reflecting the same sentiment towards her.
Since Rebecca's Divine Recovery is still in cooldown again, she chugged another potion to keep her health bar from shrinking further.
She couldn't help but reflect that her desire to defeat Akamir single-handedly might have been naivety. Akamir is proving to be a dangerous opponent for her to face alone.
'Maybe I should just wait for those two to join me after all,' thought Rebecca.
After all things are considered, the battle is going in Akamir's favor.
The most significant factor that will tip the favor to one side would depend on which ally would win in the other fight happening on the opposite end of the area. But it was at this prospect that she remembered something else. Aside from testing her skills in battle, there is another reason why she wants to win this fight single-handedly.
"No, I have to deal with this guy alone," she said. "I'm on the top 10 of this server. I can't lose in a one-on-one fight!"
And with that new surge of will, she decided to unleash the rest of the skills she had been hiding until now.
"You're not the only one hiding a secret skill," said Rebecca with a smirk.