The monsters from within the forest's shade were beast-type monsters that usually resided inside forest settings.
「Lv.34 Ravenous Boar (Elite)
Beast Type
Health: 215,000/215,000 (100%)」
Several such boars remained at a distance, glowering eyes locked on Kieran and the rest.
However, Kieran felt no threat from these monsters. He had already reached a level where he could easily solo such an opponent, especially one at the same level as him.
"Everyone with a physical role in the party will battle one of these monsters alone. I need to gauge how you fare against opponents of this caliber," Kieran said.
For this assessment, Camila and Sera adopted passive roles. After all, a Healer's value was determined by how high their Healing Factor was and the vastitude of the healing arsenal.
Kieran rested against the side of the caravan while the others awaited their turn.
The first to go was Nemean, drawing his dual shields. He pounced toward the closest Ravenous Boar with a Shield Bash, followed by a series of quick strikes. He recalled his earlier spars against Bastion and the advice received from Kieran.
The Ravenous Boar was a quick opponent, using many frenzied rushes to target Nemean, but Nemean displayed the reasons Kieran felt he was skilled enough to join his party.
Bang!
Nemean redirected the Ravenous Boar's momentum, tossing it over seconds before activating his skill, Chain Link: Shield Rush. The fluid display of skill quickly amassed combo damage as Nemean's damage grew higher with each attack.
Pride surfaced in Nemean's gaze as he grinned. 'I did it! I accomplished what we trained for! Now, I need to continue grasping that feeling.'
All the gazes currently aimed at Nemean drove him to execute his skills at a level he hadn't been able to achieve prior. The stimulus of making a good impression before skilled people extracted bits of Nemean's dormant potential.
Soon enough, Kieran had seen enough and ended the entire battle by unleashing a Blood Wave.
"Next," Kieran called out.
Rather than one of his own, Lux followed after Nemean while giving him a nod. "That was some excellent skill and timing you showcased there. I understand why Aatrox chose you."
Praise from an expert elated Nemean, but he didn't let it go to his head. He understood there was still a tremendous amount of room for growth. There were flaws in his execution and required too much focus to accomplish.
Nevertheless, he was confident.
"You did well. Better than you've ever done. It seems that you're the type to shine under the pressure of strangers," Kieran said.
"Possibly," Nemean answered with a wry chuckle. The only thing on his matter at that time was execution.
Seconds later, Lux stopped approximately 10 meters away from a nearby Ravenous Boar. He removed the longbow strapped to his back and held it in his right hand before aiming above his head.
Lux closed his eyes and exhaled before slamming them open. In one rapid, fluid motion, Lux grabbed and nocked three arrows in almost instant succession.
Whoosh!
The arrows whizzed through the air, two simultaneously piercing the Ravenous Boar's eyes while the last pierced through its mouth once it opened its mouth to emit pained squeals.
The Ravenous Boar fell over as three significant Critical Hits appeared over the boars.
'As expected of the Azure Marksman. A Triple Shot with a perfect Critical Hit rate and even a Vital Critical,' Kieran inwardly noted.
The Archer Class was similar to Assassin as they relied upon Critical Hits to inflict damage. However, because their firing speed was admittedly lower than other classes, they were given a higher base Critical Modifier. Instead of 150%, it was 200%.
However, another reason this Ravenous Boar died so quickly related to another aspect of Stage One Combat Realism—Modified Critical Hits.
Aside from the standard Critical Hits that dealt increased damage based on the user's Critical Damage Modifier, two more Critical Hit variants appeared. One was known as Vital Hit, which dealt double the user's Critical Damage modifier.
The second was known as a Vital Critical, which was a Vital Hit and Critical Hit superimposed. Vital Criticals were known to deal three times the damage of regular critical attacks by combining the two principles.
Lux had only recently stumbled across this information after battling against a monster with fleshly vulnerabilities.
After Lux's shocking display, Altair's competitiveness was triggered. He smirked while absorbing the principle behind Lux's actions. 'So that's what the modifications to the Critical System meant.'
Altair spun the daggers around his fingers before exclaiming, "Ready!"
"Begin!"
Whoosh!
Altair simultaneously activated Conceal and Swift Step and sped toward the Ravenous Boar. Just before arriving, however, Altair performed a false step and changed directions.
Black wisps flashed past in everyone's view as Altair revolved around the Ravenous Boar. Numerous lacerations appeared on the beast's hide, but its eyes were sliced apart with a spray of blood.
Vital Hit!
Vital Hit!
Although the beast's Health depleted like water drained from an unclogged sink, Altair's actions rapidly hastened. By the time the Ravenous Boar fell, Altair had returned to one place with a light tap of his foot.
"Phew… that felt good," Altair exhaled.
Following Altair, Luna was the next to go.
However, she paused not too far away from the beast. Everyone that partook in the assessment thus far displayed incredible skill. Luna began to question whether she was capable of doing the same.
Kieran noticed this hesitation and expressed his opinion. "Let your natural talent flourish. Don't let your thoughts hinder you, or it'll become a perpetual obstacle."
Luna released a deep exhale while thinking about Kieran's comment. 'Don't let my thoughts hinder me… That's right. I'm just as good at the rest.'
Luna raised her twin blades and waited for Kieran's signal. After receiving it, she presented the advantage of a Tempest Rogue—her unmatched Agility that surpassed even Altair.
While her attacks weren't as precise due to a disparity in her Control and Agility, Luna's constant movement made it impossible for the Ravenous Boar to retaliate.
The initial Health decline was slow, but it picked up as Luna gained more confidence in her actions.
Kieran smiled faintly as he praised Luna's willingness to adapt and learn. 'That's the mindset, girl. Become confident with yourself.
After approximately 90 seconds of fighting, Luna's assessment concluded. Kieran considered having Bastion join the evaluation but ultimately left it up to him to decide.
"I'll do it. I can't have everyone else go and then not do so myself. I have to present my worth as a tank at least," Bastion said.
"Understood. Then, I'll conduct it with you," Kieran nodded while picking up Crimson Ashrune. Bastion's damage-dealing capabilities were horrendous, so he needed someone to quell this upset.
Bastion initiated the fight and swiftly gained control of the Boar's aggro while Kieran waited patiently two meters away.
Everyone awaited Kieran's display after witnessing the stream's spectacle.
"Good, control the tempo," Kieran directed. A skilled tank could not just grasp battle momentum but also determine it.
Bastion reacted to Kieran's guidance, defending against the Ravenous Boar's retaliation to mitigate the damage as best as possible. Bastion lost a considerable amount of Health, but his class was designed to do.
Determining a tank's skill required that the examiner note how long it took for their Health to arrive in the red against opponents.
Bastion battled for nearly three minutes before his Health dropped to 10%. At that point, Kieran joined the battle with swift decisiveness.
Bang!
A simple slash sent the Ravenous Boar flying into the tree not too far away. Kieran lifted his free hand and braced the recoil of his skill before firing a Blood Wave followed by six slender blood slashes.
The Ravenous Boar was minced to pieces while Kieran patted Bastion's shoulder.
"Congratulations, buddy. Your tanking skills have entered a new realm. Last more than two minutes against an equal-level Elite monster without dying is an exceptional standard."
"Damn! Why didn't you showcase something more flashy?" Bastion commented.
"Why?" Kieran titled his head at Bastion's question.
Bastion moved close before whispering into Kieran's ear. "Because beauties are watching, bro!"
"Damn… I lied about your skill. It looks like I still need to whip you into shape," Kieran commented harshly.
Bastion gulped and tried to avoid this punishment by chalking his comment up as a joke, but Kieran didn't want to hear the excuses.
Last of all, Kieran awaited Ezra's assessment. He was aware of the lady's skill but wanted to know more about her class—what path was she taking? Was it the same as in his memories?
Ezra stepped up to not one but four Ravenous Boars with an elegant air surrounding her. She revealed two silvery white blades that shimmered with a brilliant hue.
"You may begin, Ezra," Kieran said, not minding her decision to take on multiple enemies.
Ezra dashed while holding her swords at an intersecting angle. She spun and abruptly accelerated when she reached her opponent while separating her arms with a flash of blinding white light.
"Sword Flash!"
Afterward, she spun and harnessed the energy unique to Swordsmen, also known as Sword Force.
"Sword Wave - Dispersion!"
The energy formed a wave that grew larger as it traveled through the air. It was comparable to Kieran's Blood Wave when it met the Ravenous Boar.
A moment later, Ezra seemed to perform a sword dance centered around light but continuous strikes.
By the end, everyone was left astonished.
