As Kieran and Luna conversed, Nemean looked at them out of curiosity. Because she remained quiet throughout most of their journey thus far, Nemean was staggered by Luna's radiant smile. But, more than that, he was also shocked to see that Kieran somehow caused this smile.
'Could we have a smooth talker in our midst? She could have fooled me; I would have thought this girl was nothing more than an Ice Queen who somewhat despised people. Nevertheless, it's good to see that she's capable of human reaction,' Nemean thought.
However, almost as if they sensed eyes on them, both Kieran and Luna turned in perfect coordination. As a result of this reaction, Nemean could only silently blink while wondering if this was a rehearsed movement. How could their timing be so perfect otherwise?
"Is something wrong, Nemean?" Kieran asked once he noticed that Nemean seemed unusually startled. It hadn't crossed his mind that Nemean's thought process immediately ventured to more inappropriate places. This was the difference between Kieran and Nemean's characters. One was more geared to strict business, while the other was more of a speak-without-thinking type of person.
Thus, Nemean chuckled softly and nodded. But, just as he was about to comment, Luna spoke first.
"Is it your level as well? I see that just like Aatrox, you haven't reached Lv.25 while we all have."
This comment made Nemean look twice at the party level. Truth be told, he hadn't realized this fact until Luna brought it up. But, because this segue allowed him to avoid saying something stupid, Nemean took advantage of it for the time being.
"Kinda, but it's no sweat! I'm literally a sliver away from leveling up. Another monster, and I'll most likely hit that point," Nemean shrugged. After a slight pause, he continued, "What about you two? You two are becoming chummy—does this mean it's safe to say Luna is a permanent addition to the team?"
"I think you've jumped to conclusions here. We are by no means friendly, as you say. And permanent addition? I doubt she'll come to our side. Besides, who's to say that you're permanent?" Kieran answered with a slight smirk.
Off to the side, Luna glanced from Kieran to Nemean. She had zero intentions of committing to a team outside of her own, but the fact Kieran said this to Nemean came as a surprise. Who wouldn't gladly accept someone as talented as Nemean as a tank? Although his defensive skills were awkward due to the unusual nature of his class, provided that his Strength was high enough, he wouldn't be inferior to pure-defense tanks like Bastion.
"A-ah…" Nemean was too stunned to speak as this was a first for him. Similar to Altair and Bastion, he had once been recruited by gaming organizations. The only difference between his offers and the ones those two received was that Nemean's offer came from a first-class organization. To receive an offer from such a well-connected and prestigious organization meant the individual had the prospects to become a rising star.
Otherwise, an organization of such a caliber would adhere to strict tryouts only to sift through the collection of talents and not-so-talented individuals.
"Lighten up; I'm only joking. As I said before, talent isn't the only criteria I'm judging you on. So far, I've seen nothing wrong. With that being said, I think we should get a move on. We'll organize the loot and keep going." Kieran said, which allowed Nemean to breathe a sigh of relief. Even though this team wasn't his only option, instincts told him that this was the place for him. From what he saw thus far, Kieran wasn't the type of person he loathed—the slimy, deceitful kind that usually occupied high authority because of their distasteful methods.
The division of loot was handled by Alice, who unsurprisingly did a meticulous job. Luna was given exactly twenty percent of what dropped without Kieran needing to remind her. What's more, Alice didn't even flinch when she realized there was a Rare Item with an Item Level of 35 in the portion given to Luna.
Having confirmed that she was satisfied with how they upheld their side of the deal, Kieran walked through the cavernous pathway that kept expanding in size. Soon enough, Kieran and the rest felt overwhelmingly tiny standing inside the passage, comparable to a stadium in dimensions.
"What is large enough to make a tunnel like this? But, more importantly, what would need a space so big?" Sithik muttered while continuously turning around to marvel at the rocky terrain surrounding them.
"Who knows, I just hope we don't have to go up against some gigantic ogre," Bastion grumbled. He didn't want to think about what type of defense was required to handle a monster of that magnitude.
Because of his comment, the entire party snapped their heads toward Bastion, with Nemean being the first to reprimand him. "Dude, what the hell? You just jinxed us! I'm willing to bet that because of what you said, it'll end up happening somewhere down the road."
"It's highly likely that what Bastion said is true. Such a large structure wouldn't exist without reason. You need to remember that changes in environments are extremely important and should always be noted," Kieran commented.
Suddenly, Kieran stopped moving and widened his eyes. "Move!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Out of nowhere, four large rocks appeared from deep within the darkness, followed by the metallic gleam of arrows enveloped in what seemed to be a flimsy Mana shell. The impacts made the entire area tremble as the team tried to stabilize.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Luna and Altair rapidly parried any of the arrows that neared them while swiftly moving away from the party. Due to their low movement speed, Bastion was forced to remain in place and withstand the devastation of these large boulders.
"Guardian's Sigil!" Bastion bellowed. A light blue aura burst from his body, forming a large shield that relied upon his Endurance for stability. At its current level, this skill could only withstand up to 10,000 damage before completely shattering. Still, it was sufficient to shield him and Sera, Sithik, and Cygnus, who stood nearby for protection.
Whoosh! Boom!
Kieran sped past Bastion and leapt into the air while a berserk aura coated the weapon in his hand. With a loud roar, Kieran executed a swift yet mighty vertical slash that started from overhead.
The large boulder that smashed into Bastion's Guardian Sigil was cleaved in half by the Wild Crash. And with its new properties, the energy from the attack swept outward, landing on the enemies in the distance.
「 Lv.28 Grand Goblin Archers (Champion)
Goblin Type
Health: 189,500/201,000 (94.27%)
Special Traits: «Precision» «Mana Imbue» 」
「Lv.29 Giant Ogre (Champion)
Goblin Type, Humanoid
Monster/Boss Type: Undead, Fire, Water, etc.
Health: 240,000/240,000 (100%)
Special Traits: «Immense Strength» «Tough Skin» 」
"Damn! These are the Champion Monsters you mentioned earlier?" Nemean exclaimed.
"Yeah. Their attributes aren't as high as the Mini-Boss we faced before. But as you can see, we aren't just dealing with one monster here. So, we need to be smart about our movements. Regroup and adopt our formation from earlier, but Altair and Luna will split apart even further. Drive the archers' attention away from the main party. Nemean, Bastion—you'll each tank one of those Giant Ogre," Kieran commanded.
Everyone acknowledged their roles while Kieran was left frowning. The crack on the Scarlet Steel Greatsword had spread down to the base of the weapon's guard. With its current condition, Kieran wasn't sure how much longer it would last in battle.
'Can I gain that last one hundred thousand before it breaks? We'll have to see.'
Since there was no worth in mulling over his issues right now, Kieran could only take advantage of the situation his enemies had caused. Although he sensed them at the last moment, the large boulders flung by the Giant Ogres caused ample damage to the party, especially because of how brittle they were. The rocks splintered on contact.
Thus, Sera, Sithik, and Cygnus were busy healing not just Nemean and Bastion but everyone.
When the healing skills tried to heal Kieran, it was immediately rejected while crimson veins began surfacing on Kieran's skin. At the same time, the whites of Kieran's turned the color of fresh blood while his pupils remained the same mixture of black and red.
〈Battle Alert: «Blood Mania» has entered Phase III.〉
〈Battle Alert: «Tormented Beliefs» has increased to Phase III.〉
〈Battle Alert: Physical Attack Power has risen to 3,107.〉
〈Battle Alert: Attack and Movement Speed have increased by 60%.〉
Empowered by the simultaneous effects of Blood Mania and Tormented Beliefs coupled with his physique bestowed by his class change, Kieran was brimming with power! A power that, for some odd reason, drove Kieran to desire destruction. The weapon in his hand thrummed with energy as the exterior seemed to crumble under immense pressure.
Bang!
Kieran leapt forward explosively with a savage smirk while a maddened glint filled his eyes. Fury Rush initiated this movement, so Kieran crossed 10 meters instantly while suddenly slamming his sword into the ground despite the 20 meters separating him and his enemies.
A fissure opened in the floor as a tide of bloody energy swept forth, destroying the rocks that barred its path. The Grand Goblin Archers seemed to sense danger and shirk back, intending to run, but Kieran's ominous grin didn't allow that.
"Get over here," Kieran said in an emotionless yet menacing tone. Three giant blood tempest teeming with savage vigor pierced forward, dealing monstrous damage upon the Grand Goblin Archers.
But, when the tempests collided against the Giant Ogre, the impacts only forced them back, failing to puncture their skin completely. However, that was to be expected of Champion Monster centered around Strength and Defense.
Regardless, Kieran did not let up on his onslaught as he kept at least half of the monsters focused on him. Six of those monsters were targeted by Kieran's Crimson Barrage. The blood blades seemed to react to Blood Mania's current state because they were denser than before. The 10-centimeter thick blood blades ravaged the battlefield before cleaving each of the Grand Goblin Archers in half with critical attacks!
Crrrck! Clang!
The sounds of something breaking resonated in Kieran's ears as he glanced down, watching as half of the Scarlet Steel Greatsword's edge fell to the ground. While others would be devastated by their weapon breaking mid-fight, Kieran felt nothing.
〈Battle Alert: Your weapon has broken. Physical Attack Power has decreased from 3,107 to 2,936.〉
While the weapon was broken, that didn't mean it was unusable. It simply meant its attack value would no longer contribute to Kieran's skills or basic attack. However, if a weapon were required to unleash a skill, then it would still fulfill the criteria as long as Kieran didn't unequip it in his interface. Once he did that, a broken item couldn't be re-equipped.
