20
Chapter 20
Kanto, standing before Hanna, let out a short snort.
"So it was you. The one who broke the handcuffs and restraints, the precious assets of our Blue Moss Tribe..."
No, that was Rake.
"Sigh... Mister. You won't understand me, but that wasn't me, it was that woman over there."
Hanna glanced sideways at Rake.
"What are you muttering! You shameless civilized person! You shall pay for your crimes with your body!"
Kanto charged at her, unabashedly spitting out words that could easily be misconstrued.
He charged with the momentum of a wild boar. The sense of pressure he radiated was the strongest of all the warriors I'd seen so far.
Perhaps thinking things would be different this time, Hanna chose to dodge the attack instead of raising her shield to block it.
Whoosh-!
Hanna narrowly avoided the double-edged axe and tried to recover her stance, but Kanto was faster.
Instead of retrieving the axe after the swing, he gripped it with both hands and swung it sideways, stabbing Hanna with the handle's end.
A quick and powerful transition. Even I was surprised watching that.
As expected of Kanto, the woodsman with insane stamina.
Thump!
Although it bounced off her light-shrouded armor, Hanna shivered slightly, suggesting that the blow had definitely dealt some damage.
I wondered if that was the first effective hit Hanna had taken today.
They exchanged a few more blows, but Kanto clearly had the upper hand.
The Chief of the Blue Moss Tribe pressed Hanna back with his innate strength and speed.
"Tsk."
Clicking her tongue, Hanna created some distance between herself and Kanto, then raised her sword high into the air.
Light gathered at the tip of the blade and then scattered in all directions like fireworks.
"Hm?"
Just as Kanto slowed down, perhaps sensing danger, the haphazardly exploding fireworks of light shot straight toward him.
Ah, I think I know this skill.
Among the Holy Knight's skills... right, Light Burst.
It's a skill that fires energy blasts made of light. I recall it's not particularly lethal, but it's effective when dealing with multiple enemies.
Clang! Clang!
Kanto worked hard to swat away the light blasts that flew toward him like homing missiles with his double-edged axe, but he began to step back as his strength waned.
This time, Hanna was the one to make the first move.
"Gah!"
Kanto blocked Hanna's sword with his double-edged axe, but he took a Light Burst to the side in exchange.
Kanto gradually retreated under Hanna's relentless offensive.
Despite his struggle, the tide of the battle had already turned. After being struck several times by Hanna's shield bashes, Kanto was knocked flat on his back by another Light Burst.
It was the expected conclusion, but it felt bittersweet to watch. He might be able to overwhelm her for a moment, but in the long run, it's inevitable.
As the sun began to set, I decided it was time to end the day and was about to withdraw Divine Descent.
"Yaaaaaaah!"
Kanto leaped back onto his feet, letting out a shout like something straight out of a hot-blooded hero anime.
His bloodshot eyes made him look truly pissed off.
"Come at me, civilized person! I can do more!"
The watching barbarian warriors cheered in response to Kanto's shout.
"What incredible fighting spirit! He is already a great warrior!"
"Uooooh! As expected of the Chief! He's still going strong!"
"You are a hero, Kanto!"
Perhaps fueled by the countless cheers and shouts, Kanto let out another scream-like yell and charged at Hanna once more.
Hanna hesitated for a moment, seemingly overwhelmed by his momentum.
I get it. Anyone would tremble in their boots seeing Kanto charge like a madman with bloodshot eyes.
That kind of thing is called a Berse... wait. I just realized something.
Barbarians. Often called barbarians. They appear in many games, usually as strong and combat-oriented races.
There is a common trait among such barbarians. They have a skill called Berserking, or becoming a Berserker.
Could it be that Kanto has entered a state similar to a Berserker? A new power of the barbarians that I hadn't seen until now...
Clang! Clang! Clang! Thwack!
"Aaagh!"
Perhaps because his judgment was clouded by rage, he failed to block properly and got beaten senseless before collapsing.
Barbarian Berserker. Barbarian Berserker. That was a total lie.
"..."
The barbarians, who had cheered for Kanto with enough passion to shed tears, scratched their heads awkwardly and avoided eye contact. Some even pretended not to notice.
I'm the one feeling embarrassed.
"Th-that's enough for today! The duel is now over!"
The barbarian woman, who had been dazed for a moment, hastily ended the match.
Una and Denjo groaned as they lugged the sprawled-out Kanto away.
"How pathetic."
Rake spoke coldly.
- It is impressive that he lasted this long against a Holy Knight of that caliber.
I felt a bit sorry for Kanto, who always gets criticized, so I tried to defend him for once.
"Your judgment is flawed. If it were me, I wouldn't have backed off when the Holy Knight unleashed the light; I would have forced close-quarters combat."
No, that's only possible because you're strong. Most people would just freeze at the sight of that light.
- Chief Rake. Compared to the others you've faced, how strong was that Holy Knight? Was it difficult to subdue her?
I suddenly became curious. I had seen Rake's skills before, but I hadn't seen her fight at full strength.
"Are you curious? Shall I show you?"
Rake slowly drew the curved sword from her waist.
I wonder why she mixes stiff, military-style speech with soft, polite language.
Is it to maintain a certain distance between us? Not too far, but not too close?
Because we are in a relationship that requires formality, yet she wants to build intimacy without crossing the line?
Well, I can only guess based on her usual behavior.
"No. I cannot. It is far too late."
Rake let out a small chuckle and put the curved sword back in its place with a practiced motion.
She's quite skilled at drawing and sheathing her blade.
"That Holy Knight is still unrefined. She relies too heavily on the blessings of a foreign god. Therefore, she needs more experience."
I see. So she's saying the knight isn't on her level yet.
- I'll be going now. Good night.
"Have a peaceful night."
I deactivated Divine Descent.
***
The next morning. I searched for 'skills' in the community.
[Hell Brown: Skill Info for Levels 1-4]
Hey! It's time for a George's Raid Party info post.
Our party shared the skill information we have. We've excluded levels 5 and above for now due to a lack of samples.
On average, there are three skill options per level.
They are largely divided into support, healing, and attack types.
That's how they're categorized, but most are support skills. Specifically, there are many skills designed for group combat.
That's why a Holy Knight's strength shines in a group. It's the biggest reason why we must form a party.
There are hidden skills or those obtained through specific methods rather than level-up rewards, but since those aren't common, I won't include them in this guide.
* Holy Knight Level-up Skill Summary
#Level 1
- Protection of Light (Support): Envelops the body in light to increase defense. Affects all nearby allies.
Review: Can be learned from the start, but the effect is outstanding. If you choose this, definitely max it out. It is excellent.
- Touch of Recovery (Healing): Heals allies, including yourself.
Review: The healing effect is mediocre, but I am not sure what happens if you max it out. It has great versatility since it works on allies.
- Holy Strike (Attack): Wraps the hand in light to strike.
Review: The best skill for early combat, but it is a typical low-level skill that gets discarded in the late game.
#Level 2
- Light Forge (Support): Infuses equipment with holy light to increase durability and attack power.
Review: A single-target buff skill. It is extremely efficient at low levels.
- Demonic Energy Block (Support): Blocks demonic energy within a certain range.
Review: This skill is meant for the natives of the game world rather than us. I do not highly recommend it.
- Holy Flame (Attack): Sets the enemy on fire with light to deal continuous damage.
Review: The total damage is quite high, but because it deals small ticks of damage, its practical utility is low.
#Level 3
- Grace of Light (Healing): Continuously heals yourself and your allies.
Review: Lower burst healing than Touch of Recovery, but the overall healing is higher due to the steady flow. Great for long battles.
- Holy Shield (Support): Deploys a powerful hemispherical shield that absorbs damage above a certain threshold.
Review: You cannot adjust the size, and it even blocks your own attacks. Still, the protection is solid.
- Combat Master (Support): Forcefully corrects movements during combat.
Review: A pretty decent skill. It feels like someone better at fighting than me is remotely controlling me for a short while.
#Level 4
- Light Burst (Attack): Fires beams of light at enemies. Especially lethal against demons.
Review: Useful in many ways, whether facing crowds or powerful individuals. It can even be used to blind enemies. The best attack skill so far.
- Purification (Support): Removes various status ailments.
Review: In the game, there were more enemies that caused status effects as we progressed. It remains useful until the end. I recommend picking this one.
- Stamina Recovery (Support): Restores physical energy.
Review: This energy refers to stamina, not health. If you take this skill and raise its rank, you can last over two days without eating.
That is all for the info!
Now, let us do our best to get through today~!]