Chapter 130
Translator: uly
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Poison Tsunami
Endless rain poured down.
The orcs struck by the downpour screamed one after another, writhing in agony.
Kenny's new poison.
The acidic toxin mixed into the rain was melting their flesh.
Skin sloughing off in gooey clumps.
This newly unveiled acidic poison was a resounding success.
Even monsters with innate resistances had no specific defense against acid-based toxins.
"Chwiik!"
"Chwiik!"
All they could do was scramble backward in panic.
But the poison master Kenny wasn't about to let them escape.
"Where do you think you're going!"
He swept his outstretched arms wide to either side.
The rainwater pooling on the ground gathered rapidly, soon surging up into a towering tidal wave.
Poison puddle.
Poison rain.
The poison master's latest skill came next.
The poison tidal wave.
This skill's prerequisite was maintaining Poison Rain for a sustained period.
Only then could the pooled rainwater be transformed into a tidal wave.
After that, it was just a matter of controlling it.
Whoosh!
The poison tidal wave followed Kenny's gestures, engulfing the arena.
"Taste this, you stupid orcs!"
"Chwi, chwiik?!"
The orcs backed into a corner.
There was nowhere left to run.
They could only stare up at the wave in stunned silence.
They wouldn't die.
But it would hurt like hell.
The orcs braced themselves, accepting the wave with grim resolve.
Sizzle!
But it was never that easy.
Orcs thrashed in the rising steam, tormented by pain.
A few managed to claw their way out of the inferno, but it didn't last.
Rumble!
A black claw swept across the ground, swallowing them up.
Iron Mask.
Luke's Shadow Talon.
The orcs struck by the talon were herded back into the corner.
Kenny followed up by summoning another tidal wave, delivering fresh hell.
This time, blending regular poison with acidic poison.
A far cry from the chaos of their previous war.
Kenny had grown tremendously since then.
'So that's why he honed his poisons for this day.'
A sigh of admiration escaped him.
Poison master Kenny.
The perfect partner.
💪 Essence of Poison
Type:Active | Level:2
The essence that forms the core of poison. Absorbs all poison within a certain range. Increases poison resistance with absorption and allows direct use of absorbed poisons.
🍀 Absorption Capacity:380/400
✨ Current Poisons:Regular Poison, Paralysis Poison, Acidic Poison
Who else could supply this much poison?
Infinite poison.
He'd even gifted a new type.
No one.
Absolutely no one.
'Ah, Kenny, you give so generously... you're like the pufferfish bible...'
Something impossible with any other partner.
Luke silently thanked Kenny as he checked the new acidic poison.
'Insane.'
Acidic poison.
Its effects exceeded expectations.
Simultaneous poison and burn damage, plus a chance for necrosis.
A deadly debuff triple threat.
Especially necrosis.
Used right, it could cripple body functions.
Part destruction.
An upgraded version of the existing part-strike system.
Severely damaged parts could be lost or destroyed, rendering their functions unusable until healed.
For example:
One arm disabled, forcing single-handed combat.
Something like that.
But such devastating effects came with hefty risks.
Rapid durability drain.
Potential corrosion.
If corrosion hit as warned, the gear was basically ruined.
The poison consumption per use was no small amount either.
'Well, for acidic poison, that's a fair trade.'
The lethal debuffs it inflicted made it worthwhile.
And limiting it to throwing daggers minimized issues.
All that remained was testing its performance.
Kenny's tidal wave was cornering the orcs, but scores weren't rising much.
They weren't frail enough to finish with poison alone.
Plus, Kenny himself was nearing his mental and mana limits.
"Haa... haa..."
His prediction proved right.
Ragged breaths.
Kenny's weary face downing a mana potion.
But mana recovery wouldn't restore depleted mental strength or mana reserves.
Time to buy him a breather.
Let Kenny recover his mental and mana through rest.
Luke turned on his heel.
That instant.
"Hold on, you're not thinking of jumping in, are you?"
Kenny, panting, urgently halted him.
"What?"
"Don't butt in needlessly—just watch. From phase 2, there's nothing you can do anyway!"
True.
Phase 2's randomly shifting patterns.
Handling them up close was incredibly tricky.
"So just sit back and watch my poison stage unfold."
Kenny forced a smirk.
His eyes brimmed with superiority.
Doing what Iron Mask couldn't.
But it was all delusion.
"Nonsense."
"Wh-what?"
"Rest there."
"Iron Mask, you bastard...!"
Luke ignored Kenny's growl and charged forward.
First target: a warrior orc flailing in the tidal wave.
He slid in like a shadow.
The orc reacted instantly.
Battle axes in both hands sliced through the air.
A wide arc from low left.
But it shifted abruptly right.
Random pattern.
Right from the start.
"You idiot!"
Kenny, watching from afar, twisted the wave's direction in panic.
Or tried to.
Clang!
If Luke hadn't parried the axe, it might have worked.
"Chwiik?!"
The orc warrior panicked.
Not expecting his attack turned against him.
Kenny was just as shocked.
Coincidence?
Or intentional?
Hard to tell.
But doubts cleared quickly.
Thanks to Luke's flawless parries.
Clang!
Clang!
Blocking or parrying every visible strike.
Clean counters.
No coincidence.
Kenny—and the entire audience—gaped.
Monsters' patterns shifting randomly every moment.
Yet he read and countered them all.
No wonder the shock.
To Luke, it wasn't miraculous.
It was routine now.
Thanks to Dragon Eye predicting every move.
The real surprise?
Throwing Dagger hits Orc Warrior's right arm!
Acidic Poison triggered!
Poison damage every second!
Burn damage every second!
...
Acidic Poison stacks!
Part Destruction!
Orc Warrior's right arm necrotized!
Orc Warrior's right arm loses function!
The acidic poison's effects in action.
'What the...'
Using it firsthand drove it home.
Acidic poison.
Its astonishing power.
'This is nuts?!'
Satisfying.
Beyond satisfying—mind-blowing.
With Kenny supplying infinite poison.
Perfect chance to test it fully.
Luke swiftly finished the orc warrior before him.
Thud!
He felled orcs with HP below half like autumn leaves, proving phase 2 was no issue to the audience.
Mechanical precision.
Kenny finally realized his mistake, his face paling as he yelled.
"You monster!"
The poison tidal wave sank into the ground.
Kenny slumped, catching his breath.
Finally heeding Luke and resting properly.
"What kind of freak are you? Like a damn machine..."
"To think I tried fighting a guy like that... looking back, it's insane..."
Muttering complaints.
The baton fully passed.
Kenny could fully recover his mental and mana, but Luke now faced the horde alone.
Luckily, most orcs had HP below half from the acid, some limbs crippled.
'This is plenty.'
Luke thought as he cleaved another orc.
Kenny had done his part.
Beyond expectations, even.
Now Luke could massacre them leisurely, preparing for what came next.
The score gap persisted.
No need to worry.
It would come soon enough.
'Yeah, when that hits...'
Bwooo!
Horn blast on cue.
From afar, massive beasts charged.
Elephants.
Trained elephants ridden by orcs.
'Here they come!'
These were phase 2's heavy hitters.
Random patterns.
Plus hidden berserk phases.
Tougher than other monsters.
Petra Team, mid-kill frenzy, suddenly stopped DPS.
Retreating behind the stele.
Why?
Simple.
Orc-mounted giant elephants.
Mess up their patterns, and berserk triggers instantly.
Bwooo!
Thud!
That's why both teams hid behind the stele.
For the easiest DPS pattern.
The longest safe one.
Using the stele barrier to tank hits, buying time deliberately.
But it cost score per damage taken.
Petra Team accepted it.
Hiding in the barrier.
The orthodox, stable method.
Waiting for the optimal DPS pattern.
'Definitely the safe play.'
Easy farming of big game.
Most tested players used this strategy.
"Hey, Iron Mask!"
"..."
"Get back here quick. Random patterns aren't the issue with those. We need the stele barrier too!"
Kenny waved frantically.
Same mindset as them.
But Luke held position.
Staring down the elephants silently.
'Go back? ...'
A smirk crept up.
'The highlight's just starting.'
His obsidian necklace glowed.
Coming.
Deep darkness.
Swallowing the sky, racing in.
The sun slowly eclipsed.
No more light on the land.
Only endless night remained.
Night had fallen.
Deep, silent night.
Within it, Luke slowly opened his eyes.
Flash!
Golden pupils gleamed brilliantly in the thick darkness.