Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Pirate King (3)
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‘That’s it!’
Zing.
The moment his blade and Rokan’s axe clashed, Rokan shuddered at the thrill surging through both arms.
Immense strength that didn’t fall far short even compared to his own, bolstered by multiple title effects.
It was partly because the Pirate King was a power type, but also because ability gains per level increased dramatically after level 300.
For now, they were evenly matched in raw power.
So what about skill?
“Wild Dance!”
Clang!
Rokan unleashed a ten-hit combo the instant their weapons separated, but the enemy was no pushover. With their power dead even, the lighter sword swung far more nimbly than the heavy axe, blocking most of the strikes.
Clang!
But just one. One shot plunged into his chest.
“……!”
“Krahaha, how dare you!”
Crash.
Even with Rokan’s axe striking true, the Pirate King showed no damage. He didn’t even get pushed back—he immediately counterattacked, sending Rokan tumbling across the ground.
“Damn, so that’s how it is.”
Only then did he notice the enemy’s armor. An ancient, faded breastplate. The faint emblem etched on one side was something he knew well.
The Lion King’s mark.
The symbol now representing the Golden Lion faction was engraved on the Pirate King’s armor.
“A head-on fight won’t work.”
As Rokan sprang back into position, he unleashed a bombardment. He hurled five hand axes each at the underbosses, checking and striking them.
He suddenly wanted a proper fight with the Pirate King.
‘Lion King’s Breastplate.’
Greed and madness flickered in Rokan’s eyes. That was the reason he’d come here—it was right in front of him.
He couldn’t be 100% sure it would drop from defeating the Pirate King, but his instincts told him the odds were good. There might even be a special condition requiring the Lion King’s Insignia to make it drop.
But one thing was certain: it would soon be his.
“Wheel Wind!”
Rokan pulled back distance while extending the chain to its maximum. He didn’t know if it would work on a master-level foe, but it was worth testing.
Clang! Clank.
And as expected, it didn’t. The Pirate King raised his sword to block, sending the axe rebounding harmlessly.
‘Then how about this…….’
But Rokan didn’t stop spinning. He kept whirling his body, infusing power into the axe and chain. He charged the Pirate King once more.
“It’s usele……!”
Thud.
This time, it wasn’t the axe blade.
The sturdy chain whipped him instead. He tried blocking with his sword, but the impact shoved him sideways. Then the curving axe, wrapping around like a noose, smashed into an underboss rising from the side.
“Gah!”
The underboss, suddenly struck in the back of the head by the axe blade, foamed at the mouth and collapsed backward. First objective achieved!
Seeing this, the Pirate King hurriedly reached out and grabbed the chain.
He intended to restrict movement by holding the chain.
‘Shrink!’
Rokan turned it against him. Using the chain’s ability to extend and contract like a magical staff, he was sucked right into the Pirate King’s embrace.
“Such a pathetic trick!”
The Pirate King wildly swung his sword at the rapidly closing Rokan. He hadn’t forgotten Rokan was unarmed and turned the crisis into opportunity.
Some skill must have activated, as considerable power surged into his blade.
“Bombardment!”
At that moment, Rokan’s hands moved busily. Ten hand axes brimming with fearsome experience shot toward him simultaneously.
“Damn it!”
By now, even the Pirate King couldn’t hold on with one hand. He released the chain and swung his sword with both hands to bat away the hand axes.
“Subdue, Critical Strike.”
In the meantime, the last underboss met his end. Rokan had never planned to duel the Pirate King from the start.
Some might call it sneaky, but who cared? Victory was victory. He leered slyly at the enraged Pirate King.
Finally, a one-on-one situation.
“Master skill—why not pull one out?”
“Insolent fool……!”
Provoked, the Pirate King didn’t charge rashly. He was furious at being toyed with, but he instinctively knew Rokan’s combat prowess was nothing to underestimate.
“Then I’ll go first.”
When the provocation failed to draw a response, Rokan took the initiative.
Using Charge of Destruction, he barreled toward the enemy. He stared straight at the Pirate King’s sword slashing down with bisecting force.
Then thrust out not his axe, but his fist.
Clang!
“Guh!”
At that instant, even the Pirate King couldn’t help but falter. A fist, not an axe?
Rokan had wrapped the chain around his fist and swung.
No matter how much aura filled the attack, cleaving through both the chain and Rokan’s fist was impossible.
Just a tiny scratch.
Rokan’s sure-kill move exploded across the deviated trajectory.
“Mad Slaughter!”
A single opening. The price for allowing it was steep.
Having guessed the breastplate was part of the Lion King’s sacred gear, Rokan used Mad Slaughter to target the Pirate King’s lower body.
No way the Pirate King had the full Lion King set, so striking unprotected areas was obvious.
“Grah, Evade!”
The moment the first strike landed, the Pirate King gritted his teeth and activated an evasion skill.
A skill focused purely on dodging. Thanks to it, Rokan felt no impact after the third hit.
“Cancel, Leaf Attack!”
He immediately canceled the skill at that instant. Focusing his senses, he pinpointed where the enemy reappeared.
“Great Sea Slash!”
But the enemy seemed to anticipate it.
The moment evasion ended, instead of tending his wound, he unleashed a combo skill. He gathered mighty power to cleave the charging Rokan in two.
“Cancel, Counter!”
Sixth Sense read the enemy’s energy.
He canceled the skill again, perfectly evading the attack and seeking a counter opening.
He relentlessly targeted the fresh wound.
“Gaaaah!”
But what tore into the wound wasn’t Rokan’s axe.
The chain.
While the enemy’s sword blocked Rokan’s attack, the chain had circled around and plunged into the gash.
The Pirate King howled in agony. Rokan wouldn’t miss it.
“Armor Break, Wild Dance!”
Another ten-hit combo erupted.
He relentlessly tormented the disoriented Pirate King, using Armor Break to shatter the lower body armor and rip open the wound.
“Guh! Sea’s Vitality!”
Then, the enemy’s final combo skill detonated.
A recovery skill drawing on the sea’s power to rapidly restore vitality. The mangled wounds healed in seconds, mind sharpening once more.
“Wave Strike Rock!”
And finally, he used a master skill.
Like waves crashing on rock, chained sword strikes stabbed toward Rokan.
Clang!
He blocked the first few with Wild Dance’s effect. But the assault consisted of 36 hits total. The remaining strikes poured onto Rokan as the chain ended.
‘Block it!’
At that moment, Rokan’s will manifested strongly. The chain moved, wrapping his left arm once more.
Clangclanglelelele.
This was an experiment. Testing how much the chain’s defense could withstand.
If not, he’d have subdued the enemy long ago or used Berserk to counter.
Berserk could weather 36 or even 63 hits for a ‘trade-off fight,’ but that defeated the purpose.
He endured like a shield, staring the enemy down.
‘Better than expected.’
And he endured.
Scratches formed here and there, but mere specks of dust. Even striking the same spot a thousand times wouldn’t break it. Even against a master skill.
In that instant, initiative shifted to Rokan.
“Let’s end this!”
The Pirate King’s health was full thanks to the recovery combo, but Rokan was confident of victory.
With all combo skills mapped out and even master skill cooldowns turned, the Pirate King was no match.
Kreee!
Before Kai, screeching supportively from the sky, got hungry, he resolved to take the Pirate King’s head.
“Charge of Destruction, Shoulder Charge!”
Boom!
The close-range charge targeted the legs. He ignored the overhead strike. Without a combo, it couldn’t inflict lethal damage—Rokan’s defense was formidable too.
Crack!
Shoulder Charge’s explosive force twisted the Pirate King’s leg. Health had recovered, but not the shattered armor, so the blow landed fully.
Mobility crippled, the Pirate King desperately swung his sword.
“Where?!”
But Rokan mounted him to prevent even that. Pinning him in mount position, he whipped his left arm to shove the sword aside.
“Critical Strike!”
Meanwhile, he rapidly smashed the enemy’s head with his right.
[You have leveled up.]
His first victory against a master-level foe without Berserk. Its meaning was profound.
The system didn’t recognize it as a special achievement, but Rokan felt his combat prowess had leaped far beyond before.
[Unbelievable Achievement! You have single-handedly conquered Pirate Island.]
[Acquired Title: ‘Pirate Conqueror’.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[First][Pirate Conqueror][Unique]
We salute your valor in single-handedly conquering Pirate Island!
None on the seas can now bar your path.
You are the first to acquire this title.
[Effects]
-All stats +10% in naval combat
-All stats +10% on island terrain
-Immune to shaky footing
-Non-aggression effect against pirates
Still, it wasn’t without gains. A title useless in normal times, but a unique-grade one nonetheless.
He wouldn’t fight many sea battles ahead, but immunity to shaky footing would come in handy a few times.
‘Perfect for when Earthquake hits.’
There was an annoying spell called ‘Earthquake’ in mage-heavy battlefields later.
The bastardly magic shook the ground to throw off balance, and if unlucky, dropped you into fissures to flail and die. It still gave him chills thinking about it.
And one more thing. The real prize remained.
“This is it.”
[Unknown Ancient Breastplate][Unique]
Oddly, it boasted high defense, a different name, and unique grade, but the moment Rokan picked it up, he knew. This was what he sought.
He’d guessed the Lion King’s Breastplate only revealed its true power when combined with two pieces.
So he felt no disappointment and opened his inventory. He slotted the Lion King’s Insignia into the circular hole on the chest.
Click.
In that instant, dazzling golden energy enveloped the breastplate.
The Unknown Ancient Breastplate regained its original form.