Chapter 32
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Lake Knight (1)
The MP Guild's strategy meeting ended there.
The one giving the report vanished somewhere using a rune book, and Phiria stayed behind to focus on leveling up with the other guild members.
'Nothing special.'
The fact that the guy was here meant he was at least level 70.
Rokan could roam solo thanks to his training, title effects inflating his stats, and the incredible control skills honed from his past life, but to hunt and set up base around here, you'd need at least one or two parties in the level 70 range.
In that sense, Phiria's skills weren't bad, but it was hard to call them good either.
'Exactly level-appropriate movements, exactly level-appropriate judgments.'
Like most who stood out early on, she had great physicals and was pulling ahead for now, but from an expert's perspective, she wouldn't last long-term.
Feeling there was nothing more to see, Rokan turned and went his own way.
* * *
Rokan's destination was Azure Lake. After sprinting another fifteen minutes or so, a scene straight out of a fairy tale unfolded before him.
"Looks like no one's here. Lucky break."
Was it Rokan's good fortune, or was this place just unpopular?
He didn't know, but being able to farm it solo without interference from others was a huge advantage.
"Let's see... Impressive!"
After 'Fruit of the Forest Monster,' the next item he needed was 'Pure Meat.' He had to hunt animals that grew drinking the waters of Azure Lake and bring back their meat.
It didn't specify a type, so with good luck, catching one rabbit could complete the quest. With bad luck, he might have to face blue wolves or blood bears over level 80.
"Talk about real luck this time."
And right in front of Rokan, they were all there. Over ten aggressive animals in the level 70-80 range.
Normally, they'd eye each other warily, drink, and leave, but the foul human presence agitated them all. As if on cue, they surrounded Rokan and prepared to attack.
"Grrr...."
But Rokan grinned brightly.
For someone rushing to level up, this situation was more than welcome.
"Let's play!"
Rokan charged without hesitation.
He could use Berserk, but proficiency didn't rise well in that state. With growth still needed, he'd save it as a last resort.
So he opted for a quick resolution!
Before they could swarm, he'd break through and take them down one by one.
"Graaang!"
As murderous intent flashed in Rokan's eyes, they lunged in a frenzy. It looked like invaders versus guardians, but it didn't matter. He was the invader, after all.
Rokan split the head of a charging blue wolf and burst into hearty laughter.
"Nice!"
Humanoid monsters sometimes got second jobs, but other monsters always had enhanced racial traits.
Most players struggled with animal movements because they weren't used to them, but Rokan was different. He'd fought countless battles against animals, humans, undead, and monsters of forms he'd never seen before.
The movements of punks not even level 100 were too predictable. Even if their stats outstripped his, he was confident he could slaughter them.
"Graaah!"
He immediately unleashed War Cry. Boosted by the Lion King's Sealed Helm effect, it crushed their momentum in an instant.
He instilled fear in their beastly instincts, making not just them but the entire Azure Lake tremble.
"Shoulder Charge!"
Boom!
A heavy thud like crashing cars echoed as the blood bear's massive body toppled. Its chest caved in, and the front paw that had swung wildly went limp.
The others were no exception. In a situation where he might let them flee if they ran, those swept up in madness charging like moths to a flame could never match Rokan.
In moments, the area became a sea of blood, their blood flowing into Azure Lake.
-Who dares defile the lake!
"Damn."
Rokan's battle-fevered mind snapped back. The instant their red blood poured into the transparent Azure Lake, a voice echoed from the lake.
[Lake Knight Artwhite][Lv 100]
The guardian of Azure Lake rose with clear anger.
Its body, made of lake water, soon took proper shape.
From a spirit-like form, it gradually shifted to a true human shape, revealing hostility toward Rokan.
"Forgot about this."
Long ago, a knight who loved the lake's spirit swore to remain as guardian even in death—that was the lore. At level 100, even Rokan grimaced.
Trinsic's graduation level was exactly 100.
You could move from Kton to Trinsic without hitting a specific level, but leaving Trinsic was different.
If you tried to leave Trinsic below level 100, you might do nothing but die and respawn back.
Level 100 held that much weight, and the power gap between 99 and 100 was enormous.
"Should I bail and come back?"
It wasn't strange for Rokan to find it burdensome. Purely by stats, he'd already reached level 100 territory, but a level 100's strength wasn't just stats.
It was combination skills.
Skills from first and second jobs combined with actions created combo skills, producing overwhelming power differences.
Even Rokan couldn't guarantee victory and considered fleeing. Once he left Azure Lake and returned, the Lake Knight would be gone.
"No need to tangle with this guy yet."
He'd have to fight a level 100 monster sooner or later, even if not this one. It was the requirement for third job change.
Killing a level 100 monster at 99 to prove your worth.
Many got stuck in Trinsic for ages without doing it.
But it didn't have to be now. He didn't know if it applied retroactively later, but this one was trash anyway.
Top-tier difficulty among Trinsic's level 100s, yet drops were just 'Lake Essence' junk besides that.
"...Wait."
A hypothesis flashed in Rokan's mind as he thought that far.
If Matherian's goal was researching Azure Lake's purification power, couldn't Lake Essence play a role?
Remembering that blindly following quests wouldn't yield worthwhile achievements, Rokan turned back the body he'd twisted to flee.
He raised his battle axe toward the approaching Lake Knight, which radiated murderous aura, shrugging as if with no choice.
"Fine, let's do this!"
On second thought, it wasn't impossible. His shoddy armor versus 99 could be covered by the Lion King's Sealed Helm alone, and weak weapon attack power by title effects.
Plus, his stats were higher than when he'd normally reached 99 before.
Skill proficiencies were lacking, but he figured his experience could manage.
"Come on, you neat freak bastard!"
-Defiler of the lake, atone with death!
The Lake Knight charged without delay.
It lost 'Blessing of Immortality' descending from lake to land, but level 100 majesty didn't vanish.
With ferocity unlike any foe Rokan had faced, it rushed and unleashed a powerful slash.
-Aqua Slush!
"Shit, combo skill right out the gate!"
The Lake Knight was a third-job combo of knight and spirit mage. Force and spirit power dwelled in its sword simultaneously. Rokan didn't dare clash and leaped aside.
"Leaf Attack!"
No attack target. Just jumping to escape its range.
Rokan kicked off the ground urgently, covering ten meters in one leap, then spun quickly into a defensive stance.
The combo skill was scary, but 'Force'—learnable from third job—was absolute too. Not as strong as later 'Aura,' but it infused mana into weapons for massive attack boosts.
Exactly level 100, so maybe not sustainable long, but on-off instant activation demanded caution.
But Rokan had a counter.
Namely...
"Berserk!"
Berserk didn't infuse Force, but maxed attack power would match even a Force-imbued sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Of course, durability drained with every clash.
'Argh, my repair bill!'
Despite the heartache over his half-ruined battle axe's repair cost, Rokan's eyes gleamed sharply.
Even as magic damage chipped his HP with each weapon clash, he felt the fight was manageable.
-Aqua Slush!
"Dash!"
So he just had to watch for combo skills. Their frontal power was unbeatable, so he dodged with Dash or Leaf Attack, exploiting openings in turn.
"Shoulder Charge!"
-Aqua Guard!
Boom!
A combo of sword barrier and Aqua Shield covering the gap-heavy Aqua Slush, which prioritized single-hit power.
Rokan bit his lip at the thorough offense-defense combo. Ignoring the sharp pain as his forest lizardman leather shoulder guard sliced, he shoved harder into it.
"Urk!"
Crack!
Berserk active anyway—HP didn't matter. As long as neck or heart held, he could recover post-skill.
Rokan threw himself wilder, shattering its defense.
Overpowered in strength and force, its sword bounced, stance crumbling.
"Strike!"
-Escape!
The moment Rokan broke through and swung to bury his axe, its third combo activated.
An escape skill like his ring's embedded one. Attack, defense, survival—all covered. Long cooldown, but perfect single evasion.
This showed why Lake Knight Artwhite was called strongest among level 100s.
"Dirty as expected."
Knowing this, Rokan clicked his tongue in regret but prepared another attack.
He already knew its combos, so no more dodging now.
"Alright, let's get serious."
Rokan grinned at Artwhite, cornered with nowhere left to retreat.