Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Black Thorns and Thunder Lizard
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Player AR1026, once called the Invisible Source God by those who believed in him and now known as the god Ambon, gazed down at Rakrak, the first apostle of Seong-un · Nebula · Yacheon: the Thunder Lizard.
"......"
And he said nothing.
He simply pointed at Rakrak with his finger.
'...Something's under the ground.'
Rakrak didn't panic or falter.
He had already sensed Ambon's power, so he knew whatever lurked beneath the earth was targeting him.
But when black thorns erupted and he swiftly dodged, Rakrak realized this wouldn't be an easy fight.
'Just a handspan away?'
He had evaded the black thorn, but it had pierced the ground and shot up perilously close to him.
It meant that even knowing the movement and dodging, it was razor-thin.
As if expecting him to dodge that much, Ambon immediately summoned the next thorn.
Rakrak twisted his body and flipped acrobatically to evade the thorns rapidly, while the black thorns impaled enemy soldiers and weapons, tents, horses and giant weasels, even the golden-eyed soldiers without discrimination.
Rakrak recognized the power of the black thorns as he watched them.
'Not just ordinary hard, sharp thorns.'
Anything pierced by the thorns didn't even twitch before going limp, then withering black as if drained of life.
Those hit by the first thorns were already shriveling up.
'It steals life force, vitality. Absorption ability?'
Seong-un nodded.
"As expected, the first one is absorption-based."
"And it's an AoE? So he does know what he's doing."
Runda's "knows what he's doing" meant he could already use the 'Manifestation' skill in an established way.
"Of course he knows."
Seong-un thought as he watched the battle between AR1026 and Rakrak.
When a game first launches, people explore all sorts of playstyles.
Some play it straightforwardly as the design intends, others hunt for bugs like QA testers, some stick to unique concepts, or chase their own fun.
But the most common way people play is 'efficiency.'
Since many crave the fastest, strongest path, efficient playstyles evolve quicker than others.
For example, in TCGs, a few decks dominate the meta with the highest win rates, and even pros rarely use custom cards.
In RTS, the optimal tech tree dictates how many workers to build for resources, which worker builds what structure next, how many units to produce, and when to launch the first attack.
In AOS, it's knowing per character when to buy items at certain gold thresholds, which skills to use, how to leverage timed objectives—executing that knowledge on time measures skill.
Thus, Lost World players obsessed over efficiency, naturally expecting it from powerful trump cards like Manifestation skills.
'The biggest merit of Manifestation skills is turning domains into skills.'
If apostles gain skills from their god's divine names, players who are already gods manifest their domains as skills.
And players could customize these skills themselves.
'Shape the skill form with their domains, expand range, boost power, or reduce faith cost.'
Seong-un gauged which domains AR1026 had combined for those 'black thorns.'
'Sharp piercing is Metal domain? Absorption and form from Root domain. Roots fill bellies with root veggies or grow herbs to heal ills and wounds, but they're also nutrient-sucking organs. Tossed in minor subdomains to widen range, speed, cut faith cost.'
The more domains invested in one skill, the stronger it gets.
To Seong-un, the black thorns seemed heavily invested.
'Divinity level 18 with a skill that strong means three Manifestation skills? Four at most.'
Strictly speaking, from a player's view, the black thorns weren't overwhelmingly powerful on their own.
AR1026 used them not for raw attack, but to recover faith resources via mass slaughter.
Manifestations guzzled faith constantly, so without mass-kill absorption skills, sustaining was tough.
"Textbook skill design. Makes the others predictable."
Runda frowned at Seong-un's words.
"So... Rakrak can't handle it alone?"
"Needs support."
Seong-un nodded and looked at Runda.
Runda groaned along, then met his gaze.
"Why me?"
"I'll block Krampus and other creations. You go down."
"M-Me?"
Runda stammered, waving his hands before even saying no.
Seong-un spoke.
"Not telling you to manifest. Just hop into any priest and draw some eyes."
"Why me? Switch roles. I'll block creations up here, you go down."
Seong-un shook his head.
"You're more efficient. Why?"
"Why am I more efficient?"
Seong-un countered.
"Who draws AR's aggro better right now?"
Seong-un dredged up the betrayal pain Runda wanted to forget, making her want to scream.
"That's why I said no!"
Rakrak grasped Ambon's intent.
'Turn the whole ground into a thorn field.'
He'd thought his speed had the edge at first, but no.
No need for direct confrontation.
As Ambon's sharp thorns claimed the ground, Rakrak had nowhere to stand.
'Then...'
Rakrak raised his golden spear high.
Rakrak had Weapon Creation and Mount Summon skills.
"Come! Anakse!"
The monstrous bird Cockatrice Anakse, who'd stayed till Rakrak's last moment, shattered the thorns amid lightning.
Anakse was dead but existed in the afterlife by Yacheon's power granting Rakrak's wish, now wielding god-bird might via Rakrak's strength.
Rakrak mounted Anakse and shouted.
"Charge, Anakse!"
-Kkwek!
A thunderous cry erupted.
It reached Deimerit's distant walls, and black-scaled soldiers far off cheered at the flashing Rakrak and Anakse.
Anakse streaked through the air toward Ambon's manifestation.
'Thorns come from the ground. It could rise toward the air, but that'd take time.'
Rakrak's calculations were spot-on.
But his spear tip never reached Ambon.
The moment Ambon blinked, he vanished.
'Danger!'
Rakrak kicked Anakse's stirrups away; Anakse ducked its head.
A thorn tens of meters high shot between them.
As Rakrak spun like a swallow, he spotted Ambon two hundred meters away.
'Teleport. No warning!'
Anakse raced through the air to Rakrak, who grabbed the reins and remounted.
Rakrak knew the next charge wouldn't be easy.
Between him and Ambon, colossal figures were rising.
"Mobility skill. Gotta have one. But range is short? Maybe cooldown."
"Why marvel at every little thing?"
Runda chided, but Seong-un shot back.
"What? Still here? Not going?"
Runda whined.
"Going. Picking a body."
"Hurry. Krampus and AR are pulling creations now."
Of course, Seong-un wouldn't just watch.
Ambon's god-guardians and creations, vast and mighty, charged Rakrak to protect him.
Anakse was fast enough, but these god-wrought creations couldn't be ignored.
He dodged first and second attacks, but on the third, a fang-lined maw lunged to swallow him. Rakrak braced to endure.
But the maw missed his trajectory and toppled backward.
-Go, Apostle. I shall clear your path.
Rakrak recognized the voice.
"Slatis!"
-Go!
Rakrak sliced claws and wrists.
'Damn!'
Even with Yacheon's creations intervening, Rakrak hit the ground.
As an apostle's body, he withstood the impact.
'But landing means thorns...'
Rakrak tumbled, puzzled.
'None?'
He looked up.
Ambon's gaze had briefly shifted elsewhere.
Ambon's vengeful mental cry reached Rakrak too.
-Runda...!
An unnamed Lennar priest was dashing opposite, dodging thorns and obstacles.
'Chance.'
Rakrak swiftly mounted Anakse as it swooped for him.
Then charged Ambon.
Less a run, more a flight—or a surge. Lightning-fast.
Rakrak on Anakse leveled his spear at Ambon's back.
But a god is a god.
Ambon, pursuing the god-possessed enemy god Manjeol in a Lennar, whipped around.
-How dare an apostle...!
Ambon swung his hand fast.
Instantly, Rakrak felt a black, dark curtain envelop him and Anakse.
Anakse got tangled and flung away; now Rakrak was next.
'AoE, mobility—gotta have CC too.'
Players varied by taste, but these three skills were near-mandatory.
Seong-un approved the methodology but saw flaws.
'That's why it's predictable.'
But Rakrak wasn't flung by the enfolding curtain.
Instead, gripping his spear tight, he tore through it with lightning might and charged.
"...!"
Ambon's eyes widened, utterly unexpected.
Gods craft skills from domains.
Apostles get skills from achievements.
'AR, forgot Rakrak killed an evil god?'
Seong-un thought it possible.
Jelubi was a special case.
Players saw Jelubi not as player or person, but...
Regardless, system-wise, Jelubi was a god.
Rakrak had killed a god.
Seong-un checked the skill Rakrak gained from slaying Jelubi's manifestation.
Godslayer: If the attack target is a 'god,' resist all negative effects from attacking it.
'Killing a god means this.'
Rakrak's spear blade pierced Ambon's body.