Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Are You Prepared? - 2
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This game featured a variety of races, each with their own unique traits.
Take elves, for example. Elves boasted long lifespans, naturally agile bodies, and high magical aptitude.
As a result, they excelled in classes like mage, archer, or ranger, and even showed impressive growth in priest or alchemist roles.
But with great strengths came clear weaknesses. Namely, their arrogance.
Perhaps due to their high charm and superior racial traits, they had a strong tendency to look down on other races, often causing party breakups.
In-game, simply adding an elf to your party could double the stress levels of the other members, filling their meters twice as fast.
Of course, these racial pros and cons weren't unique to elves.
Dwarves, the polar opposites of elves, possessed excellent craftsmanship and sturdy durability, but physical limitations made them clumsy with long weapons, and their racial traits made them averse to ranged ones.
So what about beastkin?
Beastkin had their own mix of strengths and weaknesses tailored to each sub-race.
-Kraaaaaah!!
As I charged in, Tau pulled both arms close and unleashed a roar.
Tiger Howling. Tau's unique skill, a self-buff that heightened his feral nature and boosted combat power.
"Power of Valor!!"
On top of that, strength enhancement.
"Heavenly Emperor's Aura!"
Plus defense reinforcement.
"Six Harmonies Fist Formation!!"
And even a skill for extra hits.
Tau, a monk like Baltin, was stacking self-buffs with serious intent. But it seemed his mana shortage prevented Lion Heart.
"I've been wanting to settle things with you!!"
His feline eyes gleamed with predatory shine.
They say if you encounter a tiger at night, two fires float in the black sky, and the moment you meet them, your body freezes stiff.
Reflecting that tale, tigerkin possessed the racial skill 'Tiger Glare,' which could momentarily paralyze foes via a willpower check.
But I had a heart of steel for that.
"Hmph."
I snorted and rolled along the ground to dodge his thrusting fist. As if anticipating it, his rope-like tail whipped toward my face. I blocked it with my staff, then rose and struck Tau's back.
-Smack!!
One of the beastkin advantages was their high physical attack and defense. Built for close combat, the standard strategy against them was to fight from range.
But that applied to general beastkin. Tigerkin were a bit different.
"Hahat! Sage!! You're not pulling away?"
"If I do, you'll summon your spear ghosts."
Tigerkin had the racial skill 'Spear Ghosts.' It sent their spectral minions to unleash mental attacks on enemies at mid-to-long range. It ramped up stress levels considerably and could inflict the Fear status, making close combat the better option against them.
Among all races, tigerkin showed the highest close-quarters efficiency, with spear ghosts callable at a distance.
Many players considered them the best race in the game due to these strengths.
But that was noob talk.
Once you knew the trick, no race was easier to handle than tigerkin.
"Haaap!!"
Like a tiger, king of the mountains, beginning its hunt, Tau lunged at me with blazing eyes. A fist bigger than most grown men's heads targeted my skull.
A literal kitty punch, but taking it would hurt far more than the cute name suggested.
I raised my staff to block, then stomped hard.
-Kudududuk!!
Simultaneously, earthen ropes erupted from the ground, binding Tau. But he shattered them with raw strength and charged again. I spun my staff and hurled it at him.
"Ha!!"
Tau swatted away the sharply flying Moonlight with a hand sweep, then roared and buffed up again. Watching him, I recalled my hovering Moonlight and reached into my robe.
"No matter that you're the Sage—even you can't beat me up close!!"
Right. Just as he said.
Tau was a monk with his ultimate unlocked.
Unlike humans, whose racial traits offered no melee edge, his were specialized for it.
By normal standards, I wouldn't last.
By normal standards, that is.
I blocked or dodged dozens of attacks. Some were too tricky to evade fully, grazing me.
But none landed solid hits, so Tau squinted his massive eyes in frustration.
Annoying, right?
Yeah. Get annoyed.
Burn that scant mana of yours.
"Asura Chain Assault!!"
Tau dropped in front of me in an instant, grinning as he thrust his fist.
A rapid combo targeting head, neck, chest, gut, and other vitals.
This was the most dangerous move in phase one against Tau.
And.
In the game, it was dodged very simply.
Using the player's motion...
The high-level vets' trusty evasion: the dance.
"What?!'
As the claw-spread fist shot out, I tilted my head. The punch grazed by razor-thin, then swung back for my nape—I dropped to the floor. As the rising knee aimed for my jaw, I jumped.
Using my staff as a pivot, I flipped behind Tau, but his rope-tail lashed out.
I spun gracefully, pulling off a flashy dance to evade perfectly.
Attack after attack followed.
But the perfectly timed dance slipped through every bit of Tau's Asura Chain Assault.
"...You dodged my Asura Chain Assault... with that ridiculous dance?"
No need for needless blocks or dodges.
I spun my staff into a reverse grip and grinned at him.
"Your attacks are the ridiculous ones."
"...Ha. Haha. Impressive indeed, Sage."
"If you knew that, you should've just listened to me."
"Heh heh heh... Isn't it great? By joining hands with the Black Rebels, I get to fight not just the Demon King's minions—but you too, Sage."
"That's why you need mental help."
This was why mental illness was scary. I'd tried convincing him to get treatment, but he ignored it flat-out.
And now he'd started this mess.
"Anyway, old timer. Last round... You surrendering?"
"Like hell!!"
Tau roared and stacked more buffs. Layer after layer.
Dead serious now, he scraped together every last drop of mana for buffs, radiating bloodlust. I nodded.
I'd asked just in case, but with his mana spent, it was time for the counter.
I pulled a vial from my pocket and tossed it at him.
-Clink!!
His fist, hypersensitive from max buffs, smashed the glass bottle. It shattered on impact.
"Urk...?!"
A strange scent spread instantly. Tau noticed and staggered.
"Th-this is..."
Some users thought tigerkin were the strongest race due to their powerful traits.
But that was ignorant. To any seasoned player, tigerkin were the biggest pushovers.
And the reason was this.
Low magical aptitude meant burning all mana made them prone to status ailments. And...
"U... ugh..."
They inherited their animal motifs wholesale.
"What... did you... do...?"
Reeling like he was blackout drunk, Tau dropped to one knee. I approached and smacked away his flailing hand with my staff, then smiled.
Tigers, lions, cats.
A special catnip extract that worked equally on all felines.
A recipe from certain achievements, craftable only in top-tier alchemy.
Catnip extract disarmed any tigerkin effortlessly.
That's why in adventure mode—unlike main story, where solo play was common and parties couldn't always cover weaknesses—humans were top race.
No standout strengths, but no fatal flaws either, making them insanely efficient.
Unlike before, I raised my staff over Tau, who glared up with wavering eyes.
"Th-this... absurd... cowardly..."
Cowardly?
"In a fight? Cowardice doesn't exist."
Winner takes all.
"Kraaaaaah!!"
Catnip lasted about 30 seconds.
Tau knew it too and was desperately focusing to endure.
I smirked and flared my robe.
Inside was an alchemy belt packed with dozens of vials—all filled with catnip extract.
"...Th-th-this...!!"
Seeing it, Tau despaired. I raised my staff.
"Now. Time to thresh."
Beat him down till the effect waned, toss more catnip. Beat again till it faded, toss again.
Even as tigerkin chieftain, enduring my staff defenseless and mana-less was impossible.
Sure, he couldn't use his ultimate, but I was upper-tier warrior level myself.
So after a thorough beating, Tau was smashed to pieces.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Leather split and swelled in places. His clean yellow-spotted fur was a bloody mess, face caked in gore. Both arms twisted and broken, left leg snapped backward, sharp fangs mostly gone.
"I told you. Don't even glance at the Demon King revival side."
"Cough! Cough!"
Internal damage? Tau hacked violently. Crimson spittle flecked with flesh sprayed from his mouth. I shifted Moonlight to staff mode.
"Heal."
Not enough to fix him fully, but he could talk. Squatting, I grabbed his head.
"Answer me. What were you thinking? I granted your wish. Gave you a life-or-death fight like you wanted. Time to pay up, right?"
"...Cough! Cough! This... isn't... a fight."
"Why? Was it just crushing foes with overwhelming power and skill that you craved?"
Tau's eyes widened, staring blankly.
So I curled my lip.
I'd once joined Tau fighting the Demon King's minions.
He'd synced with the Hero Party then, savoring the thrill of victory over the strong.
Yeah. That thrill.
Not true life-or-death, but the razor-edge 'winnable' battle against superiors.
"N-no... That's not it. What I wanted was..."
"If you wanted real strong foes, go after Claire or the Hero Party kids. Or me. I told you—come anytime for a fight."
Right. That's what I'd told Tau to convince him. If he craved mortal combat, find me anytime.
Claire was fine too.
I'd kill him as desired.
But he hadn't because he never thought he could win against us Hero Party members or me.
So he'd joined the Demon King revival.
Knowing fights against his minions suited him best.
I smiled at him.
I'd known from the start.
Tau was a battle addict, not a suicide junkie.
I stared straight into his eyes. The fierce tigerkin gaze trembled massively.
"I'm the Sage. Omniscient Sage. Think I couldn't read you?"
"...N-no... I... that's not..."
I released his shaking head. Looking down at his limp bow, I stood and shifted Moonlight to sword.
"Anyway, losers should obey winners and die proper, right? Those Black Rebels who approached you. Who were they?"
"....."
"Gonna drag it out like this? I hit your weak spot or not, you lost. Lost."
"Ha. Hahaha... Is that... ha... haha... so? Was I... not just craving fights... but wins...?"
Tau's hollow laugh echoed. His raised face had lost all fire.
Fangless tiger Tau mumbled weakly. I nodded and swung Moonlight.
-Slice!!
One stroke. For a tigerkin chieftain and mighty monk, a disappointingly pathetic end.
Gazing at his headless corpse,
"...Hyun-woo."
I turned at the familiar voice behind me.
There stood Claire, Leventia, and Evangeline, who had just arrived.
I shrugged at them.
What? So shocked?
Not my first time killing an enemy.
Author's Note
Hello! It's Malmulmalmul! It was quite a long day... Post-holiday work is tough.
Just endure tomorrow and we get a break, so let's all hang in there!
See you tomorrow! Bye~!