Chapter 34 – Too weak
After Luce landed a clean hit on him, although Kalos did not fall down, he held his chest as he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
There was a large bleeding wound on his chest.
“I…..I did it, I did it!”
Luce’s hands were trembling in excitement.
It seems she was insecure about her choice to use [Dice Thrust] instead of [Dragon Killer Thrust] in the end.
“As expected of Luce-san! We can win if we keep at it like this….!”
Mabel said with apparent joy.
However, something felt off to me.
Something was wrong.
Kalos has most certainly suffered a serious blow.
That’s why it was strange.
We were giving this battle our all here.
However….. an A rank adventurer, someone who can claim to have the title of hero, is really so easy to deal a mortal blow to?
Things are working out too well.
“Well, shoot….you guys are strong indeed. It’s been quite a while since I had a worthwhile fight like this.”
Kalos stood up with a sway and brandished his weapon.
“Something’s wrong…..he’s too weak.”
Kalos was shocked still when he heard what I said.
“Elma-san…..?”
It seems even Luce did not understand what I was talking about.
But, really, it’s clearly odd.
I have no idea why the Black Flame Sword would be so weak.
“You….what are you saying…?”
Kalos’s expression turned irritated.
His powerful sword slashes and Skills are indeed formidable.
However, his sword skills and footwork are atrocious.
I was under the impression that Kalos’s true strength lied in his own fighting skills, and that’s how he reached the heights of A rank he did.
However, he’s just swinging his sword while only relying on his strength.
That’s why I can fend off Kalos’s slashes entirely with my [Parry] Skill.
Also, Kalos’s go to tactic when cornered is simply to use a bunch of resource intensive Skills to reset the board.
And despite that, he got hit by Luce anyway.
I have my knowledge from the game and my sword skills from coming from a noble family.
Those obviously provide me a marked advantage compared to the average adventurer.
Even so, as someone who made it this far with a fickle Class like Magic Swordsman, Kalos’s actions and movements were simply too crude.
I did not speak those words to taunt Kalos, it was the simple truth that Kalos’s apparent competence severely mismatched his Level.
I may have misunderstood something regarding Kalos.
And that’s something that by no means will be good news for us.
If Kalos was able to overwhelm his opponents so far not with his skills, but with some kind of a Skill, then that’s easily the worst case scenario for us.
“Feh, what does a hedonistic noble playing at being an adventurer know?”
Kalos spat his words at me.
His demeanor obviously changed just now.
It seems he already knew about the Edvan Family.
Right after that, Kalos threw his sword at me, relying only on his strength.
Even though I was surprised by that unexpected move and reacted a bit slow, I managed to knock it away.
“A privileged person like you, who grew into a fine character without any hardship or obligations to weigh you down, who piled up achievement after achievement earning praise upon praise, and who finally even threw away the last of your duties….. Elma…..You are the type of person I despise the most.”
Kalos deployed a magic circle, then grabbed the hilt of the weapon coming out from it.
He was taking it out from his Magic Bag.
A light flashed near his solar plexus as well, a single pendant appearing on his person.
It had a particularly distasteful design to it, it was a metal pendant made into the image of an angel writhing in agony.
I remember what that item is.
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〈Pendant of Pain〉《Recommended Level: 78》
【Attack:＋24】
【Magic:＋24】
【Market Value: 37 million gold】
It is said that the suffering of the people sacrificed to the pendant turns into mournful cries to torment the wearer as auditory hallucinations.
Any damage taken from Abnormal Conditions are doubled for the wearer.
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It’s an item with a serious demerit.
In exchange for its brutal stat gain, any damage done by Abnormal Conditions gets doubled.
Instead of a general use equipment, the meta was to only use it against people whose Skills you were well aware of and had no way to cause Abnormal Conditions.
However, the truly terrifying aspect of the Pendant of Pain is something else.
“It can’t be…..”
Kalos finally pulled the sword out from the magic circle.
From its black blade, a cloud of miasma made of Darkness attribute mana was wafting off.
“W-what is that sinister looking sword….”
Luce could not help but whisper those words after her gaze fell on the blade with an abnormal presence.
When I saw it, I realized that my bad premonition was right on point.
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〈Black Rope Sword Gehenna〉《Recommended Level: 95》
【Attack:＋73】
【Market Price: 120 million gold】
A sword of darkness said to have originated from the greatest depths of the earth.
Those who swing it are said to be cursed by the King of Hell.
The wielder is constantly in a heavily poisoned state.
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This was also an item with a demerit, like the Pendant of Pain.
However, when worn in a set, its significance changes greatly.
That out of place feeling I had about Kalos….it was because for a high level adventurer, his way of fighting was simply too crude.
Now the reason for that became clear.
Kalos completed a Build that allowed him to overwhelm any opponent just by sloppily throwing out his Skills.
The fact that we haven’t seen anything else from the Magic Swordsman Class, other than the basic Skills, also makes sense in light of this.
This type of Magic Swordsman only becomes complete with the help of some effects from a few kinds of items and weapons.
A visual effect depicting an anguished skeleton covered Kalos.
It’s the sign of the additional effect from Black Rope Sword Gehenna activating.
A black cloud of miasma started rising from the wound on Kalos’s chest, while it started healing at a rate visible to the eye.
“No way. His wound is…..”
Luce whispered.
The heavy damage she was so proud of to have dealt was being undone in no time at all.
‘With everyone limited to only one life, and with the nobles restricting a lot of things due to politics, research into character Builds is almost entirely stagnant.’
I felt one of my basic assumptions about this world break apart.
This was clearly one of the most powerful and most hated PvP Builds of Magic World.
“That sword, where did you…..no, who was the one that taught you that Skill composition?”
“Let’s end this charade already, for that person’s sake as well.”
Kalos was glaring at me.
The aloof atmosphere Kalos gave off until now has disappeared, only leaving a cold intent to kill in its place.
Start the heavy metal.
Reversed status effects? Might be time for Mabel’s new skill.
So I’m not sure I follow. I got that the pendent is doubling abnormal stat dmg and the sword is giving the heavily poisoned state. Maybe I missed it but what’s causing the poison damaging effect to reverse?
nice the author knows the manga is catching up so he needs to write again.
Oh and still waiting for the Yandere Swordsaint, i have a feeling that girl would know a new build from the guy that taught Kaos and would charge immediately.
Tho for some wierd reason I hope she joins Elma.
There’s only one possibility: since Elma asked him about the skill composition, it must be a skill that reverses status damage.
that moment you get clapped so you gotta bust out the meta