The 1st stage effect of [Evolved Hide] was 50% resistance to sword-type weapons.
The 2nd stage reduced piercing damage by half.
Then what happens when the effect is increased by 1.5 tis?
The answer is simple.
75% sword resistance.
And 75% piercing damage reduction.
When combined, it ant that I was practically immune to piercing damage from swords, even in my base state.
However, there was one thing I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed about.
'If it weren't for the limit, I would have complete sword immunity.'
The maximum sword resistance was around 85%.
Even with [Transcendence]'s passive enhancent, I couldn't reach full immunity.
So to summarize...
'I'm immune to piercing attacks.'
Slashing attacks would still work, but I had the Ogre's passive skill [Iron Hide] to counter that.
And...
'With my current Physical Resistance and [Iron Hide]...'
I had practically beco a nightmare for all knights.
But they didn't know that, so they were worried.
Thud.
As soon as the Blood Knight dashed forward, soone shouted.
"Dodge...!"
It was Raven.
Well, showing her is faster than explaining.
Swoosh.
I blocked the knight's thrust with my shield.
Clang!
It had been a while since I heard that sound from my sword.
"What...!"
The knight's eyes widened in surprise as his Aura was blocked.
"How...?"
It's simple.
[Unification], obtained from the 6th stage Undead engraving, allowed my equipnt to be affected by [Gigantification].
And that applied to [Evolved Hide] as well...
'Ah, that's not what he was asking.'
He probably wasn't curious about the details.
He just wanted to know how I blocked his Aura.
Well, there's a lot to explain, but...
In this world of survival of the fittest, it could be summarized in one sentence.
"Because."
I pushed his sword back with my shield and said,
"I'm stronger than you."
What else needs to be said?
In this world, there are only winners and losers.
Whoosh!
I swung my hamr with all my might to drive that point ho.
Thud.
As expected, he nimbly dodged.
No problem, catching a fleeing enemy was easy.
「Character has cast [Eye of the Storm].」
「The inherent ability of the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」
[Transcendence] and [Eye of the Storm] combo.
Whiiiiiish!
A sudden gust of wind grabbed the fleeing knight and dragged him towards . Or rather, towards my swinging hamr.
But unfortunately...
Swoosh!
Right before my hamr connected, the knight's body turned translucent and he swiftly moved through the air, dodging the attack.
'So he has more than just Aura.'
As I was adjusting my grip on the hamr, Raven shouted.
"...Blood Entry! A 4th-grade ability that grants temporary acceleration and flight!"
I already knew that.
And she left out so details.
'Agility increase, not just acceleration. And Strength decrease, plus he becos intangible, so physical attacks don't work.'
I watched the crimson mist flitting through the air like a fly and clicked my tongue.
I was looking forward to crushing him with my new hamr...
'I guess I'll leave the damage to the others.'
It was a sha I couldn't finish him off myself, but I wasn't going to be stubborn.
Teamwork is a tank's most important virtue.
「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Elental Fusion].」
Fire, water, wind, earth.
And darkness, Erwen's main elent after contracting the Spirit King.
An arrow imbued with all five elents shot towards the crimson mist.
But...
'Aura is truly broken.'
The knight's sword shattered the arrow.
But he must have found the attack threatening.
Psssh!
He turned and charged towards Erwen, prioritizing the elimination of the ranged attacker.
But would that work?
Not with here.
"Erwen, behind ."
As soon as he charged, Erwen hid behind .
This was why tanks were so important in the labyrinth.
They were a wall that protected their allies, allowing them to attack safely.
Whoosh!
Even though Erwen was behind , the knight didn't give up. He swung his sword.
It wasn't a aningless attack.
He must have thought I blocked his Aura with my shield, so this ti he aid for the gaps in my armor.
The joints where my skin was exposed.
Well, the outco was the sa.
Slice!
It was a slashing attack, not a piercing one.
It wasn't completely nullified, but [Iron Hide] activated, and the sword only grazed my skin.
I had practically tanked an Aura attack with my bare skin.
"!"
The knight's eyes widened in surprise.
Is he really surprised by this?
Didn't I tell you I was stronger?
"Sheter Ebwon!"
As the knight paused, distracted, Raven's curse magic struck him.
I had experienced this spell countless tis during my exploration.
[Materialize].
An 8th-grade curse magic that forcibly removes the physical immunity of ghost-type monsters.
Yes, this is teamwork.
I had missed having a mage while I was in Noark.
Whoosh!
The knight's translucent body solidified, and I imdiately swung my hamr.
But I missed again. My Agility was too low.
"I'll help."
Alia joined the fight.
She had already summoned a clone and was taking care of the swarming corpses...
"...Who are you?"
The knight finally asked, struggling to fend off our attacks.
He was curious about our identities, even though he was getting beaten up.
Of course, we had no obligation to answer.
"We don't care about you—"
"Uwaaaaaaaaah—!"
I roared with all my might, channeling my barbarian spirit since I couldn't shout the na of my ancestor god anymore. I kept swinging my hamr, forcing the knight to focus on dodging.
And...
"..."
He was quickly pushed into a corner, despite his fierce resistance.
It was an expected result.
[Dungeon and Stone] was a team ga, after all. And our individual skills were nothing to scoff at.
Erwen was a pri example.
"Erwen, get back!"
I kept her behind whenever she beca the target, but that didn't an she was weak.
She could maintain a safe distance with her natural Agility and her spirit's utility abilities.
She wouldn't have lost in a one-on-one fight.
And Alia was the sa.
「Alia Rainwales has cast [Abyssal Power].」
She could block the Blood Knight's Aura with her own, and her physical stats were no weaker than his.
Well, Raven was a different story...
"Arghen Hail Tun... Kyaaa!"
She was an exception.
It was ridiculous to expect a mage to fight a knight one-on-one.
"Stay close behind . He's targeting you."
"O-okay..."
I focused on protecting Raven, leaving Erwen and Alia to handle themselves.
And after so ti...
'Why isn't he running away?'
I started to feel uneasy.
He must have realized that he was going to lose.
Why wasn't he escaping?
'Is he waiting for my MP to run out?'
That wouldn't be a bad thing.
My MP was draining rapidly with [Iron Fortress] active, but I hadn't activated [Gigantification] yet.
He would be defeated before my MP ran out.
"What about the Multiple Teleportation spell?"
I checked on our last resort, just in case.
"It will take about five minutes to recast."
"Recast...?"
"I... stopped the casting earlier..."
She thought we didn't need it.
"Start preparing now. We don't know what might happen."
"...Okay..."
As soon as I gave the order...
"Schuitz, magic...!"
Alia shouted urgently.
And at that mont...
「Liranne Vivienne has cast the 3rd-grade dark magic [Falling Star].」
A massive sphere of darkness descended from the sky, piercing through the fog.
'Damn it.'
So they were waiting for reinforcents.
____________________
As soon as the magic activated, I knew it was unavoidable.
My body stiffened.
I hadn't built any magic resistance yet.
My Aura build was almost complete, but my Magic Resistance was even lower than before.
And...
'She's late too.'
Raven, who was chanting the Multiple Teleportation spell, wouldn't be able to stop it in ti.
But...
'I'll have to tank it.'
I quickly made a decision.
The magic was targeting .
And Erwen and Alia were a distance away.
But if I dodged, Raven, who was standing behind , wouldn't survive.
So there was only one option.
"...Ugh!"
I pulled Raven close and shielded her with my body.
And...
'Gigantification.'
I activated [Transcendence] and expanded my body.
[M-mister...!]
"Schuitz!!"
The magic crashed into my back.
Kaboom!
The impact felt like my spine was shattering.
Then the shockwave reverberated through my bones and muscles, my blood tingling as if electrocuted.
Damn, is it because I removed the Corpse Golem essence?
Why does it hurt so much?
"Uh..."
I winced in pain, and I heard a voice from below.
"H-how... [Gigantification]...?"
Damn, did I ss up?
I had been saving [Gigantification] for this reason.
Unlike [Swing], which had almost no visual effect, this skill was obvious the mont it was activated.
"Could it be..."
Hey, now's not the ti for that.
"We'll talk later."
As soon as the shock subsided, I got up.
Clank.
Sothing fell from my back.
It was a piece of my shattered armor.
And...
'Ugh, I'm dizzy.'
My vision was blurry.
It wasn't because of the fog, but the smoke.
The smoke coming from my body.
Sizzle.
Wow, it's been a while since I've been this ssed up.
Every joint scread in protest as I straightened my back.
'Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.'
I tried to lighten the mood with a silly thought as I got to my feet.
Then I gently lowered Raven to the ground.
And I moved her behind .
But she finally got a good look at .
"Your... your back...!"
What about my back? Finish your sentence.
As I was thinking that, Alia ca over and checked my back.
"You don't want to hear the details."
"...That bad?"
"Yeah, it's a miracle you're even standing."
Uh, well...
"...Just pour so potion on it."
"I already did."
Huh? I didn't feel anything...
Did the nerves in my back get fried?
'Co to think of it, it doesn't hurt anymore...'
I focused on the positive as I looked ahead.
The Blood Knight was standing a distance away, his body battered and bruised.
Well, he still looked better than .
But that wasn't important.
"Grandpa, why did you do that?! I was so worried when Necrapheto told !"
A woman in a robe stood next to the Blood Knight.
She was holding a staff, so she must be a mage...
Then she was the one who cast the spell?
"Oh! Hello! I don't know how you survived that, but nice to et you!"
She noticed my gaze and waved cheerfully.
Erwen trembled with rage.
"Erwen, I'm fine, don't rise to the bait."
I reassured her, but I was still worried, so I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to my side.
Then I asked Alia,
"Emily, who's that woman?"
"The Wailing Witch, Liranne Vivienne."
Ah, that's her.
I've never t her before.
"And the man next to her?"
I shifted my gaze and asked, and Alia answered imdiately.
"The Lighthouse Keeper. His na is unknown."
Damn, another big shot.
He was one of the few support ability users in Orculus.
"And next to him..."
"I know who that is."
I cut her off and looked at him.
Our eyes t, and his grin widened.
"Well, well, well. Looks like the odds are even now, huh? Fake?"
The Corpse Collector, Abet Necrapheto.
Ugh, is there anywhere this guy isn't?
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