Man Made God 003

by Brandon Varnell

  MP Cost: 5

  Cooldown Time: 0 seconds

  Skill Name: Quake

  Description: The player stomps on the ground and releases a powerful earthquake. This skill is only usable by Daren_Daggerfall, who completed the [Earth Dragon’s Dungeon] quest.

  Current Lvl: 5

  AP needed to reach lvl 6: 100,000

  Ability: Has a 100% chance of stopping opponents in their tracks

  Has a 50% chance of stunning opponents

  MP Cost: 15

  Cooldown Time: 10 seconds

  His stats weren’t that amazing. They were decent, but they weren’t incredible. The only thing that caught Adam’s attention was his skill [Quake]. The description said it was only usable by Daren, meaning it was a unique skill like his [Dance of the Sakura Blossoms] or the Spear God’s [Cherry Blossom Dance].

  -230; -230; -230!

  Daren had completely locked Aris down now and was systematically whittling away at her health. Aris only managed to attack once, but because Daren had a Physical Defense of +500, her attack only did two hundred points of damage. To make matters worse, he was not giving her time to activate her blade dance skills like [Double Slash] or [Dancing Swords]. He forced her to remain on the defensive by constantly attacking with [slash] and [thrust] in a never-ending stream.

  Daren obviously had real-life combat experience.

  Despite how clear it was that she was on the losing side, Aris did not give up. She moved backward, dancing on the platform like her class’s namesake. Her elegant movements entranced Adam and made him stare at her in awe.

  Just when it looked like Aris might be beaten, she suddenly surprised everyone by spinning around in a full circle and swinging her swords. [Spirited Twirl] was one of her Blade Dancer specific skills. It was an AOE skill, but it could be used to attack a single player just as well. The benefit of this skill was that she only needed to spin in a circle to activate it, which she could do while moving backward.

  -200!

  While the damage was decent, it was not enough to defeat Daren, who still possessed +310 HP. Her attacks also didn’t do as much damage as they did when she was fighting monsters.

  That was the difference between fighting monsters and players. Just like you, a player had a defense stat. If the other person’s defensive stats were higher than your attack stats, the amount of damage you did was negated. If Daren’s Physical Defense was higher than Aris’s Physical Attack, she would have done no damage at all.

  -230; -230; -230; -230!

  Thanks to Daren constantly attacking her, Aris only had +800 health now. Her health had dropped by nearly a third. Daren still had +310. It might seem like he had less health, but when Adam considered how much health Aris possessed in total, it became obvious who was in the lead.

  Still not willing to give up, Aris finally found a chance to turn the situation around. She locked one of her blades with Daren, leaped backward, then came in swinging both swords. This was [Double Slash]. It was a skill that attacked with both swords at the same time, dealing twice the damage.

  Daren seemed to already have grasped this. He knew he couldn’t completely negate the damage, so he chose to block one attack and take the other.

  -175!

  Now Daggerfall’s health was at +135, but all that meant was he and Aris were about equal in terms of how much damage they had taken, and he was still more skilled at fighting than she was.

  -230!

  Seeing these two combatants fighting so hard set the other players’ hearts ablaze. The sound of their cheering had increased in volume. Two chants came from the crowd. The vast majority of people were screaming “Aris! Aris! Aris!” over and over in a repeated mantra, but there were also people screaming Daren’s name as well. As Adam observed the crowd, he saw that everyone was standing up as they cheered, waving their hands and making spastic motions that caused him to shake his head.

  -230; -230!

  Aris was now finding herself hard-pressed to fight back as Daren overwhelmed her with attacks. He was dealing her constant damage and it looked like she might never take back the offensive, but then Aris surprised Daggerfall by leaping backward. It was just a single jump. However, it took her nearly six yards back. That was a distance he could not clear simply by running. That said, it was something Aris would have no trouble clearing.

  “You’re a lot stronger than I gave you credit for,” Aris grumbled.

  “And you’re a lot better than I thought you’d be. Bwa ha ha ha! I assumed you were just a little girl who got lucky, but it seems you actually have some skill!”

  “Hmph. I’ll show you my true skills right now, so be sure to stand still and watch!”

  Aris once more disappeared, but this time she also activated her most powerful skill: [Dancing Swords]. She appeared before Daren, blades already singing a song of death as she swung them. If this attack hit, everything would be over. The entire crowd seemed to be holding its breath, wondering if Daren would lose to his unknown girl who came onto the gaming scene like a storm.

  Unfortunately, Aris forgot something when she was attacking.

  Daren had a unique skill as well.

  When [Quake] was activated, it came as a complete surprise to Aris, whose eyes went wide. Not only did the attack make her stumble, but it added the [stun] effect. Now unable to move, she was completely open to Daren, who swung his sword without ceasing until her health was reduced to zero.

  Aris reappeared right next to Adam after being defeated. While he could not see her expression, the way she slumped her shoulders in obvious dejection told him about her mental state.

  “Take this.” Adam pressed a [middle-grade health potion] into her hands.

  Aris looked at the [middle-grade health potion] before, with a sigh, she lifted her veil a little and downed the potion in a single gulp. She wiped her mouth and lowered her veil after finishing.

  “I can’t believe I lost,” she muttered.

  “Daren is trained in swordsmanship in real life.” Adam wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Titania huffed as she was forced to fly off his shoulder and land on the opposite shoulder. “He’s not as talented as Connor Sword, but he is one of the top swordsmen in the American Federation and has won numerous national championships. The fact that you managed to nearly beat him is already incredible.” He could not kiss her head, but he pressed as his masked face against her as if he was. “I’m very proud of you.”

  “Hee-hee. Well, I guess I can accept this loss then, but I won’t lose next time,” Aris said with a large smile.

  “You did a great job,” Fayte added from Adam’s other side. “I know it might not mean as much as a compliment from your lover, but I was very impressed.”

  “M-me too!” Susan said. “I thought you did a great jotch—ack! My tongue!”

  Fayte rubbed Susan’s head as the girl pressed a hand to her mouth, tears leaking from her eyes.

  “There are many talented combatants among you otherworlders,” Titania muttered. “Even though your levels are pathetic, you can fight very well.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Adam said with a roll of his eyes.

  “You say that our levels are pathetic, but isn’t your level just as low?” asked Aris.

  Titania turned red. “That is only because my level reset when my class changed to Guardian of the Spear! If I was at my level before my class change, all of you would have been bowing in awe of me!”

  The screen continued to flash as Titania ranted before landing on two faces. When Adam saw his face appearing next to Levon’s, he could not help but smile grimly.

  Adam felt many emotions burning inside of him as he stood across from Levon Pleonexia, the man who was directly responsible for what happened to him all those years ago, for tearing him and Lexi apart. He had long ago dreamed of getting revenge on this man. Even now, the hatred he had for Levon burned inside of his gut like a small, black flame.

  Both he and Levon were standing on opposit
e ends of the platform. Adam was trying hard to contain his hatred. His emotions were already quite raw from his fight against the Spear God, so confronting this man was doing a number on his psyche.

  “I hope you don’t mind answering a question for me,” Levon said with a slight smile.

  Adam paused in his thoughts. “What is your question?”

  “You are working for Fayte, right? How much is she paying you? I don’t know how aware you are of the circumstances between us, but that woman is bound to be wed with me. I’m sure you know about the bet she made with me, yes? It is not possible for her to win that bet. Once three years have passed, she will become mine. Nothing you can do will change that, so I would appreciate it if you could quietly leave her side.”

  While the smile on his face was polite, there was an undercurrent of resentment that Adam could feel from him. It seemed Levon really wanted Fayte. He wanted her badly enough that he was willing to tell Adam off despite being in a public setting with hundreds of thousands of viewers. Even with his public mask still in place, how could all these people not see the intense dislike Levon had for Adam?

  And in learning this, Adam found the perfect path to revenge.

  “You want me to stop supporting Fayte?” he asked.

  “That’s right.” Levon nodded, a polite smile still up. “Of course, I do not expect you to do this for free. I’ve noticed it already, but you are incredibly skilled. If you agree to stop supporting Fayte, I would be more than happy to hire you and make you into a vice-commander alongside Connor. With your skills, you could easily become one of the greatest men in my force.”

  “That is a tempting offer…” Adam began slowly, causing Levon’s smile to widen. “But I’m gonna have to pass.”

  The smile Levon wore left. His face became blank.

  “May I ask why?”

  Adam almost wished he could remove his mask so Levon could see his smile. “Because what Fayte has given me is something you never could.”

  He glanced at Levon’s groin.

  While Adam didn’t outright say it, the meaning behind his words was clear, and Levon understood the meaning. His face grew even more unsightly as he looked from Adam to Fayte. His stare was sharp enough to cut through diamonds. He looked back at Adam seconds later. Then he smiled.

  It was a very cold smile.

  “Good. Very good. You… certainly know how to upset a man.” Levon’s voice was dark and grating, filled with hatred. Adam felt like he’d been blessed by the four goddesses of this game. “With those words, you and I have become irreconcilable enemies. It is a pity. Really. If you hadn’t touched something that didn’t belong to you, perhaps we could have been friends.”

  “Friends?” Adam snorted. “Even if I had never met Fayte, you and I could never be friends. We were enemies long before I met her.”

  Levon furrowed his brow.

  “Well, well, ladies and gentlemen! It looks like there is more on the line in this match than any of the previous matches! Is this a battle for a woman’s hand in marriage?! A battle for love?! Let us all find out! Let the battle begin!” Sandra shouted.

  From the frown on his face, Levon clearly didn’t know what Adam was talking about, but it didn’t matter to him. The moment Sandra said, “Let the battle begin,” Adam had closed the distance between the two of them in the blink of an eye. He swung his spear in a powerful arc that sliced through the air. It was blocked, but the attack was so strong that it sent Levon stumbling backward.

  Adam did not give Levon a chance to attack. He moved the spear gripped firmly in his hand into a relentless streak of swings that constantly forced Levon back. He didn’t use a single skill. Adam wanted this battle to last, so he avoided using skills and instead only dealt Levon one point of damage with every attack. Without pause, without mercy, Adam whittled away Levon’s health one point at a time.

  -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1!

  Levin did try to block him, but Adam already knew the Seven Phoenix Forms Style even better than Levon did. Lexi had taught him everything she knew. What’s more, even back then, her skill had far exceeded Levon’s current abilities. That had always been one of the reasons Levon was jealous of her. He lacked the aptitude to use the Seven Phoenix Forms Style to its full potential.

  -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1!

  It wasn’t until Adam had dealt Levon 250 points of damage that the man seemed to realize how outclassed he was. With a ferocious howl, he began attacking with [slash], [thrust], and [sweep]. Adam moved back when the man slashed at him, stepped aside when Levon attacked with a thrust, and jumped over the sweeping motion. None of Levon’s attacks could even touch him. It was as if Adam was simply wading through the storm of spear strikes.

  -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1!

  Another one hundred points were taken off Levon’s health. The entire crowd was silent as they watched the systematic destruction of the Pleonexia Alliance’s leader. Adam wondered what these now silent viewers were thinking. Were they shocked by his audacity? Did they admire how he wasn’t showing mercy even to the leader of the American Federation’s strongest guild leader? Or perhaps they were frightened? After all, a man who so thoroughly humiliated a person of Levon’s stature must either be extremely powerful or completely insane.

  Well, it didn’t matter to him.

  -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1!

  “Will you stop that?!” Levon screamed as Adam continued attacking without using a single skill. “If you’re going to defeat me, then hurry up and do it!”

  “I don’t think so.” Adam’s cold laughter filled the arena. “You deserve to have so much worse done to you, but I’ll settle for humiliating and crushing you for now! Have fun picking up the pieces if your tattered reputation and pride!”

  Levon’s face was something Adam would cherish in his memory forever. The way it twisted with hatred and shame, the sense of humiliation that was written all over it. At the same time, he didn’t feel like this was nearly enough. This man had ruined his life. This man was indirectly responsible for Lexi’s death. Adam could forgive the first offense, but he could never forgive the second.

  -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1; -1!

  It was not long before Levon’s health was reduced to just one. Levon released a howl of insanity and charged at Adam, but that was the moment Adam finally decided to activate his two most powerful skills.

  [Blood Sacrifice].

  [Dance of the Sakura Blossoms].

  -17,920; -53,760; -161,280; -483,840; -1,451,520!

  The numbers that appeared over Levon’s head stunned the crowd. If they had not been silent already, this would have shut them up completely.

  At this stage in the game, the average player could only deal maybe five hundred points of damage at the most, and that was in extreme cases. The damage Aris, Fayte, the Spear God, and Susan dealt was shocking enough. Fayte’s twenty-three thousand points of damage was astonishing enough, but even that was nothing c
ompared to this. Each of Adam’s attack dealt three times the damage it did previously, generating somewhere around -two million points of damage total. Forget the amount of damage they did, most of the currently known dungeon bosses did not even possess that much health.

  Levon was felled in an instant. His hideous visage appeared next to Connor and the Four—Three—Elements, none of whom looked like they knew what to say. Adam glanced over at them, snorted, and marched off the platform to stand beside Aris, Fayte, Susan, and Lilith. As he did, Titania floated onto his shoulder.

  “That was quite brutal,” she said.

  “That was just the start,” Adam informed her. “I don’t intend to let that man off so easily after everything he has done to me.”

  “Then you have a personal grudge against this man?”

  “I most certainly do.”

  While Adam and Titania were talking, Aris skipped over to him and hugged his arm. Susan looked like she wanted to say something, but she was holding back from coming over. Adam wondered if it was out of fear and felt just a little uncomfortable. Lilith stared in his direction. Kureha was in her arms, but for once, she was not paying attention to the fox as her dark eyes blazed with passionate intensity.

  “Adam.” Fayte stepped up to him. “Are you sure that was a wise idea? Humiliating Levon like that?”

  “It probably wasn’t,” Adam admitted. “But you don’t have to worry. I will never let him lay a single hand on you.”

  “Adam… you should worry more about yourself,” Fayte admonished. “That man is more vindictive than anyone I know. I’m worried he might do something to you.”

  “Don’t worry.” Adam laughed. “I won’t let him lay a hand on me either, though he’s free to try. In fact, I almost hope he does.”

  Fayte shook her head, but Adam thought he detected a smile behind her exasperation. In either event, the battle was over and only he, Fayte, Susan, and Daren were still left.

  “W-well...” Sandra began, her face paler than a corpse. “It looks like... Adam won. That was, um, quite the victory. B-but anyway! Let’s see who will be battling next!”