TL: Knight Errant
Dong- Dong- Dong-
The sound of battle drums echoes throughout Avera Village.
As monsters surrounding the village charge at the defensive lines, the ground trembles heavily.
Monsters approached from all directions, especially flocking towards the entrance of the village.
The reason monsters were crowding towards what should be the most fortified entrance was not because they were foolish.
Rather, it was because the Avera Village forces had opened the gates to lure them in.
From the watchtowers outside the palisades, the armed guards aimed their steel crossbows at the approaching monsters.
Monsters surged like waves.
However, the archers holding their positions awaited the commander’s orders without any disorder.
“Hold!”
The guards positioned outside rather than inside the village were not mere soldiers.
To call them a guard unit meant they were a military organization.
These units undergo intense training to handle internal security and external threats.
Especially the guards of a base village targeted by waves.
These guards are considered to have far greater military strength than ordinary soldiers.
This is necessary to withstand the continuous monster waves.
“Fire!”
As the monsters approached, the guard captain gave the signal, and the archers simultaneously fired their steel crossbows.
Kagagak-
Despite the powerful firepower of the steel crossbows, they couldn’t stop the monster’s advance with sheer numbers, but the guard captain naturally sent the signal again.
“Shieldbearers!”
The frontline shieldbearers advanced with their giant shields to confront the approaching monsters.
Kwakak!
Ujjeuk!
Unable to withstand their own speed, the monsters started to crush against each other in front of the shields.
Those lucky enough to survive were dealt with by the spearmen positioned among the shieldbearers.
-Keruk
“Uh-oh?”
The shields were tightly arranged to stop the monsters’ advance.
However, monsters that found an unexpected gap began to rampage.
“Damn! The 3rd row is being breached!”
“Block it!”
“Spearmen! Maintain the formation! We have to…!”
The guard captain, wielding a sword, attempted to support the scattered formation immediately.
Seok!
At that moment, someone who had decapitated a monster’s head appeared before him.
“Who, who are you?”
The mysterious A-grade mercenary recently sighted in Avera Village.
The rumor that a mercenary wearing a white mask had helped the Church of Luna subdue the monster was well-known.
Dio, who had been timing his intervention.
Ignoring the guard’s question about his identity, Dio once again swung his greatsword broadly.
There was no need to explain themselves to them. He had already proven he was on their side through his actions.
Tukon!
Though crude, the heavy sword strike cut down the monsters trying to trample over the shieldbearers in one go.
Dio’s intervention solidified the frontline once again.
The most dangerous moment of the monster wave was indeed the initial charge.
Having completely suppressed the menacing monsters’ advance with the shieldbearers, now only indiscriminate hunting followed.
Dio saw the guard captain signal the standard-bearer and shout.
“Wipe them all out!”
-Waaaaaaaah!
Tung-!
The shieldbearers collectively pushed and repelled the monsters with their shields, then prepared for combat.
And then the counterattack by the guards began.
Seok!
Puk-!
The battle started as the monsters were swiftly pushed back.
Dio, ready to join them in battle, paused upon noticing the guard captain approaching him.
“Thank you for your help. Are you the famous A-grade mercenary, Monte-nim?”
“It’s just a hand lent.”
Dio simply responded to his question and slung his greatsword over his shoulder.
The guard captain felt a strangely familiar sensation from the masked mercenary, but there was no time to dwell on such matters.
“This place is dangerous, and it’s a principle for our guards to handle it alone…”
As the guard captain said, the entrance facing the monster wave head-on was a dangerous place for players.
The system never assigns players to handle the entrance side when dealing with a monster wave.
Normally, players would have been moved to the rear for their safety due to the danger.
However, having seen Dio intervene at the right moment and demonstrate his abilities, the guard captain nodded in approval.
“Then, we’ll be in your care. Our elite forces will support you, Monte-nim.”
“It’s an honor.”
Everything is going according to plan.
Now, he can officially take action on an important stage.
Moreover, with the help of Avera Village’s elite soldiers, there’s no risk of dying.
All Dio needs to do now is to deliver the ‘final blow.’
Dio’s appearance and his slicing through the monsters were not because of his incredible attack power.
Dio’s level is 50.
No matter how exceptional, it’s impossible for a level 50 to slice through monsters in a single blow.
However, Dio has items in his storage that make the impossible possible.
—————
[Crushing Greatsword]
Grade: Unique
Type: Two-handed Weapon
Level Restriction: 60
Required Strength: 110
Attack Power: 70
Special Effect:
Deals additional 100% damage when the target’s health is below 10%, excluding boss monsters.
[Aurora Pendant]
Grade: Unique
Type: Necklace
Level Restriction: 50
Special Effect: Lowers the level restriction of other equipment items by 10.
[Lens of Conviction (Health)]
Grade: Magic
Type: Lens
Level Restriction: 50
Special Effect: Displays the health points of monsters below Seed grade.
—————
Dio’s storage, owned by a character at max level, does not only contain the highest grade equipment.
Rather, veterans like Dio possess numerous items necessary for training many characters.
These are so-called training items.
Among them, the ‘Crushing Greatsword’ chosen by Dio.
This equipment has a high grade and, among two-handed weapons of the same level, it possesses the highest attack power.
Dio’s level is 50, but the level restriction for the Crushing Greatsword is 60.
However, with the ‘Aurora Pendant’ that lowers equipment level restrictions, he was able to equip a higher-level weapon.
‘Thanks to this, I’ve reached a level where I can inflict damage on the monsters of Avera Village.’
Indeed, he possesses top-tier attack power among level 50s.
However, he still can’t slash through Avera Village monsters like cutting through butter.
That’s where the ‘Lens of Conviction’ comes in, allowing him to see the monsters’ health.
This was the key item that made extreme gains possible during the monster wave.
‘Easy pickings are always about last-hitting the weak.’
Unlike the mission in the Forgotten Temple, the ‘party’ system does not apply with allies during a monster wave.
This means players must personally execute the monsters to gain experience points.
Dio’s plan was to let the powerful guard force weaken the monsters, leaving him to finish them off.
‘It’s time to leap into action!’
The reason he joined the fray after halting the monsters’ advance was precisely for this moment.
If he uses the Lens of Conviction to broaden his view?
Finding low-health monsters he could kill in one hit was as easy as pie for Dio.
Kwak-!
-Kieeek!
Dio’s greatsword suddenly thrust through, piercing the chest of a Bug Reaper in an instant.
“Stabbing with such a big greatsword?”
“Is that the famous A-grade mercenary?”
The guards quickly recognized Dio’s joining.
At the same time, they couldn’t hide their astonishment at his incredible prowess, slicing through monsters.
“Ugh!”
A soldier was panicking, facing three berserk werewolves.
Dio wouldn’t miss such a moment.
‘Werewolves are perfect for the Purification Herb.’
Whoong-!
Dio’s ‘Slash’ soared high, instantly taking the lives of the werewolves.
[You have defeated a werewolf.]
[You have gained 3620 experience points.]
[Your level has increased.]
“Tha, thank you… huh?”
The soldier, having received help, uttered words of gratitude.
However, Dio, who had no time to receive the greeting, immediately grabbed the soldier by the collar and flung him to the ground.
Thud-!
Dio, stepping over a falling werewolf, struck the body of a Killer Bee pierced by an arrow.
The already injured Killer Bee couldn’t withstand the weight of Dio’s hefty greatsword and was crushed entirely.
[You have defeated a Killer Bee.]
[You have gained 3218 experience points…]
Dio brushed aside the system message window.
If he didn’t, it would keep popping up all day during this monster wave.
“It’s the captain’s orders! Form lines around Monte-nim!”
“Wow!”
One of the elite soldiers appointed by the guard captain raised a flag and shouted, causing the soldiers to cheer.
Regardless of whether they misunderstood Dio’s strength, he moved solely based on calculated thoughts.
While searching for his next prey, Dio spotted a very appetizing (?) target within his sight.
Amidst the fierce battle, ‘Bug Reapers’ and ‘Giant Locusts’ were entangled.
Noticing the guards being overwhelmed by the giant mantis and locust monsters, Dio stomped on the ground.
‘Targets: five. Remaining health: all below 10%.’
Dio’s eyes quickly scanned the state of the insect monsters, and he gripped his greatsword tightly.
“Everyone, back off!”
At Dio’s shout, the guards facing the insects quickly retreated.
Dio, having cleared space, swung his greatsword broadly at the monsters standing in a row.
Tatatatatuck-
Exactly four ticks. With each tick, one monster was hit by Dio’s Crushing Greatsword.
However, unlike the initial attack, it was too shallow.
The monsters were still alive, and the mercenaries watching were puzzled.
“The attack was too shallow!”
“It’s dangerous!”
The guards alerted Dio of the danger, but he dove into the midst of the monsters without hesitation.
“Is he, crazy!”
“We need to rescue him!”
-Kieeeek!
Despite the mercenaries’ horrified screams, Dio easily dodged the sharp claws of a Bug Reaper.
Then, he thrust his greatsword deep among the monsters.
The target he aimed for was a Killer Bee, smaller in size compared to the others.
Dio, having speared the body of a Killer Bee trapped among the group, smiled.
‘5 ticks.’
Kwaang!
With a massive explosion, the monsters touched by Dio’s sword were engulfed in the blast.
-Whooosh
-Kieeeek!
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
“Is it magic?”
“A magic swordsman? The rumors about receiving the Imperial Medal were true!”
Dio walked out calmly from the flames that consumed the monsters’ corpses.
Those who saw him were utterly shocked.
“Phew-.”
Dio lightly blew out a spark on his cloak and laughed inwardly.
The reason he sought out areas dense with insect-type monsters was due to the new ability of the skill ‘Slash.’
* * *
“Finally got it right.”
The day before the monster wave started.
Dio had finally achieved a proficiency of 100 in the Slash skill after facing countless Armored Turtles.
—————
[Proficiency 100 Achievement Condition1 Unlocked]
[Explosion]-Unlock Complete!(NEW)
MP Consumption: 100
Leaves a mark for each successful attack after using the skill.
The user can activate an additional skill in conjunction with Slash.
Activating Explosion will detonate the most recently marked marks. (Up to 5)
Damage per mark: 150% fire damage
Special Effect: 50% knockback per mark
—————
The skill ‘Slash,’ upon fulfilling its first condition, had completely changed.
It evolved from a simple cooldown skill to a stack-type skill with the attribute of ‘fire.’
While it might not be considered an incredibly good skill, the addition of a fire attribute multiplier is useful in various ways.
Dio, aware that many monsters in the monster wave were weak to fire.
He instantly understood how to use the newly unlocked skill.
It’s not about stacking on a single target.
Using ‘Explosion’ to trigger a chain explosion increases its power, as already tested with Armored Turtles.
The problem is that the advantage and disadvantage of ‘Explosion’ is its area-of-effect damage, which also applies to the caster.
“I need to stop by the storage.”