Volume 7 Chapter 10 Part 4
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Translator: Kell
Sensing that it had been caught, the main body of the volcano—just a warm rock now—wriggled a bit.
“Don’t try to escape,” I said. “Unless you want more ice magic.”
I shot a block of ice at the rock.
It wasn’t alive because I missed my shot or anything. I let it live, because there was something I needed to do.
“If you want to live, put up a Sanctuary around me.”
The rock didn’t react. Apparently, it doesn’t understand human language.
There’s a ritual that threatens the volcano into putting up a Sanctuary, but carrying out the whole thing is a huge pain. I only have about ten percent of mana left, and the rest of the troops are still being showered with sniper fire from the enemy’s Ether Cannon. I want the volcano to understand what I want quickly and force it to create a Sanctuary.
“Do you see this?”
I took out a Wisdom Stone from my magic storage and held it out in front of the rock. Then the volcano responded. It glowed faintly, and the light spread to the surroundings. This occurs when a Sanctuary is created.
“I barely sense anything with Search Enemy anymore,” Sachylis said. “What’s going on?”
Sachylis also sensed that the monsters and trees in the forest had lost their hostility towards us. It’s basically a declaration of surrender by the volcano. If it could speak the human language, it would probably say something like, “I surrender, but please spare my life!”
I then called out to the troops. “We’ve got ourselves a Sanctuary. Let’s move!”
“Yes, sir!”
We began moving deeper into the mountain. Just a few minutes ago, we were being attacked by nearby trees, but now they didn’t even budge an inch as we passed by. The monsters also turned their backs and scampered away the moment they saw us.
This is the effect of a Sanctuary. What I’m holding may just be a rock, but it’s still the master of the mountain.
After walking for a while, Michael’s voice resounded through the comms.
“Enemy sniper missed by a long shot! I believe they lost sight of us!”
“Got it,” I replied. “Let’s do this, then.”
I lowered the rock down to the ground. The time has come to fulfill our purpose of securing the volcano’s Sanctuary.
“I, Sage Eld, offer Wisdom Stones. In exchange, I request Awakening.”
The Awakening ritual normally requires a long incantation. But in reality, all you really need is this short section and the required number of Wisdom Stones. For Sages, two Wisdom Stones are required.
I placed the two stones as an offering to the dying volcano.
Suddenly, the stones cracked open, and flames burst forth. The flames entered my body, but I didn’t feel any heat.
With that, the Awakening is complete.
“The Awakening was a success,” I said, turning to my troops. “I want you all to withdraw from the mountain as per our plan.”
The plan was to have them retreat after the Awakening, and then I fight alone.
I can’t let them get close in the first place, since the enemy has Ether Cannon. The reason why they can use Skills to evade is because the enemies were still quite far away. If we get close enough, their shots would hit almost as soon as they’re fired. If there’s anyone other than me who can be Awakened, there is a way to counter the Ether Canon. Unfortunately, I’ve got no more Wisdom Stones left, so only I can fight.
“If the enemy’s only trump card is sniping magic,” Sachylis said, “I can stay in the woods for comms.”
“We know that the enemy doesn’t have long-range detection magic, but we can’t deny the possibility that they have something like Magic Search. By the way, how many hostiles?”
“Search Enemy is picking up three signatures at the summit.”
Still the same number as before. We know that one of the enemies is an Awakened Mage who uses Ether Canon, but we know nothing of the other two. Worst case, all three of them are Awakened, which means I could be fighting surrounded by three people with Awakened Skills.
“Three against one…”
Awakening has various effects, all of them at the same level as Ether Cannon—or even a lot more powerful in that they could influence the outcome of PvP battles.
“I’ll be fine on my own,” I said.
The characteristics of Awakened Skills vary greatly by class. For example, the Mage’s Ether Cannon is one that simply boosts its power, allowing for sniping that’s far more effective than normal Skills. There are others as well. A Warrior-type class can put up defense that can withstand even a Steam Explosion, or imbue their sword with power that can nullify the effect of all buffing and defensive Skills. If you’re clueless, one shot can decide the match.
It’s difficult to say which class is the strongest, since affinity comes into play even in fights between Awakened individuals. If you don’t think too much about tactics and just wield your power randomly, then the fight’s outcome will be decided by strengths and weaknesses between classes and luck. Based on the level of fighting tactics used in this world, there’s probably not a lot of difference between classes.
However, this is not the case in BBO, where countless PvP battles had spawned efficient combat methods and established the weaknesses of various classes. Some are so pitiful that they get crushed by almost all other classes, while some are so incredible that they destroy the rest. And the class that overpowers others is the Sage.
A Sage’s Awakened Skills can exhibit all sorts of capabilities depending on how they are used. Ether Cannon can be useful in the hands of a beginner, but if used by someone who actually knows how to use it properly, like a Sage, they’re literally invincible.
The only person who could win against an Awakened Sage with both ability and experience would be a similar Awakened Sage.
Three versus one doesn’t matter. I only have ten percent of my mana left, but it’s enough.
There’s still a chance that there’s a Sage among the enemy. In that case, it will be a pure contest of skill, and that is exactly what I want. I was among the top-ranked Awakened Sages in BBO when it comes to PvP.
“Awakening Activate. Ether Hack.”
I activated my Awakened Skill and walked to the top of the mountain.
I know it sounds weird coming from me when I’ve used Steam Explosion so many times to obliterate enemies, but Skill-based combat is not as simple as just using powerful offensive Skills to win.
And I’m gonna show them that.
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