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ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 449 Part 1

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 449: Dragon, Oh Dragon! PART 26 Part 1

The Sword of Mystery, Rezel.

It is a weapon that only those who have mastered the path of the blade can wield properly. However, the path that the wielder of this sword are walking on is fundamentally different from that of the normal swordfighter, who only mastered the way of the blade.

The Sword of Mystery is the title given to those wields their sword but also uses their knowledge of the Arcane arts in order to make that sword even more potent and powerful, as well as use skills that aid them in combat to attain even greater mastery of the blade. Alternatively they are called “Sword Mistics”.

Thus far, it’s all about the world-view and lore settings. But what about the gameplay perspective? In gameplay terms, the “Sword Mystics” are those players who utilize both melee weapons and magic in combat to overcome their foes. And that’s putting it extremely lightly.

The setting of ShangriLa Frontier possesses something that is called a “magic sword”. Going by definition, a magic sword is a melee weapon that has the magic spell imbued directly into the weapon itself. This also means that when the user is brandishing such weapon around, the spell that is imbued in it can be activate at any given time and use as the warrior sees fit.

Additionally, every “Sword Mystic” possesses an additional item called “Magic Catalyst – Ritos –“, a small, sword like artefact that allows the user to switch classes between a Swordfighter and a Magic Caster at will. Mastering the art of swift switching of jobs is the key to being a successful “Sword Mystic”.

Since this particular magic catalyst is shaped like a sword, it can be imbued with various attributes and even undergo various transformations. The only downside here is that the selection of spell that the user can cast with it is severely limited and they will always be somewhat weaker compared to a situation where a normal Magic Caster would use them. But it’s greatest advantage is flexibility when it comes down to battle styles.

A combination of both sword and magic. It is something that can be immensely powerful, but that the same time it is something that is not for everyone. For starters, you need to possess a high amount of Dexterity to be able to efficiently pull it off. But with all of the above being said, the overall consensus is that “Sword Mystics” are not considered to be not all that good. For what reason? Well, the reason is actually really petty and simple. That’s because……

「What’s wrong with using but a single sword!? “FALCON BLADE – FALCON EDGE –“ !!!」

Yes, that’s right. The greatest reason as to why the “Sword Mystic is not nearly as popular and does not receive any recognition is the existence of the other class associated with sword fighting. Namely, the Sword Saint. This, however, should not come as a surprise here, since Sword Saint is the absolute apex of what sword fighters has to offer.

To tell the truth here, there is no concrete evidence that would ultimately point to the “Sword Mystic” being inferior to “Sword Saint”. Sword Saint is a class that relies heavily on the specs of the weapons used themselves. Its skills and special actions are certainly flashy, but that also makes them extremely confusing to freshly ascended Sword Saints. And besides the special magic action called “Sword Art”, Sword Saints cannot use any other forms of magic.

On the other hand, the “Sword Mystic” is limited only to the spells that the catalyst will allow to perform, but the variety of those available spells is always increasing thanks to the different kinds of magic that the player can learn.

But yes. Even with the facts being precisely the way they are, the reality is still just the same.

The above facts have literally no meaning to the player base because of a one and simple reason: the lone player called “Saiga—100”. She is aSword Saint who fights in even flashier way than most Swords Saints, and because she is one of the strongest people in the game, those facts influence the opinion of other players. That is the source of “Sword Saint” being superior to “Sword Mystic” in almost every possible way.

When it comes to Sword Saints, whenever there is a problem that they seem to have trouble resolving, the solution is always one and it is fairly simple: you just have to increase the number of swords that you are currently using. And that is not to mention the solution that Saiga-100 arrived at, the one that includes the side-occupation of the “Hero” into equation, a solution that allows Sword Saint to learn some magic spells of their own, the ones they would not normally be able to learn. This allowed the Sword Saint to perform actions that are both powerful and look cool and interesting, brilliant even. Compared to that, the “Sword Mystic” can be summarized as such: A Sage that wields a sword instead of a cane or staff. Long story short, the Sword Mystic just looks bleak and uninteresting in comparison to Sword Saint.

It can be understood that only someone like Saiga-100, someone with great player skill and with rare pieces of equipment that compliment one another would be able to create a build like that and elevate a class like a Sword Saint to the new heights. It is something that is one-and-only, unable to be replicated. But that fact does not stop people from choosing Sword Saint as their class and trying to replicate what Saiga-100 is doing. After all, Saiga-100 is the role model that everyone wants to become at some point in time.

In a nutshell, “Sword Mystic” is more sober class than the “Sword Saint”, and for a while the population of players who were building that specific class was quite large. However, as the Sword Saint started to gain popularity, Sword Mystics began to dwindle and right about now only a few most devoted players were dedicated enough to the cause to keep running as them. And the new rumors popping up from time to tome surely weren’t going to change that trend.

「Physical long-range fighters should aim for the Dragon’s upper body! Especially the horns! Target the horns every time you can! But don’t overdo it! And watch out to not shoot any of your allies while you are being at it!」

While the long distance players keep Siegwurm occupied with rain of arrows falling on the Golden Dragon King’s upper body in reasonable amount, the short-range fighter were not going to be worse than their comrades. They charged closer to Siegwurm’s body and started to slash and pierce and crush its lower body without a moment’s delay.

「Whoa, what insanely sturdy body……!!!」」

「What about the crushing type of damage!? And luck!?」

「I most certainly feel that our blows are connecting, but it also feels as though our weapons do not do any damage!?」

「NUUUOOON!!!」

Siegwurm twisted and turned his golden tail smashing it into the short-range players that were assaulting him in an attempt to shake them off. And the players surely were thrown back, and some of the less durable ones even dropped dead on the spot because of that.

「WHAT’S WRONG!? DON’T TELL ME THAT THIS IS ALL THAT YOU HAVE IN YOU!?」

「GUROROROAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!」

「Watch out for the timing! Try to match it! …… Now! Magic squad! Lay waste!!!」

There is a moment when Noirlind and Siegwurm clash with one another, and then separate after another brief moment. And the moment of their separation is the moment when a volley of magic missiles is being shot at Siegwurm, all hitting their mark thanks to waiting for the right moment to strike.