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The large dark and demon-themed Living Armor that was resting in the throne stood up, its soul releasing an eerie gleam. Two red flames appeared in the crevices of the eyes; an intimidating aura of fear was released from within its hollow armor.
Raising its sharp and dark naginata, the armored behemoth glanced at Veronica, its intentions were clear.
It seemed that after seeing how the rest of its 'pawns' died miserably, it decided to finally act. The room where Veronica was born was a 'secret room' where the supposed adventurers would be trapped inside, fighting against a horde of Living Armors. After defeating the majority of it and thinking that there was hope, such hope would be crushed by the 'Mini Boss' of this secret room, the Living Armor Commander.
Such tactics were used in several ways inside dungeons, the minds of dungeons were primitive, yet they were exceptional in thinking about schemes to lure or trap its invaders.
However, Veronica was not an invader but was born inside the dungeon itself. No trap was activated outside for any invaders to enter, but her siblings saw her as an 'irregular' that needed to be exterminated.
The Boss of the secret room had been awaiting its internal command to move when the number of Living Armors were to decrease.
Veronica glanced at the boss as she started to consider what to do.
"I cannot just stay still and be impaled to death by my… father? Well, whatever he is. Though, can I even beat this thing? Appraisal!"
Instead of trying to figure out her 'father' strength, she decided to see it by herself with her trusted 'Appraisal' without a second of doubt.
[Name: Nameless.
[Race: Cursed Living Armor Commander
[Titles: None.
[Type: Undead/Ethereal/Material
[Rank: 3
[Level: 001/100
[Health Points: 150/150
[Mana Points: 60/60
[Strength: 130
[Defense: 220
[Magic: 50
[Resistance: 65
[Agility: 50
[Passive Skills]
[Special Five Senses; Level 3]
[Phantom Form; Level 2]
[Abnormal Status Immunity]
[Strengthened Physical Power; Level 3]
[Physical Damage Resistance; Level 2]
[Armor Rearrangement; Level 2]
[Absorption Healing (Mineral, Materials, Armor); Level 2]
[Active Skills]
[Charge; Level 2]
[Coordination; Level 2]
[Commanding; Level 3]
[Long-Distance Control; Level 1]
[Naginata Technique; Level 3]
[Cursed Wounds; Level 2]
[Bloodthirsty Aura; Level 2]
"He got a few skills that I don't have… and all of them are leveled up, he even has a Technique Skill! His stats are quite beefy as well, his defense seems almost impenetrable, and coupled with his Health Points, even if I use all of my Mana with Unarmed Fighting Techniques, it may take an eternity, and in that time that I take on attacking him, he will already have my entire armored body massacred! Should I escape?! But there isn't any way out of here… perhaps a secret switch?"
Veronica was using her own soul as a substitute brain, thinking at an incredible speed compared to the dull and instinctive Living Armors, all of her thoughts happened in a mere second. The Living Armor Commander was still moving its legs when Veronica figured everything out.
"Guooonn!"
The Living Armor commander roared as it raised its naginata, using the 'Commanding' Skill, it took a hold of the remaining three Living Armors who were too afraid to approach Veronica, using its authority as a higher being than them to move against their will.
"Clack, clack!"
The Living Armors obeyed their instincts and complied with their superior orders, which control was even more enhanced by 'Commanding'.
The three Living Armors used 'Charge' at the same time and pounced towards Veronica, the Living Armor wielding a shield, which was leading the other two, pushed its shield with a powerful force.
Veronica did not have much time to think anymore. She saw the movements of the Living Armors ahead of time and moved towards her left. The Living Armor holding a shield was not able to stop its movements in the middle of its charge and stupidly lost its balance due to its shield weight.
Veronica used this opening to finish it off in one blow. Using her sharp armored hands, she activated the Unarmed Fighting Technique 'Piercing Attack'.
"Here!"
Clash!
She directly pierced its torso armor as if it were butter, the soul hat was stored inside was crushed by the strong force, dying in the spot.
Without wasting any second, Veronica ducked and evaded the incoming slash of the Living Armor wielding an ax while grabbing on the shield of the fallen armor and sending it flying towards the Living Armor wielding a long spear who was a few meters away with the 'Throwing' Skill.
The shield was launched directly towards the Living Armor, without having the speed to react in time, it received the full attack of a heavy shield hitting its entire body.
Clash!
The weight alone made the Living Armor fall to the ground. Although it didn't lose much Health Points, it was temporarily trapped below the weight of the shield, with some of its armor pieces scattered around.
The Living Armor wielding an ax tried to use this opportunity to get again strike, slashing Veronica's back, only to have its ax stuck in her arm while she used her free hand to pierce the Living Armor torso.
Using her arms as a shield would have never worked before as a living being with a flesh body, but as a living armor, she didn't have to worry about bleeding and was more than ready to take some damage in exchange for taking the life of the enemy in front of her.
Veronica had indeed noticed that the Living Armor Commander had already begun to move towards her direction as she took care of the three remaining Living Armors.
Its Bloodthirsty Aura made it even more evident as it approached her and released a series of thrusts with its large Naginata, Veronica was thankfully aware of what it was about to do and moved towards her right. By using 'Charge', she enhanced her speed and ran away towards a safe distance.
"Guon…?!"
The Living Armor Commander was surprised by Veronica's flashy movements, which were completely uncharacteristic of a Living Armor.
"Phew… that was close! My father is really a bastard in this third life… If I were to be hit by its attack, my helmet would have been surely pierced a few dozen times… that was truly a Technique of Level 3…! However, this idiot does not realize that Living Armors have small Mana Pools? If I manage to evade two more Level 3 Techniques, he will run out of mana and I'll have an opportunity to either overwhelm him somehow or find a clue to where is the switch to run away from here!" thought Veronica, as she glanced at her own Mana stat as well. She still had around a hundred points left, enough to be capable of realizing her plan, but there were variables that she could not be aware of.
However, given the circumstances, she could only bet on this chance for a victory or an escape, whichever came first.
Veronica realized that she had come very closer to the Living Armor trapped below a shield and decided to swiftly finish it off with a strong kick into its torso.
Clash!
She then grabbed the shield and its helmet and threw the helmet towards the Living Armor Commander with the 'Throwing' Skill, distracting it for a few moments.
However, her 'father' did not even care about the attack as it received it head-on, the damage was minuscule.
"Gueh" it groaned.
"It laughed?! Does he think that I am not even a challenge just because he's two ranks above me?"
Veronica tightly grabbed on the shield, which was mildly disfigured after being thrown at a high speed towards a Living Armor that she had just killed.
It was rather heavy, but thanks to her rather high Strength stat, she was capable of wielding it fine.
The Living Armor Commander decided that it wasn't even worth more laughs as it pounced towards Veronica with the level 2 'Charge' Skill. Its Bloodthirsty Aura seemed to cover its entire body like crimson flames, seemingly increasing its speed even more.
For a moment, the Living Armor Commander resembled a bright scarlet meteor in the eerie and mossy Dungeon, illuminating it completely.
"It's charging straight away…! I never learned the Shield Technique in my previous life, but I tried to do so! And I can remember all those times I did with 'Memory Retention'!"
Veronica never managed to learn Shield Technique neither Armor Technique in her second life, however, she had tried and practiced doing so for three years straight. Some of her subordinates gave her the excuse that her race was just not fit to learn such skills and after so much time of trying, she had given up.
But now she was an Armor, a Living Armor. How could she not have an affinity with Armor Technique or Shield Technique?
"The technique that I trained to get for three years but never got! Iron Wall!"
Veronica felt her Mana being drained from her as it was infused in her shield, the Living Armor Commander clashed against her shield with its naginata, releasing a piercing level 3 Technique.
Clash!
Blue and crimson light clashed against each other. The force and power of the Mana activated a Shield Technique, creating a blue barrier that resisted the powerful attack of the Living Armor Commander.
"I-It worked!"
"Guoon…?!"
Clack!
Having its charge suddenly stopped by a seemingly unmovable object, the Living Armor Commander fell back, lowering its naginata for a few seconds as it processed what had just happened.
Meanwhile, Veronica was greeted by a magnificent surprise.
[You have acquired the [Shield Technique; Level 1] Skill!]
"I-I got it! I can't believe this! I was never capable in my previous life…"
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