[6 Vakir Beastmasters defeated]
[Experience gained: 600]
[Experience: 2,913/3,000]
'Ah, dang. So close.'
He was going to level up soon enough anyway. Looking at the new sea the Mizukai had created with their arrival and the battalion of steel formed by the dwarves, he wondered which of them would be the one to die first.
Behind them sat the 6 Nephilim Fallen, as if they had nothing better to do than wait. If they were smart, they would attack him now, while he was weak.
But like any monster, they were arrogant.
Even though they were only on the battlefield for mere minutes, the dwarves had covered it with their gold. Weapons littered the ground as the Dwarven Smiths worked with an unparalleled efficiency. In the time it would take any other race to make a single weapon, they could make at least 50.
For a second he wondered how the dwarves even got a forge in such a place. Figuring it was just like the Mizukai who changed the land into sea, he decided the dwarves probably just brought their home environment when they were summoned.
Either way, it was imperative that he stopped their operation before they could make any new weapons. With every hammer strike against malleable steel, a stifling aura grew from the monsters.
Nick's [Farseeing Eyes] quickly revealed why–a particularly powerful skill used by the Dwarven Smiths.
[B-Rank Active Skill: Advanced Forge – For the next 30 seconds, all forge rates are increased by 1,000%. Additionally, for every critical forge you successfully complete, your party's stats increase by 5%. Cooldown: 5 minutes]
For every weapon a human could create, a dwarf would've already created 50 of them. Not only that, but there were 9 of them, all operating at that insane pace.
If they weren't killed within the next few seconds...
Wasting no time, Nick dashed across the battlefield, ignoring the Dwarven Battalions and Dwarven Centurions stationed around it. Jumping into the fray, he set his sights on 2 Dwarven Smiths currently occupied with carrying swords to a weapons rack.
'Don't they know you're supposed to do this before the battle?!'
Swinging through the air in a circle, Nick slashed with his [Fang of Finality] 3 times with a perfect precision that should've cut them in 2. Instead, one of the dwarves stopped for a second to look back at him and smile.
The next instant some invisible force sent him flying backwards. Nick screamed in pain as his entire left side was sliced open.
[HP Lost: 30]
[HP: 42/92]
'What the hell was that!'
The Dwarven Smiths went back to work like nothing happened. Nick felt his chest tighten as his breath grew heavy and he tasted blood.
When he had struck them, for some reason, he was dealt the damage.
He heard the clunky sound of the Centurions behind him, their heavy armor thudding against the earth. Each of them was equipped with some kind of heavy axe. Because of their short, stocky build and heavy armor, they were slow to come to aid the Smiths.
Meaning he should have enough time to use his [Farseeing Eyes] again. Nick focused completely on the magic of the dwarves, searching for some ability he hadn't seen at first.
'No way...'
There was only one skill–Advanced Forge.
The gaping wound in his left shoulder begged to differ. With just one stare, the dwarf had done something to damage him badly.
'He had smiled when he looked back...'
Right when he went to attack. Right after the attack should've landed, he had been damaged. So then the ability correlated with something that happened in that time frame.
Nick gripped his sword tightly as he prepared to launch another attack. At the last second, he would pull back and use his [Farseeing Eyes]. If he was right, he'd learn about their hidden ability.
If he was wrong... well, however they attacked him would quickly end him at least.
The ground quaked as Nick jumped, preparing to launch his fake assault. Leaving the Centurions in the dust, he quickly reached the Dwarven Smiths.
In another second he was nearly face to face with the one from earlier. It smiled again, this time saying, "Human no learn? Are thy stupid?" All the while Nick was pouring all of his focus into [Farseeing Eyes].
And milliseconds before his attack would've hit, he saw the fruits of his labor. Returning his sword to his hammerspace as he was far too close to try and alter its direction, Nick smiled as his hand barely missed the Dwarven Smiths' head.
The next second he jumped back and turned to the Centurions. He knew what he needed to do now.
[B-Rank Rearguard Passive: Attacker Repellant – While Advanced Forge is active, negate any damage you would take and reflect 10 damage to the attacker for every time they would've hit you.]
Really it was a broken skill, even if it needed Advanced Forge to work. Essentially, it made the Smiths one of the most broken supports he had seen.
For a few seconds they were invincible, and within those seconds, they amped their squad by a ridiculous amount. By now, the Centurions should have at least a 100% boost to all their stats, if not more.
The aura they exuded did nothing but prove that assumption. With every step they took on their journey to execute the intruder, their boots made a bigger and bigger earthquake.
It felt as if the ground itself was crying for mercy, as if )the dead who found their final resting place.
And they were only going to get stronger if Nick couldn't kill them this instant. If he waited for the Advanced Forge to go on cooldown, the Centurions and Battalions could get 3x as strong.
His only option was to face these foes who were rapidly growing in strength and to stop them before they realized their full potential. Only after they died could he take care of the Dwarven Smiths.
Nick winced as he readied his sword. The pain in his shoulder flared with every movement, and he could feel himself becoming weaker every moment due to his injury.
At the same time, that stifling aura only grew.
Biting his tongue so hard he created a stream of blood, Nick focused on that smaller, more manageable pain. Then he leaped through the air, forbidding the Dwarven Centurions to get any stronger.
As he got closer and closer, his [Farseeing Eyes] showed him all the chinks in its otherwise impenetrable armor. If he struck the metal, he had no doubts he'd only end up doing more damage to himself.
A Fang wasn't made for blindly slicing through things though. It was made for precise, deliberate strikes.
Like finding the opening underneath the helmet that allowed their neck to move, or the eye sockets that allowed them to see.
Nick slid across the ground and thrust his [Fang of Finality] deep into the throat of the first Centurion, ending its march of omnipotence prematurely.
The dwarf made a few groaning sounds before sputtering blood, painting the interior of its helmet. Its safe space had turned into a grotesque grave.
Knowing better than to waste his time trying to free the fang, Nick had returned it to his hammerspace and then summoned it back just as quickly. He was running to the next Centurion before his first kill even hit the ground.
At the same time, mentally Nick was applying the 5 strength attribute points he knew he got for leveling up.
This gave him a short, finite boost. At the same time, the Dwarven Smiths finished their 100th weapon, doubling the remaining 4 Centurions' power.