Chapter 177: Akiyama Takashi (2)
-Let’s see your skills.
“Shall we?”
-I’m not so lonely that I’d accept just anyone as a friend!
From Takashi’s forceful voice, Kang-hoo paradoxically felt his loneliness.
Knowing Takashi’s character from the original work, it was a reaction he couldn’t ignore.
Takashi’s emotional response to people and his attraction is a bit twisted.
That’s both Takashi’s charm and his flaw. It makes it hard for people to approach him easily.
Whoosh!
Takashi’s doppelganger threw a wooden practice dagger that had been lying on the floor. Then he himself picked up a wooden longsword.
Takashi found it intriguing that Kang-hoo was bold and spoke his mind without feeling intimidated in front of him.
From what he had gathered through research, Kang-hoo’s abilities seed quite impressive. At least, he didn’t seem out of place at his current level.
If Kang-hoo turned out to be all talk and no substance, Takashi could just cut ties. They weren’t particularly close anyway.
So, there was no pressure.
If Kang-hoo passed the test, they’d beco friends; if not, it would just be a one-ti encounter.
Kang-hoo also saw it as a good opportunity.
He didn’t think he could pass Takashi’s test with just a few words.
‘Now is the perfect ti.’
He was convinced.
If more ti passed here, the Thirteen Stars would start getting closer to Takashi again.
In a few months, they’d begin tackling several difficult dungeons.
At that ti, Takashi would play a crucial role in the strategy. The ‘Universal Pattern Theory’ that he babbled on about would co into play.
After that, the Thirteen Stars would often seek Takashi out according to their needs, increasing their interactions.
When that ti ca, no matter how much Kang-hoo tried, it would be unlikely to change Takashi’s mind.
-The counting will be taken care of by the large monitors in front and behind us, so don’t worry. Thirteen it is.
As soon as Takashi finished speaking, the number 10 appeared in red on the large display board.
Then the countdown began.
The numbers behind Takashi were so large that they were almost distracting.
At that mont.
Woooo. Woooo. Woooo.
The doppelgangers scattered around the training ground began to rise one by one.
Unlike the detailed doppelganger directly controlled by Takashi, these were crudely made to resemble him.
They had a necromantic feel, but they couldn’t be classified strictly as necromancy.
Especially, the relationship between Takashi and the doppelganger he directly controlled was akin to a fated community.
To put it simply, the directly controlled doppelganger was the main body, while the others were just conceptual extensions.
‘It wasn’t intentional, but I’ve got a good card in hand. I wondered when I’d use it.’
Kang-hoo ntally prepared a card for aggressive use from the start.
He had considered several strategies, but none seed as good as this.
The number on the display had beco 1 before he knew it.
Swish. Swish.
Takashi (the doppelganger, no different from himself) and Kang-hoo each took their stances.
They kept their eyes fixed on each other, glancing at the display board’s ti.
And when it hit 0.
Boom! Boom!
They charged at each other.
There was no strategic retreat or watching; it was an aggressive start.
At that mont.
【Third, use 'Soul Wave' to sever the ntal link with an enemy or summon.
It consus 250 mana and causes ntal strain, but can completely reset the enemy's state.】
Kang-hoo first played his hand. It was the Soul Wave.
This was the third constellation privilege he received from the Strategist of the Wasteland, and it was his first ti using it.
“……Ugh!”
Pain hit with a ti lag.
The severe headache was strong enough to ignore the substantial pain mitigation effects from his items.
Without the pain mitigation, the pain would have been unimaginable.
He was sure he would have collapsed, seeing stars. The headache was that intense.
Fsssst.
At the sa ti, Takashi’s ‘insignificant’ doppelgangers crumpled to the ground like straw in the wind.
Takashi’s first doppelganger was also affected by the Soul Wave.
As it was ntally connected to Takashi, it couldn’t escape the impact.
-……Wow!
A surprised exclamation filled with astonishnt ca through the microphone.
Takashi wasn’t surprised by the attack that severed the ntal link.
It was obvious that such an attack would be a weakness for soone like him.
So, as soon as the link with the first doppelganger was severed, he imdiately reconnected, and the gap was very short.
Kang-hoo, who had tried to get closer, stopped short at Takashi’s quick response.
However, Takashi was surprised that Kang-hoo, known as an assassin, used such a skill.
Cutting ntal links was naturally a ntal skill, typically used by hunters specialized in magic.
It wasn’t a skill expected from an assassin. There was no overlap.
-Not bad…….
As Takashi was about to continue his comnt in admiration of Kang-hoo’s attempt.
Kang-hoo used Soul Wave once more. This ti, he also connected it with a flash step.
Approaching closely was risky, but keeping a distance allowed one-sided pressure.
Then, through prior exploration, it was also clear that the Soul Wave, although brief, created a definite blackout.
“Ugh!”
Kang-hoo groaned.
He could use it twice sohow, but three tis was impossible.
Mana was the second problem; the intensity of the pain was on another level.
Using the skill, he felt like he might experience a blackout from the pain himself.
It was a brief but dizzying experience that blurred his vision. It wasn’t a good sign.
While Takashi, caught in the second Soul Wave, staggered, a thrown dagger hit him.
Though he barely twisted his sword diagonally to block it, it was just a block.
He couldn’t prevent being caught up in the ‘Push Back’ that Kang-hoo had sent along with the dagger.
-Ugh!
Takashi’s body flew in a parabolic arc. The unprepared push-back’s destructive power was evident.
Without hesitation, Kang-hoo leapt and accelerated towards Takashi.
Such an opportunity wouldn’t co twice with a skilled opponent. Even one chance was a lot.
Thus, he thought this was the last opportunity, and the situation seed quite favorable.
At that mont.
Screeching!
Even as his body was flying, Takashi tightly gripped his longsword and slashed it across the ground.
It was as if he was intentionally trying to spark flas.
Swoosh!
Soon, sothing mixed with crimson light from the created flas fiercely attacked Kang-hoo.
‘Damn.’
As expected, Takashi hadn’t built his level and skills idly.
Even after taking a proper hit, he imdiately entered the counterattack phase.
His tendency to consider all possible outcos in a fight was remarkably similar to Kang-hoo’s.
In an instant, he was engulfed by light.
Already committed to chasing Takashi, he couldn’t avoid it.
Thus, he took it head-on.
At that mont, Kang-hoo felt the skill was causing blindness. He couldn’t see ahead.
【Resonance Sight】
The response was imdiate.
A skill that automatically consus 0.5 mana per second only in a blind state.
Like the Soul Wave he had used earlier, he wondered when it would co in handy, and thanks to Takashi, it got its first use.
‘I can see clearly.’
Though the world was seen in black and white while the blindness lasted, not being affected by blindness at all made the skill highly valuable.
Kang-hoo felt grateful to Gloria, who contributed to acquiring the skill.
Pretending to be blind, Kang-hoo staggered.
Whoosh!
Then, Takashi, seizing the mont, sent a sword energy made from his longsword at Kang-hoo.
Though the practice wooden sword was not sharp, the energy was sufficient to deliver a blunt strike.
However, for Kang-hoo, who could clearly see the trajectory thanks to Resonance Sight, it was a aningless attack.
Tap, tap.
Kang-hoo dodged the sword energy with light, nimble movents.
Takashi couldn’t believe his eyes.
Kang-hoo’s blindness hadn’t been lifted. The debuff was still in effect.
Yet, Kang-hoo evaded the attack as if he could see the path clearly.
It was too precise to be re prediction, an effortless and clean evasion.
-Haha.
Takashi chuckled in frustration. In a short ti, Kang-hoo had surprised him twice.
First, he was surprised by the skill that forcibly severed the link with his doppelganger.
Second, he was surprised that Kang-hoo had a counterasure to easily overco blindness.
Assassins, who focus on extre attacks, are naturally weak to debuffs or disruptions affecting them.
This common ‘chronic disease’ of assassins didn’t apply to Kang-hoo.
And then.
-Starting to get angry?
Kang-hoo got the reaction he wanted from Takashi. It seed he was getting riled up.
-Wait a second. Let
light up.
Then ca the second expected reaction.
Though he used the term ‘light up,’ it wasn’t the usual cigarette.
Takashi burned sothing mysterious, a kind of secret weapon for intense focus.
In the original work, it was rumored to be drug-related, but nothing was confird.
Nonetheless, putting it in his mouth ant he was more serious about the situation than ever.
And the real battle began.
Although their practice weapons weren’t threatening, their attitudes towards each other were more threatening than ever.
It was a fierce skirmish.
As the fight continued, Kang-hoo realized more and more how tough an opponent Takashi was.
Facing a doppelganger instead of the main body ant the constellation scan didn’t work, which was frustrating.
Thus, it was difficult to pinpoint the areas Takashi specialized in or his objectives.
Even in the original work, the constellation settings weren’t explained in detail, leaving little to infer.
Of course, considering the considerable level difference, just holding his ground was enough to earn full marks.
The primary reason the battle was getting tougher was:
‘He’s analyzing my patterns.’
Kang-hoo felt that Takashi was gradually ‘learning’ and ‘studying’ his movents.
Reading an opponent’s patterns wasn’t unique to Kang-hoo; Takashi could do it too.
In fact, he was more persistent.
To add variables to the fight, Kang-hoo actively used Shadow Step in conjunction with doppelganger and illusion techniques.
But sohow, his main body’s position kept getting revealed, and his tricks weren’t working.
‘Do I have a habit?’
Kang-hoo questioned himself, but he wasn’t aware of any.
If he couldn’t recognize it himself, it must be a very subtle habit, barely noticeable.
But Takashi seed to see it.
At that mont:
-Haah!
With Takashi’s shout, the wooden sword he swung with all his might slashed right in front of Kang-hoo’s approaching face from behind.
In a split second:
Swoosh…!
Kang-hoo’s front hair, caught in the maximum sword energy created by the wooden sword, was cleanly cut off.
If it were a real fight, and if his body had been slightly more forward, his face would have been gone.
“Damn.”
Once again, a frown ford on Kang-hoo’s hard-working forehead.
Indeed, Takashi was no ordinary person.
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