[Sheen | Lvl 85 | Homunculus | HP: 46270/46270]
Daisuke exhaled sharply. "Well, that's just fantastic." If there's a homunculus here, then this place is definitely connected to the Mhaledictus somehow.
Tiphanna took an instinctive step back, her fingers gripping the hilt of her weapon. "What—what is that thing?"
The creature cocked its head in their general direction, locking onto them like a predator that had just spotted prey.
Daisuke's smirk was humorless as he materialized his daggers. "Guess we're about to find out," he said as he shot her a glance. "Stay back."
Before she could protest, the fiend lunged, its molten veins pulsating with a sinister glow. The floor quaked beneath its sheer weight, and the air grew suffocatingly hot. But Daisuke didn't retreat—he held his ground, his gaze sharpening like a blade drawn from its sheath.
Suddenly, his presence shifted.
A wave of invisible force pulsed from his mana core as he exerted his Intimidate skill. The air grew thick with an oppressive aura, pressing down like an unseen hand. The fiend faltered, its advance stalling for a fraction of a second.
Seizing the window, Daisuke darted forward fearlessly, his daggers flashing in an arc of silver. His eyes squinted as sparks flared from his blade's clash against the monster's armor, but the cuts barely scratched the surface.
Shit! His eyes narrowed.
It was tough—far tougher than expected.
The fiend responded with terrifying speed, a grunt-like curse spilling from its ugly head. One colossal fist came crashing down like a steel hammer. Daisuke twisted away at the last second—
BOOOOOMM!
The floor shattered, sending marble shards flying like shrapnel. The impact rattled the walls, reducing furniture to splinters and décor to fragments.
Despite her apprehension, Tiphanna's lips slightly curled into a grim smile as debris rained down all around her. Seeing the room's destruction—the room where children had been broken and molded into playthings—felt like justice.
Daisuke, however, had no time to savor the moment. The fiend was relentless in its pursuit, its bulk defying logic with its surprising agility. Daisuke was faster, but it didn't matter—his weapons couldn't breach the creature's thick tide.
Tiphanna also knew the truth of it as she looked on in a mix of awe and unease. Daisuke's power was every bit as formidable as she'd imagined, but it was clear that his weapons were the weak link.
As a blacksmith, her trained gaze quickly assessed the low-tiered daggers in his hands, noting how they lacked the necessary edge, density, and destructive force to pierce the creature's hard exoskeleton.
If they survived this, she thought, her heart heavy with resolve, she would make it her personal mission to craft weapons worthy of his extraordinary skill. She clasped her hands together in a silent prayer, her vow firm in her mind.
Suddenly, she screamed and ducked her head as another assault sent shockwaves and debris hurling though the chamber like a hurricane.
The fiend was like a natural disaster. Without pause or hesitation, it twisted and lunged again, another devastating blow aimed directly at its infuriating prey.
Daisuke crossed his daggers in defense—
CLANGGG!
The impact sent a wave of energy rippling outward.
Sparks flew as his weapons absorbed the brunt of the attack, eyes narrowing as the particles of heated metal illuminated the harsh lines etched across his face. But the cost was severe—his daggers' durability plummeted in an instant.
Daisuke gritted his teeth with a snarl. Dammit! If I keep blocking like this, my weapons won't last and I'll eventually run out of stamina. I need a different approach—wait!
[Impeccable Parry]
[Rank: Epic
Classification: Active
Skill Lvl: 2
Proficiency: 97.4%
In the hands of a true weapons master, the enemy's attacks become a canvas waiting to be shaped.
Skill Effect:
▪︎ While wielding a weapon, you have the ability to parry an enemy's attack if performed at the right instant.
▪︎ In the rare instance that damage is received, it first depletes your Stamina and Mana. Only when both resources are exhausted will your HP be affected.
Mana Cost: None
Skill Duration: 1 Second
Skill Cooldown: 25 Seconds]
I'll use Impeccable Parry to deflect its attacks and ease the strain on my weapons. In the meantime, I need to find a weakness—fast—and figure out how to exploit it to stack my debuffs. It's either that or... I'll be turned into a freakin' hashtag.
At the thought of pulling the short end of the stick and being reduced to a chalk outline, Daisuke's movements shifted, his stance sharpening into something more refined.
Instead of blocking, he adjusted his timing with razor-sharp precision. The next attack came—a monstrous backhand that could reduce a boulder to dust. But this time, Daisuke moved with the blow, deflecting it just enough to shift the force away from himself.
A transparent hexagonal barrier flickered into existence each time he parried, absorbing the monstrous strikes. The fiend snarled in frustration, its attacks growing wilder, yet Daisuke adapted like a machine, absorbing impact after impact.
Finally, his Sixth Sense honed in on something. Beneath the creature's thick chest armor, just above the solar plexus, something pulsed—a core, burning like molten magma.
That's it! That's its weak spot, he thought, his gaze honing in.
But getting to it was another matter.
CRASHHH!
Another hexagon barrier shattered like fickle glass as a large fist slammed into it like a falling meteor. But this time, instead of fading into nonetheless, the digital fragments morphed into a notification window.
DING!
[The proficiency of the active skill «Impeccable Parry» has advanced to level 3! A new skill effect has been acquired!]
[Impeccable Parry]
[Rank: Epic
Classification: Active Skill
Lvl: 3
Proficiency: 0.7%
In the hands of a true weapons master, the enemy's attacks become a canvas waiting to be shaped.
Skill Effect:
▪︎ While wielding a weapon, you have the ability to parry an enemy's attack if performed at the right instant.
▪︎ In the rare instance that damage is received, it first depletes your Stamina and Mana. Only when both resources are exhausted will your HP be affected.
▪︎ Absorbs 30% of all damage sustained by the shield, storing it as energy. This energy can be released in a single, concentrated burst or infused into a melee strike, dealing double damage to armored targets.
Mana Cost: None
Skill Duration: 1 Second
Skill Cooldown: 20 Seconds]
Daisuke's eyes widened and his lips twitched into a grin. His skill could now store absorbed damage and unleash it in a single devastating counterattack.
Perfect! Talk about impeccable timing!
A plan formed instantly.
Growing weary of its tenacious prey, the fiend suddenly stopped and lowered its head. The air crackled ominously, thickening with a sickening heat.
Daisuke's eyes narrowed, his head craning forward curiously. Suddenly, breaking the silence, a large maw split open and from its depths came a deadly glow.
Tiphanna gasped.
Daisuke's eyes snapped open in alarm, his instincts bristling.
Then—
A beam of molten energy erupted from the creature's maw.
"Haxks!" Tiphanna screamed.
He barely had time to react.
Bending his knees firmly, he summoned his strength and crossed his daggers just in time, his biceps bulging—
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ-PSUUUU!!
The laser beam slammed into his parry barrier with a thunderous crash, fracturing into a cascade of smaller rays that carved through the room like wild, erratic streaks of light. Furniture disintegrated on contact, walls groaned and split under the destructive force, and a thick cloud of smoke filled the air. As it cleared, Daisuke stood firm amidst the wreckage, his breaths ragged, twin blades white-hot from the searing heat.
His mind raced and his muscles ached, but the beast didn't give him even a moment of reprieve. Enraged that its attack had failed, the fiend immediately went on a mindless rampage.
Daisuke stayed on the defensive, but instead of simply running away, he strategically used Impeccable Parry to absorb the creature's every offensive—every earth-shattering punch, every seismic stomp, every soul-melting blast. The damage built up, accumulating like a dam waiting to break.
Then—
The fiend reared back, preparing another laser blast.
Daisuke's Intimidate skill struck first.
The creature flinched—its movements lagging.
That was all he needed.
Daisuke propelled himself off the walls with explosive force, ricocheting like a projectile, his speed compounding with every impact. Faster. Faster. His form blurred, a streak of silver and black, his eyes a molten gold.
The fiend's head jerked up—too late.
Daisuke struck, driving both daggers into its hard frame. Simultaneously, he unleashed the pent-up energy that shattered both armor and core in one fell swoop. A violent shockwave erupted from the impact, sending golden fissures racing across the fiend's armored hide. It let out an unholy roar that turned into a shriek of agony as its once-impenetrable exoskeleton peeled away like dried clay.
Now exposed, it staggered.
Daisuke, who had been thrown back by the blast, didn't waste a second. He became a storm of steel, a whirlwind of death. His daggers carved through vulnerable flesh and molten veins, striking again and again in rapid succession. One cut. Two. Five. Ten. His movements blurred into a storm of oblivion.
When he finally landed, crouched and poised, his body solidified from the blur, and his daggers dripped with searing embers. Behind him—
The fiend stood still.
Then it collapsed, breaking apart into charred, bloodied chunks.
DING!
[The homunculus «Sheen» has been defeated!]
[13,520 Experience Points have been acquired.]
[Ironfang Spear has been acquired.]
[Ravenbolt Crossbow has been acquired.]
[Large MP Recovery Potion x4 has been acquired.]
[Burn Heal x4 has been acquired.]
[Flarial Seed x8 has been acquired.]
[Molten Heart Core x2 has been acquired.]
[Gold Ore x3 has been acquired.]
[116 gold has been acquired.]
"Uheeeh~" Tiphanna slid to her knees with a sigh of relief, her knife clattering to the floor. "Boy, you sure know how to make a girl worry."
"What can I say?" Daisuke murmured, shrugging with a crooked smile. "It's a prerequisite for being a fine hero."
"Right~" Tiphanna drawled, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "There won't be anyone left to save if you give them all a heart attack."
Daisuke popped a Vitaberry into his mouth before proceeding to gulp down one of the newly attained Large MP Recovery Potions.
[Large MP Recovery Potion]
[A potion brewed by combining Lunarfrost Lily, Etherberries, Rejuvishroom, and Angel Bee's honey. Its restorative potency varies depending on the concentration grade.
Item Effect: Replenishes 4,500 mana
Cooldown: 20 Seconds]
"Let's grab the kids and get out of here," Daisuke said, offering his hand to help her to her feet. "After all that racket we just made, it's only a matter of time before the guards swarm this place."
"R-Right!" Tiphanna nodded quickly. "By the way, now that I've seen it firsthand, I can understand why you're so frustrated with your weapons. If you hadn't the right skills in that last battle, the outcome could've been very different."
"Bingo," Daisuke replied, gesturing with his fingers like he was firing a pistol. "That's why I need an upgrade—before I end up in a situation where skills alone won't cut it."
Wasting no more time, the duo opened what was left of the door and stepped inside, their eyes adjusting to the dimly lit chamber.
Compared to the lavish training hall, this room was bleak but tolerable—just civilized enough to avoid being called a prison. Rows of bunker beds lined the walls, their thin mattresses barely enough to provide comfort. The air was stale, laced with the faint scent of damp wood and old linen.
In the farthest corner, twelve elven girls huddled together, their frightened eyes darting toward the intruders. They appeared no older than eight or nine, their delicate frames trembling under threadbare garments.
Yet, standing protectively in front of them was the eldest—a girl who, despite her obvious youth, bore an air of defiance. Her small hands were spread wide, shielding the others as she met Daisuke's piercing golden gaze with all the confidence she could muster.
Her knees shook as the other shadow began to move.
Tiphanna stepped forward slowly, her voice a soothing murmur of reassurance. The children flinched at first, wary of yet another stranger. But the moment she pulled back her hood, revealing the pointed tips of her elven ears, a collective breath of relief swept through them.
"We're here to get you out," Tiphanna said gently, her eyes scanning their frightened faces. "But we must hurry."