Chapter 67 Nothing Is What It Seems 3

Every time a system user executes a skill his or her body enters calibration. Skill locking was the term used to describe this event. For this short period, the system forced the user to stand still to allow the body to recover from exerting itself.

The system told Hiro this defensive feature forced users not to solely depend on skills and practice actual tactical planning and combat maneuvers. But in the current landscape of Valorious. Duels became the primary means of settling arguments and even wars.

What good would challenge a kingdom with a high-level system user like Rhyne or her husbands? No matter how many men you throw they will all die meaninglessly before such overwhelming power. However, that only held true when one fought against normal people.

Monsters, bandits, and assassins for example didn't follow such conventions. Some even attempted to exploit this skill-locking mechanic, and it became known in the underworld as the Stupor window.

Hiro knew of the dangers of skill locking not from joining the underworld but from games in his previous life. Thus, the transmigrator avoided using skills unless absolutely necessary. In fact, his gaming knowledge saved him from many newbie mistakes people died to learn.

The stupor window being the most unexpected turned into the leading cause of death among new system users. Many would overestimate themselves due to using powerful skills only to die pathetically while skill locked.

"I don't have much choice, do I? I hope I can last till I gain 200 AP. [Square Cut] is my only multi-target skill. It has a damage base of 320 per attack for four blows. With a 90% increase that would be 608 per strike.

"I have 830 ATK so it should have been 1438 a pop, but thanks to fucking OP Croc handbag leather with 400 DEF, I would be lucky if I even manage to pass 1000 HP. I need to either hit them in their weak points or hit each trice to kill it.

"I would only be able to kill two of them. But if each lizard is worth 6500 exp, I need to take down at least three to get to level thirty."

The lizard horde all turned around and started attacking. Lizards within 200 meters all started spitting green orbs of bile while the ones farther back threw some of their spears. Using his speed and enhanced vision. The transmigrator moved to evade the projectiles

'Oh come on! That one only has 1300 hp! Oy! Come back here you fucker! Let me kill you!'

As the lizards were aware of the experience mechanic, they purposely hid the ones who had lesser HP. This prevented their enemies from leveling up as well as saving their allies. Hiro who got annoyed felt he was not playing PVE but PVP instead.

*GURRRYAAA*

Suddenly green light illuminated the space. Threads like vines wrapped around the tens of dragsaurians in front of Hiro, upon checking his enemy's status using [Inspect] he couldn't help but exclaim!

'YOU BASTARDS EVEN HAVE A FUCKING HEALER! HAVE SOME SHAME YOU MOTHERFUCKING PRICKS!'

Hiro looked around to see and found a small group of lizards who seemed different from the rest. For one they looked slimmer and more feminine, they also had gems threaded like a necklace around their necks and had on small capes made from leather.

'Found you! [Farsight]! [Inspect]!'

_____________________

Name: N/A

Race: Dragsaurian Priestess

Level: 55

Age: 1

Title: N/A

HP: 900/1800 |SP: 400/800

STR: 320 | AGI: 240 | INT: 610

_____________________

Main Skills: Priestess of Dragonblood [B] Lvl 1

_____________________

Secondary skills

Active Secondary Skills

Cleanse [B] Lvl 1 | Mend wounds [C] Lvl 1

Passive skills

Sacred Barrier [D] Lvl 1 |MP Recovery [C] Lvl 3

____________

Intrigued Hiro's vision shifted to see around 20 white reptiles in a triangle formation all chanting in what could be assumed to be dragsaurian language. A presence of a new variable gave rise to a plan in the transmigrator's mind.

'900 HP, and from the looks of its skin, it should not have any armor. I bet I can chop these white geckos all at once.'

Deliberating, numerous dragsaurians all started to attack him with their spears. Hiro used his sword skills to parry and redirect the force of their blows away from him. Similar to Aikido Hiro learned Aiki-Ken for a while back on earth. It used the martial arts principles of non-violence but with swords.

'With those healers there, the longer this goes on the less chance I will get to kill these bastards. The only problem is exp. If I manage to level up twice from them, we can go to the next phase. If their return is poor I will die to their guards.'

As more and more spears joined, Hiro could no longer defend himself completely and got stabbed in the thigh.

- Alert: [Mana Armor] in effect, host has lost 200 MP! -

'Shit! Not good.'

The reason why people try to avoid getting surrounded is to prevent multiple assailants from hitting their blind sides. Hiro tried to move away but was tripped by something on the floor.

As he crashed he saw a reptilian tail wrap around his ankle. And lift him into the air upside down. The transmigrator managed to avoid spear stabs by parrying with his weapon.

'That's cheating you pricks! Why do you guys even know how to fight with a 5th limb? Give me a break already!'

Hiro curled his body like he was doing a sit-up and slashed the tail part holding his leg, the small mass of the extra limb got sliced from his attack. He then flipped in the air to do a combat roll and headed to the priests.

'I no longer have any option. I will just use overdrive if I don't level up. I wanted to save the white liquid from Ojisan but if I die here it would be meaningless.'

Upon seeing how powerful the healing effects of the white liquid were, Hiro pestered the old man non-stop for two weeks till the Krayto relented and granted him a single vial.

He meant to use it as a lifeline for the Manticore but if he died before he even met the damn thing Hiro would not only be stupid but dead. Knowing that moving atop the head of the monsters will only get him speared or spit at, he chose the opposite instead.

Hiro dived beneath the legs of the dragsaurians not minding how pathetic he looked. Classiness and nobility while fighting sounded stupid to him. Perhaps due to the mindset of the weak, the man valued results not execution.