Episode 241 No.88 The Gathering of Villains (5)
[Ghostless]
▷Move quickly a certain distance.
▷Evasion rate and stealth while moving are greatly increased.
Ghost Shadow is a composite skill that combines movement, evasion, and stealth.
Usually, when you look at the effects of compound skills individually, they are often mediocre, but this one, like Spiral Explosion, has all three at a high level.
It is extremely powerful no matter which class uses it, but it is best used with thieves or assassins because it is good for surprising the opponent.
The downside is that it cannot be ranked, so it cannot be grown, and there is a 5-minute cooldown.
You can only use it twice per battle, so be careful.
I will test the actual performance when I get the chance.
‘It’s the next person’s turn now.’
The standard way is to return to the open space where the party members are fighting and send the second hitter into the side road.
In this way, when the 2nd batter takes the test of illusion and acquires the Ghost Shadow, the 3rd batter is sent in.
However, I don’t really like this method.
‘It’s inefficient.’
I took the test so hard that I could almost tap dance with my eyes closed, so I passed it on the first try, but I don’t know how long it might take for others.
Since the talent is not bad, you should be able to get the hang of it in 2 or 3 tries at most, but if all four people do that.
‘It takes too long.’
During that time, you will have to endure the onslaught of the black masked men, so your stamina will be greatly depleted.
It would be more efficient to spend that time and energy on recovering other hidden pieces and learn Ghost Shadow later.
Then the question remains, how can the test of illusion be postponed until later?
There was a very simple answer.
‘You can just take it with you.’
It sounds crazy, but I can do it.
To be precise, I have a fraudulent item that makes it possible.
The Dharma statue that was temporarily stored in the inventory.
Let’s take it out and bring it to the goblin statue.
– Slurp… … .
The body, which was larger than a person, quickly shrank like a deflated balloon and became the size of a palm.
‘It’s originally this size.’
It appeared to be enlarged because of the welcome circle, but part of the Dharma statue was damaged, revealing its original appearance.
After putting the mini goblin statue in my inventory, I repeated the process of shrinking and collecting the other statues in a similar manner.
Soon, only the marble floor remained in the room.
The stone statues are not simply sculptures, but are the main pieces that make up the formation.
When properly installed, you can recreate the welcome circle of the Hwanma and take the test.
This means that you can take the test and acquire Ghost Shadow even outside of the bamboo forest and outside of the dungeon.
‘There is a limit to the number of times.’
Because durability definitely exists.
But where can I take it out?
I walked back down the side road with that thought in my mind.
When we arrived at the empty lot, a battle was in full swing.
The black masked men attack together like well-trained elite warriors, and each member of the group responds in their own way.
Dang Gyu-yeong took charge of most of the fighting, positioning himself to protect Chae Da-bin.
Shadow arms rise from the ground and strike down enemies with a variety of shadow weapons.
Cha Da-bin was closer to supporting allies rather than directly damaging enemies, with small drones flying around and applying defensive barriers and buffs.
‘I expected it, but it’s a supporter type.’
Go Hyun-woo’s skills are improving by the day, and he has recently been practicing the method of killing three birds with one stone.
He walks among the men in black with a natural gait like flowing water and swings his sword.
Jang Moo-geuk focused on evasion and defense, but at crucial moments, he would stab the neck or chest of the men in black with a fatal sword.
In the meantime, Dang Gyu-yeong found me walking out of the alley and asked me.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, I brought it.”
I took out a goblin statue and showed it to him, then continued speaking.
“Let’s go out now.”
“okay.”
As Dang Gyu-yeong gently waved his hand, the shadow arms all fell down in unison, crashing down like waves and pushing away the enemies.
– Kwaaaaah-!
The siege was instantly breached.
During that gap, we quickly left the empty lot.
Cha Da-bin stopped running, looked back, and said in a curious tone.
“… … It’s all gone.”
The vacant lot was now completely empty.
As if the fierce battle just a moment ago was a lie.
That’s because it’s all an illusion created by the welcoming party.
It’s out of range now and doesn’t affect us.
Of course, the formation was also set up on the way out, so I reached out to Dang Gyu-yeong.
“Catch it, we’ll run a round-trip train.”
“Let’s go~”
Dang Gyu-yeong grabbed my hand and smiled.
We walked in a single file, hand in hand, just as we had when we came in.
As we walked with the Dharma statue and the old man’s senses at the forefront, the thick fog gradually cleared and the bamboo that had densely filled all directions also decreased.
We’re out of the bamboo forest.
As soon as safety was secured, everyone gathered around me.
Dang Gyu-yeong, Jang Mu-geuk, and Go Hyeon-woo each say a few words.
“Show me that from earlier.”
“Are you really going to learn from that?”
“I’m curious too.”
Cha Da-bin didn’t say anything, but she kept loitering around.
I took out one goblin and one evil spirit statue from my inventory.
“Just look at it with your eyes. If it gets scratched, the number of attempts will decrease.”
“… … !”
“… … !”
At those words, everyone tried to touch the stone statue, but quickly pulled their hands away as if they had been burned by fire.
I continued to explain.
“The Ghostly Challenge will be held separately after the strategy is over. Everyone will have ample opportunity to participate.”
“okay.”
“Don’t expect it.”
Since it was something that had been agreed upon from the beginning, everyone readily agreed.
Now is the time to turn our attention to recovering the remaining hidden pieces, so we start moving again.
Although the demons in [Gathering of Villains] tend to act as they please, their areas of activity and routes are somewhat set.
If you don’t want to run into them, it’s best to avoid that area.
So even though my next destination was inside the city, I decided to just walk around the outskirts.
But at that time,
– Whaaaaa!
A loud crash, as if tearing through the air, was heard from somewhere.
When I turned my gaze to find the source of the sound, I saw two unmanned vehicles nimbly moving across the pavilions.
Go Hyun-woo and Jang Moo-geuk each said a few words.
“What an amazing miracle.”
“Are they the same guys? They don’t look easy to deal with.”
I, on the other hand, was thinking a little differently.
‘Why are they here?’
The area of activity of these two is quite far from here.
That means that some variable has occurred, and that variable is most likely the Pengmiryeong Expedition.
Also, the fact that they are alive,
‘I think it’s twisted.’
It also meant that something had gone wrong on Pengmiryeong’s side.
Dang Gyu-yeong asked me if I had similar thoughts.
“What should I do?”
“There’s no need to pick a fight. Let’s just leave it alone for now.”
The power we have is close to the minimum required to operate in a B-rank dungeon, so it’s better to avoid combat and conserve power if possible.
So, if they chose the peaceful path, we were going to just let them go.
‘He’s coming.’
Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
It was going well, then it turned this way and quickly approached.
Judging by the hostility that is emanating from them, their intentions are also obvious.
I gave instructions to my group.
“We have to fight. Let’s get ready.”
“… … !”
Everyone stood on high alert and prepared for battle.
Cha Da-bin opens a suitcase like a travel carrier and launches drones, while Jang Moo-geuk and Ko Hyun-woo each draw their swords.
I also took out the seedling and put it on the ground.
Immediately after, two middle-aged men who looked like twins came down to the room.
One was wearing a dark yellow uniform, the other a green uniform, and neither was wearing any special equipment, suggesting that they were adherents of the recommended method.
In fact, they are not only masters of the long sword but also masters of the poison technique.
The yellow clothes are mainly paralyzing poisons, so they are called Bima (痺魔), and the green clothes are acid poisons, so they are called Sanma (酸魔).
‘Together they are the devil’s two evils.’
And just as I had guessed from afar, he had been in a fierce battle with the Pengmiryeong party, as his whole body was covered in wounds big and small.
Judging by the blood stains on the corners of his mouth and nose, he appears to have suffered internal injuries.
Among them, Bima looked around at us and spat out.
“They really are a group of brave men. I wondered why they stopped chasing me, but they were waiting for me in a place like this.”
Hearing that, I got a rough idea of the situation.
At the end of the battle, the Pengmiryeong side gained the upper hand, but it seems that they withdrew during the pursuit for some reason.
First of all, I guess he’s trying to gather all his strength.
From Bisanssangma’s point of view, we thought we had escaped successfully, but when we caught sight of them, they decided to shake off our pursuit and approached us.
I asked because I thought there might still be room for negotiation.
“Should I just send it?”
“Hehehe, do you think we’d fall for such a shallow trick? You’re probably just going to pretend to let us go and then hit us in the back of the head.”
I was really going to send it to you.
It seems like we have no choice but to fight.
In that case, we need to block the escape route so that we don’t come up empty-handed.
So I changed my method a little and gently scratched the twin horses’ hearts.
“No, you were just jumping around like crazy just a moment ago, so why are you trying to fight all of a sudden? If you lose, you’ll get in trouble again.”
“… … Don’t worry. I’ll finish you guys off.”
A murderous smile appeared on Bisanssangma’s lips as if the provocative comment was successful.
As they simultaneously gained momentum, the plants in the area began to turn black and wither.
“You said something funny, so I’ll leave it until last. I’ll play with it for a bit and then kill you.”
I hid behind Dang Gyu-yeong.
“Did you hear? They say you play with it and then kill it.”
“That won’t do. You have to play with me.”
Dang Gyu-yeong lightly stroked my head once.
Then, his expression hardens into a serious one and he slowly walks to the side.
They sense that a battle will soon break out and are trying to secure the optimal position.
‘It’s just the beginning… … .’
Although it is unknown how the Pengmiryeong Expedition Force ended up facing the Bisan Twin Horses, the strategy manual states that they should avoid fighting if possible.
While most mines move around in individual units, these ones move around in pairs, which is a big burden.
Even though he is a master of solo practice, it is even more difficult.
Of course, that’s a universal, strategy-based standard.
‘It’s pretty good by my standards.’
First of all, those guys are not in perfect condition because they have just come from a fierce battle.
If there is a stamina gauge, it would be around 70%.
Crucially, there
‘You’re a master of solitude.’
Then it’s even more worth doing.
I first linked [Octopus Legs] and [Buyeo].
[Grants ‘Poison Resistance (S)’ to the target.]
[Grants ‘Poison Resistance (S)’ to the target.]
[To the target… … .]
[Rank of granted ‘Poison Resistance’: B]
[Duration 00:14:58]
[Reuse Wait Time 09:19:58]
Granted [Poison Resistance] to four people.
However, that alone will lower your rank somewhat,
‘You have to amplify it too.’
[Use ‘octopus legs’.]
[Use ‘amplify’.]
[‘Poison Resistance’ level increases. (B→S)]
[‘Poison Resistance’ of… … .]
It amplifies the poison resistance granted to four people and also amplifies my skills.
[‘Wind Barrier’ grade increases. (C+→A+)]
[The grade of ‘Overheat’ increases. (C→A)]
[‘Windforce’ rank increases. (C+→A+)]
[‘Spiral Explosion’ grade increases. (C+→A+)]
[‘Chillwind’ rank increases. (E+→C+)]
[Duration 00:04:58]
[Reuse Wait Time 40:29:58]
When cast consecutively with the octopus leg, the cooldown is increased by 16 times, and the amplification is a huge penalty of 81 times.
Both of them are sealed for a few days.
Still, it was worth it.
“… … .”
“… … .”
The corners of everyone’s lips slightly went up.
If just a moment ago there was tension in the gaze of the Bisan Twin Horses, now there was a look of concern about how to cook these guys.
I also smiled and said.
“Let’s finish it in 5 minutes.”
The supporters eat it all
