Chapter 173: The Hero Emerges (5)

Kai had found it a bit strange when he had been fighting the members of the Titan guild in the Melbarun Ruins.

Those guys knew the name of the skill Ethereal Body, and they even knew its weakness perfectly at the time.

From what he knew, the skill Ethereal Body had never appeared before. He had searched through the community and all kinds of search engines multiple lines so he was sure of that.

At the time, I just thought the Titan guild had incredibly high intelligence capabilities...

But now, all the questions were answered. The curiosity of how the Titan guild knew about the existence of Ethereal Body was dissolved.

“

Dang it

...!”

Kai’s Flood of Blades helplessly passed through Goliath, who was now translucent.

In that moment, Kai finally understood the frustration his past enemies must have felt. However, he quickly came back to his senses and prepared his next move.

Physical attacks are immune with Ethereal Body.

Therefore, Kai cast Chasing Light Arrows. In the blink of an eye, dozens of arrows formed in the air.

“You didn’t know about this, did you?”

As Kai smirked and snapped his fingers, the light arrows were sent rushing toward Goliath.

Ethereal Body perfectly blocked physical attacks, but it took double damage from magic—a double-edged sword!

Kai had no doubt that his magic would turn Goliath into a hedgehog, but he became uneasy when he saw Goliath's expression.

... He’s smiling? Even in this situation?

His unease became a reality.

“Switching. Blessing of Mirror Lake.”

Goliath, who had been translucent while using Ethereal Body, returned to his original form. Then, his body began to shine like a mirror reflecting something bright. Dozens of arrows made of light bombarded his body and the harsh sound echoed like thick raindrops striking the ground. However...

“No damage...?”

For the first time since the battle began, Kai’s eyes flickered with nervousness. Even when Goliath used the Ethereal Body skill, Kai was surprised but not panicked as Ethereal Body had a clear weakness as a skill and Kai had skills that could exploit that weakness.

“How foolish. I obtained the Ethereal Body skill long before you. Of course, I’ve had a solution to its drawbacks prepared for a long time.”

“Switching... What about that skill?”

“Well, you’ll figure it out as you fight... but it allows me to register two skills and switch between them whenever I want.”

“... No way.”

Goliath smiled arrogantly when he saw Kai's shocked expression.

“Do you think I held back out of fear until now? Not at all. I’ve just been hiding my abilities because I didn’t want my information exposed. If you were leading a guild, I wouldn’t have gone this far... But an individual shaking the position of a top ten world guild? That’s dangerous. Extremely dangerous.”

Thus, Goliath revealed the abilities he had been hiding to solidify his position without hesitation, even in front of a rival like Black Dragon.

Kun Feng, who had been watching the fight, was left speechless.

Seeing how Ethereal Body skill is used by both Kai and Goliath... it seems like it is a skill that ignores physical damage

That alone would make it a highly troubling skill. Close combat players would be left helpless like dogs chasing after a chicken[1].

But this game has Wizards.

With the help of Wizards, even a Ethereal Body skill could be countered without much difficulty. However...

Switching? I’ve never even heard of a skill like that.

Thanks to that skill, Goliath could now switch at will between nullifying physical damage and magic damage. If one could strike the enemy without being hit, that entity would indeed be considered invincible.

“Consider it an honor. You are the first player to face this combination of skills.”

Kai ignored Goliath’s confident voice and first widened the distance between them. Then, he started to think.

What should I do?

The original duration of the Ethereal Body skill was ten minutes. That meant, no matter how bad the situation got, he could just run away for ten minutes. However, the existence of the Switching skill made the situation more complicated.

How exactly does Switching work?

Kai wondered whether Goliath could switch freely only during the original ten-minute duration of Ethereal Body, or if he could do it whenever he wanted.

The confusion in Kai’s thoughts showed clearly on his face.

“

Hehe,

looks like you're shocked.”

Crunch, crunch.

Having finished preparing for hunting, Goliath casually threw out a comment. “Curious, aren’t you? How many times I can use Switching? How long it would last?”

“Then...?”

“Of course...” Goliath chuckled, “I’m not going to tell you.”

Barely suppressing the surge of irritation rising within him, Kai observed his surroundings.

The situation is really disadvantageous.

In a normal situation, he would have used the terrain to escape, but...

Damn. I was too complacent.

Kai had charged at Goliath, thinking he was defenseless, while ignoring the remaining Titan guild members behind him. Now, seventy of them were blocking his way out.

I managed to take out the Clerics... but there are still too many.

His only hope was that the thirty remaining dullahans would hold them off.

Gripping his longsword tightly, Kai replied, “Alright. I admit it. I was surprised. I thought you were just a dumb bear... but turns out you’ve got some tricks hidden inside.”

“

Hmph.

This isn’t a game where you can rise to the top with a dumb head.”

“But I think you forgot something.”

Kai's longsword in his right hand began to spin fiercely. At the same time, his left hand started casting a magic spell.

“I’m a double-casting player.”

“

Bahahahaha!”

Goliath burst into laughter, and nodded slowly as if he were watching his grandchild’s cute tricks. “I know, but... It doesn’t matter anymore because...”

Whoosh!

In an instant, Goliath’s massive two-meter frame vanished from Kai’s sight.

Below! He's fast!

In reality, there was no way someone with Goliath’s size could move at such speed. But this was a game. Stats and items could make even the largest of figures move like lightning.

“With the number one martial artist in front of you, you won’t have time for double-casting,” Goliath said, throwing a jab with a fist the size of a pot lid.

Guard with the sword!

Kai stepped back, angling his sword to absorb the force of the punch. It was an excellent method for a warrior without a shield to reduce incoming damage.

However, each time Goliath's jab struck the blade, Kai's HP drained rapidly.

“What? How is your attack power so...?”

“Ethereal Body and the Blessing of Mirror Lake. With these two skills combined, I am as good as invincible. That means I don’t have to invest in defense like others do.”

In other words, Goliath had poured everything into his attack power.

To Kai, it seemed like a stupid choice, but the results were undeniable.

“

Kugh!

”

Usually, martial artists' skills were fast in attack speed but lacked damage. However, there was a way to overcome that shortcoming—linking skills.

Once I get hit... I won’t be able to escape!

Just like it would be a never ending stream of ants if he stepped on an ant hill, once Kai started guarding against Goliath's punches, he couldn't find the right moment to escape.

To make matters worse, his Ethereal Body skill was still on cooldown after being used earlier.

I’ll really die at this rate.

Kai continued to get pummeled, but he thrust his sword with his right hand and simultaneously cast a completed spell.

“Flood of Blades, Holy Explosion!”

Boom!

A beam of light formed from holy power shot out from Kai’s left hand while his sword slashed from the right.

The decision Goliath made when facing these two attacks was simple.

“There’s no need to get hit by either of them.”

Once again, Goliath swiftly moved his large body, and retreated far back and effortlessly dodged all of Kai's attacks.

“

Damn it

...”

He may look like a bear, but in battle, he moved as cunningly as a snake.

“Give up. You can’t win against me.”

Using the Dash skill of a martial artist, Goliath approached in an instant, aiming a high kick with his big foot directly at Kai's head.

If I duck here and counter...!

As Kai lowered his stance and was about to charge forward, Goliath's leg, which was suspended high in the air, curved in a smooth arc and struck directly at Kai's neck.

“

Kugh!

”

Caught off guard by the unexpected Brazilian kick, Kai lost his balance and stumbled backward.

Goliath’s eyes shined as he seized the opportunity and charged at Kai relentlessly.

“

Argh

... Flood of Blades!”

“Switching, Ethereal Body!”

Becoming translucent again, Goliath's physical form became immune to Kai's sword strike. He grabbed Kai's face with his thick, massive hand and slammed him hard into the ground. Without giving him a moment to catch his breath, Goliath's fist relentlessly followed.

“

Ugh

... Holy Chains!”

Shh-clink!

Kai swiftly wrapped his arm in the Holy Chain and used them to block Goliath’s attacks. Then, he immediately launched another barrage of Light Arrows at him.

“Switching, Blessing of Mirror Lake.”

Ting, ting, ting, ting.

Goliath hastily retreated while activating his skill, and once again, Kai’s attack did no damage. However, he managed to escape the danger this time.

He’s far stronger than I expected.

Not only did Goliath keep up with Kai’s movements enhanced by his Benevolence stats, but his reflexes were also outstanding.

I thought alternating between magical and physical attacks would throw him off...

Yet it was the opposite. Goliath’s fluid combo attacks left Kai struggling to stay focused. Moreover, every time Kai tried to attack, Goliath neutralized it with his Switching skill, making him an extremely difficult opponent to deal with.

If only I had a hybrid skill at times like this...

A hybrid skill was one that dealt both magical and physical damage! While hybrid damage was usually weak unless wielded by a magic swordsman who increased both Intelligence and Strength, it seemed like the only thing that could counter Goliath in his current state.

Kai tried using Double Casting to exploit Goliath’s weaknesses, but even that wasn’t easy.

“Alright, it’s about time to end this.”

Seeing that Kai’s HP had dropped to only half now, Goliath slowly approached him.

There’s no way to beat him unless I can land both types of damage at the same time. Both at once... Wait, at the same time?

Boom!

As if lightning struck, a deafening roar echoed through Kai's mind. He opened his newly learned skill list as if possessed.

There... is one!

Kai's eyes gleamed as he found the information he had been searching for.

[

Solarian Self

]

Grade: Unique

Consumes 5 permanent Benevolence stats to create a doppelganger of the caster.

The doppelganger exhibits 70% of the caster’s abilities and explodes upon death, dealing damage to enemies.

Cooldown: 24 hours

Solarian Self.

Because it required sacrificing 5 Benevolence stats permanently, Kai had tested every other skill but had never used this or the Descent skill.

I have no idea how this doppelganger will fight, but...

Kai was confident.

I just need to sync my attacks to it.

If the doppelganger performed physical attacks, Kai would cast spells. If the doppelganger cast spells, Kai would launch physical attacks. He could even adjust the timing by watching the doppelganger’s movements.

With this plan clear in his mind, Kai didn’t hesitate and declared, “Solarian Self.”

As soon as he cast the skill, a powerful ray of sunlight swept over Kai from head to toe.

[You have used the Solarian Self skill.]

[5 Benevolence stats have been permanently consumed.]

[The Solarian Doppelganger’s level and stats are set at 70% of the caster's.]

[Level 216, Kai (Doppelganger) has been summoned.]

The entity standing before Kai wore the same equipment as him and had a white body. Apart from the absence of eyes, nose, or mouth, its height and limb proportions were identical to his own.

It would have felt weird if the face was identical too.

It might have even given him chills.

“

Hm?

” Goliath furrowed his brows and he couldn’t grasp the situation.

Then, a flat, emotionless voice emerged from somewhere on the doppelganger's featureless face, “Opponent confirmed. Commencing engagement.”

1. This refers to a Korean saying about the futility of a dog chasing a chicken since the chicken will fly up to the roof—It is used when someone can't pursue their goal because of an unbreakable obstacle/to do something in vain ☜