[Class Shifter (Stage II) has been used]
[Class: Swordsman (Tier-6); STR: 56 (+20)]
I pulled out another low-graded sword as the gigantic Shadow Reaper howled before me, unleashing its chaotic aura that nearly pushed me back.
The survival quest soon turned into a PvP battle. I was surprised because it was slightly different from the last time.
During my first Skill-Up Quest, I had to survive against hobgoblins. They were strong compared to my rank last time. But I had cleared the quest without much difficulty.
Of course, it was tough, but not impossible. This time, too, it was tough. Yet I didn't falter. If I couldn't survive this one, how would I survive until I log out?
"Forth Strike!" I rushed at the gigantic Shadow Reaper.
My sword and his Scythe clashed, unleashing sparkles of fire due to the friction it produced.
With a blink of an eye, the second strike landed. He deflected it as well—and the same sound was heard.
He blocked the next one.
However, the fourth one landed a lethal blow on him, pushing him back a little.
My 'Forth Strike' was an attack consisting of four different strikes, with the fourth being lethal, while the initial three served as decoy projections.
The attack combo ended after the fourth hit, and a system notification popped up.
[Weapon Durability: 31%]
"I can land another blow before the durability decreases further," I mumbled, looking at the sword that already had scratches on its sharp end.
[00:41]
[Fatigue: 41%]
I ran towards him. I intended to strike first, and so did he. When I closed in, he swiftly swung his scythe.
I deflected the strike, using my sword that shattered right after it. His scythe passed, slightly touching my face. I knew it would happen. And I also knew that soon after he would attack me.
He did as I predicted him to be. However, there was a slight miscalculation on my part.
I anticipated that there would be a minimal time gap before he changed the trajectory of his scythe. I would've taken the opportunity to strike him.
He didn't change the trajectory—rather, he took a full rotation and gained enough momentum to strike me even harder.
As the scythe came at me with almost the speed of sound, I wasn't in a place where I could fall back.
Taking the damage head-on was not an option either.
It would strike me regardless of what I would attempt, and I had to face the consequences.
In any case, the damage was inevitable. I could only minimize the damages. As the thought registered to me…
[Class Shifter (Stage II) has been used]
[Class: Defender (Tier-8); DEF: 55 (+10)]
I hurriedly switched my class and tried protecting myself with three shields that I pulled from my inventory within a split second.
His strike landed, penetrating the three shields I held to protect myself. It then hit me as well and I took heavy damage.
[CRITICAL!!]
It was fatal.
It was lethal.
It was unavoidable.
I was unable to evade.
[Damage Sustained!]
[Health: 561/1860]
"It took that many??"
However, that wasn't it.
[Health: 378/1860]
[Health: 239/1860]
[Health: 180/1860]…
…[Health: 09/1860]
It continued decreasing—and probably would've decreased more if I wasn't quick to switch to supporter class and healed myself. However, my healing abilities had been decreased as I used them too much. I could only restore a small amount of health that wouldn't last if another similar attack were to occur.
[Health: 120/1860]
[00:16]
"Last sixteen seconds!" I whispered, switching my class to Assassin.
This time, he rushed at me and I evaded as much as possible. He was faster than he was ever. He was stronger than ever. He was dominating my movements with his sheer presence.
It was gradually becoming hard for me.
[00:09]
There was no opening. I couldn't find any. But I had to.
[00:08]
My skill gauge was at 99. I needed another strike. But I didn't get the chance.
[00:07]
I was falling back, my steps becoming heavy gradually.
[00:06]
Then I had an idea. If it wasn't now, then it was never. I took the risk.
[00:05]
I struck with a pair of daggers, passing through his attack pattern. It wasn't easy. His scythe struck too.
[00:04]
[Skill Gauge: 100%]
[Health: 01/1860]
[Fatigue: 68%]
The Last Stand last attack.
I was prepared and chuckled.
He growled as well.
The low-graded dagger pair shone brightly as I was about to unleash my ultimate moves.
[00:03]
I vanished without a trace.
He disappeared without a hint.
The next thing I knew, our weapons had clashed, unleashing tremendous energy as the whole place trembled unimaginably.
[00:02]
The clash ended as I passed him through and he passed me through at the same time.
I was on one HP. Even a scratch would have killed me. His immense attack wasn't something I could afford to take on—nor was it something I could've dodged.
It was the final moment when I murmured with a satisfactory grin…
"Mirage!"
[00:01]
Mirage was an Assassin class-exclusive ultimate move. When I was about to clash with him, I used this skill. It allowed me to create a duplicate image of myself. The image then clashed with him, which was as real as my original self.
Due to the distraction, I fell to a safe place where I wouldn't be affected.
It played well—just as I had planned it. The subtle time gaps were impressively good. If I was careless even a bit, I might have died.
[00:00]
[DING!!!]
[Congratulations! You have cleared the quest]
[Avatar Exclusive Skill: Class Shifter (Stage II), has been advanced to Class Shifter (Stage III)]
[Combining with SRR with the newly updated Cooldown, you can now use the exclusive skill after each twenty-five-minute duration. Additional buffs have been applied]
[Your status will be returned to normal momentarily]
"Phew! At last… I managed to survive the twenty-five-minute last stand. It felt oddly longer, though." I chuckled as I lay on the ground, "Man! I'm exhausted. Only a fresh bath can help me reduce the exhaustion from my body. I'm superb hungry too. I hope Shika has made something delicious…"
*****
As everything became normal and I appeared in the same spot where I was teleported from, I took a deep breath before opening the door of my home. It had already turned night, a gentle and peaceful night—filled with stars in the sky above.
I felt strangely happy for some reason. Although I wasn't sure whether it was because I had increased the stage of my skill or I had returned safely, I enjoyed the happy sensation a bit longer. Gazing at the sky filled with stars wasn't bad for me to ruminate here either.