Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 17

Einzhar, the Holy knight (3)

TL: handCream

PR: Kasaix

Tae-san’s face went cold. Einzhar smiled.

“You must think it’s meaningless.”

“Even if skills are combined, nothing will change.”

He must have mistaken it for being able to improve his proficiency at once. Receiving other skills would have been better, as it wouldn’t have been a basic skill. 

Because using multiple weapons was meaningless due to the system of labyrinth.

Einzhar opened his mouth to see as if he was aware of Tae-san’s thoughts.

“What’s your attack power stat?”

“Just 1.”

“…..That’s a cute number. I think after learning this skill, it’ll increase to about 4.”

“So, I am going to increase my basic attack power.”

“Good.”

Einzhar stood in front of Tae-san.

“Let’s use the Shield’s Art. Would you attack me using that?”

“But, you won’t take any damage…”

“Don’t worry about that for now.”

Einzhar laughed and used the skill.

[Einzhar has activated Target Fixation. Einzhar will receive all attacks as fixed damage]

“Okay, let’s do it.”

‘If you want it that much.’

Tae-san knocked Einzhar on the head with the tip of his shield.

Kaang.

[4 damage was dealt to Einzhar]

“…Did you really just hit my head?”

“It was a mistake.”

“Well, if you say so…”

Einzhar frowned.

“I’ll try to use my fist this time.”

He stuck his chest out aiming somewhere else, not his head. This time, he hit Einzhar’s chest gently because he would be upset if Tae-san hit him on the head once again.

[2 damage was dealt to Einzhar]

“Did you notice what I was trying to say?” 

“Are you by chance talking about the change in damage caused by striking weapons?”

“That’s right. You understand quickly. Because of this, adventurers use only one weapon.”

It was a simple problem.

Each weapon has an attack power of + numerical values. Now they might be weak, starting from 1, but later the stats become hundreds or even thousands.

And the additional attack power could not be applied unless the player attacked with the corresponding weapon.

“For example, imagine, you’re wearing a 50-point attack power gauntlet and a 20-point attack power sword at the same time. If you use the sword, only 20-point attack power would be applied for the offence. On the contrary, if you attack with a gauntlet, only 50-point attack power will be applied. You can never use the 70 point attack power.”

“Isn’t that natural?”

If the attack power could be combined by using two weapons, all players would have carried multiple weapons already. One dagger per finger.

However, since that wasn’t the case, he used only one weapon and improved the skill of that particular weapon.

Einzhar grinned.

“But isn’t that inconvenient? Using only one weapon during battle. What absurdity is that! I don’t know about anyone else, but you know what I mean!”

“Of course…”

Combat was an act of risking one’s life, and naturally, all parts of the body were used. Instead of just attack with the sword, one could kick with their feet, punch with their arms, and even push with their shoulders.

And most of the time, using the body to its full potential only gave poor basic damage. It was terrible. However, Tae-san thought it was just the way system of the labyrinth was built, so he didn’t give much thought and left it alone.  

“My people who served Revinenoff hated that. My body was my weapon, and my weapon was also was my body. There wasn’t any difference between the two. So after a long study, I developed Ahirak Weapons technology. I did my best!”

Einzhar chuckled and said.

“The effect of this skill in the labyrinth is simple. Integration of the basic skills. That is the damage of all the weapons will be combined. Least equipment needed for that is two.”

Tae-san twitched his eyebrows.

“The sum of all attack power?”

“Looks like you have understood. In other words, if you have a sword with 20 attack power and a gauntlet with 50 attack power, it will total up to 70.”

“What’s the range of this skill?”

“Of course, it’s all parts of the body! Even if you hit with your arm or hit with your shoulder, even if you kick with your foot, total of 70 attack power will always be applied!”

Tae-san’s eyebrows twitched.

“…”

Tae-san groaned. So, to sum it up, his whole body would actually become a weapon.

Players usually used only a single weapon because only one particular weapon’s attack power could be applied.

But this skill could change it. The player could wear armor and hold a weapon at the same time. Various armors with multiple attack powers, rings and other artifact that could boost the lost offensive power. Everything could be used at the same time. 

For Tae-san, right now, it was not of a great value. But the skill’s value would rise exponentially once he obtained some equipment during his journey to clear the labyrinth. 

“…That’s a good skill”

It was hard to express how he felt. Tae-san didn’t get nor know about this skill in the past. And he concluded that Ahirak Weapons Technique wasn’t worth it to be his main skill.   

“It may be less surprising for you since you already have Endurance. But it’s a skill that ordinary adventurers can’t get even if they spend the rest of their lives trying to obtain it. So do you have any intention of learning it?”

“Of course, I’ll learn.”

Einzhar smiled satisfactorily. He was happy with Tae-san’s prompt response.

“Okay. Then, I’ll just send you the Ahirak Weapons Technique and all you need to do is accept it. Just expand your strength on your whole body.”

“You can just give it to me like that?!”

“Unlike the others, this is a skill that I’ve made and learned. So, it’s not a problem to just transmit it to you. This is the only possible way.”

Einzhar puts his hand on Tae-san’s shoulder.

“Aargh!”

Tae-san almost yelled but suddenly something like qi flowed into him. A skill, controlled yet sleek technique, and all the other related information. It was the first time he felt such an unknown sensation all over his body.

[You have been handed over the Ahirak Weapons Technique by its creator Einzhar. You have successfully obtained the [Ahirak Weapons Technique]]

[Basic skill [Shield Art] has been integrated into [Ahirak Weapons Technique]]

[Basic skill [Swordsmanship] has been integrated into [Ahirak Weapons Technique]]

“How was it?”

“…It’s apparently very simple.”

“It’s because I’m 100% proficient in Ahirak Weapons Technique. Otherwise, it would have taken a while.”

Einzhar grinned when he said that

 Tae-san gained new information.

‘In the case of a physical skill created by oneself, it can be easily transmitted.’

It was new information that he didn’t even know in his previous life. Users only learned basic skills diligently, but didn’t make any use of them. So, the existence of advanced skills was unknown.

“Go on, check it out.”

Tae-san opened the skill window.

[Unique Skill: Ahirak Weapons Technique]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[It’s an art of handling both weapon and body. It is still immature. Delivery of the attack power would be less.]

“The more you improve your skill, the better you will be at handling it. So you’d better train it every day. And also, take this.”

Einzhar handed Tae-san a rusty ring.

[The Faded Ring]

[Attack power +1]

[A precious item with offensive power. It’s a ring that someone has used for a long time. It must have been of considerable value to the owner.]

“I am only giving this to you, so that you don’t lose sight of what is important while chasing power. I’m sorry, that’s all I have on me.”

“No, that’s enough.”

If it were before, Tae-san would have thrown it away thinking it was useless. But now he knew better, the ring had the equivalent value to that of a rusty sword as long as he learned how to use Ahirak Weapons Technique. 

Tae-san took the ring from Einzhar and wore it on his finger.

“Hmm. I’ve delivered everything I wanted to convey.… It’s a shame that we can’t talk any further. We will have to end this faithful meeting here.”

Einzhar, who was struggling, finally made up his mind.

“Why don’t we have a fight?”

Einzhar took out his sword.

“A skill you’ve just obtained for the first time. Don’t you think you should test it out first, before an actual fight?” 

“Sure.”

There was no reason to refuse so Tae-san lifted his shield.

* * *

In the labyrinth, every action was evaluated.

For example, if a player examined a useless room and found something valuable. Their proficiency in Detection would increase. And if a player continued to block an opponent’s attack, their proficiency in Shield Art would increase.

Therefore, fighting a strong opponent was filled with opportunities.

Einzhar and Tae-san went on fighting for two days straight. From that, he gained a lot.

Firstly, a skill.

[Passive skill: Continuous Combat]

[Proficiency: 3%]

[The user can continue to battle for a long time. Fatigue does not build up easily]

It was a passive skill that enabled long-term combat, and the endurance boost the skill gave varied significantly depending on the player’s duration of battle. So the longer a battle was the better the effect of the skill. 

Back then, it was all thanks to this skill that he was able to fight for days against an S-class monster.

But here, it was a skill that Tae-san had thought of giving up on. This skill could only be obtained when players fight against each other which was impossible in Solo Mode.

According to Lee Tae-yeon, there were a lot of adventurers, but none were ready for a casual relationship.

But it’s all thanks to Einzhar that he obtained this skill here.

In addition, the proficiency of most of the skills have increased.

“Would this be enough?”

“Yes it’s enough.”

His achievements were exponentially increased in these two days. Tae-san sincerely thanked Einzhar. 

Einzhar waved his hand.

“I did it because I wanted to. And it was a fun experience for me, too. So don’t worry.”

Einzhar looked at Tae-san in admiration.

“I can’t believe you are an adventurer from the first floor. You are the first one who has such great eyes for skills and achievements….As expected, you have great sense.”

Einzhar smiled proudly and said.

“Now Tae-san, promise me two things.”

“Oh, tell me.”

“Now that you’ve learned the Ahirak Weapons Technique, you can teach it to anyone. But if they are a worthless bugger, promise me to never teach them. And if you do, I’ll hunt you down and kill you myself.”  

It didn’t seem like the saint was joking. Tae-san seriously nodded.

“Okay.”

“And the other one is, if you find information about Revineoff Prane, make sure to let me know.”

[It’s less likely to meet Einzhar again. Especially after the first floor.]

That was what Lee Tae-yeon said. She never encountered Einzhar again, after the first floor. 

Einzhar smiled bitterly.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have high expectations. I’m just hanging on to miracles.”