Chapter 379: Chapter 379
Lowell screamed and started running. It was because of the branches I had thrown.
Branches emitting ominous black lightning just from being seen.
If they had only contained black lightning, Lowell might not have run like that.
Boom! Bang! KABOOOOM!!
Lowell leapt forward, escaping the blast radius.
Even though I threw branches instead of swords, [Gáe Bolg] boasted the same firepower as when throwing a sword.
Branches, unlike spears or swords, are unbalanced in shape and too light, making them ill-suited as throwing weapons.
‘That has nothing to do with me.’
Because the current [Gáe Bolg] is rated Grade A.
[Divine Imitation] adjusts copied skills to Grade A.
With that high grade comes enhanced power and accuracy.
In other words, even branches worked as effectively as swords.
‘Well, the fact that the Trash Knights’ swords were worn out also played a role.’
If it had been a high-grade weapon, the power would’ve been on another level.
Still, the fact that even branches had this kind of destructive force—
Truly fitting for [Gáe Bolg], known as a developer’s mistake.
Lowell rolled away, dodging the last branch.
Heavy breathing, tightly clenched teeth. Leaves and dust clinging to her body and hair.
She was a complete mess.
“Keke, I give you a score of three points for that landing. Try dodging a little better.”
“You, you bastard! I’ll definitely kill you!”
“If you can, that is.”
I lightly kicked a branch rolling on the ground with the top of my foot and grabbed it.
There were hundreds of branches scattered around.
And more kept appearing.
Which meant I could enjoy [Gáe Bolg] infinitely.
“Well then, shall we continue?”
Gáe Bolg! Gáe Bolg! Gáe Bolg! Gáe Bolg!
I was furiously throwing branches like a madman when suddenly—
Lucid Family Style’s first secret technique.
The ground cracked into dozens of segments, then transformed into hundreds of stones that floated into the sky.
The [Gáe Bolg]s collided with the stones mid-air, scattering dust everywhere.
The thick dust completely obscured my view.
I threw [Gáe Bolg] toward the expected position to block Lowell’s approach—and in that moment, Lowell shot through the dust.
Unfortunately, [Gáe Bolg] sliced through the air.
Lowell appeared at about a 60-degree angle from my position.
I had thrown the branches straight ahead, and at 30 and 45 degrees, so I couldn’t block Lowell’s approach.
I reached into my Pocket Dimension and pulled out an item, then immediately shoved it into my mouth. Orıginal content can be found at novel·fire.net
At the same time, Lowell thrust her sword toward me.
Lucid Family Style’s second secret technique.
[Absolute Defense] once again blocked Lowell’s sword.
A strange light appeared in Lowell’s eyes. Likely because she noticed the item in my hand.
[Intermediate Mana Potion (Consumable): B]
A standard mana potion sold at the Magic Tower.
Restores 1,000 mana upon consumption.
[Absolute Defense] consumes 1,000 mana each time it’s used.
With my total mana barely exceeding 1,300, I could only use the skill once.
‘Unless I drink a potion like now.’
[Absolute Defense] is a game-ending, broken skill that can be used until the end of the game.
The first thing I did after acquiring it was stock up on mana potions.
Because if you have enough mana, no attack can break through.
“So that’s what it was?”
Lowell, who had backed away, gave a wide grin.
“You’ve been throwing out huge skills—no way your mana hasn’t run out. Or rather, isn’t your mana pool just tiny? You’ve been slacking on mana cultivation, haven’t you?”
No. I don’t even have a mana technique to slack on.
But sensing an opportunity, Lowell didn’t hesitate and thrust her sword into the ground.
A new cloud of dust rose.
Even though I could throw [Gáe Bolg] infinitely, I could only throw a few per turn.
If I didn’t know where Lowell was, I couldn’t help but leave myself open to attack.
I threw three [Gáe Bolg]s, then immediately pulled out a mana potion.
And just as I was about to gulp it down—
The potion bottle shattered in my hand.
Lowell, who had charged in, had thrown a small dagger.
But she didn’t stop there. She swung her sword at me.
I couldn’t use [Absolute Defense]. A crisis.
I recited a chant on the spot.
An opaque semicircle formed around me.
It was the [Shield] embedded in the [Ring of the Nameless Devotee] that Caron had given me as a reward.
A shield strong enough to block a 6th-circle attack easily deflected Lowell’s strike.
I quickly hurled a branch toward Lowell.
But she had already retreated far away. As if she had predicted I would counterattack.
My left hand, wet with spilled mana potion, shook the liquid off as I spoke.
“For someone from the Lucid family to use a dagger. Isn’t that cheating?”
“I’m not one of those who cling to outdated traditions.”
Someone who accepts change. A person with good qualities.
Too bad I have to fight her.
“Why don’t you just surrender? If you give up now, I’ll let you keep your arms and legs.”
“Keke, that sounds like something I should be saying to you.”
“Seeing you bluffing like that just confirms it. The reason you live in the underworld despite that strength… You don’t have enough mana, so you lack staying power, right?”
I already told you—I never had the time or skills to raise my mana in the first place.
Well, whatever. Rather than waste time bickering—
“Come at me. If you think you can.”
“You sure about that?”
“Are you? I know everything about you… completely.”
Strategy, tactics, skills, and even that “past” you’d rather not talk about.
That’s why I can fight this evenly despite my lacking specs.
“That silver tongue of yours means you’re scared, huh? Then let’s wrap this up.”
The ground flipped once more.
Black lightning pierced through the upheaved earth.
Lowell emerged from the dust.
The mana potion shattered by a dagger.
Only a short delay, but the exact same scene repeated.
“Your defeat comes from underestimating me!”
Lucid Family Style’s second secret technique.
Was it thanks to the Grade A [Dynamic Vision]? I could clearly see the sword approaching, and the look of certain victory on Lowell’s face.
I couldn’t use [Absolute Defense] due to lack of mana.
‘Because I knew this would happen.’
She could never have imagined it.
[Gáe Bolg], [Absolute Defense], mana potion, item shield, pretending to be mana-deficient.
Was a setup for this one move.
[You use ‘Lucky Hourglass.’]
[For one time only, sets probability to 100%.]
A golden hourglass appeared in front of me, and a single grain of sand fell downward.
An item that sets probability to 100%.
It may seem useless, but this item’s true value shines when used on something with a very low activation chance.
‘A skill with an absurdly low activation rate.’
Generally, the better a skill is, the lower its chance of activating.
And I just happened to have a skill with an abysmal activation rate.
Maybe she sensed something. Lowell’s face stiffened as she thrust her sword.
I told you, Lowell—when it comes to you—
‘I already see through everything.’
My body moved on its own, dodging Lowell’s thrust.
At the same time, my right hand moved like lightning. It stopped right at Lowell’s abdomen.
A gap created because she was holding a longsword taller than herself with both hands to thrust.
The moment Lowell’s eyes widened, black lightning burst from my right hand.
A skill taught to me by the Thunder Emperor Adonis.
A passive skill that activates with a certain “probability.” And—
The strongest counterattack in this world.
Adonis’s fifth original.
Adonis Style Counterattack.
Black lightning pierced through Lowell’s body.
She didn’t fly back. She just collapsed on the spot, clutching her stomach.
She couldn’t even make a proper sound, which meant the shock was that intense.
I looked down at my right hand. Black lightning still crackled around it.
‘Worked just as expected.’
[Adonis Style Counterattack] is a passive skill that activates in place of [Sword Defense].
The problem is its horrendously low activation rate.
In fact, it had only activated once—during the fight with Adonis alongside Alex.
‘But with this hourglass, I can force it to activate at 100%.’
[Lucky Hourglass], which sets probability to 100%.
It can only be used once every 24 hours, but for a counter this powerful, it was more than worth using in actual combat.
‘Well, if I didn’t have [Mental Defense], I couldn’t have even tried this.’
After all, counter techniques require you to take the enemy’s attack head-on.
Lowell groaned, collapsed on the ground.
Originally, my goal was to reduce her HP below 60%.
Because there was an event story triggered when Lowell’s HP dropped below 60%.
An event that reveals the secrets held by Lowell, Rodelin, and the Lucid family.
So if she wasn’t under 60%, I would’ve had to step on her a little more.
Let’s see… Lowell’s HP is—
Seeing the status window, I was stunned. Lowell only had 5% HP left.
I knew this skill would be strong, but I didn’t expect it to knock down a 6-star knight in one blow.
Something dropped from Lowell’s body as she groaned.
A plush doll. A ragged, patchwork-looking doll.
I bent down and picked it up.
[Handmade Plush Doll: C]
No one knows who made it, but it shows off terrible craftsmanship and equally terrible aesthetics.
However, no one can deny that it contains immense love for its intended recipient.
※‘Lowell de Lucid’s’ exclusive item. When fatal damage is received, it reduces the damage.
“You bastard… that… give it… back.”
Lowell spat blood. Even so, she didn’t lower the hand she reached out with.
I tossed it toward her, and Lowell threw herself forward to catch it.
She clutched the doll tightly to her chest and curled up.
It was the obvious reaction.
One of Lowell’s treasures.
About ten years ago, at the Lucid family estate.
“Here we go! Hold on tight, Delin!”
Lowell ran through the estate with Rodelin on her back.
It was behavior unbefitting of nobility, but the servants didn’t dare say anything.
Because they were still Lucid blood, no matter what.
And also, the sisters were just too adorable.
But there was one person who stopped Lowell.
“Lowell, stop right there for a moment.”
The wife of the Duke of Lucid, the lady of the house. Also the mother of Lowell and Rodelin.
“Let Rodelin walk on her own. She still can’t walk properly because of you.”
Ariane let out a deep sigh.
In fact, Rodelin’s leg muscles were less developed than her peers.
It showed just how often Lowell carried her around.
“But what if she falls while walking?”
“So what if she does?”
“If she falls, she’ll bleed and die. Uh… what was it… blood extraction!”
“…It’s called blood loss. And people don’t die just from falling down.”
“Delin will die! If blood comes out of such a tiny body…”
Lowell’s eyes welled up with tears, as if she genuinely believed that.
Ariane waved off the nearby servants. If Duke Luke heard about this, it would be a big problem.
Lowell was already fifteen. And a student at Annwood Academy crying this easily?
Ariane sighed inwardly. At that moment, Lowell wiped her eyes and shouted.
“And who cares if she has no leg muscles? I’ll carry her forever!”
She needed to be scolded. The Lucid family, one of the Empire’s pillars—
Ariane had a duty to raise her like a lion, the family’s symbol.
“You love your sister that much?”
“Yeah! I love Delin more than anyone in the world!”
Lowell hugged Rodelin tightly. Rodelin hugged her back.
“I-I love you the most too, sis.”
Smiling shyly in embarrassment.
It was an unbearably cute sight. Lowell picked Rodelin back up again.
Seeing that, Ariane decided to let it slide—just for today.
‘Well, it is the first day of break… This much should be okay.’
She understood how Lowell felt, not having seen Rodelin for so long.
Ariane stepped aside and spoke.
“You know we’re all having dinner together today, right? Don’t be late.”
Lowell started running again. With Rodelin laughing joyfully on her back.
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