Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Like a bell constantly being rung, a high-pitched noise kept echoing across the vast field of hardened dirt. This was the sound of weapons clashing against armor. The moment Seth stepped out of the lobby, which had been ripped out and transferred to the middle of this court, he was forced into a stalemate.

“Face the Unrivaled Sword Net Formation, Demon!” they cried as a group from the Voracious Cloud Continent attacked him.

The blacksmith was surrounded by martial artists and exposed to a rain of steel, as attacks continuously aimed at him. The swords could not really harm him for the moment, but he also didn't get any chance to retaliate. In an attempt to create an opening he used <Dragon Might>, however-

“Bloodlust?! Keep holding up” Don't let up!” one of their leaders cried out as his aura spread out and strengthen the formation. With the backing of their leader, they were able to withstand the skill, but they had to slow down their attacks. Despite gaining some breathing space, the bard could not find a way to get out.

At first, Seth had felt competitive. He tried to fight using his Giant's Meteor Rod in conjunction with the fighting styles he had developed while crossing the bridges of the Abyss dungeon. Linking the attacks he learned through <Weapon Mastery> with the <Lame One’s Walk> and the teleportation of his <Scorpion Escape>. But it was not enough to gain an upper hand.

Seth had to admit, that these guys were of a completely different caliber when compared to the cultivators he fought and heard of before. Although Master Mountain had warned him, Seth had gotten a little complacent when thinking of these foreign invaders.

Who could blame him? The few Nascent Soul cultivator Seth and the others had met, had not been too much of a problem for high-level players with good equipment. He had to revise his opinion and acknowledge that there was a huge difference in power between individuals, even if they were on the same stage.

Yu, Master Mountain, had told him, that the stage after Nascent Soul gained a kind of domain or AOE ability, since these guys did not have it, the blacksmith guessed they were still Nascent Soul cultivators. This was probably the difference between a well-trained force and the riff-raff they had seen so far. Yu himself had said that they were just some dark sects trying to monopolize on the opportunity.

The people Seth was currently facing weren't able to suppress him because of some magical advanced technique as they described it, but because they were either able to rival his augmented stats with their bare bodies, or used their foreign energy to buff themselves to rival him.

Looking at them and remembering the Pills Yu had given him and mentioned, Seth could only be in awe at how far these people were able to push the human body with medicines and magical abilities. It wasn't just that he didn't have a physical advantage.

The blacksmith quickly noticed that he severely lacked in technique to face off against experienced intelligent opponents. This was an opportunity. He already knew he was lacking, but his <Weapon Mastery> had not improved since it reached expert tier lv.9.

This was because he usually was in two distinct scenarios. Either those he could not risk holding back or those where he could not risk going all out. This on the other hand, was a semi-safe learning environment, since all of their weapon damage was negated.

Another reason was that they only harmed themselves by hitting him. The physical toughness of their bodies was honestly amazing. Although it didn't wear armor, the reflected damage only dealt shallow cuts and bruises.

“C-Cowardly demon! Stop hiding behind your armor!?”

What did they even smoke? Did they think he didn't see the chain shirts they wore underneath their robes? They wore armor, but he couldn't? They also said stupid stuff about breaking his armor. It was a shame their heads were not as trained as their bodies.

They opted to take turns giving some of them a chance to sit down at the sides and heal. What truly amazed him was how they even managed to overcome the secondary effects of <Tisiphone's Mirror>: Striking the attacker with disease or illness with a chance of 75%. There was also causing Torturing Madness but he didn't know how to trigger that one.

They called it “forcing out the foreign energy”. Thanks to the lowered pressure, Seth had a chance to observe them with <Theia's Vision>, and with given time these cultivators were actually able to force the power of curses and divine power out of their bodies, getting rid of the status effects.

Shocked he realized that an hour had already passed, by the time he got the hang of their sword formation. Maybe because of the lowered difficulty, or maybe it was because they slowly became tired. Seth didn't quite understand why they fought like this.

Was their goal to destroy his armor? Even under this constant rain of attacks, they barely made a dent in its durability. On the other hand, switching from hurting themselves to healing themselves must have been a huge burden on their bodies.

The fight also left its mark on Seth. Despite being able to stay calm, he couldn't imagine surviving without his armor. The Weapon Damage Negation was a true lifesaver in this situation. But even when they didn't deal damage, their stamina was frightening. How long would these people be able to keep this up, if it wasn't for being constantly covered in slashes, from their own attacks?

Seeing that he had already wasted an hour, he didn't have the time to waste any more time.

Dressed with time, Seth mixed magic in his attacks. His opponent dodged the rock needle suddenly growing from below his feet and jumped right into the path of the Giant's Rod. The tip of special <Bones of Seth> penetrated the man's chest with ease, even though it felt like stabbing a metal sheet, or a sturdy leather armor.

<Ding! Weapon Mastery (Expert) lv.9 has become Weapon Mastery (Master) lv.1>

Just when he was ready to give up, he broke through. His <Weapon Mastery> reached the master tier and the changes were almost immediate. Unlike the master tier in a crafting skill, that affected the final product, the improvement of physical skills affected the player. Knowledge, techniques, and maneuvers flooded his head neatly settling down and connecting with the things he had already learned and mastered, supplementing his knowledge and magnifying his combat efficiency.

Now, the blacksmith had some leeway and was to observe his surroundings. The lobby was a block placed in the middle of a vast field made of dry, hard dirt. It was surrounded by unfamiliar markings, probably the magic of the Cloud Continent.

This court was lined by buildings built in a foreign architecture Seth did not recognize. The vast structure, the number of foreigners and <Map> telling him he was somewhere in the northeast of Urth. Adding one and one together, Seth guessed that he was at the bridgehead Master Mountain has told him about. This also meant they had to be close to the entrance of the Voracious Cloud Continent.

Of course, it could also be a temporary base they build somewhere, just for this trap. But it seemed too big for just that. Seth already knew that the sects here were involved with the happenings in Y-City, but who would have thought they were this deeply involved? To even directly bring him into the middle of their HQ to kill him, that was bold.

With his first kill, he and the improvement in his skills he thought he could take control of the flow of battle. Swinging the spear and casting magic, he started attacking freely, killing and maiming people wherever he passed. The dry dirt was soaked in blood and now littered with body parts. It didn't hold for long as a shout was heard and the cultivators quickly distanced themselves from him.

“You are just Wasting lives. Let me take care of him.” a domineering voice said and the crowd backed off. Seth sighed at the show when an old man slowly walked onto the battlefield.

“I'm Guardian Ho, of the Silk River Sect. My disciple talked about you. You must be the Master of the abominable Minas Mar.”

“Just Minas Mar is enough, no need for honorifics,” the bard sneered.