The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 186: Stomp to Death (2)

Sharin City, where the changes of the four seasons were clear, had clear and pleasant weather year-round. However, on days when it rained, dark clouds gathered heavily, and large raindrops fell.

Boom!

The thunder and lightning that chilled the listener to the bone was an added bonus.

“Hmm. I saw a few clouds when I first arrived, but... how did it turn into this in such a short time?”

Kai looked up at the sky, which was pouring down heavy rain as if a hole had opened in it. The lower-lying areas of the grassy fields were already submerged.

There probably won’t be anyone hunting in this weather.

Even in MID Online, characters could feel the temperature. If one didn’t wear the proper protective gear when entering a lava zone, they would suffer from a burn debuff that slowly drained their HP. The same applied when entering snowy mountains. They had to wear fur clothes to avoid frostbite and the cold debuff.

If I’m exposed to too much cold rain, I’ll catch a cold.

Of course, Kai didn’t have to worry about status effects as a Solaris Cleric. Even if he were affected, he could simply use the Sunlight’s Warmth to dispel the debuff.

“Well, it’s the Titan guys who are in a hurry, so they’ll manage. Anyway, I feel like my senses have sharpened a bit...” Kai murmured as he glanced down at the sword hanging from his waist.

His skill in the Swordsmanship of the Dawn had leaped to level 3, and the improvement was remarkable.

The sword feels lighter.

It wasn't that the sword had ever felt too heavy before, but there had been moments where the sword felt slightly heavy as if he had weights on his wrist.

Now I think I understand why. I can see everything clearly.

Just as wood has grain and meat has fibers, the air also has a flow. If one forced their way through where the flow didn’t align, it naturally required more effort than when they would cut through the wind.

I had only been focusing on where and when to strike the enemy until now.

That wasn’t unique to Kai—most players thought the same. After all, no one paid attention to how their character swung their weapon while playing a game.

But Yoo Ha-Rin’s skill level is higher than mine.

It became clear why she was called a genius.

I’ve never considered how to swing the sword for maximum efficiency and power... but it seems she has.

That was likely why she possessed the Silent Sword.

I really have to thank Helik for this.

If not for her, his skill level might have remained stuck at Advanced level 1 forever.

I always thought swinging a sword was all about the arms...

But that wasn’t the case. The power generated from the ankle had to be transferred through the calves, thighs, and hips to reach the sword. If too much energy was lost along the way, the sword would lose its power and speed.

But if I can preserve all that energy...

Even a simple downward slash would no longer be the same attack.

I couldn’t properly test it against beginners.

After all, Kai wasn’t the type to bully the weak who couldn’t even put up a fight against him. However, unless he fought fiercely, there was no way he could take down Titan, so Kai steeled himself.

I’ve logged out about fifty of them... So they should have figured out my location by now.

Kai moved in one direction, leaving traces behind like Hansel and Gretel. He made his trail obvious as if he had no intention of hiding his location.

“I wonder how many will come this time.”

150 of them had come last time.

I only managed to win by taking out Goliath first...

But what if Goliath had been more cautious? What if Titan's rankers had charged at him, throwing themselves at the dullahans’ attacks with their bodies?

Thinking back at it, it was a dangerous moment.

Had they made even slightly different choices, the outcome could have been reversed.

But this time, it’s different.

He was confident. He had swapped out his sword from an average attack power of 163 to one with an average of 384. Just based on simple calculations, his attack power had more than doubled!

The Unbreakable ability on the Ironwill Longsword was attractive, but... the options on the Silent Longsword of Frost are far more combat-oriented. Not to mention, the attack power is on another level.

His specs were completely different from the last time he fought the Titan guild. Of course, they were likely still at the same level as before.

No matter how skilled a ranker is, there’s no way they could grow as much as I have in such a short time unless they’re blessed with extraordinary luck.

Tap, tap.

“Hm, hmmm.”

Humming a tune, he tapped the hilt of his sword in rhythm with his fingers. Kai was easing his loneliness in the empty hunting ground.

After a brief moment, the friends he had called to play started showing up one by one.

Is there a bit more of them than last time?

There were about two hundred of them.

Looks like they scraped together everyone, even the top fighters from the frontlines.

The determination on their faces showed that Titan was putting everything into this battle. Of course, there were also quite a few whose levels seemed a bit low based on their gear.

Did they think the numbers would intimidate me? How cute.

It was such a shallow tactic that it was actually cute.

“Well, I guess it’s time to get started.”

Kai casually cracked his neck and opened the interface window.

Let’s see...

Kai smiled as he found what he was looking for.

***

Grick Lance was a MID Online player who lived in Seattle, on the west coast of the U.S. This meant that while it was a sunny afternoon in Korea, his city was awaiting the sunrise.

“Man, Unknown fighting Titan? This is going to be the biggest event ever...”

The news that Unknown, Kai, had started hunting Titan guild members in Sharin City had spread all over the community. Because of this, people were lining up to rush to Sharin City.

Watching Unknown fight live would be an incredible experience.

Until now, Kai had never broadcast any of his fights in real-time. Plus, as a solo player by nature, not many people had seen him fight firsthand.

“Still, I have to work in the morning, so I should go to bed now.”

Grick barely resisted the urge to log into the game and go to Sharin City. He sighed as he shut off his computer.

I’ll just watch some videos on MewTube before I sleep.

He turned off the lights, wrapped himself up in his blanket, and lifted his phone. Then, he blinked at the notification that popped up on his screen.

[hwj1004 has started a live stream!]

“hwj...1004...? Whose account is that again?”

Grick tilted his head trying to remember.

There’s no one I’ve favorited who would be doing a live broadcast at this time...

Out of curiosity, he clicked to watch the stream, and his eyes widened.

“Oh my God!”

The quiet Seattle dawn suddenly became a bit noisier.

***

-Am I dreaming right now?

└ Calm down, you’re perfectly sane, and I am too. It’s Unknown who’s the strange one.

-Why is everyone so surprised? This is just typical Unknown.

└ I guess he’s always been unpredictable...

└ Thinking about it that way, I feel much more relaxed.

└ What? So this is just typical Unknown?

The players were in shock for a moment, but they quickly regained their composure, and then erupted with excitement.

Unknown is doing a live stream!

He’s never done this before!

And in this situation?

It’s not even New Year’s, but this feels like a gift.

Though it was Unknown’s first ever live stream, the reaction was overwhelming.

-Hey, is this viewer count for real?

-52,000 viewers in the first minute of the stream? With more joining, we’re definitely hitting a million.

-He’s the biggest star in the world right now, so it makes sense... but still, the influence is kind of scary.

-By the way, what’s with the Titan guys’ numbers? Do they have no pride left?

-There must be almost two hundred of them.

-Seriously, the supposed guild master, Goliath, always acts all cool, but now he's not fighting at the front and just hanging back?

To regular players, the scene was impossible to understand.

Looking at the situation, Kai appeared far more calm than the two hundred tense Titan guild members.

Looks like the stream is working well.

After checking the stream, Kai finally cast his gaze forward.

Goliath must be feeling humiliated.

By now, Goliath would have realized that Kai had started a live stream. Yet, he still had not stepped forward.

Was it all too much for him?

If Goliath fought Kai one-on-one now and lost, it would truly be the end of everything. The 520,000 people watching live would know, and by tomorrow, so would everyone else.

So you’re sending your subordinates first to act like a boss, huh?

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Kai.

Might as well use this chance to get a feel for things.

Kai smoothly drew his sword and walked forward as if he were going for a casual stroll.

“Kill him,” Goliath ordered as the stared at the approaching Kai, his face twisted with rage.

At once, the two hundred Titan guild members gripped their weapons and charged at Kai.

I thought this the last time, but the most annoying position is the Cleric.

Second place was the Wizards, and the Warriors were only third!

That fact led Kai’s steps toward the Cleric.

“He’s targeting the Cleric!”

“Don’t make the same mistake again!”

“Tanks, form a wall at the front!”

“Wizards, provide support from behind! Warriors, circle around!”

The Titan guild members, moving in teams of four, sprang into action.

Looks like they’ve learned their lesson after the last defeat.

Their movements were far more agile than before. Kai quietly admired the swift movements of the Warriors closing in behind him.

“Die, you monster!”

“You should say that while looking in a mirror.”

One Warrior, a heavy-built man with bulging muscles, struck down his massive greatsword with all his might.

Kai observed the Warrior’s movements until the very end and by that time, he had already analyzed everything.

Your form is sloppy.

Rather than riding the flow of the air, he swung his sword clumsily with brute force, relying solely on the strength of his arms.

There’s no way that’s going to hit.

In the next moment, Kai’s right arm, holding his sword, quickly shot out. His arm moved as if independent of his body, and struck the blade of the greatsword.

Clang!

“A-argh?!”

The Warrior was utterly shocked by Kai's reaction, which was far beyond what he had experienced in their last encounter.

This is the same Unknown we fought last time? There’s no way!

It felt like he was facing an entirely different person who just happened to look the same.

Back then, Kai had been desperate when fighting them, and it wasn’t just an illusion. Kai had indeed been cornered enough to use Ethereal Body. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But now... What the heck?

Now, he was observing the movements of the Warriors with calm eyes, like someone who had mastered everything. Then in the next moment, he would execute the perfect move at the best timing. Each time he swung his sword, the Titan Warriors’ attacks were effortlessly deflected.

“Damn it! What the hell happened in such a short time...?”

“His attack power is crazy! This isn’t the Kai we knew!”

“This guy... Was he hiding his true strength last time...?”

“A terrifying bastard! A relentless one!”

Kai had no intention of correcting their misunderstanding. In fact, he took a defensive stance and diligently practiced his Advanced level 3 swordsmanship as he fought against them.

Ride the flow of the air. Don’t fight against it.

The two had to move as one to unleash their true power, like a couple dancing the tango. The moment Kai realized this, his sword surged forward as if he were moving at double speed.

Clang!

“Kugh!”

One of the approaching Warriors was struck on the head by Kai’s sword, which had shot out unexpectedly.

What kind of speed is this... No, that’s not all...!

It wasn’t just the unbelievable speed; the control was excellent. Kai had precisely cut the seam of the warrior’s helmet, and forcibly removed it!

The nearby Warriors, who had been watching, gulped nervously.

I-It must have been luck.

He probably just got lucky once.

There’s no way someone could have that kind of luck consistently.

However, contrary to their hopes, Kai's sword only grew faster and more precise.

Like this. And like this.

Whoom, whoom!

Every time Kai’s body moved nimbly, his sword sliced through raindrops, striking his enemies. With each strike, the opponents' equipment was destroyed or disabled!

“Whew...”

After about five minutes of practice, Kai let out a deep breath. He noticed a particular emotion in the eyes of the Warriors who stared at him as if he were a monster.

Fear?

Wondering why for a moment, Kai then chuckled to himself when he considered their perspective.

I think I understand why now.

In their eyes, he was probably a wielder of a power they couldn’t dare to challenge.

I can cut through anything right now.

He felt like a fully-tuned sports car.

Kai let his sword hang loosely as he slowly surveyed his surroundings. And then, he was certain.

I won’t need Knight of Nightmare... for now.