Chapter 6
Bylan stood up and strode forward into the light, allowing Issei to gauge his enemy. Standing a head above even the Stormvermin, Byral Warfang cast an imposing figure for something that didn't even come up to Issei's chin. He wore a conical helm over his head, with a sheet of chain mail going down the back to protect his neck. His chest was protected by a steel cuirass, with pauldrons on his shoulders and a fauld going around his waist. Over his shoulders, a ragged brown cape fluttered.
With a sneer, the dungeon boss drew the sword at its hip. One side of it was straight, while the other half was curved like the waves. All of its equipment was steel, which meant trouble for Issei.
Byral Warfang LV6
[Lesser Ratman Warlord]
Great. Just great. Not only did the bastard have better equipment than he did, it was also a level higher than him. Perfect.
Issei readied his bronze sword and withdrew a copper sword from his inventory as well. He knew that if iron was a bad match up for his bronze and copper weapons, then steel was even worse for him. That sword would cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
'Well then, I'll just have to avoid hitting his blade or armour.' Issei thought as he shifted his grip on his weapons, 'This fight can't last long.'
With a shrieking warcry, Byral leapt forwards, sword raised to strike. Issei sidestepped to the left and struck out with his blades, cutting a line across Byral's arm.
The warlord shrieked again and lashed out with his sword, forcing Issei to block with his copper blade. The steel ripped a chunk out of the blade, but it held…for now.
"Weak-weak!" the rat cackled.
The Sekiryūtei responded by kicking the rat where no man wishes to be kicked, making the ratman's already squeaky voice go up another octave. Issei would be surprised it that was the right note to shatter glass. He took the opportunity to try and cut the bastard's sword arm off, but the little git actually managed to block his bronze sword with his steel sword.
With a curse, Issei then stabbed awkwardly with his copper sword, managing to bury the blade into its leg. Sadly, the weapon snapped in half, leaving most of the blade embedded in the warlord's leg.
Byral Left Leg Crippled! -50% Mobility!
Byral is suffering from the [Bleeding] status!
"Hop along, rat boy!" Issei taunted the ratman as he fell back out of sword range, discarded his sword hilt and pulled another copper sword from his inventory.
"You dare mock me?!" Byral snarled, "You pay, Man-thing!"
He reached into a pouch at his waist, pulled out a small bottle and ripped the cap off. Issei wrinkled his nose at the foul smell that was emanating from the container.
"Witchbrew…drinking this will make me lose my mind…but I will kill you!" the warlord snarled before downing the container in one swallow. The effect was immediate. The eyes of the warlord turned bright red and his muscled bulged out.
"Oh hell." Issei muttered.
Byral has been affected by the status effects [Fury] and [Berserk]!
"I figured that much out for myself!" Issei tsukkomi'd automatically.
When the ratman warlord roared, he decided that it was time to get serious.
"[Boosted Gear]!" Issei called out. On his command, the red gauntlet appeared on his left arm in a flash of red light.
[BOOST!]
You have been affected by the [Boost!] status effect! Your power has been doubled!
Right as it appeared, Bylan charged at Issei and slashed down with his blade. Issei deflected it with a backhanded swipe of his armoured hand and countered with a swipe with his bronze sword that clanged off the helmet that the ratman wore, which only seemed to piss it off even more.
Byral snarled and howled incomprehensively as he lashed out again and again with his sword, forcing Issei to block more with his own weapons and gauntlet.
[BOOST!]
You have been affected by the [Boost!] status effect! Your power has been doubled!
[Boost!] limit reached! Starting countdown.
3:00...
2:59...
2:58...
'Craptastic! I'd better finish this now!' he thought.
The problem was that the berserk Byral wasn't giving him much room to manoeuvre. He could barely attack without having to dodge that damned sword or the warlord's ravening maw.
Issei finally lured the warlord into a trap by letting him bit his armoured hand then stabbing him in the throat while he was trying to bite through Issei's Sacred Gear.
"Man…-thing…you…!" Byral choked out before slumping to the floor, dead.
"Thank god…!" Issei hastily disengaged the [Boosted Gear] before the timer could hit zero.
You have defeated Byral Warfang! You receive 600 EXP!
Please select your drop from the boss:
[Rapscallion Wave Blade] [?]
[Helm of the Corsair] [?]
[Mantle of the Rat Horde] [?]
Issei looked at the selection with worried look on his face. His first instinct was to grab the sword, but…
He reached out and touched the question mark next to the sword.
[Rapscallion Wave Blade]
This sword was the personal weapon of Byral Warfang. It was made by a captured dwarven smith, but from mediocre materials and with substandard equipment. Nevertheless, it is still a cut above the rest.
Standard Sword (For Ratmen)
Short Sword (Human)
Slashing Attacks: S+20
Piercing Attacks: S+18
"Nice…let's see here…" he moved on to the next one.
[Helm of the Corsair]
A helmet worn by sea raiders, it offers protection to the head, but leaves the nose and mouth area exposed. This helmet has been modified for extra protection for the eyes, at the cost of reducing visibility.
Grants an Armour Rating of 15 to all covered locations and reduces visibility by 30%.
"Nah, not my style. Next."
[Mantle of the Rat Horde]
This ragged red cape is the indication of the rank of Captain or above in the Rat Hordes. To see an enemy wearing it makes other ratmen feel fear, knowing that the wearer has bested one of the more powerful members of their race.
- Non-Ratmen races wearing this cloak cause [Fear] in ratmen who are not captain-rank or above.
"So the sword it is." Issei concluded. He selected the sword and the rest of the equipment, plus Byral's body, vanished. As he placed the sword into his inventory, a couple of screens popped up after that.
Congratulations!
As a result of repeated actions, you have learned the skill [Short Sword Mastery]!
[Short Sword Mastery] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]
Short Swords are typically less than 60 cm (two feet) long. Developed before forging techniques could be made to create longer weapons of sufficient strength to be used in battle. Famous examples include the Scottish Dirk, the Roman Gladius, the Greek Xiphos, the Italian Renaissance Cinquedea and the Cutlass. Conventional thinking would put the short sword at a disadvantage compared to longer blades, but a true master can still cause quite a bit of trouble with one.
- While wielding a [Short Sword], you are granted an additional +1 to all damage dealt.
- Additionally, you have a higher chance of learning skills to do with short swords.
"Makes sense…I have been doing nothing but use these things all this time." Issei noted.
As a result of repeated actions, you have learned the Skill [Parry]!
[Parry] (Active) [LV1, 00.00]
Parrying is when you redirect or deflect an opponent's attack. In order to accomplish a classic parry, you must strike an attacking opponent's blade at the base, just above the crossguard and direct the blade away from you. Most people would refer to any kind of deflection during swordplay as a parry, which is true enough. However, you will receive extra EXP to any [Sword Mastery] skill or [Swordsmanship] skill you possess should you accomplish this.
- 20% chance to parry an opponent's attack.
- 5% chance of performing a classic parry.
- 5 MP per use.
"Huh…I guess I was batting that nutjob's attacks away quite a bit." the Sekiryūtei mused, "Well, better have a look around here before heading-"