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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +50 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
~ Very soon, we'll return to releasing two chapters daily, including bonus privileges for Power Stone contributions
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Sighing, the Sekiryūtei drew his hood off his head, as he guessed that it was insufficient to counter any anti-stealth skills that these rat ninjas had up their sleeves. At the very least, the boss could see through it, so he might as well get used to being seen by these lower levelled ninja.
The sword attack slammed into his Menpō with the force of a pile driver, sending him flying back, but Issei managed to keep his footing. He glared at the ratman who had attacked him. It crouched low with a ninjatō in one hand, black clothing similar to shinobi shōzoku covering most of its grey-furred body. Its tail had a bladed tip attached to the end of it. Issei's senses screamed 'danger!' at him. Even Byral, Farsqueaker and the two iterations of Boneripper hadn't done that to him.
Gutter Runner LV12
[No Need For Second Strike]
You have lost 50 HP!
From one strike?!
"[Force Absorption Field]!" Issei hissed. The bubble, invisible to any but him, appeared. He had experimented with it in the last two dens and it had proven rather useful. Something that he hadn't known was that not only did the field reduce the physical force of the blows; it also slowed down their actual speed as well. Well, either that, or it had been added when the skill had levelled up to Level 2.
Without even a sneer, the Gutter Runner launched another attack, the blade flashing in its hand as it attempted to disembowel him. Issei silently used the [Parry] skill, deflecting it and earning a [Riposte], which severed the tail of the creature.
You have severed a limb! Enemy Gutter Runner has had the [Bleeding] status inflicted upon it!
"KKKKeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" the ratman shrieked in pain before drawing a dagger from its waist. Issei noted idly that it was dripping a foul greenish fluid. Probably made from a mixture of Warpstone and other foul things. No way was he going to let himself get hit by that!
"[Earth Shot]!" Issei fired a chunk of rock at the assassin, who nimbly dodged out of the way. It left itself open to a counterattack, which Issei used to score a long gash up its off hand, forcing it to drop the dagger. Hurriedly disengaging, the Sekiryūtei locked blades with the ratman when it charged.
"Die-die-de gozaru!"
"You're a ninja, not a samurai!" Issei unleashed a tsukkomi on instinct before kicking the ratman between the legs. Ordinarily, he wouldn't break the bro code's most important rule, never hit the nuts, but this was no bro.
The ratman's eyes bulged out of its head as it staggered back, dropping its sword as it cradled its jewels. Issei ended it with a single cut of his sword.
You have slain a Gutter Runner! You gain 335 EXP!
Do you wish to loot the body?
Y/N
Hitting Yes, Issei watched with interest as the list of loot lined up.
X1 Crude Steel Ninjatō
X1 Weeping Blade
¥600
X5 Average Steel Shuriken
X5 Unknown Vials
Examining the description of the [Weeping Blade], Issei shuddered. A Warpstone/steel hybrid blade that literally wept a virulent poison from its edge that could cause a heart attack with long enough exposure and dealt pretty bad poison damage in the time between. He marked the [Weeping Blade] and the vials to be sold, as the vials were likely poisons or other drugs. He earned a whopping ¥5000 from the sale of both of them!
The ninjatō was more interesting to him.
[Crude Steel Ninjatō]
A steel sword forged in the shape of the popular film-only Japanese swords. It was simply poured into a mould and sharpened, but it is a decent weapon, albeit one easily used and discarded once broken.
Durability: 25/30
Short Sword
Slash Damage: S+20
Pierce Damage: S+15
A Durability stat? Oh hell. This meant he'd have to start maintaining his weapons! He really hated it when the [Gaming Gear] added patches when he wasn't looking! Still for a crude and hack job of a sword, it really wasn't too bad. He'd use it instead of his [Rapscallion Wave Blade] for now.
It had to be said that wandering around in the dark was very disorienting. It also played tricks on the mind, making the movements of the ratmen assassins look faster than they actually were. Issei was getting kind of sick of the whole song and dance after he got bushwhacked by two more of the Gutter Runners one after another.
From what he could tell, the dungeon had one huge central area, with about thirteen small chambers branching off equidistantly, as well as a single large door, which probably led to the Boss' room. The [Mental Mapping] skill really shone here, as he could project a mini-map that displayed his location and the blueprint of the surrounding area.
He had been attacked by the Gutter Runners as he circumnavigated the large room, meaning that they had at least some idea of what he was doing. As an added bonus, he had developed the [Lesser Night Vision] skill, which had alleviated the gloom of the dark room to some degree, but not by much. At a guess, the ratmen assassins had the real [Night Vision] skill on top of their enhanced nasal and hearing abilities.
"So…I'm going to have to check every damn room in the area? Seriously? Gah."
He chugged a potion to restore his health before continuing. That had been a bit of bounty from the last two dens; ten Health Potions and ten MP Potions. He also chugged an MP potion, as he was still keeping up his [Force Absorption Field] all the time.
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