~ I have added this Fanfic to my Patreon. If you'd like to read advanced chapters, feel free to check it out!
~ 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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The first two rooms were empty of everything but dust bunnies. The third through fifth rooms had a small chest in them with ¥1000 in them. The sixth through eighth rooms had a rack of [Crude Steel Ninjatō] and a pouch of thirty [Average Steel Shuriken] in them each. This made Issei practically jump with glee at the free weaponry. It would be some time before he ran out of weapons.
The next few rooms were empty, with only bloodstains on the floor indicating that something odd had happened here. Infighting among the ratmen? Or had the Purifiers tried and failed to initiate Project Rat Poison? The mystery was starting to make Issei's brain hurt. Why couldn't things be simpler? Kill the rats, kick the Purifiers' asses. Bim-bam, thank you ma'am. Now he had to wonder who he was really fighting here.
It was in the thirteenth room that Issei was ambushed by both of the remaining Gutter Runners…at once. They began with a hail of shuriken and throwing knives that forced Issei to put up a [Lesser Barrier Shield] in order to block them. Then they tried the tried and true ratman tactic of a pincer assault, ninjatō slashing at him from both sides.
Dodging one and blocking the other, Issei lashed out with his left leg, smashing it into the Gutter Runner on that side's face, sending it back howling in pain from its clearly broken muzzle.
That was a bit unexpected. Then again, his STR was in the low seventies. That would put a crimp in most people's days if they were hit by him at full strength.
The other one lashed out with its tail, hoping to score a hit with its tail spike while Issei was locked blades with it.
"[Bronze Skin]!"
In a flash, Issei's skin turned the burnished colour of bronze just before the spike struck. Thankfully, the added defence that the spell granted him repelled the attack without piercing through it.
Deactivating the spell, as it was low levelled and slowed him down too much to be used against these fast enemies, Issei pushed the sword of his opponent away before stabbing the Gutter Runner right where the heart would be on a human.
Critical Hit! Instant Death!
As he withdrew his sword from the collapsing corpse, Issei turned to face the still wailing Gutter Runner. Clearly, these guys were more used to inflicting pain than receiving it. He ended the life of the maimed Gutter Runner with a slice of his blade.
Which then broke.
You have slain X2 Gutter Runner! You gain 670 EXP!
Your [Crude Steel Ninjatō] has been destroyed as a result of using up its durability!
Congratulations! As a result of repeated actions, you have created the [Close Combat Evasion] Skill!
[Close Combat Evasion] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]
When fighting in close proximity to the enemy, being able to dodge is a rare thing to be able to accomplish without leaving yourself vulnerable to a counterattack. Those who manage to achieve this are very irritating to fight on their terms.
- Grants a further +15% chance to dodge enemy attacks when in close combat.
- Reduces chance of being struck by an enemy counterattack after a successful dodge by 15%.
[Bronze Skin] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
[Force Absorption Field] has levelled up! LV2-LV3!
[Defensive Magic] has levelled up! LV2-LV3!
[Short Sword Mastery] has levelled up! LV3-LV4!
[Lesser HP Regeneration] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!
Swiftly looting the bodies and selling their [Weeping Blades] and poisons, Issei discarded the remnant of his broken ninjatō before equipping another one from his inventory. That was a good set of skill levelling there. Something he had to do in future was level up [Bronze Skin] a bit more so that the speed reduction was either reduced to the point of triviality or removed completely. The defensive potential of that spell was quite good.
"Now then…to the boss." He muttered. [Hand of Glory] held aloft, Issei exited the room and headed to the large set of doors that barred his way. Idly, he noticed that they each had five lights on them, shaped like a horned rat's head. One on each door to represent each Gutter Runner, he supposed. With a touch, the doors slowly swung open, revealing a long passage.
Chugging another MP Potion, the Sekiryūtei started down the passage, the doors swinging shut after he passed through them.
The passage was made of old stone held together by old cement, moss, damp and weight of the other stones. It looked hundreds of years old, which simply wasn't possible. Kuō Town was a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty years old at oldest. He dimly recalled that it had been an amalgamation of four or five small villages during the late Edo Period and the early part of the Meiji Era.
Anyway, this almost had to be created by his [Gamer's Gear], or at least enhanced by it. He had to admit that the ambience really got him into the right attitude for fighting these rats.
The end of the passageway loomed ahead. Issei tightened his grip on his sword and activated his new trump card against bosses.
"[Magic Weapon Reinforcement]!"
A red glow appeared around his ninjatō as he stepped over the threshold and took in the room. It was about the size of a school gym and was lit by hundreds of candles. Literally hundreds of them lined the walls and hung from chandeliers on the ceiling.
Deactivating the [Hand of Glory] and stowing it in his inventory, Issei proceeded to step cautiously into the large room. There were target dummies similar to those Byral had had in his room set up all over the room, with targets symbols daubed crudely on certain locations. Potential weak points, perhaps?
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