The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

V50C9P2 Batalli, the God of Fighting

"Let's keep this for now and check the next item…"

The last pair of gloves was called 'Gloves that Pierce and Destroy'. An odd name, yet it was one terrifying piece of equipment. For each successful attack, the gloves would deal additional damage equal to the opponent's Defense score, and over multiple attacks would progressively destroy their protective gears. The gloves would also increase critical hit damage by five times.

After 7 or more successful attacks, depending on the Life Force of the enemy, it had a high chance of inflicting instant death, and this ability was based on the user's divine power, as it was bestowed by the God of Fighting.

This was Weed's opportunity to finally make some use of all the useless Faith stats that he had gathered and hadn't had any chance to use until now.

Additionally, this item improved combat-related skills and stats, and it made proficiency levels grow faster as well. It truly offered many well-rounded benefits, but it did have some limitations. Only Warriors were able to utilize its power; when equipped by users with any other lines of profession the gloves' power could not come into effect. The item also had the minimum level requirement of 820. While this also reflected that these gloves were indeed very powerful gears, Weed had once possessed many high-level items during his time as the Great King of Desert.

'At over level 800… it's not too rare to find a pair of gloves as good as these.'

As the Great King of Desert, he used to collect and appraise countless number of items he had won as the spoils of war when he was conquering the Central Continent.

Because of that, he was also well acquainted with gloves for those with a Level requirement over 800. The basic stats of these high-level items alone were in a completely different league from the gloves with level requirements in the 400-500. They had all sorts of ridiculously overpowered options as if they were nothing, and were often classified into special item class categories such as Devil or Ruler.

"It is tempting. But since I'm currently not a Warrior, these gloves would not be very effective as of right now."

Weed contemplated for quite a while. 5 times stronger critical hit damage… He liked this feature, but one needed to hit the target successfully in order to activate the effect.

"These gloves only maximize offensive power… They also offer a chance for a one-hit kill, but only aiming for critical hits would simplify my combat style."

For now, it was better to quickly increase his level as Necromancer as planned. Meanwhile, he would also improve his swordsmanship and his various weapon skills, along with many other skills in crafting and art.

If he reached the peak of power as a Necromancer and then switched to a Warrior-type profession, then he would be able to beat any reasonably strong monsters without much problem. Every single special techniques of sculpting that he had learned, and the horde of undead he would summon once the hunt began… a warrior charging into battle with all those minions at his command would be the epitome of game-breaking power!

Weed checked his currently equipped gloves first.

< Legendary Knight's Gloves of Excellent Command: Durability 90/90. Defense 54.

Estimated time of production is around 250-370 years ago. A piece of equipment manufactured in Blacksmiths, a secret association of the best tailors and blacksmiths in the continent. These gloves were gifted to the Noble Knight Lark and after his death they have been kept as an imperial treasure of the Kallamore Empire.

Prerequisites: Level 490. Advanced Level 7 in Swordsmanship.

Additional EffectsStrength +170 during combat.Extra 15% to all skill effects.Adds 5 different special damage types on Critical.Temporarily weakens enemy's Swordsmanship skill.Honor and Dignity stats increase faster.Chivalry Skill +2.Not easily damaged due to high Durability.Adds 80% extra contribution points upon making an accomplishment for a kingdom. >

The gloves that he had acquired after killing the Griffon Knight Myul!

Various positive effects came with them, but there were some limitations.

For one, Weed did not have any need for the Chivalry skill, nor was there much point in increasing Honor and Dignity faster.

His status as the king of the Arpen Kingdom already helped him maintain his Fame and Dignity.

'I can just sell this in an auction. Lower level requirement means there will be a lot of buyers. There's only one pair of gloves here that can increase my combat strength.'

< Gloves of Dimension Door: Durability 110/110. Defense 132

A mysterious item of the Fairy Knight Guwanbeder, who could move between boundaries of different dimensions.The stories of his heroic adventures and battles were so extensive that it took 30 volumes to record them in books.The gloves don't have any special ornaments but they grant the ability to control the space within a 20 meter radius.The user can move or deliver attacks through the circles that form randomly.Touched by the breaths of the Fairy Knight, this item grants you great favor with the Spirits and Fairies.

PrerequisitesLevel 750.Dexterity 1200.

Additional EffectsWeapon performance improved by 5%.Fighting Spirit +200.Dignity, Honor, Art, Charm stats +51All stats improved by 5%Dodge skill effect increased by 35%Damage taken from magic and spirits decrease by 31%Fame +13,283.The user doesn't take damage when holding the enemy's weapon by hand, excluding weapons having spatial traits.When equipped, special circles that can be used to teleport will appear within a 20 meter radius. >

Weed took the Gloves of Dimension Door.

"I shall choose this item."

After making the final decision, his mind was now at ease.

He shall take care of these gloves every day from now on!

However, Batalli the God of Fighting spoke to him.

- Your Combat Accomplishments are still slightly insufficient to use those gloves.

His Combat Accomplishments were still not quite enough!

Starting from the Immortal Legion, Weed had successfully finished countless quests, including those related to the Embinyu Church. The Combat Accomplishments he had accumulated from such adventures were not to be sneezed at, but as expected the Gloves of Dimension Door was a special equipment. Weed frowned.

"What should I do then?"

- I'll give you an opportunity for more achievements.

The Coliseum dedicated to the God of Fighting. If need be, he would gladly fight against other warriors.

Weed immediately put a loaf of barley bread in his mouth.

<You ate barley bread.Your hunger has been reduced.>

Since he had now passed through the Path of Struggle, he needed to recover his peak body condition by having food.

Sharpening the sword and cleaning the armor!

Before the fight begins, he intended to ready his equipments into their best shape, making every preparation.

- Do you remember the Palrangka War?

"Yes. I remember."

Palrangka War.It was recorded as one of the fiercest battles in the history of the Versailles continent.During the Warring Age, the military forces of 7 different kingdoms clashed in the Jagsen Plain. Monsters and other species joined in the war, leading the battlefield further into chaos.While clearing the Tower of Heroes which was an intermediate training hall, he himself joined in the Palrangka War, but was killed by a rock thrown by a cyclops… This was one battleground where even Weed experienced failure.

< History of Versailles Continent. Original text of the Palrangka War.During the time when people's greed and jealousy reached their peak,Humans fought war after war in order to expand and secure wheat and iron.

At first, the other species gathered their strength to resist the human forces, but in the end their intent became tainted too.

Influenced by the humans driven only by their own selfish desires, these species began the fights for the benefits of their own species.

While the humans fought among themselves over territories and weakened their own strength little by little, the monsters multiplied and spread throughout the continent like poison mushrooms. >

< Newly restored content. A secret history behind Palrangka War.

It's in a very old language that only adventurers trained in advanced level of linguistics and archaeology are able to decipher.

It is said that during those times the monsters possessed moderately high intelligence, enabling them to use low-level languages and live in large groups.

These monsters fought for dominance over the continent at the Jaksen Plain. And eventually they rose as the final winner, not the humans.

However, the story of one Skull Knight which was spread by the few survivors of that perilous battle became a somewhat famous topic among people.

He was said to have received a request from Princess Remi of the Isran Kingdom and attempted to rescue her.

He was very valiant and possessed amazing horseback fight technique. However, while he was occupied with other flying monsters, he lost both his horse and the princess. The knight, filled with rage, kept on fighting to the last of his loyalty and grief for the princess until he eventually met his end on the battlefield. >

- As a Warrior who can walk backwards in time, go and prevent your failure!

Weed thought about the Palrangka War again.

"Indeed, there was a princess."

Different from the record, the real reason why Princess Remi died was that she was neglected. He was so occupied with the battle that he forgot to protect the princess. In the middle of that chaotic, blood-boiling battle, numerous different forces were mingled together in one messy combat, and as Weed was fighting while riding on a drake, he had forgotten about her for a second..

What was already done could not be undone, so after Princess Remi's death he simply kept fighting until he was completely exhausted, literally to his death. And that was the end of it.

'To undo my failure…'

Weed was ready to take up any challenge optimistically so long as he was able to get Gloves of Dimension Door as a reward.

"I'll fight in the Palrangka War."

****

The video that both KMC Media and CTS Media had been anxiously waiting for had finally arrived.

"Manager Kang, it's here! The video showing the advanced training hall!"

The images of the advanced training hall that had been the pressing issue among broadcasting companies! There had been a small delay in the delivery of this video as it was not covered by the live broadcast contract they had made with Weed.

Dark circles were prominent on Manager Kang's eyes as he shouted."How about Weed? Did he pass the training hall?""That's not set in stone yet. This is only first half of the video, but the other half will be sent soon.""Really?"

Manager Kang and the Production Planning Team had anticipated that Weed would not have been killed in the very beginning. But they thought that perhaps he was imprisoned and slowly met his miserable and solitary death by starvation in the second part of the video.

"Should we really air this? If we send out the scene showing Weed's death, then all the users in the Garnav Plain… their morale is going to hit the rock bottom."

"But we can't just cancel the airing either. The other media companies will have started to act, too."

"They will, won't they? Production, editing teams; everyone get on it and start working!"

Every single employee that was on emergency standby immediately began to make preparations for broadcast. Some other broadcast stations even started playing the clip right away and started editing later.

KMC media began their transmission from the scene in which Weed had entered the Path of Struggle.

****

"Weed's trial in the advanced training hall! His decision to take up the challenge alone has caught many people by surprise. And we have just obtained the video of it."

Oh Joo Wan and Do Chanmi, a well-loved member of a girl-idol group, started the broadcast program.

In quite a contrast to her cute face, she had a voluptuous body.

Although having started the game in the Central Continent, she later moved to the north and became the mascot of Chicken Porridge squad of the Grass Porridge Cult.

"Wow, I'm so excited.""Chanmi, do you think Weed's challenge has been a success?""Of course! I think he would have passed easily. Did he not?"

"I'm not actually sure myself. Just like our viewers, I need to confirm with my own eyes through this video clip. Without further ado, let's play the video."

The screen showed Weed walking on the Path of Struggle alone, separated from his comrades. Defeating the Ulroofs and Volards in one effortless swing and advancing further… The sight of him swinging his sword and marching forward without hesitation was absolutely thrilling.

Do Chanmi's face was full of smiles.

"Kyaa. He is amazing."

"From the look of your face, I think you are completely enamored.""Of course! Two years ago, my dream was to marry Weed-nim! I actually first came to know about Royal Road when I saw videos of him that my brother was watching.""A lot of male fans will be disheartened to hear that.""That's alright! It was nothing but a young naive girl's dream that can never happen.""How come? Are there any men who would not like you?" "Well… because there is, you know, 'her' at his side already!"

The Goddess of the Grass Porridge!Because of her existence, Weed became someone that was out of everyone's reach.While Oh Joo Wan was observing the fighting scenes, he sighed.

"He is really fighting so well it is almost not understandable. These monsters are not to be taken lightly…"

"Is he fighting well?"

"He is doing awesome. He's thoroughly making use of his skills to exploit the monsters' weaknesses, and this looks so natural. He uses three, four skills in succession and seamlessly blends them in the combat. This is not coincidental and it is amazing. Do Chanmi-ssi, aren't you over level 350 as well?"

"I am a Mage, though, so I mostly support others in the distance. I do not know in detail about close-quarter combat."

"The high level users among our viewers will know what I am talking about. Those are not monsters that could be defeated in such an effortless way."

As the show continued, other guests that had been hastily invited made their appearances.

In case of KMC Media, the guests included Pakclas from the Hermes Guild, one of the top 100 rankers of the game, along with 7 other high leveled users.

They had also invited dwarf warrior Bindel from the Black Lion Guild, thinking that they needed someone on Weed's side in order to take a reasonably neutral stance.

"…"

"…"

Despite being normally talkative, they could only observe the fights with their mouths agape.

'How is that possible?'

'He can do that? In that way?'

'Lunging at the monster and slashing 4 times? And he just killed it by making all of them into critical hits?'

'He lands 2 blows as he shoves back the opponent, then hits 3 more times turning to the side. Is this some sort of a theater play or something? His movements exactly match those of the monsters.'

In case of Pakclas, he had even been learning the Heraim Fencing skill lately. He was trained in numerous fighting techniques recommended by the Hermes Guild. He had learned them through books, quests, and training, and he knew that it was hard to place the Heraim Fencing skill a level above those other techniques.

'Heraim Fencing Skill requires you to make direct hits. The risk is too big if the continuous hits are not maintained, and as the effects only last for short durations it is hard to keep it going.'

Hunting would be so easy for everyone if monsters took all the blows just because you attack them continuously.

Unfortunately, as you advanced in level, you had to deal with monsters in more numbers, and with increasingly diverse traits and complex skills.

So, even as one was landing hits, every movement involved in defense and evasion needed to be linked together in one great flow of combat.

Deciding the manner in which you stuck with your sword such as piercing or swinging, provoking the monsters at appropriate timing, and breaking their formation… these were all things that needed to be considered. This was only possible if one had every single element of combat under their control, which was almost difficult beyond imagination.

"He is finally at the Gate of Trial."

"Yes, he is going in."

As everyone already knew, he stepped into the Gate of Trial alone.

Even after that, whenever monsters showed up, he used the same Heraim Fencing skill to destroy all of them. Where he passed, there were only remnants of dead monsters remaining.

"He doesn't even look like he's getting tired."

"He is running toward the next monster!"

"He has closed the distance as he was shooting arrows. He makes an upward strike with his bow, draws his sword and uses Heraim Fencing skill again!"

By the time the first video was almost finished, there was an uncomfortable silence in the air.

"Pakclas, what do you think of Weed's adventure?"

"…"

"Necrat, any comment, please?."

"…"

The invited guests were at a loss for words.

It was also quite natural that the online message boards were being heated up by the viewers who had been waiting expectantly for the video showing Weed's adventure in the advanced training hall.

- Did they bring mannequins instead of guests?

- This looks as if someone hit the pause button.

- I just hope they'd close their mouths as they watch…

- Oh Joo Wan just asked a question, but nobody is answering. They seem to be completely out of it with shock.

- Oh, I see they brought in Pakclas, too. That guy declared a few hours ago that he would eat his own hat if Weed could beat the advanced training hall.

- Weed didn't technically beat it yet.

- Oh Joo Wan's just asked a question again. He asked Pakclas if he would be able to penetrate the Path of Struggle just like Weed if he was in his position.

After a pause, Pakclas answered that any top-ranking user in their prime condition could be just as good.

- Yeah, he said that with a cough, though. He probably was feeling quite embarrassed and guilty even as he said it.

- It's not that his words are wrong. A top-tier user should be able to go as far in as Weed.

- The Heraim Fencing skill, is it? You couldn't fight like that using only that technique, though.

- At any rate, I guess the second half would be the important part.. Right now, he can fight like that because he's not yet exhausted… but he will reach his limit before long.

For the sake of broadcast they fast-forwarded many fighting scenes, but the fact remained that Weed overwhelmed the enemy in every single encounter.

The second video clip arrived some time during the show, and the staff members of the broadcasting station scrambled to analyze it quickly, as they had to check what kind of scenes were included before they put them on air. After a while, shouts of amazement were heard among the producers.

"Kyaaa!""Woooooww."

As a couple of them including the program director screamed in amazement upon viewing the last few scenes.

"Really? He really cleared the entire path?""Yes, and he didn't even break a sweat."

This clip had been sent to all the media companies simultaneously.

The hosts told the viewers the outcome of this challenge first, which was what they had been wondering about the most.

"Weed's trial in the advanced training hall… We will play the last part of the clip first."

The screen showed Weed reaching the end of the Path of Struggle.

"…"

While the jaws of the other guests dropped yet again, even the host Oh Joo Wan was also at a loss for words this time.

On the monitor, Weed was shown wearing a tattered armor.

There was a strange tint of wildness in his eyes, and the bag that he carried looked full!

Looking quite indifferent to the astonishment of the show host and the viewers, Weed stepped into the portal that had been formed by the invitation from the God of Fighting.

(Continued on next volume…)