Chapter 16: Feels So Damn Good!
Was the Deter Cheat technique actually created by this mysterious gamer?
The entire world was shaken with speculation, unable to determine who this mysterious newcomer truly was. Even more intriguing, was he somehow connected to Ignis Flamma—the man who introduced the concept of Deter Cheat to all of Valia?
Those pondering this question included the very warriors currently fighting alongside Ignis himself.
“Chief Advisor, should we head to Estaphalia to reinforce His Majesty?”
The question came from Esoth, the captain of the Wyvern Rider squad directly under Ignis’s command. They were still circling the skies above Asterith, observing the situation below.
Emperor Drarkarr had charged ahead alone to take on Elenora, and the campaign seemed to be 90% in the bag. Still, they couldn’t afford to drop their guard. A Wyvern squad had been dispatched shortly after to provide backup, just in case anything went unexpectedly wrong.
Esoth and the bulk of Zephrania’s forces had remained with Ignis to maintain control over the battlefield at Asterith. However, with the sudden and wildly unforeseen twist—Drarkarr being held off by a random newbie who’d seemingly appeared out of nowhere—Esoth was getting anxious and didn’t know what to do.
Ever since that guy named Kai showed up, Ignis—who was flying alongside him—had been acting strangely. Normally reserved and soft-spoken, Ignis was never one to stay silent when it came to giving orders. This sudden quietness struck Esoth as deeply odd.
“Chief Advisor!” Esoth called out again. “Are we going to save His Majesty or not?!”
“Ah… right.” Ignis guided his Wyvern into a landing and then finally spoke. “Not yet. Don’t rush. I have a feeling this situation isn’t that simple. Are the garrisons on the East and West ends of the map still online?”
“Huh…?”
Esoth stammered. They were currently carrying out a full-scale assault on Asterith in the far South of the map—who would still be paying attention to the East and West flanks, which had long since been buried deep within Zephrania's territory?
The conflict between Estapha and Zephrania had always run along a North-South axis. As Zephrania pushed Estapha further and further South, the focus of the battlefield naturally shifted downwards. The East and West edges of the map had become barren for months, now mostly populated by casual and peace-loving players.
Naturally, Zephrania’s army preferred the intensity of the frontlines. Now, with Ignis suddenly asking about the East and West flanks, Esoth found himself speechless. Indeed, despite Zephrania’s massive player base, the outer flanks were often left under-garrisoned.
“Contact the nearest squads to the East and West edges,” Ignis instructed calmly. “Tell them to scout the surrounding areas as fast as possible.”
That was the brief and direct order Ignis gave him. After that, Esoth heard Ignis calling someone else—not him.
“Drarkarr, what’s the situation?”
“GODDAMN MOTHERF—!!!”
And that… was the reply that echoed back.
===
“Goddamn motherf—!!!”
Right now, Drarkarr was so overwhelmed he couldn’t even think straight, let alone report back to Ignis. He was getting absolutely wrecked by that newbie Kai in the most humiliating way imaginable.
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For the first time in history, a rookie had been given a starter weapon set that didn’t include just one, or two, but a leather bundle with twenty steel spears.
“Why the hell would anyone need that many?!” Drarkarr roared in frustration.
"Why the hell would anyone need that many?” was exactly what Kai was wondering too.
Twenty spears meant twenty times the weight—enough to noticeably slow him down. If it wasn’t for lugging around this ridiculous pile of junk, Elenora’s buffs would’ve had him moving way faster.
Both he and Drarkarr were facing an unexpected variable, but Kai was the one adapting faster. Let’s see if I can make this quantity work, he thought—and wasted no time putting it into practice.
Dual Wield.
A spear in each hand. Absolutely unheard of.
Spears were long, heavy weapons. They were meant to be used with both hands for optimal thrust and control. No one in their right mind dual-wielded spears—too awkward, too clumsy.
Drarkarr actually chuckled at the absurdity of the move.
Kestral Strike!
Kai dashed forward with a sudden burst of speed, thrusting the right-hand spear. It was a favorite opener for Lancer-class players—fast startup, minimal animation, and a mini-stun on hit to set up follow-ups.
Drarkarr sneered, not even bothering to block. His scythe had nearly 1.5x the reach of a spear and was currently buffed by Crimson Requiem’s Blood Cleave. He was confident he could cut Kai down before the spear even got close.
But just as the right spear was halfway through its motion, Kai canceled the move. His right arm pulled back slightly—then the left spear came flying in.
Weapon cooldowns are calculated separately per hand. He’d used the right spear purely as a feint—then immediately followed up with the left.
Force Breaker!
A Force - Lancing skill. The spear lunges forward, and at the end of its path, unleashes a shockwave that tears through space.
Haleos, Drarkarr’s scythe, was insanely fast—but it needed to swing in a wide arc. Kai’s spear was already point-blank. Distance first, speed second—and even by a hair, Force Breaker hit first. Drarkarr was knocked slightly back, his attack interrupted.
There’s no more frustrating feeling than having insane attack speed, about to land a hit—only for it to get canceled at the last second. Drarkarr wasn’t some noob who could be baited that easily. He literally couldn’t see it coming.
That’s right—his first-person view was half-covered in blood-red. He saw the Kestral Strike, but not the Force Breaker from Kai’s left hand. Even switching to third-person wouldn’t have helped—his massive boss-tier avatar body would’ve blocked the view anyway.
So that Aetheral Strike earlier that hit his eye... wasn’t an accident?
Emperor Wrath!!!
Drarkarr wasn’t going to underestimate this opponent any longer. If he didn’t get serious now, he might end up losing in the most disgraceful way possible. He needed to go all in—just like when he sparred with Ignis Flamma.
Emperor Wrath: The emperor ignites his own blood into flames, entering an Invincible state and gaining +100 attack speed for 10 seconds. Resets cooldowns on all regular skills.
The skill had a long cooldown and was something he reserved for turning points. Someone like him rarely needed it. And yet, here he was—using it just to break out of a mini-stun and evaporate the blood covering his face.
He couldn’t let this rookie gain any more momentum. But he also couldn’t recklessly charge forward. Reining in his frustration, he stepped back—
Shadow Step.
Despite his arsenal of exclusive, overpowered abilities, Drarkarr still had access to the basics. Shadow Step, a favorite of Dark Mages, let the user vanish into the shadows and teleport a short distance.
“Pull back, find the right distance, then line up your target—mid-range is perfect for long weapons,” Ignis had once told him.
Shadow Step, followed by Pyro Slash—one of Ignis Flamma’s classic combos.
Pyro Slash released a searing wave of flame, covering a wide area. The trick? You could cast it mid-Shadow Step with zero delay.
“Who do you think invented this combo?”
Drarkarr heard Kai’s voice right next to him—and before he could react, that gleaming black spear was already coming for his face. Kai had rolled forward the moment Drarkarr teleported, dodging the Pyro Slash perfectly. Then, from that roll, he launched straight into an attack.
Cancel!
Drarkarr’s fingers went into overdrive. At peak reaction speed and APM, he could match any top player in the world. He canceled Pyro Slash, slipped to the side, and narrowly dodged the spear thrust.
Kai had missed—and now he was in Drarkarr’s range. Point-blank with spears? Huge disadvantage.
Blood Claw!
Drarkarr’s left hand morphed into a crimson claw, a powerful close-range CC move. With two spears cluttering Kai’s space, how the hell was he supposed to dodge?
“Nowhere to run, rookie!”
Just as Drarkarr grinned to himself, Kai canceled his move—twisting his body, still facing away. His left arm suddenly snapped back—
Slice!
“Goddamn motherf—!!!”
Drarkarr took the hit, completely stunned. On Kai’s left arm, the 2-meter spear had somehow shortened by a third—now looking like a long-handled sword or short spear.
“I’m just as confused about this thing as you are, dude. Don’t ask.”
Kai said it as he launched into another flurry of blows.
So this is Valia? This just feels so damn good!
