Chương 100

Malacus sneered as the heavy bone staff descended. He had faced countless arrogant warriors today, and all of them had failed to scratch him.

"Foolish," Malacus mocked, flicking his finger to deploy his absolute black shield directly in the path of the strike. The dark barrier materialized instantly, layering itself densely to absorb the incoming impact. CRASH! The shield didn't hold. It didn't even slow the staff down. Rudra's base Strength was sitting well over 1, 500.

Combined with the 30% attack power boost from his legendary Obsidian Drake Leather Gloves and the massive multiplier of Crushing Strike, the blunt physical damage was mathematically absurd. The absolute defense shattered into glowing purple dust like a cheap window pane. Malacus's eyes bugged out in sheer horror as the heavy ironwood plowed straight through the barrier and smashed directly into his chest. KABOOM!

The 6th Servant of Yatan was violently launched backward, skipping across the dirt before crashing hard into a massive boulder. [You have dealt 142, 500 damage!] Malacus spat a mouthful of black blood.

"H-How?! My shield—" Rudra didn't give him time to talk. He stepped forward and swung again. The fight wasn't a duel; it was supposed to be a fuckin execution. Rudra battered the dark priest, ignoring standard combat pacing.

"Duke Rudra," a calm voice called out from the edge of the clearing. Piaro was casually leaning against a pine tree, his arms crossed. He watched the massacre with the critical eye of a teacher.

"Your shoulder is stiff," Piaro advised evenly over the sound of breaking rocks.

"Do not force the reversal with your arms alone. Let the recoil guide the backswing. Do not waste the momentum." Rudra grunted, adjusting his grip on his black leather gloves.

"Right." He relaxed his shoulders. When his staff bounced off a hastily cast magical barrier, Rudra didn't fight the kickback. He rode it, spinning his hips and letting the heavy bone staff whip around in a fluid, continuous loop. Thwack! [The passive effect 'Echo Strike' has been triggered!] A phantom shockwave exploded against Malacus's ribs, doubling the impact. Malacus, desperate and clinging to a sliver of health, threw his hands out.

A blind, erratic blast of dark magic erupted from his palms, aimed point-blank at Rudra's chest. Rudra didn't even bother raising his staff to block.

"Targeted Manifestation," Rudra muttered. [1% of your Maximum Mana is being consumed per second.] The dense blue energy of his Mana Heart instantly flooded his left arm. Invisible, unbreakable steel cables of pure mana reinforced his muscles from the inside out, granting a massive 200% localized enhancement. Rudra just reached out with his glowing, bare left hand and slapped Malacus directly across the face. SMACK! The sharp, echoing sound cracked through the clearing like a cannon shot.

The sheer, concentrated blunt force of the slap bypassed the dark magic entirely. It violently spun Malacus around, throwing the 6th Servant face-first into the dirt. Because Malacus was a Named Boss, the system's crowd control resistance kept him from being fully stunned, but the absolute disrespect of the attack left him completely dazed. Behind Rudra, Grid and Regas dropped their jaws.

Regas's eyes were practically sparkling at the raw, unrefined martial application of a slap, while Grid just stared in pure disbelief. Down the mountain path, the sound of heavy boots and desperate shouting echoed through the trees. Jishuka, Pon, Vantner, and the rest of the elite Tzedakah Guild were sprinting up the slope. They had chugged their best buff potions and readied their ultimate skills. They were fully prepared for a desperate, life-or-death raid against a boss that could easily wipe their entire party.

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"Protect Regas and Grid!" Jishuka yelled, an arrow already knocked on her bowstring.

"Toban, take the vanguard! Do not let Malacus cast his AOE!" They burst through the tree line, ready for hell. Instead, they froze completely. The chaotic, high-stakes battlefield they expected didn't exist. Malacus, the terrifying 6th Servant of Yatan, was pinned in the dirt, groaning as a single player casually towered over him.

"What... what is happening?" Vantner whispered, his twin axes dropping slightly. Jishuka and Pon stared at the player's face. They noted his brutal, hyper-optimized fighting style. Then, their eyes drifted to the half-gold, half-black divine beast happily tearing into the remaining Yatan cultists nearby. Pon's grip on his spear loosened.

"A heavy bone staff... a dual-attribute beast... fighting with a staff without magic..." Pon muttered, his brain rapidly connecting the dots from the community forums.

"Jishuka. That's not the hidden class blacksmith." Jishuka stared at the player, her eyes wide.

"That's Rudra. The 1st Ranker." Rudra didn't notice the audience. He was entirely focused on finishing the job. He brought the Staff of the Fire Lord up for one final, devastating swing.

"This is for the lion," Rudra said flatly. KABOOM! The staff crashed down. Malacus's health bar finally evaporated. The 6th Servant let out a broken gasp before his body dissolved into a massive mountain of grey ash. [You have defeated the Sixth Servant, Malacus, who spread fear through the world!] [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +3, 000.] [The Yatan Church will be forever hostile to you.] [1, 531, 050 experience has been acquired.] [The 'Rune of Analysis' has activated!] [You have analyzed the combat characteristics of a Named NPC!] [Reinterpreting Malacus's sacrificial rituals and enormous magic-fueled self-recovery into a holy art of restoration...] [New Active Skill Acquired: Divine Infusion] [Divine Infusion] [Type: Active] [Instead of sacrificing others to sustain yourself, you utilize your own Divine Power to force extreme, miraculous recovery. - You can actively infuse your Divine Energy into a weapon, a consumable item, or directly into a living target. - If infused into a weapon: Your physical strikes will violently siphon the enemy's vitality, restoring your Health equal to 50% of the damage dealt for the next 3 hits. - If infused into a consumable: The item's restorative effects are amplified by 200%, and it instantly purges dark-attribute curses or debuffs upon consumption. Resource Consumption: 50 Divine Energy and 500 Mana. Skill Cooldown: 10 Minutes.] Rudra rested his staff on his shoulder and exhaled. The absolute rage faded, replaced by his usual calm.

He knelt down and sifted through the massive ash pile. He pulled out three items, tapping his interface to check their stats. [Malacus' Cloak] [Rating: Unique Durability: 35/81 Defense: 15 - Intelligence +200 - Bloody smell. A magic cloak that Malacus liked. It was originally a cloak made of blue cloth, but it became discolored by the blood of many virgins. Conditions of Use: Level 200 or higher. Weight: 10] [Bloody Smell] [It always gives off a bloody smell. It is easy for the wearer to become a target of beasts and monsters, and makes other people offended.] [Malacus' Mask] [Rating: Unique Durability: 11/20 - All Attributes Resistance: +5% - Reduces magic casting time by 20%. A black mask used by Malacus. There are no special features regarding its appearance, but Malacus treats it like a treasure. Conditions of Use: Level 200 or higher. Weight: 1] [Dark Magic Orb] [Rating: Unique Durability: 90/130 Magic Damage: +14% - Dark magic attack power: +20% - Number of spells that can be stored: 4 A powerful orb used since before Malacus was appointed as Yatan's servant. Conditions of Use: Level 200 or higher. More than 500 intelligence. Weight: 80] Rudra stared at the glowing blue windows.

"A cloak that smells like old blood and actively attracts monsters?" Rudra muttered, wrinkling his nose.

"And magic casting gear? I literally don't cast a single spell" It was all completely useless to him. His Black Staff Lord class relied purely on physical momentum and blunt force. But the skill that allowed him to instantly turn his massive attack power into self-healing, or drastically boost the healing properties of his food for his allies? It was the ultimate safety net.

Rudra stood up and turned around, finally noticing the seventeen elite Tzedakah Guild members standing completely paralyzed at the edge of the clearing. He casually walked over to them, holding the glowing Unique items in his hand.

"Hey," Rudra said brightly, looking directly at Jishuka.

"You guys are a top guild, right? I just pulled some caster gear and a magic orb off the boss. None of this fits my build. Do any of you want to buy it off me?" Jishuka blinked. The undisputed 1st Ranker had just soloed a raid boss that nearly wiped her entire guild, and his first instinct was to open a flea market in the middle of the battlefield. Rudra didn't wait for her to process the shock. He looked over at Grid. The young man was standing in his heavy armor, gripping his massive greatsword.

Grid's face was twisted in frustrated rage, his eyes darting around the clearing as if expecting the shield to magically pop out of the dirt.

"Sorry, kid," Rudra said, offering an apologetic smile.

"I tossed the boss's entire inventory. Your shield wasn't in there. Malacus must have sent one of his subordinates to steal it." Grid gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white around his sword hilt.

"You jerk! Where did that thief go?!"

"Don't worry," Rudra said, resting his bone staff over his shoulder.

"We'll hit a tavern, I'll even cook you up some food, and track the actual thief down next."