Chương 105

Before Rudra could even close the mastery notifications, another wave of golden text cascaded across his vision. [You are the first player to achieve this milestone with a weapon.] [You have acquired the title 'Great Staffsman'.] [Great Staffsman] [The closest person to becoming a staff saint in this age. - When a staff type weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 40% and attack speed by 10%. - This effect is applied separately from the Staff Mastery skill effect.] [A unique resource is unlocked.] [Resource: 'Staff Energy' has been generated.] [The information of all the Staff Skills has been updated.] Rudra blinked. A heavy, dense blue haze suddenly started rising from his shoulders. It looked like steam boiling off his coat in the freezing air, but it felt solid. He pulled up the resource description. [Staff Energy] [A unique blue energy that rises like a haze from a Great Staffsman. When using a staff, the consumed resource for physical combat skills is changed to Staff Energy. - Default Maximum Value: 1, 000. - Staff skills utilizing Staff Energy are 50% more powerful. - Recovery Condition: Replenishes every time the staff is swung violently.]"Oh, that is amazing," Rudra whispered, a massive grin spreading across his face. It was the ultimate warrior's resource. He didn't need to burn his stamina or manage his mana pool for his heavy strikes anymore. To get his energy back, all he had to do was swing his stick like a madman. It fit his infinite-momentum fighting style perfectly.

A final, platinum system prompt chimed. [Staff Saint Candidate Quest: Phase 4 has been completed!] [Quest: Staff Saint (Final Phase) has been generated.] [Staff Saint] [Difficulty: SSS] [Win against a legend.] Rudra stared at the quest. Win against a legend. It was brutally simple.

"Duke Rudra," a quiet, awestruck voice broke the silence. Rudra looked up. Piaro had dropped his pine branch. The Great Swordsman was staring intently at the thick blue haze rolling off Rudra's body. Piaro took a slow step forward, his sharp eyes completely wide.

"I have seen Sword Energy many times," Piaro murmured, his voice trembling slightly with pure fascination.

"It sharpens a blade, increasing its cutting power to slice through steel. I have seen Spear Energy, which condenses into a single point to maximize piercing. But this..." Piaro reached a hand out, feeling the heavy pressure radiating from Rudra's staff.

"This energy does not cut. It does not pierce," Piaro breathed out.

"It amplifies sheer, uncompromising force. It is the physical manifestation of pure weight." Piaro looked at Rudra's face. The old, broken beggar was completely gone. In his place was a legendary warrior whose battle-maniac blood was actively boiling. Piaro had spent his entire life striving to reach the pinnacle of the sword. Seeing Rudra stand directly on the threshold of becoming a Saint ignited a fierce, emotional fire in his chest.

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"You have reached the wall, Duke," Piaro said, a wild, challenging smile breaking across his scarred face. He picked his pine branch back out of the snow.

"Cross weapons with me again. Right now. Show me the weight of a Saint." Rudra laughed. His arms were sore, but his new resource bar was sitting at a full 1, 000 points.

"You asked for it." Piaro vanished. He crossed the clearing instantly, bringing his branch down in a blinding horizontal sweep, immediately chaining it into a rapid vertical strike. Rudra didn't back down.

"[Iron Guard]!" [20 Staff Energy consumed] Rudra braced his staff. The blue haze flared, hardening around the ironwood. CLANG! CLANG! The upgraded skill easily absorbed both consecutive hits. But Rudra didn't just stand there and take it. He casually twirled his staff, letting Piaro's branch slide harmlessly down the bone shaft. Without stopping the spin, he slid his grip down to the very end of the weapon, dropping his hips to maximize his reach. A thick blue trail of energy followed the bone.

"[Sweeping Gale]!" [50 Staff Energy consumed.] [Sweeping Gale (Lv. 7)] [A rapid, low-angle horizontal swing using the full length of the staff to clear a crowd. - Deals 285% physical damage in a wide arc and violently knocks lightweight targets off their feet. Resource Consumption: 50 Staff Energy. Skill Cooldown: 2 Minutes.] The staff blurred. The 285% multiplier, combined with the 50% power boost from the Staff Energy, created a massive shockwave.

Piaro jumped back, but the violent wind ripped the top layer of snow completely off the clearing.

"Incredible!" Piaro roared, rushing right back into the blast zone.

"I'm not done!" Rudra yelled. He didn't reset his stance. He rode the momentum, letting the staff loop around his body. He pointed his left hand at his weapon.

"[Divine Infusion]!" [50 Divine Energy and 500 Mana consumed.] A bright, holy light wrapped around the dark bone shaft, mixing with the heavy blue Staff Energy. Rudra didn't wait for Piaro to close the distance. He slid his hands to the center of the staff, stepped onto an invisible Abyssal Step platform just an inch off the snow to instantly bypass Piaro's guard, and invaded the swordsman's personal space. It wasn't a chaotic, ugly brawl anymore. It was a fuckin storm. Thwack! Thwack!

He attacked from wildly unpredictable angles. One second he swept wide, the next he choked up on the staff for brutal, rapid short-strikes. He completely dictated the pace, trapping Piaro in a heavy, suffocating rhythm. Every time Rudra swung, his Staff Energy ticked back up, constantly feeding the endless loop.

"[Crushing Strike]!" [30 Staff Energy consumed.] [Crushing Strike (MAX)] [Active] [Channels heavy momentum to the tip of your staff for a devastating overhead or horizontal swing. - Deals 360% of your physical attack power. Resource Consumption: 30 Staff Energy. Skill Cooldown: 12 seconds.] Rudra rode the absolute peak of his momentum, bringing the heavy staff down like a falling meteor. The 360% multiplier hit with terrifying power. Piaro threw his branch up to parry, trying to redirect the force. CRACK!

[Blunt Force (Lv. 7)] [Your strikes carry a heavy, deep impact. - 33% of your physical damage bypasses standard armor. - Hitting a target repeatedly in the exact same spot has a low probability of inflicting a 1-second [Stun] effect.] Even with a perfect parry, the deep, rattling impact of the staff bypassed Piaro's guard. The Great Swordsman grunted, his boots sliding back through the dirt.

The holy shockwave from the Divine Infusion exploded, instantly healing the minor scrapes Rudra had taken during the exchange. They fought to a complete standstill. The snowy clearing was reduced to a crater of dirt and broken pine needles. Piaro finally lowered his branch, panting heavily. His eyes were shining with a profound, quiet realization. A system window suddenly popped up in Rudra's vision. [Piaro has witnessed the absolute pinnacle of a martial path.] [Piaro has glimpsed the path to becoming a Sword Saint.] [Continuous high-level sparring will allow him to eventually reach the Sword Saint class.]"Whoa," Rudra smiled, swiping the window away.

"Looks like you learned something too."

"I did," Piaro breathed out, looking at his wooden branch.

"The wall is not insurmountable. It just requires absolute conviction." Rudra nodded, resting his staff on his shoulder. The blue haze slowly faded as his stance relaxed. He looked down at the Staff of the Fire Lord. The deep crack in the bone was dangerously wide now. His Obsidian Drake Leather Gloves were basically being held together by pure stubbornness.

"My gear is totally fried," Rudra sighed, brushing the snow off his black trench coat.

"I can't fight a legend with a broken stick." Piaro chuckled, tossing his pine branch into the campfire.

"Then we march south. It is time we visit this Winston."

"Yeah," Rudra grinned, whistling for Kratos.

"Let's go find a blacksmith."