Chapter 126: The Uniqueness of Martial Arts, A Battle of Attrition, Departure
When Gagaran mistook the power of "Dark Wave" for magic, Tang Zheng naturally had no intention of explaining. The effects of skills from a high-tier job class were completely different from this world's martial arts, so it was only natural to mistake them for magic.
"I was careless just now."
Gagaran took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. His fierce white eyes looked at Tang Zheng, already recognizing him as a true opponent.
"My weapon was a bit lacking, too." Hearing the other's words, Tang Zheng lifted the remaining cracked hilt in his hand and casually tossed it to the ground.
Gagaran's pupils shrank as he saw the fragments of the shattered iron sword on the ground.
What exactly happened just now?
In that instant, besides his body stiffening, his mind had also become dazed. By the time he reacted, this deep wound had already appeared on his chest.
Was that magic technique just now at the cost of destroying his weapon?
This thought flashed through Gagaran's mind. His thick legs bent into a slight squat, his eyes widening.
"Outer Skin Reinforcement!"
Gagaran let out a low shout, then clenched his fists and spoke again, "Outer Skin Super Reinforcement!"
A layer of faint brown light flickered over Gagaran's entire body, followed immediately by an even brighter layer of faint brown light.
From a distance, Gagaran's deep green skin seemed to take on a metallic luster.
Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at the information that appeared on his status panel. He had always paid close attention to the unique martial arts of the otherworld.
Especially reinforcement-type martial arts, which were completely different from magical reinforcements.
For example, with reinforcement-type magic, if multiple spells were used simultaneously, only the highest-level spell would be retained.
But martial arts were different!
When "Outer Skin Reinforcement" and "Outer Skin Super Reinforcement" were used together, they didn't overwrite each other like magic; instead, they stacked.
This was the unique aspect of martial arts!
Tang Zheng withdrew his gaze from the status panel. He had not learned these two reinforcement-type martial skills.
It wasn't that he didn't want to learn them, but that he couldn't use them.
Unlike demi-humans, humans only had a thin layer of skin and lacked an outer hide, making this type of reinforcement unusable for them.
"I underestimated you, human alchemist."
Gagaran's rough voice sounded, his thick, long arms hanging past his waist to his thighs as he spoke solemnly, "I will only attack once more. If you can withstand it, I will apologize for my arrogance."
After saying this, Gagaran felt a little ashamed. His warrior's intuition allowed him to faintly sense that Tang Zheng's aura was not as strong as his.
His opponent was a magic caster specializing in alchemy.
Under these circumstances, not only had he been injured and forced back by his opponent, but he had also been pushed to use his strongest defensive measures to prevent an attack like the one before.
Hearing Gagaran's words, Tang Zheng said, his gaze relaxing slightly, "A single exchange to decide the winner? I suppose that's to my advantage."
In terms of raw power, Tang Zheng knew his own limits; at his current level, he was no match for the Gagaran before him.
The only way he could defeat his opponent was through a long-range battle of attrition. By exploiting Gagaran's inability to fly, Tang Zheng could summon a Flame Archangel to carry him into the sky and attack from there.
However, the Flame Archangel magic scrolls he had were almost completely used up in the Great Swamp. The only gain was 「Experience Slot: 20152/10000」.
Barely breaking twenty thousand, it was enough to reliably gain one level.
The remaining two magic scrolls were also destroyed by Gagaran in the previous battle.
During the three-day journey back to the Imperial Capital, Tang Zheng had only casually created two Flame Archangel magic scrolls, infusing most of his remaining magic power into the 「Orb of Death 110/280」.
Therefore, even fighting a battle of attrition would be somewhat difficult.
Gagaran's sudden visit was completely unexpected, leaving him unprepared.
But!
He had revealed his "Dark Wave" ability precisely to prepare for a battle of attrition.
Tang Zheng glanced at the blood still seeping from Gagaran's wound, his expression calm.
After his Cursed Knight class reached Lv 3, its curse inflicted damage that could not be cured by low-tier healing and suppressed regenerative abilities.
This was a natural counter to races like trolls that relied on regeneration!
Gagaran might not have realized it yet, but after a short while, the blood loss alone would be enough to wear him down to death.
"I'm attacking!"
Gagaran gave a warning as he instantly unleashed his ferocious aura.
Boom!
The ground shook.
Gagaran spread his legs, his massive figure charging toward Tang Zheng like a speeding train, creating a powerful, sweeping gale.
At the same time, the light of a martial skill once again flashed across Gagaran's body: "Flowing Water Acceleration!"
His already incredible speed suddenly jumped another level. Just as he was about to reach Tang Zheng, Gagaran seemed to be taking precautions against Tang Zheng using that same technique from before.
Bang!
He stomped down hard, leaping into the air, and threw a punch downward, using the momentum of his massive body's descent.
Such a technique!
Even if Tang Zheng used that technique again—the one that caused him to lose consciousness and bodily control—he could still continue his attack, relying on the momentum of his free fall.
"What powerful combat intuition."
Tang Zheng looked up at Gagaran, who was crashing down like a giant boulder from the sky, a trace of astonishment on his face.
Even Tang Zheng himself hadn't thought that such a strategy could be used to circumvent the state of physical stiffness.
Furthermore, against this kind of attack, even summoning a Flame Archangel for defense wouldn't be very effective; the opponent would use his own weight to crush the angel along with everything else.
Should I use a fourth-tier angel summoning?
No need!
A flash of magical power enveloped Tang Zheng's body. He shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, and with a push of his feet, he shot away from his original position like an arrow.
"Shrink!"
In the blink of an eye, Tang Zheng had reappeared several tens of meters away.
Boom!
Gagaran's punch hit nothing but air, creating a visible shockwave. Seeing Tang Zheng easily dodge his attack, a hint of excitement appeared in his fierce white eyes.
It had been a long time since he'd met such an interesting opponent.
Despite being weaker than him, his opponent could not only injure him but also easily dodge his attacks.
Gagaran suppressed his excitement, a grin splitting his face to reveal sharp teeth. He looked at Tang Zheng and said without reservation, "I lose, human alchemist."
If his opponent were weak, Gagaran wouldn't have bothered interacting with him at all. But the brief exchange had made Gagaran realize that Tang Zheng was no weakling, but a strong individual who possessed mysterious magical techniques.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Gagaran," he said heartily.
"Free Will Tang." Tang Zheng's body flickered, returning to its original size.
Thump!
Gagaran sat down cross-legged on the ground with a dull thud. "Then let's talk, Tang."
"Alright."
"But before that, you need to treat your injuries."
Tang Zheng's voice was calm as he pointed at the sword wound on Gagaran's chest, from which blood was still pouring. It seemed the recent violent movements had made the bleeding even faster.
Gagaran looked down at his chest, his white pupils contracting.
As a member of a race born with powerful regenerative abilities, injuries that would be fatal to a human were something he could normally recover from in a short time.
But now, this wound, which he considered minor, hadn't healed at all. Moreover, the amount of bleeding was clearly abnormal.
"You..."
Gagaran raised his head, opened his mouth, and paused.
At that moment, outside the noble courtyard, the various factions of the Imperial Capital who were waiting and watching the commotion looked at the closed main gate with some confusion.
They naturally knew why the "Warrior King," Gagaran, had appeared here. Logically, it shouldn't have taken this long.
Yet, until now, it had been completely quiet inside.
Time passed, bit by bit.
It was not until evening that Gagaran finally pushed open the heavy, ornate main gate and walked out of the noble courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the many confused onlookers outside.
"Hmph."
Gagaran let out a cold snort.
Ignoring the crowd, he solemnly closed the gate before leaving. Wherever his massive figure passed, countless pedestrians proactively cleared a path.
Expressions of astonishment appeared on the faces of many in the crowd.
Just from Gagaran's small action, these people immediately realized that something they didn't know about must have happened inside.
This piece of information was also delivered to the Blood Emperor at the earliest opportunity.
If it were any other matter, the Blood Emperor wouldn't have cared. But as a fan of the "Warrior King" Gagaran, and as it concerned a symbol of the Empire, the Blood Emperor immediately dispatched someone to have Osco from the Imperial Arena ask Gagaran what exactly had happened.
A mere alchemist managing to keep the "Warrior King" Gagaran there for such a long time was abnormal no matter how one looked at it.
Inside the luxurious grand hall, the Blood Emperor paced restlessly around the room, his slender fingers pressed to his chin, a pensive look on his face.
"A unique alchemical technique."
"Using a troll's blood to craft potions..."
The Blood Emperor, Jircniv, raised his head, his golden pupils flashing. "Could it be that his target from the very beginning was the 'Warrior King' Gagaran?"
"That doesn't seem to be it, either. This person is becoming more and more problematic."
Knock, knock.
A light knocking sound came from the door.
"Come in," Jircniv said without raising his head.
The aide cautiously pushed the door open and walked in.
"Speak."
"Osco made inquiries. The Warrior King said nothing, only that he has canceled all his matches for the next few days."
The air fell silent for a moment.
"Continue to have our people keep a close watch on that alchemist."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Late at night, in the Noble District courtyard, Tang Zheng looked at the moonlight obscured by dark clouds in the sky, smiled lightly, and said to the Lesser Soulhound beside him, "It's time for us to leave, too."
"Awoo," went the Lesser Soulhound.
Tang Zheng reached out his palm and tapped the Lesser Soulhound on the head. "Shrink."
The Lesser Soulhound's body shuddered, and in the blink of an eye, it shrank to the size of a normal puppy.
Tang Zheng then took a feather from some kind of bird out of his item box. Holding it in his hand, his body began to glow with a verdant green light.
"Wild Shape!"
Whoosh!
Tang Zheng's body twisted and contracted slightly, transforming into a large goshawk over a meter tall.
...
Skill: Wild Shape (I)
Cost: Transformation requires one corresponding material from a wild beast or monster. The material can only be used once.
Description: The transformed wild beast or monster cannot exceed the transformer's body size. After transforming, the user cannot use their pre-transformation abilities.
When the transformer's level exceeds that of the transformed beast or monster, the stats are calculated based on the level limit of the creature itself.
...
Tang Zheng shook his body slightly, still a little unaccustomed to the somewhat weak beast form.
He glanced at his status panel: Goshawk (Lv 8)
"The highest is only Level 8?"
A human voice came from the sharp hawk's beak.
With a powerful flap of its broad wings, Tang Zheng snatched up the shrunken Lesser Soulhound, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the night.
(end of chapter)