novelraw Chapter 47: Useless Gacha...
Chapter 47: Useless Gacha...
[New Skill Obtained: Noctierre’s Conditioning (20.8%)]
[Quote Reached: Activating Passive]
[Skill Passive: 20% Pain Reduction]
"A new skill...? And it’s already at 20.8%!?"
[Dangerous Conditions Increased Experience Gain]
I felt it immediately. The ache in my ribs dulled from a sharp, stabbing agony to a low, manageable throb. My knuckles, bloody and battered, no longer vibrated with every movement.
Twenty percent wasn’t much. But right now, it was everything.
The two Sentinels I’d knocked down were already climbing back to their feet. The fourth one circled behind me, slower than the others, its stone probably older than the others.
I charged at the slower Sentinel and planted my foot on its knee, using it to launch myself upward and connect my fist with its jaw.
CRACK!
And the entire head tore loose, crashing to the floor in a cloud of dust.
[Noctierre’s Swordstyle: 10.4%]
The construct crumpled.
I had no idea where this boost of recklessness came from, but right now, it was the only reason I was surviving.
Was this muscle memory? Something that came with the new conditioning skill? Or was it something else?
Doesn’t matter right now!
Behind me, the machine was holding its own against the two remaining Sentinels, but just barely. Its blade had chipped further, and one of its arms was hanging at an awkward angle, struck by a blow it hadn’t fully dodged.
We needed to end this.
I grabbed the fallen Sentinel’s head from the floor, heavy, maybe fifty pounds of solid stone, and hurled it at the nearest construct.
CRACK!
It was a direct hit!
The Sentinel’s chest caved inward, cracks radiating outward like lightning. It stumbled, tried to raise its arm, and then collapsed into a heap of rubble.
The last one turned to run.
I didn’t let it.
Two steps, a leap onto its back, and I drove my fist into the back of its skull repeatedly.
BANG!
It fell to the ground, its head completely shattered.
I quickly climbed off it, my chest heaving as blood dripped from my hands onto the cold stone floor. There were still three more Sentinels left nearby.
Two currently fighting the machine.
And the one near me, the one whose arm I had shattered.
But...
"Fuck, my body can’t move..."
I coughed up blood and dropped to my knees as one-armed Sentinel approached, ready to finish me off.
But before it could...
The machine drew its attention. It snatched up chunks of rubble scattered by all its constant dodging and hurled them at the back of the Sentinel’s head, forcing it to turn and change targets.
"Close one..."
I let out a weak laugh, collapsing onto my hands and knees as I struggled to breathe. Adrenaline could only take me so far...
Good thing I had another thing up my sleeve... although, this one wasn’t really a guarantee.
[Minor Quest Finished]
[Unlocked 10% of Cassian’s skill]
[Reward: Skill Gacha (Romance Tree)]
Gambling... it sounded terrible, especially considering how bad my luck had been. But right now, I didn’t really have a choice.
"Claim reward."
[Pick Path]
- Basic Path
- Incubus Path
The choice was obvious this time. I didn’t think anything useful would come from the Basic Path when it came to combat. Besides... with the incubus stuff already unlocked, I didn’t think it would be useful anymore, even for normal romance.
"Incubus!"
I watched the notification flicker. The machine was doing its best to keep the remaining Sentinels occupied, hurling rubble, dodging blows that would have crushed a normal man into paste.
But it was losing.
Slowly, methodically, but losing.
"Come on," I muttered, staring at the spinning wheel on the display. "Come on, give me something useful. A combat skill or something...! Surely an incubus would have something like vitality drain, right!?"
The wheel slowed.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
[Skill Obtained: Sweet Scent (Passive) Lv.1]
[Effect: Your natural pheromones subtly inspire attraction in nearby living creatures.]
[Range: Scent Radius]
I stared at the words.
Sweet Scent.
Pheromones.
Attracting creatures.
"...You have got to be kidding me."
Romance Tree skill, right... I’d known that already. But I’d hoped, stupidly, that I’d get something that could help me survive the next five minutes.
Instead, I got the ability to smell nice.
"This is useless," I said out loud, watching as the machine took another hit, its frame sparking. "This is completely useless right now!"
[Sweet Scent Effectiveness against Stone Sentinels: 0%]
[Targets must possess olfactory receptors and a functioning nervous system to be affected]
"Thank you, system. Very helpful. I’m dying, but thank you."
I pushed myself to my feet, my body screaming in protest. The pain reduction from [Noctierre’s Conditioning] was keeping me upright, but just barely. My ribs ached with every breath.
The one-armed Sentinel had now joined its two remaining companions. Three of them circling the damaged construct, their heavy footsteps echoing through the chamber.
The machine was holding its ground, but I could see the damage adding up. Its left arm hung limp now, sparking at the joint. Its blade was chipped beyond usefulness, more a jagged club than a sword. It was still dodging, still countering, but slower now.
It wouldn’t last much longer.
And neither would I.
"Useless goddamn gacha,"
I muttered, limping toward the nearest pile of rubble. Even if the skill was useless, I still had my fists. Still had whatever strange strength the original Cassian had built into this body.
I picked up a chunk of stone the size of my head.
"This would do..."
The machine took another hit, this one to its torso. Its blue eyes flickered, dimmed, then brightened again. But I saw the way its frame shuddered. Heard the grinding of damaged gears.
It was going to break.
And when it did, I was going to die.
"Machine!" I shouted, hefting the stone. "Draw them toward the center!"
It didn’t acknowledge me. Didn’t need to. Its movements shifted, retreating step by step, luring the three Sentinels toward the middle of the chamber where I could get the best angle.
I circled around the edge of the room, staying in the shadows. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
One chance.
The Sentinels had their backs to me now, all three of them focused on the machine. The one-armed one was slower than the others, trailing behind, its damaged body grinding with every step.
I ran.
Not at the one-armed Sentinel. At the one in the middle, the slightly larger one, the one that seemed to be a bit smarter than the rest.
I had to get close to get a proper hit!
The stone in my hand felt weightless as I swung it, putting every ounce of my remaining strength into the blow.
CRACK!
The back of its head shattered.
Stone fragments exploded outward, and the Sentinel crumpled, its body going limp before it even hit the ground.
[Noctierre’s Swordstyle: 12.1%]
The remaining two turned toward me.
"Oh, fuck."
The one-armed Sentinel lunged. I barely dodged, its remaining fist grazing my shoulder, spinning me around. I stumbled, caught myself, and swung another stone again.
It caught the Sentinel in the side of the head. Not a killing blow, but enough to stagger it, to send it crashing into its companion.
The machine moved.
Damaged, sparking, one arm hanging uselessly, but it moved. It hurled itself at the tangled Sentinels, its remaining arm driving itself into the gap between their stone bodies.
CRUNCH.
Then, it detonated its own arm.
BOOM!
Both Sentinels went down in a heap, the machine on top of them, its blue eyes flickering wildly.
I stood there, chest heaving, surprised at its sudden maneuver.
[Chamber 2/7 Complete]
[Proceed to Next Chamber?]
I sank to my knees.
The machine pushed itself off the rubble, its movements jerky, damaged. It turned to look at me, its blue eyes dim but steady.
It now had no usable arms left.
"I’m screwed, aren’t I?" I whispered, and then I let out a broken and hysterical laugh.
At least... not before something else could be heard from the dungeon’s entrance: the clatter of steel plates, along with the sound of people.
"Find the duke!"
"Move faster!"
Took them long enough...