Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 104: Stat Reset - A Power that Challenges the Divine

SLASHH!

The promised strike to the shinobi's back came a second later, but its sting couldn't compare to the wound inflicted on his ego. How could he, a shinobi, allow his adversary to land an attack on his back? His cool visage crumpled when he turned around, his teeth gritted.

Instead of the teleportation aspect of the Shadow Step skill, Ranger decided to exploit its speed.

CLANG!

His sickle found Daisuke's dagger in a shrill explosion, and a grin stretched his lips, reassured he was able to intercept.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted in a strained breath, applying more force to his weapon.

"No... it's not," Daisuke simply said, then he activated Dash for the first time since altering his stats.

DING!

[The Swift Leather Boots' option effect has been activated, invoking the Haste skill. Speed and Agility surge by 50% for the next 30 seconds.]

Ranger felt like a fish out of water—or more accurately, a scarecrow caught in a tornado. His body jerked violently as Daisuke attacked him from all angles, the Lipanthyer's Fang tracing a gleaming trajectory as it feasted.

With a mere Strength value of 28, Daisuke could only inflict superficial wounds. Yet, his relentless barrage of attacks was so consistent that he kept triggering and applying the Bleed Status, steadily chipping away at Ranger's health.

As his blood splattered onto the ground like the brushstrokes of a talented painter, the shinobi grew increasingly breathless, the loss of blood and his futile attempts to retreat or retaliate draining his energy. In contrast, his adversary only seemed to grow swifter with each passing moment.

Instinctively, in a desperate bid to inflict more damage, Daisuke retrieved the Bloodstained Short Sword he had acquired from Rohan. Though it was clearly several levels above his own, what happened next caught him off guard.

DING!

[You do not currently meet the conditions required to wield the «Bloodstained Short Sword». Consequently, the weapon's Attack Power will decrease by 50%, and only a fraction of the option effects can be utilized.]

[Bloodstained Short Sword +1]

[Rank: Rare

Type: Sword

Melee Attack Power: 204~228 | Durability: 91/91 | Attack Speed: +11%

Forged in the fires of battle and tempered with the blood of its foes, the Bloodstained Short Sword is a formidable weapon that strikes fear into the hearts of adversaries. Its blade, stained with the crimson hue of countless battles, exudes an aura of relentless ferocity.

▪︎ Agility +4

▪︎ Attack Damage +5

Conditions of Use: Lvl 40+ | Strength 35+ | Stamina 20+]

Daisuke marveled at the newly discovered perk that being part NPC had blessed him with. If he was a player, forget the weapon's power being nerfed, he wouldn't have been able to equip it at all.

Pushing the thought aside, he allowed himself to be swallowed up by his wrath once more. His weapons struck out like the fangs of a serpent, ripping through leather and fabric to carve crimson lines into their prey's skin.

Ranger swung his pair of sickles around mindlessly, wasting precious energy. But Daisuke showed neither pity nor remorse. With each time his blades found defenseless skin, he saw an image of the people who the Mhaledictus had hurt—Zephyr, Reeza, Petula, her husband, the dozens of people being held captive, and not to mention the Beastfolk at Elmridge village.

DING!

[Lightning Edge has been activated. Your weapons will be enveloped in electricity for 25 seconds, sharpening your blades and adding elemental damage to your Physical Attacks.]

FLASHH!

Ranger's muscles tensed, locking in place as crackling tendrils of electricity danced across his frame like vengeful serpents, rendering him immobile. A primal roar erupted from his throat as Daisuke closed in, the electrified blades now cutting deep into flesh as opposed to just skin.

"Skewering Shadows!" Ranger bellowed as he stabbed his weapons into the ground, his teeth bloody, his eyes crazed.

Daisuke sprang upward just as dozens of dark spikes shot up from the ground, narrowly avoiding them by mere microseconds. With a roar rivaling that of the shinobi's, he propelled himself off the ceiling and drove his blades downward, plunging them into the bastard's shoulders.

Ranger stifled a pained roar—instead, he shook off his enemy and hurled a smoke bomb to the ground before disappearing into the shadows. Daisuke pursued, only to find the man's weapons scattered a few feet apart and a trail of blood leading into the darkness, where his adversary had vanished without a trace.

"That bastard," Daisuke cursed as he removed his mask, his golden eyes smoldering. "Did he use that annoying Shadow Step skill again? Dammit!"