Chapter 16 The Damage Reflection Shield Becomes Stronger When Facing Stronger Opponents
After the team information was reported, Skalk would come to find Ancia whenever he had time, and an orc would often spawn squatting at the entrance of the villa.
Just then, Ancia was practicing her dagger skills, and whenever she saw Skark appear, she would always invite him to spar with her.
"Can you be my sparring partner? I'll help you heal your wounds," Ancia earnestly requested.
If you were to practice with Mortley, it would feel absurd, like showing off your limited skills to an expert. Skark not only has the fighting ability to earn Mortley's approval and is a qualified sparring partner, but most importantly, he also seems to have a lot of free time.
“Sure,” Skulk agreed immediately. “Now?”
"Okay, let me try attacking first." Ancia assumed an attacking stance.
After entering sparring mode, Skark turned into a red name in Ancia's vision, with his name and level 39 displayed above his head.
Level 5 Ancia bravely rushed forward, wielding her dagger and unleashing her strongest attack on Skalk with all her might.
Skark wasn't wearing armor, just casual clothes. He had his hands in his pockets, neither dodging nor avoiding, and a line of damage numbers slowly appeared above his head.
-10.
Skalk raised his arm, examined the dagger wound for a moment, and hesitated before saying, "Ancia, it seems I don't need treatment..."
The wound is almost healed.
Ancia closed her eyes, managing to at least scratch the thick-skinned orc.
Damn planner!
“You dodge my attacks now,” Ancia said defiantly.
Skalk stood still with one foot, dodging with only one foot. After Ancia unleashed a barrage of attacks, his clothes were slightly dirty but he was unharmed.
Even the 10 health points I lost earlier were naturally restored to full.
Anciya's constitution was only 11 points. After this series of actions, she was already panting heavily. She put away her dagger and gave up, saying, "I'm not fighting anymore."
"Aren't you done playing?" Skark asked, still wanting more.
"My damage is too low; I can't contribute much output in the competition," Ancia said sullenly as she sat down by the lake.
The priests in other teams all have at least one skill, Holy Light Retribution, which can help teammates deal additional damage. In a prolonged battle, the damage accumulated by the priests is not to be underestimated, but she only has 10 points of attack.
"Why would you think that?" Skulk crouched down in front of Ancia, his short crimson hair and wolf ears fluttering gently in the breeze. "But Ancia, you came to me because you guys lack an offensive player, right? Your role and talents aren't for damage dealing."
“I can’t help you trap the enemy, nor can I heal you; I can only attack. That’s something my talent dictates.” Skark’s voice was clear, his amber eyes looking at her gently. “Do you know why I agreed to let you participate in the competition?”
"Is it because I saved you?" Ancia asked.
“No.” Skulk shook his head, saying hesitantly, “Well… it’s related to that, but not determined by gratitude.”
"When I was forced into juvenile form due to injury, no one could heal me except for orc priests and priests of seven stars or higher."
"But you did it back then. You showed unparalleled talent when you didn't even have a single star."
"I joined your team because I believe that this team will have the strongest priest in the future, and I also believe in your judgment. The other teammate is definitely not weak."
"I haven't participated before because I didn't have suitable teammates, but this time I want to see if a team with the strongest priest, the strongest crowd control, and the strongest damage output can win the championship. You know, other teams won't bring two freshmen, and there are many geniuses among the upperclassmen. We're practically in hard mode."
“There aren’t that many strongest.” Ancia laughed.
“Yes, yes, you are the strongest priest, even stronger than Priestess Maria… mmm…” Skark was stopped halfway through his sentence by Ancia covering his mouth.
"Don't talk nonsense. Pastor Maria is an eight-star pastor, and I don't even have a one-star pastor," Ancia warned him, releasing her hand only after he calmed down.
Skark grinned, revealing two sharp canine teeth. "I'll give you nine stars in my mind. You're now Skark's version of a nine-star priest, surpassing even Priestess Maria."
Ancia couldn't help but laugh at his antics, and her gloomy mood vanished with the wind.
She decided to find some time soon to go to the Pastors Association to pass the one-star assessment. The path to becoming a nine-star pastor starts from the first star.
On the terrace of villa number 12 nearby, Heligalo and Airlan witnessed the scene unfold.
"Where did this werewolf come from?" Airan's expression was somewhat displeased.
“Our team captain is an upperclassman introduced by Mr. Mertri,” Heligalo said calmly.
“She’s been clinging to Ancia ever since she appeared; she’s about to have other friends.” Erlan gritted his teeth, staring intently in that direction.
“Ancia’s personality is so interesting, it’s understandable that others would want to approach her,” Heligalo said helplessly, seeing Ellan’s icy gaze. “Ellan, don’t interfere with Ancia making friends.”
"So we're just going to stand by and watch people keep getting close to Ancia? Aren't the two of us enough for her?" Airan said irritably.
“If it makes Ancia happy, it would be good for her to have more friends. Besides, we can’t always be with Ancia, so don’t forget our responsibilities,” Heligalo reminded her.
Erlan fell silent, averting his gaze and no longer looking at the lakeside.
"Heli, do you want to find some time to practice teamwork in the Monster Mountain Range? I remember the team competition has a lot of points." Ancia used telepathic magic to communicate with Heli.
She's figured it out. She'll continue practicing her dagger skills, but she won't focus too much on her damage output anymore. Modifying the dagger's health bar is much more useful than just practicing hard. Plus, leveling up before matches will increase her strength attribute. Her real advantage still lies in being a priest.
Heligalo's telepathic magic arrived very quickly.
"Yes, the competition is divided into team matches and individual matches. The team match is worth 4 points, and the individual matches are 3 matches, each worth 1 point. The first team to reach 4 points wins. If the team wins the team match directly, they can advance to the next round. We can go to Red Maple City through the Holy See's teleportation array. When are you and Skark free?"
“I’ll have it tomorrow, Skark always has it,” Ancia replied after asking Skark.
"How about we leave tomorrow?"
"good."
*
The next day, the three of them arrived in Red Maple City via a teleportation array. Jess arranged a carriage, and Skark drove them into the Monster Mountain Range.
“Miss Ancia, the Monster Mountain Range will be safe until the transition from winter to spring. With this three-star warrior here, the monsters on the outskirts pose no threat to you,” Jess said as he saw them off out of the city.
"Why do you say it's unsafe during the transition from winter to spring?" Ancia asked curiously.
"The spring monster riots will trigger a monster tide, making not only the entire Monster Mountain Range unsafe, but also the area around Red Maple City," Jess explained.
"Yes, as spring approaches, you should not enter the Monster Mountain Range, nor go outside Red Maple City," Heligalo said.
“Okay.” Ancia nodded.
In the time it took to exchange a few words, Skalk had already made friends with the docile horse, which affectionately nuzzled his face.
"Let's go?" Skulk asked with a grin as he got into the carriage.
"The strongest team, let's go!" Ancia excitedly boarded the carriage.
"When did you come up with this team name?" Heligalo smiled helplessly.
"It was Skark who gave us the inspiration. He said we are the strongest priests, the strongest crowd control, and the strongest offense!" Ancia's expression was smug and full of confidence.
“It’s not an exaggeration.” Heligalo didn’t refute it, but rather implicitly admitted it.
“That’s right, that’s right. Excessive humility is arrogance.” Skulk’s clear voice came from the front of the carriage.
It wasn't until they reached the outer edge of the Monster Mountain Range that they had their first opportunity to practice and coordinate their teamwork.
Skalk stood at the front, Heligalo in the middle, and Ancia to the side and slightly behind Heligalo.
The monsters on the outside were no match for Skalk in his full form. He simply attracted three weaker monsters at once and charged directly towards Ancia.
"You have to protect me, Ancia!" Skalk said, still managing to act cute towards Ancia as he ran.
"Discipline - Binding." Heligalo immediately took action, binding all three magical beasts to their original positions with golden chains.
"Discipline - Judgment." A second beam of magic appeared, a golden piercing beam penetrating the beast's vitals.
Ancia, carrying her dagger, hadn't even touched the three magical beasts before the battle was over.
[Player gains 233 experience points.]
[Player gains 233 experience points.]
[Player gains 233 experience points.]
Because she was identified as being in a team, the system promptly notified her of the experience gain—even though Ancia hadn't dealt a single point of damage.
The tips and tricks flooding the screen made me feel like the system was mocking me.
Ancia put the dagger back in her backpack. It seemed that she wouldn't have a chance to make an appearance until she encountered a truly troublesome monster.
Skalk seemed interested in Heligalo's combo moves, asking, "Can you control the other players on the field in team matches too?"
Heligalo nodded. "At least one freshman and one three-star senior are no problem."
Skulker pondered for a moment, "That's enough. I'll deal with the most troublesome enemy on the other side as soon as possible."
No matter how many monsters were on the outside, they weren't enough to put pressure on them, so they tentatively moved closer inwards.
Upon reaching this area, if Skalk does not resist, and he attracts three magical beasts to the vicinity of Heligaluo, he will already be attacked by some of them.
After all, he is not a class that focuses on agility; the main attributes of a warrior are constitution and strength.
Ancia not only had the opportunity to use healing spells repeatedly, but also had time to sneak up to the monster controlled by Heligalo and contribute her meager damage.
Heligaluo's magic power was almost depleted. One of the magical beasts, in its dying moments, broke free of the golden chains and charged toward Ancia, who was closest to it.
"Watch out!" Heligaloo warned in alarm, then drained his last bit of magic power, trying to add another layer of control.
Ancia remained incredibly calm as she faced the monster head-on. Just before the monster's fangs were about to touch her, her strong will activated the light element within her, forming a golden shield around her body.
Bang.
The already weakened monster crashed straight into the shield and died instantly.
Ancia stared in surprise at the monster's corpse. How did it die?
[Congratulations to the player for mastering the skill Counterattack Shield - Beginner.]
The player gains 800 experience points.
Okay, now I understand.
Although Ancia still doesn't have any combat attack skills, she has mastered a skill that makes her stronger when facing stronger enemies!
A note from the author:
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