NOVEL NEXT Chapter 184: Mammoth vs Hulk Riders
Crimson pillars of light fell upon the imps. This was the reward for their victory– a stat boost of 59.14%.
It was an absurd amount to imagine in the second ring. All of the imps were at lv 50, so just giving them a stat boost of 10% would cross the limits of the second ring. What about the current scene? The imp's strength had reached the middle tiers of the third ring whereas the players were still at lv 50.
\\/| The second round will begin in 00:01:00 |\\/
\\/| Roles have been chosen |\\/
\\/| Mammoth vs Hulk Riders |\\/
"I'll go straight to the point since we don't have much time left. We're at a grave disadvantage due to the stat difference, but I'm confident that we can grasp victory in the remaining rounds."
Zyrus's voice was heard by every player. The ogres and trolls who had the Mammoth role paid special attention to his words.
"Even if we do win the following matches, the stat disperencry between us and the imps wouldn't be affected by much. Thus, our goal is not victory but sending them to the black zones. Having good stats would be useless if they don't have sufficient HP, and at the same time, their offence will be restricted due to the cooldown penalty."
" " Yes, your Majesty. " "
*BOOOOM*
Once again, the mountain erupted with lava and new platforms were formed in the air. Although they were a mere 300 in numbers, the area they occupied was just as big as the previous round.
*Stomp*
Towering imps clad in stone armor appeared on the platforms one by one. They were the exact opposite of the Imp's conventional appearance. They wore boulder-sized gauntlets and rode on the bull like cadejo mounts. The aura they exuded was full of strength and ferocity.
On the opposing sides, the ogres and trolls who were just as large took their positions. When comparing them side by side it was obvious that the imps had mimicked the 'roles' of the players.
"I'll now tell you a weakness of the 'Mimicry.' Do you know why Imps remained as low-level creatures despite their strength? It was because of this skill. They could have used it to learn from other races and create their own techniques, but instead, they kept relying on copying others' powers."
Zyrus didn't continue after that as he wanted the players to figure this out on their own. Judging from the murderous gaze the imp king was giving him; it was apparent that his words had struck a sore spot.
One among the few things the imps couldn't replicate was versatility. Take swordsmanship for example. An Imp could mimic a players' sword skills and use it against him with the same proficiency. There were no weaknesses to this aspect under most scenarios, but things changed when they were up against a master swordsman. For those who had attained mastery in their field, the imps were nothing but easy prey.
If an imp used Zyrus's magic against him then it wouldn't have the chance to cast a single spell. There were countless formulas and pathways in a high-level magic, and Zyrus had mastered all of their variations. There was no way an imp's mimicry could cope with his changing thoughts.
'Still, the players are too inexperienced,'
\\/| The second round will begin in 00:00:00 |\\/
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Zyrus didn't hesitate at all and immediately used a turn. He was sure that the imp king wouldn't use its turn. Why? Because the one who understood his strength better than anyone was the enemy in front of him.
[You have used a turn on 'Mammoth']
[Due to special conditions the ability of Mammoth has been altered]
*Trrrrrraaaaaaahhhh*
A total of 300 Imperial mammoths were summoned besides the players. Their five-meter-tall and half as wide physique made the ogres look like little kids in comparison.
There were no taunts or needless words after that. The ogres preferred to talk with their fists whereas the trolls were either slow or just lazy. The imps were influenced by them, so this was bound to become the shortest and most straightforward clash in this event.
*Bang*
*Shatter*
The first ones to start the battle were the ogres. As if they had decided it beforehand, each and every one of them ignored the mammoth at their side and jumped at the enemy instead.
"Should we instruct them?" Ria asked Zyrus as according to her clairvoyance, there was a more efficient way to win this round.
"Up to him." Zyrus shrugged in response and looked at Strongfist for an answer.
"Strong elephant."
"Indeed,"
"But my kin….not strong."
Others might not understand what Strongfist was saying, but Zyrus and the vajeers could. Each race had its own method of growing stronger. Most of the players under Zyrus were from humanoid races, so the plans he made were created with that in mind. Runes were indeed useful for all of them and there wasn't a single player who hadn't improved by a large margin after coming to the third zone of the Pisces archipelago.
However, the ogres were different. They were born to fight and only by continuous life and death experience could they reach the pinnacle of their race. The world was not fair. Dragons could do nothing but laze around for thousands of years and still become a powerful existence. On the other hand, the number of ogres who could face such a lazy dragon could be counted with a single hand.
This was the disparity of bloodline. Fortunately, sanctuary was a place where everyone was given an equal opportunity. The Holmgang where one could fight till their dying breath was once in a lifetime chance for the ogres.
*Splatter*
"Kugh-"
An ogre was punched in the guts by the hulking imp, at its mount didn't miss the chance to split open its stomach with its horn. The imps who mimicked them weren't hot-blooded enough to fight without their mounts. In a way it was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
[Berserk Charge]
One after another the ogres started to burn lifeblood. Streams of blood were evaporated and blue veins protruded out from their muscles, filling them with an explosive strength. This was both the ultimate and a bread-and-butter skill for the ogres. If it were in the past then they'd have charged right back into the battle.
The years they spent on the third zone weren't for nothing. The blood vapor didn't vanish as it normally would.
Why was Zyrus confident that the top players would win? It was because of this. Those who were chosen for the different roles were the best of the best among the entire playerbase in the second ring. To top it off, they had mastered a trace of laws from the elemental seeds.
A red tornado, armor made up of solidified blood, or even blood vapor flowing back inside the ogres' body. All sorts of phenomena were taking place on the platforms. These were the unique abilities they had learned by studying the runes.
As powerful as mimicry may be, there was no way it was above the realm of absolute laws.
*Trrrrrraaaaaaahhhh*
The imperial mammoths charged forward and attacked in tandem with the ogres. Zyrus was the one who had created them with his turn, so it was within his capacity to order them around. All they had to do was ensure two things: 1) The ogres could fight to their last breath, and 2) kill the imps before the ogres were actually dead.
In contrast to the fierce fights going on aboard the 200 platforms, the other 100 were rather calm. If one were to summarize the troll's ability in one word then it would be 'Regeneration.'
All of them had chosen the wood elemental seeds. Coupled with their already monstrous HP regen, they were practically unkillable unless someone like the star marked tyrant attacked them. Their greatest weakness was their lack of offense, but it too was negated thanks to the imperial mammoths.
The imps were able to copy their racial traits but just like in the case with the ogres, they failed to mimic the runes used by the trolls. This was something that was destined to occur from the beginning. Why else would the system give the Imps the ability to use the turns?
Zyrus observed the imp king who was looking down with an indifferent gaze, and after a deep breath, he set his attention to the magic circles he was working on.
The outcome of this and the following rounds wouldn't change unless the imp king used the turns. Zyrus was a strange existence. Be it the king on the first or the fifth island, they didn't have the confidence in dealing with him unless they exerted their full power.
One of them used all the tricks up his sleeve and was still defeated in his own castle.
'It won't be any different this time,'
Five spheres of void circled around Zyrus like electrons around a nucleus. The subclass he was working on had reached the cusp of completion.