Chapter 161: Race-Specific Weapons, New Magic, and Combat Techniques

Words : 1402 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Lyle stepped away from the corpse of Zaryusu Shasha, whose body was pinned to the ground by two crossed halberd-staves forming a crude crucifix. With a casual flick of his wrist, he gave a silent signal. Whoosh! The two floating Principality above his head beat their glowing wings and shot upward into the sky. Within seconds, they had climbed to an altitude of over a hundred meters. A moment later, unsettling cries echoed through the air. "Caw-awwk!" "Screee!" Drawn by the stench of blood, a flock of scavenger birds resembling bald vultures had begun circling above. The two Seraphim dived into the group like living missiles, scattering the flock with a chorus of terrified screeches. Chaos erupted among the vultures as they fled in every direction. The angels hovered midair briefly, scanning the surroundings. Finding nothing but the fleeing carrion birds, they descended again in silence. "Just swamp beasts," Lyle muttered, noting that no threat indicators had appeared on his interface. His brows relaxed slightly. He had felt faint, flickering pulses of mana earlier and had suspected something more dangerous was watching from above. But after confirming it was just native swamp creatures, his concerns eased. As long as those things from the Azerlisia mountain range didn't take an interest, he could relax. "Ever since I maxed out the Valkyrie class, my perception seems sharper," Lyle murmured thoughtfully. It wasn't just numbers and flashy abilities. Each time he maxed out a class, subtle benefits emerged - bonuses the status screen couldn't quantify. Sword Saint had made his handling of blades feel practically instinctive. Magic Swordsman enhanced his control over magic in combat. These weren't stat boosts. They were instincts, flowing naturally into him. With a snap, Lyle clicked his fingers. The two angels dissolved into soft white light and vanished, along with the halberd-staves embedded in Zaryusu's body. Thud. The corpse collapsed, lifeless. Lyle exhaled, a soft cloud of frost escaping his lips. The cold emitted from the blade he was holding had begun to seep into his arm. Even just wielding it made his fingers stiff. "Don't tell me this is going to be like that cursed bone armor again..." He glanced down at the icy blue weapon in his hand. Forged entirely of enchanted ice, the weapon bore jet-black runes etched across its surface. Despite the cold, it had an elegant design that matched Lyle's taste perfectly. With a hint of anticipation, he cast a spell. "Item Appraisal." A pale blue light spread over the weapon. [Item: Magical Weapon – Frost Pain] Rank: Superior (Level 31–40) Restriction: Lizardfolk and higher reptilian races only Effects: Slashing Attribute Frost Attribute Physical Attack +52 Passive: Adds frost damage to normal attacks Passive: Grants Lesser Frost Resistance Active Skill: Frostburst – Unleashes a wave of freezing air in a frontal blast, freezing enemies on contact (3 uses per day) Description: A rare weapon forged from enchanted glacial ice. --- "Tch." Lyle sighed the moment he saw the race restriction. That explained why it felt so off in his grip. Just like the White Dragonbone Armor, this was another exclusive item meant for lizardfolk. That armor had come with a curse requiring high intelligence to unlock its full defensive potential. Sure, Lyle had nullified the curse with his own resistances, but the armor's defense still left much to be desired. Frostfan, on the other hand, was everything he wanted in a weapon, aesthetically and functionally. Shame it was incompatible. "Looks like only the oversized wine jug and the missing cauldron from the Four Sacred Treasures are usable without restrictions," he muttered. "Figures." Reluctantly, Lyle stowed Frost Pain in his inventory. Even if he couldn't use it, it would make a fine collector's piece. He stepped past Shasuryu's body, his boots squelching through blood-mixed swamp water, and led the mind-controlled Crusch Lulu and his spectral hound deeper into the Dragonfang Tribe's territory. Crusch Lulu, being the only lizardfolk capable of casting tier-three divine magic, clearly possessed considerable magical knowledge. Lyle intended to pry that out of her, along with any interesting class data. As for the corpses littering the battlefield? He left them untouched. There were still ogre bodies stored in his item box, and the lizardfolk weren't completely wiped out. If every corpse suddenly vanished, it would raise questions among the survivors. That night, under the pitch-black sky, the Dragon Tusk encampment became a silent battlefield once more. Predators arrived first, carrion vultures and swamp serpents, drawn by the scent of death. But none dared make noise or approach the camp directly. Even beasts could sense there was something lurking within they could not afford to anger. Thwip! A near-silent whistle broke the night air, and one of the feeding vultures dropped dead. A volley of soft thwip thwip thwip followed. Covered in mud, a group of surviving lizardfolk crawled through the wetland with slow, practiced movements. Their eyes were hard and grim. One by one, they reached the bodies of their fallen kin, gathering them carefully and passing them down the line. They made no sound. Not even a whisper. One young lizardfolk warrior dared glance toward the village's heart. His eyes burned with hatred and fear. Then he looked away and resumed the grim task. They knew the monster that had done this was still inside. Inside a wide wooden hut lit with several handmade candles, crafted from beast fat and usually reserved for sacred rites - the interior was bright and warm. The Barghest sprawled lazily in one corner, stretching its limbs. It occasionally glanced toward its flank, where a deep sword wound had once been. Now, fully healed, the only trace was a memory. What a monster, that lizardman was... No. Master is more monstrous. The hound tilted its head and laid it back down. Lyle, meanwhile, was seated in the center of the hut with his eyes closed. His breathing was steady, his expression calm. He was focused. [Skill: Sixth Sense (Combat Art)] Cost: None Effect: Increases evasion rate and allows perception of attacks from outside one's field of vision. This was the very same technique used by Shasuryu during their battle. "Now, if I combine this with Brian's domain magic..." Lyle muttered, eyes still closed. "No one's sneaking up on me again." It was a deceptively simple technique, but incredibly effective against ambushes. He'd be a fool not to learn it. There had been another combat art called "Fortress" too, a defensive move. But Lyle knew there was a higher-tier version of it, so he skipped learning the basic form. Zaryusu had also dropped a mid-tier class called Sword Specialist, but Lyle wasn't impressed. He preferred unique or support-based classes. What caught his eye, oddly enough, was a basic production class called Sage, apparently tied to Zaryusu's fish-breeding hobby. Shame it didn't help in battle. Production jobs couldn't be activated during combat, which made it rather situational. Still, humans could acquire Sage too, so it wasn't rare. Far more exciting was what he got from Crusch Lulu; From her, he gained a new spell: [Spell: Compound Elemental Summon – Wetland Elemental] Effect: Summons a hybrid elemental creature made of water and earth elements. Note: Due to the spell's compound nature, only Wetland Elementals can be summoned. Ever since he figured out how to bind summoning spells to scrolls, Lyle had taken a keen interest in them. They were, in essence, portable assets. This one was slightly disappointing in that it could only summon a specific type of elemental. Still, it was a rare variation, most elemental summons were pure element types. This hybrid was a unique combination of water and earth. Acquiring the spell also unlocked a new basic class on his panel: Summoner, classified under alternate spellcaster archetypes. "Summoner classes usually boost summon power," Lyle mused, browsing his interface. "Too bad my genius trait doesn't apply here." Crusch also granted him a mid-tier class called Spiritual Shaman, but it was another summoner variant he had no interest in. What puzzled him most was that, despite everything Crusch had shown him, there was still no sign of any Draconic Class. He had specifically ordered her to demonstrate every known spell and ability, yet nothing triggered the system to register a dragon-related class.

Chapter 161: Race-Specific Weapons, New Magic, and Combat Techniques

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