Chapter 21: Set It Aflame

Graceful movements, elegant footwork—the faintly glowing swordstaff danced through the darkness like a glimmering sprite. The NPC named Maria was teaching this group of novices in the best way possible: through action. In the world of [Fractured], attributes are only the foundation. They determine the physical capability to execute certain techniques or abilities. When reflexes are fast enough, strength high enough, senses sharp enough, and one’s body strong enough to sustain it all, then those advantages combine into something that looks impossible to the untrained eye. Maria's swordsmanship originated from the [Wall of Desperation], where it was honed through relentless frontline battles against wildlings, aberrations, and cultists of eldritch gods. Using centrifugal and inertial force, even lighter weapons like swordstaves or hand-and-a-half blades could cleanly sever heads or pierce vital points. Footwork like dancing, elegance turned deadly. With 10 points in Perception, Maria had an uncanny awareness of the battlefield. She didn’t even need to look directly to sense the incoming attacks at her flanks. With a simple pivot or sidestep, she could make the clumsy lunges of the parasites miss entirely—like she had an auto-dodge script running. It looked like the [Root of Man] parasites were deliberately offering their heads to the path of her blade. The shrill whistle of her cuts even drowned out the guttural howls of the enraged parasites. Whenever Maria strayed near the edge of the firelight, she would mischievously dance back into its glow, denying the [Root of Man] the ambush they had planned in the shadows. All they could do was howl helplessly. It was a massacre, pure and simple. And yet, it had a strangely soothing, rhythmic beauty that captivated those who watched. 'Ah, so that’s how it works.' 'Timing your steps with your breath...' 'It’s all about rhythm!' Thoughts like these flooded the players' minds. What their instructor had drilled into them before now felt elevated, as if, after enough refinement, it could truly become this effective. "Strike where the gap forms..." The usually quiet Phylin watched Maria with eyes ablaze. A student of traditional sword styles himself, he knew just how difficult her seamless flow of techniques really was. Squelch— With a swift lunge, Phylin drove his sword through the parasite’s mouth and used leverage to finish the kill. He fought better than any other player present—second only to Maria. But even he couldn’t fight as gracefully under this much pressure. The stat difference was simply too great. His eyes never left Maria. Was this really just a game? "Stop daydreaming!" Tyr’s shout snapped Phylin out of it as he intercepted a parasite that nearly blindsided him. "..." Phylin reacted even before his thoughts caught up. He gave Tyr an odd glance, as if debating whether to thank him. The moment passed, and he dropped the thought. Right now, he was more interested in learning from Maria. "Tch." Tyr twitched. Being ignored by the stoic pretty-boy stung, but he couldn’t deny the guy’s skills. And then there was Maria—dancing through hordes of parasites as if she were taking a stroll through a garden. She was also an [Apprentice] tier, just like them. So why did she feel like a completely different species? Even so, her movements were beginning to slow. The sheer number of parasites was pushing her back and compressing their formation. Without the illumination of their fire, even Maria couldn’t fight like this forever. Compared to earlier parasites, these numbers were excessive. Maria began to suspect a more powerful source of [Abyssal] corruption hidden somewhere in the port. Maybe the [Root of Man] had a stable contamination nest. If that was true, they were in deeper danger than she’d thought. Request reinforcements? Wait for sunrise? BANG! The warehouse doors burst open as Ralph kicked them in. He tossed a torch inside and signaled everyone to enter. At the door, he planted two torches to keep the parasite horde at bay. Maria was the last one inside. Silence fell over them. Their blades dripped with filth, their chests heaved with exertion, arms trembled. For now, the flames kept the horde at bay. "Tell me, Captain. Where is their main nest?" Swordstaff in hand, her aura still radiating cold murder, Maria approached the captain. Her glowing blade said more than any words. Captain Moll instinctively scooted back. "East! East! I only know they came from the east! I don’t know which building! Please, in the name of the Sun Gods, don’t do anything crazy! I’m begging you!" 'Am I really that scary?' Maria blinked. She felt vaguely offended. Her pale, beautiful face slightly. Suddenly, she remembered something. Where all the other people in the port? "Captain Moll... if I were to burn down the entire port, which warehouses would catch best?" The captain stared at her, mouth hanging open. The idea was so mad, it took him a moment to realize she wasn’t joking.