บท 20: Panic Resolution
Kieran's expression darkened after looking at Cygnus and Sithik's bitter smiles.
Their careless mistake made their situation incredibly problematic. As a Special Elite, Hrulhar possessed a unique hidden trait known as Vanisher.
Its AGI would increase in proportions inverse to its current Health.
The lower Hrulhar's Health, the faster it would become.
And because of the limitations of a Starter Character and his subpar VR Helmet, Kieran forcing his body to respond as quickly as his eyes would be a challenging task.
This was why CTL was a vital stat that no player should ignore. The higher the user's Control, the better their body would listen to commands.
Of course, the effects weren't that impressive, considering that Kieran was currently a Starter Character with a garbage physique compared to Awakened Beings or even Advanced Beings.
"Why did you guys dump your skills without thinking? I only have so much Health! The rest has gone to waste," Kieran exclaimed.
"Y-you yelled at us! I thought something bad was about to happen," Sithik muttered.
His meek voice and trembling appearance proved his fear of the fury radiating from Kieran's gaze.
Cygnus similarly pursed her lips with a bitter expression. "The instructions were unclear. Given our current difficulty setting, hurry up could mean there was an upcoming terrifying attack to prepare for!"
Kieran sighed after hearing their remarks.
Cygnus raised a good point. Because he was frustrated by their inferior reaction time, he didn't deliver explicit directions.
However, this was partly due to the caliber of healers he was accustomed to.
He was responsible for grooming the Golden Brigade's forces as the High Commander. Because of this, Kieran was surrounded by many people with considerable skill and insight.
A healer's role required more vigilance than any other role on the battlefield. They were the force responsible for keeping the team alive.
Without their presence, a battlefield would soon collapse.
All of a sudden, Altair stepped by Kieran's side with light steps. "Will it work if we work together?"
"Together?" Kieran muttered, looking at Hrulhar in thought.
Hrulhar collected another cluster of dark energy, but the presence was different. It felt similar to the skill Kieran canceled while fighting against the first set of Shadow Wolves.
"We must stall it for at least 25 seconds. Otherwise, another damage window will become difficult to create," Kieran remarked.
Against an opponent like Hrulhar, only skills with stun effects or a wide range would suffice. Without skills of this caliber, Hrulhar could very much become an elusive target.
"25 seconds…" Altair narrowed his eyes and clutched his daggers. "It should be possible if it's just us. I think we should approach the matter the way we approached our little spar."
"I agree," Kieran nodded. They both exhibited a high combat standard during their spar, and if they matched their rhythm, containing Hrulhar until their stronger skills came off cooldown should be possible.
"Break!" Kieran shouted, dashing away from Altair.
Altair mirrored his actions as a ring of obscure, dark energy passed between them with a few subtle ripples.
'Enhanced Darkness Howl. That would have put us in a Fainted state if it hit. Thankfully its range is garbage,' Kieran thought to himself.
After landing, Kieran dashed toward Hrulhar, and Altair followed.
Whoosh!
Kieran and Altair overlapped, passing in front of one another in a cross pattern. Because of this, Hrulhar's attention was split before snapping to Kieran, who held a higher aggro value due to his higher damage rating.
However, that quickly changed as Altair unleashed a whirlwind of strikes while Kieran parried the incoming swipes.
Both of them exhibited incredible focus, managing to avoid disrupting each other's actions. But most of the praise went to Kieran because he gauged Altair's speed, trajectory, and future location to act accordingly.
'The more I fight, the faster this rusty feeling continues to vanish,' Kieran thought, his eyes flashing with excitement.
As mentioned before, Kieran's years of inactivity led to a discrepancy in what he knew and what he could perform. However, the more he battled and gained ahold of his finer movements, the more monstrous he grew.
That encumbered combat expertise returned at a frightening pace, especially with the help of his increasing attributes, which gradually approached a more fitting level.
If Kieran employed his current movements during their first spar, Altair would have failed to keep up with him after the tenth exchange.
But, that wasn't his desire.
After ten seconds of matching Altair's rhythm and dealing damage to Hrulhar, Kieran retreated while giving Altair a suggestion.
"Activate Swift Steps and battle Hrulhar alone. As a Thief, Hrulhar is an excellent target to draw inspiration from."
Altair immediately understood Kieran's intentions.
If Swift Steps were activated, his AGI would match Hrulhar's current condition. Altair could use this battle to temper his alertness further in such circumstances.
"Got it," Altair replied.
A gust of light wind was expelled from his body, and his body suddenly accelerated to the point he could narrowly avoid Hrulhar's claws and tail.
A few seconds later, Kieran retreated near Aspaira, Sithik, and Cygnus with a dull expression. "I would first like to apologize for shouting and startling you all, but you must understand our situation. We're on a schedule here. Mistakes like this will only hinder our progress.
"We understand. It's our fault," Sithik and Cygnus replied in unison. They both wore sorry expressions while failing to meet Kieran's gaze.
But, before addressing their mistake, Kieran switched to Aspaira. "You see how fast Hrulhar is, correct?"
"I do," Aspaira nodded. "I'll be a hindrance if I join the fight. That's why I chose to sit this one out; there's no reason for me to get involved against a rapid-moving target."
"That's true. Your aim is garbage," Kieran agreed, not mincing his words in the slightest.
It was tough to hear these words, evident by Aspaira's pained smile.
"However, that also isn't true. Aim within this world isn't as difficult as you believe if you learn to act on insight. Study your opponent, and understand how to maximize their weaknesses to your benefit," Kieran explained.
Most Mages tracked their opponent in real-time, trying to aim at their current position rather than where they would be. If the latter were performed, most Mages would see significant results.
Of course, this didn't work against all opponents, but that wouldn't matter until problematic opponents appeared.
Aspaira stared into Kieran's distant eyes and nodded. "That's going to be hard."
"Probably. But what's the point in playing if we don't seek to improve? Games only get harder in the long run. You'll stagnate without improving," Kieran said, voicing a great point.
Aspaira chewed on her lip while clutching her staff. VRMMORPGs weren't like typical MMORPGs, which could be played solely for fun, even after reaching a high level.
After a particular stage, if one's personal skill was not up to par, most VRMMORPGs would become unplayable, but Zenith Online took this to an extreme.
In extreme cases, not even an overpowered and overgeared teammate could fill the vacuum created by an insufficient one due to some ironclad requirements.
Of course, these requirements only applied to content that was not meant for the general public to begin with.
Regular dungeons could still be attempted, and leveling fields could be cleared... but being carried in this way was known as a train when referring to leveling.
Leveling trains, however, were limited due to how easily one mistake could lead to a loss of several levels.
"I know that I startled you, but I have a question. Why would you use your largest skills together? Did you not notice each other repeating the same chant?" Kieran questioned.
Regeneration Burst and Restorative Mist were a Lv.10 Priest's strongest QH (Quick Heal) and HoT (Heal over Time) skills. However, their cooldowns were 60 and 75 seconds due to their excellent healing capabilities.
"I wasn't really paying attention to what Cygnus was doing," Sithik flinched and whispered, waiting to be scolded.
But it didn't happen as he expected.
Kieran sighed and agreed. "That's precisely what happened—neither of you paid attention."
Kieran paused and massaged the bridge of his nose, easing some of his frustration. "You must know what type of skill suits the current situation. Awareness is what a healer requires most. Different issues call for diverse solutions."
"Combat awareness. Got it," Sithik nodded repeatedly.
"On top of that, your resource management should match or exceed a Mage since you will constantly be delivering heals."
Kieran added this point because their Mana fell below 50% after spamming all their skills.
Contrary to their expectations, Kieran's information guided rather than belittled them. In fact, he took it a step further after noticing their attentive expression.
"Assist Altair to battle Hrulhar for 20 more seconds," Kieran directed. "Sithik—I want a Healing Light prepped in two seconds."
"Wait now?" Sithik said with some shock.
"..." Kieran waited. "Now."
Sithik listened and gave Altair a Healing Light. Altair failed to dodge Hrulhar's attack at that instant due to its continually increasing AGI.
This outcome stupified Sithik, but Kieran reprimanded him. "Focus!"
"Cygnus, how much longer until Mending Aura is ready?" Kieran questioned.
"3 seconds."
"Give Altair a Healing Light. After its chant, prep Mending Aura," Kieran directed.
Another shocking sight occurred as Cygnus followed the given commands. Altair received damage, but it nearly vanished in the same instant.
"Move a bit faster, Altair. Why are you letting it catch up?"
Altair glanced back without responding, but his gaze sharpened. As if something within him was triggered, Altair swayed out of the way and counterattacked simultaneously.
Altair's strikes became increasingly murderous as a meaningful glint passed through Kieran's eyes. 'There it is... a semblance of that familiar control. As I suspected, it was something natural to Altair.'
Afterward, Kieran continued coaching Sithik and Cygnus, teaching them the proper roles of a healer until he was ready.
"Fall back. I'll end this right now," Kieran instructed.
Everyone, including Altair, fell back, but Hrulhar chased him.
Whoosh!
Kieran raced toward Hrulhar as Altair cut to the right.
At that moment, Kieran unleashed Charge, cutting off Hrulhar's advance. Once it was stunned, he followed up with Savage Break and Force Slash in rapid succession.
Bang!
〈System: You have gained 4,800 EXP.〉
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