Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  Chapter 95 - Pass Through

  The ancient tombs were dangerous places to most players in World of Martial Arts as of then.

  Dirt Puppets and Stone Giants were puppet traps that were incredibly powerful. They were made from normal stones and dirt, but after going through a special modification, their bodies became exceptionally huge and powerful. Not only did they possess impressive combat abilities, their mobility did not lose to a martial artist who had already reached the ninth realm in their lightness skill. Basically, if a player ran into them, all those who were below Blessed Realm would find their chances of fleeing very slim.

  However, the most terrifying thing about them was their ability to resist blows, because their shells were made of specially modified dirt and stone. The surface of Dirt Puppets' bodies had a sticky force, and it could even dismantle attacks, making Dirt Puppets incredibly difficult to deal with. Stone Giants had bodies that were as tough as metal. It was difficult to damage them with normal weapons, so the players had to infuse qi into their attacks, or else their weapons would receive more damage than the enemy.

  It was said that the dangerous grounds were born because of a trap master from Heaven's Secret Valley who had walked down the evil path. His skills with puppet traps were astonishing, but since he killed too many people, he was forced to flee all over the land because he was chased by the heroes in the world. The underground ancient tombs scattered all over the world were built one after another while he fled.

  *****

  The ancient tomb near Yangzhou was built in an abandoned quarry. It was very desolate and hidden. However, it was very easy to recognize it. There were two longevity lamps[1] by the entrance of the ancient tomb. They gave off a faint blue glow, which was quite dim but still lit up the surroundings. However, they radiated no warmth, and because of it, a layer of ghastliness and danger was added to the forest and the mountain after night fell.

  The sound of wind being sliced rose outside the silent ancient tomb. Two black figures quickly appeared at the entrance. One showed up at the left, and the other at the right. They were naturally Happy and the built man.

  "Stone Giants and Dirt Puppets guard the ancient tomb inside. You can only find them when inside." The tan, built man looked inside the tomb warily while giving Happy some information. "The tunnel in the ancient tomb is not wide. It is about three hundred and thirty feet deep, and while we go down, we will run into seven to eight Stone Giants. The Dirt Puppets appear in groups of two."

  "Okay." Happy nodded to show his understanding.

  But the built man continued instructing Happy. "When we go in later, follow behind me. You must be careful not to let them pounce on you. Even if you get injured, don't stop. We must shake them off with all our strength. There are a lot of curves and bends in there. They won't be able to follow us for long. Once we enter the main hall in the ancient tomb, we'll search for a place to train."

  The built man was named Thunderous Battle. On the way, he witnessed Happy's lightness skill and decided to change his plan. He gave up on the idea of luring the Dirt Puppets and Stone Giants and decided to take the initiative to enter the depths instead. He wanted to search for spawn points where only one monster would spawn in the ancient tomb to practice their martial arts.

  When he saw the familiarity with which Thunderous Battle about the tomb, Happy knew that he should have practiced inside it for quite some time, and he did not voice any rejections.

  "Turtle Shell!" Thunderous Battle shouted, and his qi surged. A faint gray light swiftly enveloped his body, and his skin became tougher. There was even a metallic shine to him.

  His gaze moved to Happy, and he instructed him in a low voice, "Get ready!"

  Happy schooled his expression and nodded at Thunderous Battle. He swiftly changed to his Great Wolf Fur Equipment Set and activated Gate Realm. His body became light, and he bent his knees.

  "Let's go!" Thunderous Battle roared, and he shot at the ancient tomb without any hesitation.

  Roar!

  An enraged roar came from a non-human. It was followed by hurried footsteps.

  Not far from the entrance of the ancient tomb was a huge human-shaped puppet that was about ten feet tall. It was a Stone Giant! Its grayish white body was two feet thick, and it was extremely sturdy. It did not seem as if it could be destroyed.

  At that moment, it aggressively pressed toward Thunderous Battle who had entered the ancient tomb first. The Stone Giant's facial features that were made of stone and looked very stiff. They formed an angry and violent expression that did not look to be welcoming the two intruders.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  The moving speed of the Stone Giant was astonishing. With just three steps, it arrived in front of Thunderous Battle. Its arms, which were made of stone, were its greatest weapon, and it threw a punch at Thunderous Battle who charged toward him. It was so fast that its speed did not lose to Happy's Shaolin's Long Fist.

  The huge punch brought with it a whistle and thunderous bang!

  The Stone Giant's fist just so happened to seal off most of the area in the narrow tunnel. Thunderous Battle could not avoid it, and he gritted his teeth to withstand the strike.

  "Go!"

  Right after Happy passed through them, Thunderous Battle used the force from the Stone Giant's punch to push himself about thirty-two feet into the tomb and caught up to Happy.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  The Stone Giant chased after him madly.

  As Happy ran further into the tomb, he met a black humanoid monster that was incredibly disfigured and had abnormally long limbs. It was the Dirt Puppet! And he even ran into two at once.

  "Careful! I'll handle this!"

  Thunderous Battle did not expect the place to be so dangerous. When he saw that Happy was about to run into the Dirt Puppets, he roared and increased his speed so that he could catch up.

  But Happy could tell that Thunderous Battle was not in great shape. He frowned. "Don't worry. I can pass through."

  He did not slow down and did not show any intention to allow Thunderous Battle to attract the monsters' attention.

  Thunderous Battle might be strong, but Happy could tell that he was not too experienced and relied on receiving the blows head on to clear the path. It would be somewhat easy for him to do so with a single Stone Giant, but right then, there were two Dirt Puppets who needed handling, and there was still the Stone Giant right behind them. If he stopped, those monsters would lock them in place. If they did this a few more times later, the situation would become extremely dangerous for them.

  "Don't push yourself!"

  With Thunderous Battle's speed, even if he had a lightness skill in Grandmaster Realm, it was impossible for him to catch up to Happy straight away. When he saw that Happy was about to engage the two Dirt Puppets, his expression turned incredibly sour.

  When Happy saw that the Dirt Puppets' arms were about to strike his face, he decisively threw two throwing knives at the moment of danger.

  A cold glare shone.

  Clang! Clang!

  The throwing knives struck the faces of the two Dirt Puppets before they ricocheted to the side. Even though they did not sink in and did not deal obvious damage, during the critical moment, the powerful force made the Dirt Puppets' heads tremble slightly, and their movements inevitably froze for a moment. Happy used that time to nimbly move past them right under their eyes.

  That scene stunned Thunderous Battle.

  While the Dirt Puppets' attention was gathered on Happy, he quickly caught up and also broke out of the encirclement. He then caught up to Happy.

  "You've entered an ancient tomb before?"

  Thunderous Battle stared at Happy curiously. In truth, he could tell that Happy had not unintentionally brought about that miracle. Happy's prediction of the Dirt Puppets' attacks and movements, along with the timing of his attack, were on point. His body could also follow up to the Dirt Puppets' attacks very naturally, which made it look like he had practi
ced this thousands of times before; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to be so relaxed and confident in that situation.

  He used the same trick.

  Happy easily moved past the subsequent Stone Giants and entered a rather large room with Thunderous Battle.

  The large empty space made the duo become even more fearless. They entered a few more rooms and shook off all the Dirt Puppets and Stone Giants behind them. Soon, they entered a huge hall that was six hundred and fifty-six feet in length.

  In the four corners of the huge hall were a couple Dirt Puppets and Stone Giants. Due to the limited field of vision, they wandered about in a small area with lost looks on their faces.

  In a great show of teamwork, the duo's attention fell on the same Stone Giant in the corner furthest away from them.

  Chapter 96 - Practicing Martial Arts in the Ancient Tomb

  Once he witnessed Happy's lightness skill and ability with the throwing knives, Thunderous Battle no longer treated him like a normal Gate Realm player. He knew that a normal Gate Realm player would not be able to do this. In fact, they would not even dare to enter the ancient tomb. With the Stone Giant's brutal combat abilities, it would only take three hits to kill a Gate Realm player. If their vitals were hit, there was even a possibility that they would be killed in one hit.

  "You usually need a party of at least three people to take care of a Stone Giant, and we take turns to tank its attacks. Every one can last for five minutes, and we kill it once each of us tanks its attacks for two rounds.

  "But if I have to tank him alone, three minutes… will be very tough for me. I will only be able to do it for two minutes before I have to search for a place to take medication, circulate my qi, and treat my injuries."

  "I'll try my best to work with you to attack the Stone Giant's joints and reduce its attack speed," Happy said while nodding slowly. His relaxed words and understanding tone shocked Thunderous Battle. He also felt a strange sense of ease. It was as if the companion by his side was not just in Gate Realm.

  Once he relaxed, Thunderous Battle nodded.

  "Alright!"

  As he spoke, he brought out a broadsword as wide as a palm from his Universe Bag. The body of the blade was golden, thick, and made without any sort of flourish. There were two blurry words on the hilt, and at first glance, Happy could tell the weapon came from a famous swordsmith.

  "This is Square Palace Sword. It adds 200 attack and 50 weapon defense," Thunderous Battle said proudly. "You can only use masterpieces against Stone Giants. Weapons that are slightly inferior in quality will become blunt after you train against them for a long time, and you'll have to repair them when you go back. You're training… with an axe? Not bad, it's also a masterpiece!"

  Before he finished speaking, Happy brought out a shiny silver axe from his Universe Bag.

  He raised his eyebrows and said with surprise and delight, "Axe techniques have the highest attack, and their chances of success in blocking attacks is also the highest. I was just about to suggest you to practice your axe techniques now. It's really great to work with people who know their way in the game! No need to talk more. I'm going up against it!"

  Once he finished speaking, he turned and rushed toward the Stone Giant in the furthest corner.

  Happy held the axe with both his hands. His elegant appearance was a bizarre match with such a weapon.

  He closed his eyes and s.u.c.k.e.d in a deep breath in a relaxed manner. Then, he sensed qi surge out of his Dantian Region, and it swiftly enveloped his entire body. Then, he opened his eyes and stomped on the ground.

  Whoosh!

  He activated his Cloud Treading Steps and charged forward at full speed. He caught up to Thunderous Battle, who had attracted the Stone Giant's attention and had stopped not too far away to fight.

  The Stone Giant seemed to have springs on its feet and to not be able to sense its own weight. It moved like the wind, and with quick steps, it was seven feet away from Thunderous Battle.

  A violent gust of wind roared, and its huge grayish-white fist charged straight at Thunderous Battle with a force that brought huge pressure to all those who faced it.

  Shing! Clang!

  Thunderous Battle moved like a phantom. He bent down, and at the same time he avoided the fist, he swung his Square Palace Sword at the Stone Giant's waist and left behind a white mark. It let out a sound that resembled a metallic clang.

  Thunderous Battle might seem to have gained the advantage, but in truth, the Stone Giant did not sense that it had been injured and felt no pain. As if it had not been injured, it swiftly turned around, and as if it had eyes on its back, it punched Thunderous Battle's left arm.

  Clang!

  Thunderous Battle was forced back several feet. A strange bloody-red mark appeared on his face, which made it clear that he had suffered an internal injury.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  The Stone Giant strode forward with big strides, chasing after Thunderous Battle like a shadow.

  At that moment…

  A loud clang rose, and the Stone Giant's gigantic body trembled slightly. Bits of stone were scr.a.p.ed off its heel. It turned around with a glare, and a teenager with a shiny axe appeared in its sight.

  Happy had attracted the Stone Giant's hate[1] at the critical moment!

  This was what was good about the puppet traps. Even though their damage was astonishing, their intelligence was low, and they did not know how to exploit their strength. Hence, many people used them as practice targets later in the game.

  "Good job!"

  Breathing hard, Thunderous Battle regulated the injuries in his body. He rushed forward with his sword, and taking advantage of the Stone Giant's injury, his broadsword sliced through the wind and cut into stone. It also struck the Stone Giant's heel.

  Even though he believed that his experience in dealing with Stone Giants was greater than Happy's, Thunderous Battle was not an obstinate person. When he saw that the spot where Happy attacked could freeze up the Stone Giant's swift counterattacks, he naturally knew how to adopt and use the technique.

  The Stone Giant had raised its hand by that time, but once it was hit by Thunderous Battle's sword, it did indeed show signs of freezing for a moment.

  Even though it was a brief pause, it was enough for Happy to retreat safely, and his threat level was reduced to its lowest.

  After Happy retreated, Thunderous Battle attracted the Stone's Giant hate again!

  Whoosh…

  Thunderous Battle switched from attack to defense and started withstanding the Stone Giant's attacks headon.

  As he defended, he could not help but reveal some of his weaknesses. At one point, he wanted to use his advantage in experience to avoid a few of the Stone Giant's attacks and lengthen the training time, but he was nearly forced into retreat. Once Happy turned the tables around, he had to be realistic and put on a defensive stance to practice his martial arts.

  Happy did not say anything. Once Thunderous Battle decided to behave, he returned to the back of the Stone Giant again. His qi surged in his Dantian region, and he struck with his Five Continuous Axe Strikes at full strength. He chased after the Stone Giant's footsteps in a rhythmic manner and poured out all of his power on the puppet

  It was clear that Thunderous Battle was practicing a high-tier martial art.

  Happy had seen it before. It was Kunlun Sect's Infinite Sword Technique. It had fewer defensive techniques compared to other martial arts, so if it were not for Thunderous Battle's masterpiece weapon and his extraordinary defensive martial art, it would have been very difficult for him to deal with the Stone Giant's attacks.

  Even so, Thunderous Battle was still forced to retreat as he fought. He stalled for time while he tried to avoid the attacks as best as he could.

  Happy's heart was as calm as water. He had all of Thunderous Battle and the Stone Giant's actions registered in his mind. With Five Continuous Axe Strikes and his Eight Trigrams Steps, which he separated from Nine
Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword, he followed them closely. His axe strikes never missed, even if he faced a Stone Giant in the middle stage of Blessed Realm, and most of them landed on the joints to reduce the pressure on Thunderous Battle's shoulders.

  As time passed, the system continuously showed that his low-tier martial art, Five Continuous Axe Strikes, received experience. Its level increased very quickly, and soon, in less than three minutes, it jumped from Level 80 to Level 84.

  It was the same for Thunderous Battle.

  Even though this was the first time he worked with Happy, he felt that quite a lot of the pressure on him had been removed. In a few minutes, the level of his Infinite Sword Technique rose a little, and he was incredibly excited.

  However, he needed to use a lot of qi to keep his realm and his body fortification technique activated.

  In the fourth minute, Thunderous Battle felt that his qi was about to run out. He gave Happy a signal and prepared to jump out of the battlefield when—

  "Take a medicinal tablet and tank it!"

  Thunderous Battle was struck dumb. Then, he rolled his eyes.

  "Take a medicinal tablet to continue tanking? You're mad! One medicinal tablet is worth two hundred taels of silver crumbs, and at most, it will only allow me to last for two minutes. Just who did you go with to an ancient tomb in the past? Why is he such a spendthrift?!"

  Happy did not say a word, because he instantly came to a realization and cursed himself for being careless.

  They were still in the early stages of the game, and it was difficult for players to earn money. Very few people were willing to spend large sums of money to use medicinal tablets to continue fighting against the monsters. After all, they would need three thousand taels of silver crumbs for an hour, and at most, they could only kill two Stone Giants in that time. And one puppet had only one vessel which was not even worth two hundred taels of silver crumbs.