The Healing Solaris Cleric - Chapter 91: Deal (1)

Chapter 91: Deal (1)

His crazy friends had wanted to keep partying until morning, but Han Jung-Woo managed to escape them after two more rounds—the second round had been at a bar and the third had been at a karaoke.

I am a bit dizzy, but it shouldn’t affect my gameplay.

He was pleasantly tipsy but not drunk enough to disassemble perfectly good items by mistake.

Therefore, Han Jung-Woo logged into the game and led Blizzard to the nearby hunting grounds.

“How is it?”

Blizzard wagged his tail like an excited puppy, not knowing what to do with himself after receiving the gifts of Black Wolf and White Fox.

After being well-fed and rested, his thick tail had grown back.

I should maybe take that later too…

Oblivious to Kai’s gleaming eyes, Blizzard ran off, swinging his two new scimitars.

“Getting new weapons is always the best feeling.”

Kai proudly watched him, recalling when he received a sword from Solid.

After swinging the swords freely for about ten minutes, Blizzard approached Kai with a fierce look in his eyes.

He wants to hunt.

Perhaps just practicing in thin air wasn’t satisfying enough.

Blizzard wanted a real battle.

Then I’ll give him a proper fight… no, never mind.

Kai shook his head. He felt it was necessary to fight alongside Blizzard at least once.

Besides, I need to test my new skills too.

Wondering where an appropriate stage for this would be, Kai opened the map and then quickly pinpointed a location on it.

“If we move a bit further, we’ll reach the forest where the giant bears appear. Let’s head there.”

With their imposing three-meter height, the giant bears exuded overwhelming power. There were even rumors that many players had been knocked out by their front Paw Smash.

“Krrk.”

Nodding in agreement with Kai’s suggestion, Blizzard followed closely behind him.

“Alright, let’s stop here.”

Kai raised his hand to stop Blizzard as they reached the forest’s entrance.

In his view were large claw marks carved into the trees.

“From here on, it’s the territory of giant bears. Let’s be careful.”

“Krrk.”

With just one step forward, the surroundings grew darker. Thick trees and leaves blocked out the sunlight completely.

The atmosphere is great.

If he were alone, he would have been a bit scared, but Blizzard was by his side right now! Gaining courage by this fact, Kai stepped forward.

The new skills I learned are Ethereal Body, Holy Chains, and Enhanced Summoning.

Today, Kai was going to focus on Holy Chains.

I can guess the others, but I have no clue about this one. I’m dying to find out.

Holy Chains was a Rare skill used by high-ranking NPCs like paladins and inquisitors.

As far as Kai knew, no more than three players had learned this skill.

Of course, there might be others who could be like me and hiding it.

Even considering that, it wasn’t a common skill, which meant there was an advantage but also a downside to it.

There’s no one to learn from.

Since it was such an important skill, he had to figure out how to use Holy Chains entirely on his own because there was no one to teach him or from whom he could learn.

And then there’s also Blizzard’s current skills…

Honestly, if it were the Black Lizardman he had fought against previously, he wouldn’t be worried, but now, all of Blizzard’s skill levels were at beginner level 1.

He needed to accurately assess how useful Blizzard could be in his current state. That way, he could plan future strategies based on that information.

“Sniff sniff, krrk.”

While walking along the path, Blizzard suddenly sniffed the air and grabbed Kai’s sleeve.

“What’s wrong?”

“Krrang.”

Blizzard pointed ahead and then spread his arms wide to mimic something.

Kai, observing him, clapped his hands in realization.

“Oh! Is there a giant bear up ahead?”

Blizzard nodded.

This buddy has a sharper sense of smell than I thought.

It was a true hunter’s skill, honed from living in the wild!

As Kai gently parted the bushes in front of him, sure enough, he saw a giant bear scratching the ground and playing.

“Blizzard.”

“Krrk.”

“You can go fight it.”

“Slurp.”

“Oh, but don’t eat it. It’s dirty.”

“Krrang.”

As soon as Kai gave his permission, Blizzard sprang forward, his black and white scimitars shining in the darkness as they swung down on the giant bear’s neck.

Wow. Is it because Blizzard switched weapons? His swordsmanship has become a bit clumsier and slower, but… the damage seems to have increased.

Kai stepped back, analyzing Blizzard’s abilities without interfering in the battle.

If he’s this skilled with beginner level 1 swordsmanship, he’ll be quite useful if I train his swordsmanship a bit more.

Currently, Blizzard would be able to go up against a level 90 swordsman. Therefore, with just intermediate level 1 swordsmanship, it could potentially take on level 140 players.

Thud!

Within five minutes, the giant bear fell onto its back. Both the black and white scimitars were buried deep into its neck and chest.

“Well done.”

Lightly complimenting Blizzard, Kai glanced at the system log.

I was just cheering from here while he hunted, but I still received XP.

The split was about 80% for Blizzard and 20% for him, so he wondered what would happen in the reverse situation.

Kai looked at Blizzard.

“Now it’s my turn, so stay here.”

Just then, another giant bear wandered down the forest path.

“Holy Chains.”

Shh-clink.

With the skill activation, a short chain of light appeared on his palm.

Kai grasped the chain firmly, feeling its texture.

It’s cold, just like grabbing a metal bar on a playground during winter.

Although made of divine power, the chain felt heavy like metal and had a cold surface.

It seems the consumption of Holy Power varies with the length.

The chain Kai currently summoned was about thirty-centimeters long, consuming 300 Holy Power.

Then does it use about 10 Holy Power per centimeter?

This meant he could summon a one-meter chain with 1,000 Holy Power.

In other words, Kai could extend the Holy Chain up to thirty nine-meters using all his Holy Power.

“Grawr!”

The bear spotted Kai and charged.

Kai immediately extended the chain and hurled it.

Shhh-clink!

With a satisfying sound, the chain wrapped around the bear’s neck.

At the same time, a gasp escaped Kai’s mouth.

“…Huh?”

The Holy Chain wrapped around the giant bear’s neck so naturally! Then, as if he were in a trance, Kai’s hand pulled at the chain. The entire motion was fluid and seamless.

Thud!

The giant bear fell clumsily, hitting its head on the ground.

Kai just blinked and looked down at his hand holding the chain.

What is this feeling?

Skills in MID Online had some degree of system-based correction. This applied even to Wizards or Archers, who were known for their terrible accuracy rates.

However, that correction was minimal and only effective when the player’s skill supported it.

In other words, it only helped when the player knew how to use the skill and practiced consistently.

Of course, Holy Chains would have some correction too.

However, that system-based correction wouldn’t be enough to control a newly used skill so freely.

Which meant only one thing—the player had a natural talent for that weapon or skill. There was no other explanation.

Come to think of it, I’ve never used this type of skill before.

The closest spells similar to magic Kai used were Ray of Light and Holy Explosion. Both were skills that shot out in a straight line, leaving no room for talent to influence.

Well, okay. Let’s say I have a talent for controlling skills like Holy Chains.

He wondered how he could use this talent.

Kai’s gaze, now lifted, focused on the giant bear as if the creature held the answer.

“Raawr!”

The giant bear roared, trying to tear the chain from its neck. However, the chain wouldn’t break.

If the giant bear could break it with its mere strength, it wouldn’t be a Rare-grade skill.

When Kai lightly shook the chain, it released and returned to him.

At the same time, the creature charged, shaking the ground with its enraged steps.

I should consider Holy Chains as a type of whip.

Though he couldn’t study the Holy Chains skill directly, he could learn a bit by watching videos of rankers using whip-type weapons.

But first…

Swish!

Kai’s chain danced again. This time, his goal wasn’t to bind the creature but to test the attack power of Holy Chains itself.

Clunk!

The chain struck the giant bear’s nose, causing it to scowl. It looked as if a child’s paper airplane had hit it.

“The attack power kind of sucks. Swinging my sword once would be more effective than this three times.”

With a light sigh, Kai dashed forward. He needed to determine if Holy Chains could be used in close combat.

“Roaaar!”

Whoosh!

The giant bear’s right paw slashed through the air, aiming at Kai. It was the same Paw Smash that had sent countless players’ minds and health bars plummeting!

However, Kai, seeing the paw come right up to his face, calmly said, “Ethereal Body.”

Whoosh!

Kai’s body instantly transformed into blue particles, taking on a ghostly form.

Simultaneously, the giant bear’s Paw Smash passed right through Kai, scattering his form without causing any damage.

Naturally, Kai took no damage at all!

“Grr?!”

The giant bear was visibly bewildered.

Normally, it was a smart creature that would step back and assess the situation, but right now, it was completely thrown off. In its confusion, it instinctively swung its left paw for another smash.

“Holy Chains.”

Shh-clink!

Although Kai’s attack power was reduced by 50% when he used Ethereal Body, he could still use his skills without any issues.

The chain quickly shot out and wrapped around the giant bear’s left paw, and Kai pulled the chain.

Holy Chains is useless for striking.

He had realized that the Holy Chain’s attack power was ridiculously weak after he hit the bear’s nose earlier with it.

So, Kai changed the way he was thinking.

Then how would it be if it was used for joint locks?

Most people associated joint-lock martial arts with judo or jiu-jitsu.

Similarly, Kai, who was no expert in martial arts, knew only these two.

I even learned a bit of judo in elementary school.

Although he had quit after three months, he still remembered what the instructor had said.

Never forget that judo is about overcoming strength with softness.

Using the opponent’s strength against them was a distinct characteristic of judo.

Of course, while Kai didn’t know any judo techniques, he currently possessed overwhelming physical abilities and, most importantly, keen eyes.

I can see the trajectory of the bear’s attacks.

If he could read that, he could figure out how to use its strength against it, jJust like now.

“Grr…?!”

The powerful Paw Smash altered its trajectory due to Holy Chains. It was an unexpected movement that strained the bear’s body.

Craack!

Even athletes got injured if they couldn’t perfectly control their bodies, and that was no different for a monster with overwhelming strength like the giant bear.

Thud!

Holy Chains is useful for joint locks.

Using the bear’s own strength, Kai twisted the trajectory of its attack just slightly, and that alone caused the level 95 monster to collapse to the ground, its back broken, groaning in pain.

“Okay, nice.”

Kai made a brief assessment that the new skills were definitely worth their price.