Honestly, even with Mo Tan’s current mental fortitude, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward…
One must know that while Mo Tan’s figure was decent, it was far from being described as ‘super long legs.’ And so… when he mounted his Self-Destructing Sheep, he was instantly stunned!
This sheep, which didn’t look particularly mini, wasn’t actually very big. Its relatively coordinated proportions on the surface were only due to its extremely fluffy fur. As a result, when Mo Tan flipped onto the sheep, he only felt his body sink, and his feet touched the ground…
In other words, if he exerted a little force, he could stand up directly!
“By the Light!” Great Light Knight Kevin also let out a cry of surprise: “What did this sheep ever do wrong?!”
Mo Tan didn’t speak, merely stiffened his resolve and slightly bent his legs, trying his best not to look too strange. Then, he immediately activated the Knight Skill - Tiger Spear, which could only be used while mounted!
Knight Skill - Tiger Spear
Knight Class Active Skill
Mastery Requirement: Obtain the Thorn Knight profession.
Cost/Restriction: 60 Stamina, Mounted State
Usage: Applies the Tiger Spear effect to your weapon, increasing the range of your next basic attack by 0.5 meters, increasing damage by 10%, and ignoring 20% of the target's defense for five seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Remark: Even if you are not using a lance, this move will grant you the attack range typically associated with wielding a spear. If you are using a lance, then you’ve truly hit the jackpot! Remember, an inch longer, an inch stronger; the stronger, the longer, the longer, the stronger! An inch shorter, an inch riskier; the shorter the weapon, the more dangerous! Stab those short-weapon-wielding trash from two meters away, big brother! P.S.: This skill has nothing to do with tigers, but the Kamehameha doesn't shoot turtles or pies from your hands either! Don't talk logic or reason with this old man, the programming team doesn't accept refutations!
Despite the somewhat misleading remark, this Knight Skill was undoubtedly a very powerful ability. An increase in attack range of 0.5 meters was no joke. Imagine, you’re in a fierce knife fight with an opponent, and suddenly their fruit knife extends to the length of a greatsword…
Just tell me, aren’t you scared?
Kevin (since 'Great Light Knight' takes up a lot of space, to avoid baseless speculation that I'm just padding the word count, let's just call him Kevin from now on) clearly didn't expect the sword Mo Tan thrust at him to inexplicably extend with a cold gleam. Caught off guard, he was instantly gashed in the ribs by the former. His tattered chainmail, which hardly befitted the title of Great Light Knight (oops, I said it again), seemed to have no effect whatsoever, whether it was inherently low in defense or due to that 20% defense penetration effect.
“By the Light! I’m bleeding profusely!” Kevin yelled, swinging his greatsword in a crescent arc, bringing a golden glow down on Mo Tan’s head!
As for why it was a downward strike… the main reason was the Self-Destructing Sheep. Mo Tan, who was originally about the same height as Kevin, was now a good half-head shorter after mounting it!
Mo Tan, finding it difficult to dodge while on the sheep, held his longsword horizontally in front of him, but was directly struck by Kevin, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. Clearly, the latter had an advantage in both strength and weapon. Although this brother’s game experience was definitely not as rich as Mo Tan’s, his absolute game time was several times that of ‘Mo,’ and Kevin used a two-handed sword while Mo Tan used a one-handed one.
This exchange caused Mo Tan to lose about 20% of his health, while Kevin, though slightly ahead in stats, gained a bleeding effect. It was a fair trade.
“By the Light! Why does he get to ride?!” Kevin gritted his teeth and roared, then spun half a circle on the spot. The two-handed greatsword in his hand seemed weightless as it traced a wavy line in the air, floating erratically towards Mo Tan’s chest!
No! Judging by his wrist movements since earlier… it’s the neck!
In a flash, Mo Tan determined the true target of the opponent’s attack, and a second later, he unhesitatingly threw himself onto the sheep’s back… well, he just buried himself directly into the large mass of wool in front of him.
And the greatsword, which had suddenly angled upwards, grazed Mo Tan’s back as it passed over him!
A perfect judgment!
If Kevin’s attack just now had been a straightforward Crescent Slash, Mo Tan would likely have been cleaved off the sheep’s back by now. Or if Mo Tan had ducked earlier, giving Kevin a second or two to change direction, he probably would have been finished too…
But unfortunately, there are no ifs!
The moment the greatsword passed over his back, Mo Tan straightened up, urged his sheep forward, and swung his sword at Kevin’s shoulder. The latter’s body was still spinning from inertia, so he took the hit squarely. However, this unenhanced basic attack yielded little result, only causing the opponent to grunt.
“By the Light! This Sheep Knight is a bit formidable!” Kevin, steadying himself, quickly retreated two steps using the momentum from Mo Tan’s sword, then continued to babble to the Light, and then actually raised his hand and fired a wave at Mo Tan!
Yes, with a ‘biu~’ sound, he fired a wave!
A golden light wave slowly flew from his palm, aimed directly at Mo Tan’s face.
It was really very slow…
So slow that Mo Tan could easily maneuver his Self-Destructing Sheep around the wave!
“Damn it!” Kevin cursed, his face flushed, then swung his sword at Mo Tan… or rather, at the Self-Destructing Sheep beneath him: “You beast! Take this, Broken Shoe Slash!”
That’s right, it wasn’t a typo by the author; Kevin’s move was indeed a genuine ‘Broken Shoe Slash.’
Broken Shoe Slash
Weapon Class Active Skill
Mastery Requirement: Strength 15, Two-Handed Weapon Mastery Level 4
Cost/Restriction: 40 Stamina, Wielding a Melee Weapon, Shouting the Skill Name Aloud
Effect: Attacks the target's feet, dealing 110% weapon damage and slowing them by 40% for three seconds. Has a very low chance to directly damage the target's foot armor. Cooldown: five minutes.
Remark: Although we initially considered uninspired names like ‘Ankle Breaker,’ everyone ultimately agreed on this concise, clear, and highly recognizable skill name. Now go slash that broken shoe!
“It’s called ‘Broken Evil Slash’ but it doesn’t even glow now,” Mo Tan, completely unaware of this skill, mumbled. Then, he seized the opportunity and commanded his Self-Destructing Sheep to ‘leap.’
The latter tried, but failed to jump, instead taking the Broken Shoe Slash squarely. Its already not-so-fast speed immediately slowed down.
Oh no!
Mo Tan hadn't expected to be overweight, and Kevin didn't miss this excellent attack opportunity. He leaped high into the air, yelling “Light above, trash below,” and thrust his greatsword straight down at the unconventional Sheep Knight below him!
Mo Tan, now at an absolute disadvantage in speed, couldn’t manage to either make his mount dodge or jump off and run away. However, he didn’t panic…
Knight Skill - Turtle Shrink
Knight Class Active Skill
Mastery Requirement: Possess the Thorn Knight profession.
Cost/Restriction: 80 Stamina, Mounted State
Effect: Appears beneath your mount in the theoretically shortest time, allowing the mount to absorb the next attack for you. For two seconds after the skill is activated, both the user and mount will gain the ‘Turtle Shrink’ and ‘Crouch’ statuses respectively, increasing defense by 80%, but neither can move. After the effect ends, the user will return to a mounted state at the theoretically fastest speed.
Remark: YO~ YO~ You are my shell~ Bear the fatal attack for me! YO~ YO~ You are my shell~ Carry me through the crowded monster waves! YO~ YO~ Check it out, if you’ve got the guts, bring on your ultimate move!
After activating this skill, Mo Tan almost instantly flattened himself directly beneath the Self-Destructing Sheep. The nimbleness of his limbs was simply indescribable, though this process was completed automatically by his body.
And so, Mo Tan, as a knight, lay in an OTZ posture beneath his mount, while his Self-Destructing Sheep curled up on the spot, enduring Kevin’s descending palm… or rather, sword art!
With a ‘ding,’ the greatsword merely sparked against the Self-Destructing Sheep upon contact. This runic construct, with its defense nearly doubled, remained completely unharmed. And when Kevin landed, bewildered, and withdrew his attack, Mo Tan, utterly resigned, had already returned to the sheep’s back at lightning speed, delivering another Knight Skill - Tiger Spear strike to the former.
This time, Kevin took a serious hit. The sword thrust sent him flying backward, tumbling over ten meters away, and his health instantly dropped below 50%.
“By the Light! It’s so unfair that he, who has a mount, is attacking me, who doesn’t!” Kevin rolled a few times on the ground, then scrambled to his feet, muttering to his Light, and then fired another wave at Mo Tan.
It was still that slow, unhurried light wave from before.
Mo Tan squeezed his legs, urging the sheep to Charge straight ahead…
But at the very same moment, the wave suddenly accelerated, whistling rapidly towards the Sheep Knight!
Kevin revealed a triumphant smile; clearly, the previous slow effect was intentional, designed to catch Mo Tan off guard at this precise moment.
“I knew it!” The Sheep Knight, however, remained calm and composed. He activated Knight Skill - Falcon Strike, and the Self-Destructing Sheep beneath him suddenly gained speed, narrowly dodging Kevin’s wave by a hair’s breadth, and galloped swiftly with Mo Tan on its back!
The distance of several meters vanished in an instant. Knowing that he wouldn't 'die' in the Arena, Mo Tan showed no mercy, pointing his longsword, imbued with a twenty percent attack bonus and piercing effect, directly at Kevin's heart.
In the game Innocent World, attacks like decapitation or piercing the heart were undoubtedly 'lethal.' As long as you theoretically should die, the system would prioritize a lethal judgment. Only when the injury would not cause death would it calculate damage. Mo Tan had already confirmed this from Cordova!
One must know that the character ‘Tan Mo’ at that time in Pato City did not possess the strength to instantly kill Cordova, but the latter, after being stabbed through the heart, immediately surrendered… I mean, respawned. From this, it can be seen that this game is still very user-friendly~
At least there won't be anyone who gets an axe to the neck and then continues to curse and rampage as if nothing happened…
In short, if this Falcon Strike landed squarely, Mo Tan had at least an 80% chance of winning outright!
But…
Kevin had no intention of being pierced through. Without a word, he performed an iron bridge. Although Mo Tan, who quickly changed his attack, still managed to draw blood across his chest, he did not sustain a fatal injury!
“By the Light! Grant me strength!” Kevin, for once, communicated seriously with the Light. Then, his entire body was suddenly enveloped in a golden aura, and the two-handed greatsword in his hand even extended a dozen centimeters with a blade of light, menacingly slashing towards Mo Tan, who was still moving forward due to inertia!
This was undoubtedly a very powerful skill, superior in both speed and force. With a significant advantage in stamina, strength, and agility over his opponent, Kevin’s sword strike should theoretically have been able to knock Mo Tan, who couldn’t dodge in time, to the ground. Even if it didn’t knock him down, it should have taken half his life!
However, Mo Tan suddenly accelerated with a second burst of speed, meeting Kevin's blade and colliding with him before his force had reached its peak!
The principle isn't complicated; it's the difference between hitting a target mid-swing and hitting it with a full swing.
Mo Tan’s decision was undoubtedly wise. His sudden acceleration prevented Kevin’s sword from unleashing its full destructive power. Although he still lost nearly 40% of his health, he also made his opponent spit out half a mouthful of blood.
Indeed…
Thorn Charge
Weapon Class Active Skill
Mastery Requirement: Possess the Thorn Knight profession.
Cost/Restriction: 10% of current stamina.
Effect: Causes you (including in mounted state) to Charge a designated target within 20 meters. During the Charge, all damage dealt to you by that target will be reflected back to them at 50% of its value. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Remark: Honey~ Remember, roses have thorns! Punk~ Remember, thorns prick!
The Thorn Charge Mo Tan activated in that instant not only allowed him to take significantly less damage but also further depleted Kevin’s health!
Although there was still an objective attribute gap between them, Kevin’s health was now within the range where Mo Tan could defeat him in a few moves!
And that last hit should have been his strongest skill!
Mo Tan prepared to press his attack while speculating in his mind.
He was partly right!
That last move was indeed Kevin’s strongest skill, but…
“‘Light’s Blessing’ is a continuous buff state!” Kevin endured Mo Tan’s sword, then pressed tightly against the Self-Destructing Sheep’s side and roared: “Can you withstand another sword strike from me?!”
I can’t…
Mo Tan instantly completed his calculations in his mind. Moreover, all his displacement skills and ‘Knight Skill - Turtle Shrink’ were currently on cooldown, and the Self-Destructing Sheep’s speed was completely insufficient to allow him to dodge this attack…
Kevin’s greatsword, extended with a blade of light, was already slashing down!
Things seemed a little grim…
Wait a minute!
Mo Tan suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and then did something that exceeded everyone’s imagination…
He gripped the mount beneath him, straightened his legs, and pushed off the ground with force!
He… just dodged it like that…
Yes, perfectly, along with the Self-Destructing Sheep, by a hair’s breadth… grazing past the greatsword and dodging it!
This method of evasion, accomplished by the knight pushing off the ground with his feet while mounted, almost dropped everyone’s jaws…
It also made Kevin instantly lose his will to fight.
“By the Light… He’s cheating!!”
Chapter 91: The End