The time for the dog of war is nigh.You"d normally keep your distance from a rabid dog – else you might get rabies.
A dog of war, on the other hand, is different.
This one"s bred for killing and maiming.
This one may look harmless, but can and will bite you where it hurts if you do something stupid.
Such is the same with Jake Smithson, who has now completed his change from a mere rabid dog, to a full-blown dog of war.
"If this combination of equipment won"t work, then there is nothing more I can do."
The "dog of war" combination focuses everything on increasing offensive capability – and Jake Smithson made this combination for a simple reason: he noticed that all his attacks on the Skeleritter bounced off; the monster didn"t even flinch from his strongest strike.
Liam"s own strongest attack flung it a distance, but otherwise did nothing to it.
It meant that his offensive capabilities were inadequate against the monster"s defenses.
Just can"t rely on the Swiftstone"s cutting powers anymore, Jake thought as he sought something else to further increase its cutting power, and found an item that could be the solution to his problem.
[Stinger Stiletto: A sword with a thin, flat blade. Has the ability to ignore part of the defenses of enemies it strikes. However, its parrying ability is nonexistent, its attack range is very low, and can only use its ability when used in thrusting or stabbing attacks.]
A sword shaped more like an awl or ice pick due to its thin, flat blade: its cutting power is incomparable to any other sword in the Black Label catalog, due to its ability to ignore enemy defense.
However, the thin and flat blade requires stabbing attacks to work, making its style of use very different from the Swiftstone Sword.
The Swiftstone uses its weight and size in both offense and defense: the Stinger is meant for killing strikes, and has no parrying capability.
"This weapon isn"t an option but a necessity. There"s no weapon more suitable than this to pierce through that monster"s body, Jake thought as he considered purchasing the Stinger."
Something was stopping him, though – the incompatibility with using this and the Swiftstone.
How would he do something about that?
"This is how I"ll be able to use the Swiftstone and the Stinger at the same time," Jake continued thinking as he found the skill he needed in the catalog to make that possible.
[Dual Wield: Allows you to wield two items or spells simultaneously, independently of each other. Whether they be weapons or magic, this skill now allows you to use two items, skills, or spells at the same time! Chuck fireb.a.l.l.s and ice spears at once! Throw rocks and lightning at once! Use a spear and sword together! The possibilities are endless!]
Just as the description went, it"s the ability to let your right and left hand operate weapons and magic with their own unique styles independently and simultaneously.
"With this, I should be able to hold my Swiftstone on my right, use the Cherry Blossom Sword Art to keep the monster at bay, then when I have the chance, use the Stinger on my left and stab that f.u.c.ker!"
But wait, there"s more!
Jake purchased yet another skill, to maximize both the effects of Mult.i.task and the Stinger Stiletto.
[Omni-pierce: This isn"t a fancy or great skill, but purchasing this skill will drastically improve your mastery of knives and short swords. With this, you can maximize the efficiency of your thrusting attacks. Once upon a time, this skill was called Fang Thrust, but eventually gained this name, because of the potential destructive power this skill has, when used in tandem with other weapons!]
Thanks to Jake"s self-proclaimed Shopper"s Instinct, he was able to find the skill that helped him out the most; he didn"t spend all that money before coming to Nohas for nothing.
With this much experience and talent, you could almost say that he was born for this: it"s not something worth showing off to others, but at a moment where every moment matters, Jake"s own ability was something more than a necessity to him.
"Well, of course, nothing I"ve bought so far is a waste! Because the power of shopping has kept me alive here!"
There was one last thing he needed to take care of before wrapping up.
"Finally, the cherry on top."
[Enchant Weapon (Sword): You can either create a sword out of magical power, or use this to imbue your sword with magical power – but be warned, this skill is limited to attacks that require a sword. Thanks to this skill, even wood swords become lethal weapons. Give it a try!]
Enchant Weapon (Sword): just like Omni-Pierce, it"s a supportive skill Jake can use with other skills. His plan was to power up the Swiftstone then use it in tandem with Cherry Blossom Sword Art. Then, he"d empower the Stinger and use it in tandem with the Omni-Pierce.
That should be it, Jake thought, his preparations complete. How much time is left?
[Time remaining: 21 hours, 12 minutes, 25 seconds.]
"I need to hurry."
Despite this dog of war gaining newer and sharper fangs, the urgency still remained.
***
"Whatever happened to the "shake it off" dance?"
Kelderian wanted to say "I told you so" to the head of the Planning team, but it would be very bad form to do that in front of a superior.
Still, though, it looked very appropriate, since he and Veilon now sported identical, frazzled looks, after seeing just how the demented customer worked firsthand.
"Now, you see what has me all stressed out."
Veilon looked like he was in agony, clutching his head with both hands, and Kelderian was looking at the head of the Planning team with pity and anger.
"Where did all his confidence go?"
"Is this what happens when you deal with that freak?" Veilon asked. Finally, you understand just how deep the trouble I"m in.
"That"s right," Kelderian replied, and the laugh that followed was filled with more sarcasm than emotion.
"This…" Veilon said, after looking back at the sales logs and laughing, "is finally something worthy of me!"
Okay, what? This Veilon fellow is just as much a freak as this Smithson guy!
Kelderian looked aghast at Veilon enjoying the situation rather than suffering through it.
Apparently that laugh of his activated a switch in the mind of the head of the planning team, as he suddenly stood up.
"About d.a.m.n time. An opponent worthy of my full power has arrived."
A worthy opponent? Kelderian wondered, sporting a dumbfounded look as he saw Veilon"s morale return. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke to you?
He was angry, but he couldn"t say it out loud, because Veilon is higher up in the office hierarchy than he is. Planning team head against branch manager? Forget about it.
It"s why Kelderian held his tongue and stopped himself from telling Veilon "I told you so" when they saw the sales logs come in, and when Veilon turned to ask Kelderian for a favor, he couldn"t read the situation in the room, so focused the head of the planning team was on his newly-found opponent.
"I think I know how to get this guy. You mind letting me take over the Gold Label for a moment, Kelderian?" Veilon asked.
The request contained something he really didn"t want to hear, and Kelderian had to ask Veilon again.
"Take over the Gold Label?"
An ominous energy was emanating from the head of the planning team as he asked that favor.
"I"m going to start up another event with Gold Label access as the prize," Veilon declared.
The bad feeling Kelderian had was proven correct.
Why does it never turn out to be wrong? Kelderian asked himself as he started to feel light-headed momentarily before getting his wits back to try and formulate a refusal that wouldn"t rub the head of the planning team the wrong way.
"It"s a little difficult," he admitted, "if this guy somehow gains access to Gold Label, then we"ll never recover from that."
Despite Veilon being higher-up in the office hierarchy, each branch and their own managerial team had their own autonomy: extraordinary incidents notwithstanding, matters within the branch were entirely within the branch manager"s purview.
Veilon and Kelderian knew this, so when the Nohas branch manager said his refusal, Veilon began to persuade him to change his mind; it was almost like he expected it.
"It"s already too late. Did you check Jake Smithson"s sales logs?"
"I did."
"He"s made the Black Label Hero Shop his personal online shopping companion – the Griefen was perhaps his most notable purchase."
Despite the large array of goods on the Black Label Hero Shop, there were a certain set of essential items that possessed wonderful synergy.
"How is this even possible?" Kelderian asked as soon as he rechecked the logs. "He bought the essential items in our catalog within moments of each other?"
"That"s right," Veilon said. "Those items have the best effects together for the lowest cost. d.a.m.n it, has someone been feeding this Smithson guy insider information?"
Kelderian shook his head at Veilon; they never had a chance to find out if Jake Smithson knew something he shouldn"t about how the Hero Shop worked.
"Then shall I be honest with you? We"re screwed," Veilon said, rubbing salt on the wound even further. "We have no choice but wait for the inevitable memo from the Dimensional Manager."
Kelderian paled.
"I know… but it"s out of our hands now."
"And you"re going to let it end like this? What"s wrong with you?"
"Then what the h.e.l.l are we going to do?! We"ve all but lost that wager you were confident about. What then?"
"I haven"t lost yet."
"Then what are you talking about?"
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"We haven"t lost yet, but what I"m saying is that we need to prepare just in case we actually lose this deal."
Veilon"s voice grew more pa.s.sionate.
"It"s not about who wins the first wager, it"s about who wins the last one!"
"So, our ace-in-the-hole"s Gold Label access? If I give you this access, I"m just as good as done with this company!"
"Don"t worry about that. I might not be able to stop the Dimension Manager from sending you the memo, but I will do what I can to keep you from getting fired. The chairman and I are close," Veilon clarified. "Anyway, you"ll still get the memo from the Dimension Manager, if you sit on your a.s.s and do nothing. Even if you do, do you think this adventurer would ever stop buying things? He"ll eventually clean out the Black Label Hero Shop and ending up gaining access to the Gold Label by himself."
"You said you"re close with the chairman?"
"I can"t spare the details, but yes, I am close with the chairman. So, don"t worry. No…stop worrying, already! This next wager will surely be my win!"
"What kind of wager do you have in mind this time?"Kelderian asked, now beginning to show interest in Veilon"s plans, and when he did, Veilon began to explain the content of his planned wager, finishing with a satisfying laugh: the contents of the bet with the Gold Label.
***