Chapter 42: Mount Hua... No, Steel Armor Breathing Art
Northern Lands, Moldavia.
The wind howled, and sudden snow descended with the cold tide from the far northern sea. Beneath the cover of gray clouds, the daylight was as dim and lightless as night. The mournful wail of drifting mountain gales echoed through the air, like the sound of horns.
It was now December, the season of flying snow. In this final month of the year, blizzards and fierce winds would sweep across the entire Empire. Even the Far South, known for its hottest climate, would feel the cold of daytime freezing. Because of the sudden drop in temperature, everyone stayed indoors, living off the crops they had harvested. They let the ever-accumulating snowdrifts pile over the windowsills and block the doors.
Due to the special natural environment, the architecture of the Northern Lands differed from other places. Doors opened inward, a precaution to avoid the awkward situation of being trapped by snow blocking the door. But even so, when the snow stopped, many people still had to take shovels and dig out a path bit by bit.
At this moment, the fierce wind whipped up drifting snow, and an extreme cold that could freeze boiling water in an instant filled the atmosphere. In this terrifying environment, even the dragon-cart merchant convoys had ceased their trade. No one, no matter how insane, would choose to go out now.
But there were still exceptions.
Moldavia Territory, Main City, City Wall. If the destructive power of a Silver Peak-rank Transcendent could be compared to a high-powered cannon that could move rapidly and had unlimited ammunition, then a Gold-rank Transcendent's destructive power was comparable to a supersonic bomber that could cruise at several times the speed of sound and had an unlimited supply of high-powered fuel-air explosives.
And this was just for humans. If it were a Magical Beast of the same rank, their pure strength would be even greater. Being struck by such power, no matter how strong one's Battle Qi or how skilled one's techniques, due to the limitations of physical strength, one would inevitably suffer internal injuries.
Although, with Joshua's skill and control, enemies of the same rank could not pose a threat to him, the Black Tide was completely different from a one-on-one duel. It wasn't as simple as dealing with nineteen Silver-rank mercenaries by himself before. If the team were scattered by carelessness, he would be facing hundreds or thousands of Magical Beasts alone, with no room to dodge.
This was war. Every Black Tide was a true war. Facing war, no amount of caution was excessive. Moreover, as the Lord, Joshua's task was to charge into the beast horde and slay the powerful Silver-rank, or even Gold-rank, Magical Beasts that could threaten the fortress walls. Added to this, because of the Mad Dragon Plague virus from the Black Erosion Dragon, the intensity of this Black Tide would certainly be higher. No matter how strong a warrior was, he had to make preparations and plans for this battle.
Difficulties were always many, and problems that needed solving were not few. Facing these, the Steel Armor Breathing Art was his choice.
Armor, especially magical armor, mostly had the ability to nullify shock and reduce physical damage. A warrior wearing armor, who wouldn't be distracted by scattered small attacks, had at least three times the combat effectiveness of one without armor. Joshua had a maxed-out Ultimate Essence, so he was not lacking in attack methods. But his body was still only the most basic Gold-rank Transcendent Body. Facing countless frenzied Magical Beasts, what he needed to enhance was his defense.
Steel Armor Breathing Art. This skill originated from a powerful warrior with golden hair. He called himself Saosa, and he roamed across the continent. If you defeated him, you could learn several special warrior skills. Without a doubt, Steel Armor Breathing Art was one of them.
It could increase base armor and reduce a portion of physical damage. At later stages, it could nullify all shock damage and had extremely strong defense against piercing damage. Besides that, it could also increase physical constitution, strength, and life recovery speed. Until finally, it was like wearing a layer of true high-grade magical armor. There were no vital points on the entire body, and it could comprehensively enhance the physical qualities of the warriors who cultivated it, allowing them to adapt to various situations and locations.
But this skill was not popular among the masses in the game. It was just an extra layer of protection. Weapons and skills that could break through armor would certainly be able to pierce through flesh. If so, why give up a flexible and versatile buff slot to learn this defensive passive skill? Added to the fact that most players were not afraid of death, being able to revive, they preferred offense over defense. Except for someone like Joshua who didn't follow the usual path, very few people learned this kind of passive skill.
But now, the situation was completely different. This was a real, true other world. Life was only once. Even though Joshua loved battle and enjoyed the thrill of the kill, that didn't mean he wanted to die. True armor and the Breathing Art, a double layer of defense was a double layer of insurance. It was power that made him stronger and harder to kill.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a slight tremor came from the direction of the southern city gate, interrupting the warrior's thoughts.
"What's going on?"
Joshua turned his head to look. He saw a slowly rising plume of dust at the city gate floating up into the sky, then being scattered by the fierce wind. He couldn't help but wonder, "Why is there such a commotion?"
=======
I think if I followed the rhythm of the last chapter, I could keep writing seven or eight more chapters of daily life... Better not.