How strong was Yugin, exactly?
That was a question well worth considering carefully.
First, Yugin was a genius rarely seen among the orcs even once in several centuries. That was beyond dispute. In other words, he had started out with a heroic template, and his base attributes completely outclassed those of other orcs in every respect. He was one of the few sages among his people, with no obvious weaknesses in either strength or intelligence.
Then there was the fact that Yugin had traveled across the entire continent.
There was no way to calculate how many feats and abilities that journey had given him, but one thing was certain: those travels had made Yugin more dangerous and powerful than other professionals of the same level.
Next, Yugin's class level was somewhere between 26 and 30.
If he had advanced during his battles against the abyssal fiends, an average estimate would put his class level at around 28. Under the rule that a boss template added +5 to challenge rating, Yugin, as the orcs' chieftain, could be regarded as a legendary creature with a challenge rating approaching 33. In other words, Yugin's challenge rating might have been slightly higher than that of an ancient red dragon!
The facts bore that out.
Yugin had shown no fear when facing the ancient brass dragon. If it dared come down to the ground, he would dare take it head-on!
Finally.
This was not the first time Soren had fought Yugin.
Although Soren had always held the advantage, the truth was that he had never fought Yugin head-on from start to finish. He had won every battle by staying mobile and exploiting his strengths against Yugin's weaknesses. Even the occasional direct clash had required him to transform into the Slayer. Without assuming Slayer Form, Soren