The Fall of the Longsword Swordsman

Half an hour later.

Ancient Forest.

The dense vegetation blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and plants.

Rosalind finally had her first real battle.

Her hunting target was a group of thieves roaming the area.

The battle begins.

Rosalind played with considerable ease.

After all, the long sword has a large attack range, and the first hunting quest is just for players to get familiar with it; small monsters like the Great Jagras can be easily defeated by hacking and slashing.

Rosalind completed her mission without any problems.

Although he was tackled a few times and missed a few times during the process.

But it's not a big problem.

With the completion of the first task, the Online Gathering Hub was also opened.

The company formed a team.

Rosalind glanced at the team-up function and roughly understood why Lu Xiu had set it up this way. It was indeed better to let players understand the weapons and the system before forming teams; otherwise, it would be chaotic and difficult to manage.

but.

Although it's now possible to team up.

However, Rosalind did not form a team immediately.

She suddenly discovered that the dungeon had a solo option, meaning that if a player was confident, they could completely clear the multiplayer dungeon solo, and there seemed to be a bonus reward.

What else is there to say?

Rosalind immediately abandoned her plan to go to the Online Gathering Hub and instead accepted a second hunting mission on her own.

Next.

Her hunt went fairly smoothly.

Because it's either * Kestodon * or * Great Jagras *.

Neither of them is particularly strong.

But after these two battles, Rosalind felt no relief whatsoever; on the contrary, her expression grew increasingly grave with each fight.

As the intensity of the battle increases.

He sensed something was amiss.

The actual combat was quite different from what I imagined.

Although the practice went smoothly, in actual combat, swinging a weapon was much slower than expected.

Moreover, each swing is accompanied by tremendous inertia.

Once you strike, there's a very long recovery time, making it extremely difficult to follow up with other moves.

The stakes are fine.

But fighting monsters is a different story.

Because they are dynamic----

Furthermore, the dungeon requires extremely strict control over positioning and timing.

The damage caused varies drastically depending on the part of the monster's body; this is known as the "meat quality."

In addition, the Sharpness system, which measures the weapon's edge sharpness, is also quite complicated.

If the Sharpness is insufficient, the knife will really bounce back!

This rigorous combat setting gave Rosalind a completely new understanding of the entire dungeon.

She was forced to focus, calculating the distance of each strike, observing the monster's movements, and the recovery time after she made her move.

----Mainly if you don't pay attention.

The attack can really miss.

but.

This is probably because the initial monster hunt went relatively smoothly.

Rosalind was still confident.

She felt she was gradually getting used to the combat rhythm of the entire instance.

Then.

Then she met the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku is a smaller bird dragon species, covered in pale yellow scales.

Unlike the Great Jagras.

This monster is not only agile, but it also doesn't play by the rules at all.

Rosalind is now in real trouble.

"----Why does it keep playing?!"

Rosalind looked at the Kulu-Ya-Ku clutching a stone, feeling a pang of pain.

That Kulu-Ya-Ku always manages to turn around and lift that broken rock when she swings her knife, making her swing it directly at the rock and causing the knife to bounce off all the time!

Moreover, this monster moves around too much, jumping here and there, and occasionally it will lift up a rock and smash it down.

The katana's originally proud long attack range became a burden when facing these small monsters that were jumping around everywhere.

Most importantly.

This monster will also keep moving and changing areas.

Rosalind could only manage a few strikes before her opponent ran away, forcing her to grit her teeth, put away her weapon, and chase after him breathlessly through the dense forest.

"Can you please stop running away!"

Once again, I caught up with the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

Rosalind, who was experiencing Monster Hunter for the first time, was a little annoyed. She drew her katana, dodged the Kulu-Ya-Ku's peck, and immediately took a step forward, Step Slash the hilt tightly with both hands, and delivered a precise vertical slash to the Kulu-Ya-Ku's relatively soft head.

He immediately followed up with a variation, starting Spirit Blade Combo Spirit Gauge Charge.

one time.

Two times.

Three times.

Spirit Roundslash.

Red Blade Opens----Ah??

The Kulu-Ya-Ku jumped up.

It's empty.

"How can this be empty???"

Rosalind remained in the position she had just taken after the Spirit Roundslash, her eyes wide with disbelief, like a shaman performing a ritual, her Fox Ears bristling.

The monster jumped!

And they even chose to jump on the very last jump!!!

After landing, the Kulu-Ya-Ku immediately pounced, unleashing a series of vicious stabs at Rosalind, who was still sheathing her sword and had many openings below her!

Bang!!!

Rosalind was pecked away by the immense force.

This is so frustrating!

It was actually overturned by a free-range chicken carrying a stone!

Rosalind rolled around once, and when she stopped, her pretty face was flushed.

I'm so embarrassed.

The main problem is that when she was testing the weapons, she clearly said she would clear the level with a smooth, fluid motion, but now she's been tricked by the chicken.

And what follows is anger.

Rosalind got up, covered in dust, then raised her head menacingly and thrust her katana straight up.

Try again!!!

The image of the ghostly figure she had just seen in the Training Ground, demonstrating incredibly powerful and fluid techniques, replayed in her mind.

Then it started moving.

First came a slash.

Missed.

Next, another Foresight Slash.

Cut the air.

A casual thrust.

I finally won!

Spirit Helm Breaker Slash!!!

The moment Rosalind saw the damage numbers appear, she didn't care whether it was a red blade or not and immediately activated her skill.

She soared into the air like a graceful swallow.

Mid-air, Rosalind gripped the hilt of her knife tightly, turned sideways, and aimed the blade at the Kulu-Ya-Ku below.

In her imagination.

That attack will be incredibly cool.

She will descend from the sky with unparalleled momentum, her blade tearing through the air, then, accompanied by dazzling sword energy, she will strike the Kulu-Ya-Ku with explosive damage.

This was the counterattack she envisioned—a strike that was both magnificent and sharp, like mercury spilling across the ground!

Die!!!

Rosalind swung her longsword violently in mid-air, crashing down with the force of a thunderbolt.

However.

Just before her blade was about to fall.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku below, which seemed to be preparing to take the brunt of a powerful attack, appeared to have noticed the commotion above.

Suddenly, he nimbly jumped backward.

Swish!

Rosalind's magnificent and sharp Spirit Helm Breaker grazed the tip of the Kulu-Ya-Ku's nose and slashed through the air.

"No way—it can still be empty?!"

Rosalind remained kneeling on the ground.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku that hopped away tilted its head and glanced at the human on the ground, who was posing in a strange position.

Then, with a pounce of its front paws like a hungry tiger, it brutally struck Rosalind, who was full of openings.

Rosalind flew out again.

And then Rosalind got up.

There was nothing there.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku had already run quite a distance, its two slender legs moving incredibly fast as it raced towards the next area on the map!

Not only did they run incredibly fast, but they didn't even turn their heads once.

Another server change!!!

1

Rosalind stood there dumbfounded for a moment, holding the katana whose Sharpness had been chipped away, before slamming it to the ground. "Broken weapon!!!!"

"What kind of ridiculous attack speed is this! Was it really necessary to make it this realistic?!"

Rosalind was furious and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the katana lying on the ground. "You can't hit a monster this agile! Those phantoms in the Training Ground are a complete scam! In real combat, monsters don't just stand still and let you make them look so cool!"

Just as her Fox Ears on her head were trembling with anger.

Suddenly, a heavy rustling sound came from the bushes nearby.

Rosalind turned her head sharply to look.

A Great Jagras, its round belly bulging, slowly crawled out of the forest.

In this instance map, an area is not just limited to the current quest objective; different monsters will roam around the same map and may even encounter each other.

"

Swish!

Rosalind swiftly picked up the katana from the ground.

So why make this dungeon so realistic?

Ten minutes later.

Rosalind shook the blood off her katana, looked at the lifeless Great Jagras lying on the ground, and let out a sigh of relief.

Compared to the hyperactive Kulu-Ya-Ku, the Great Jagras, a large and relatively slow-moving monster, is much easier to defeat.

A smooth and satisfying combo was unleashed.

She finally regained a little bit of confidence.

but----

We can't keep being so stubborn.

As Rosalind took out a whetstone and began sharpening her katana, which had lost its Sharpness again, she pondered in her mind.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku is probably just an early-game monster; it's only because it's agile and mobile that she's been so thoroughly defeated.

The attribute suppression in this dungeon is too severe; the difficulty seems to increase exponentially as you progress.

At least the Anjanath she encountered in the story when she first entered the dungeon hasn't officially appeared yet!

"Clearly, these monsters aren't meant for a single player to fight. The reason it's a multiplayer dungeon is because it requires multiple players to work together."

Rosalind sheathed her sharpened katana with a clang, having convinced herself of her decision.

The katana does have high burst damage and a long attack range, but its biggest weakness is that it's easy to miss.

In a solo situation, it's easy to miss even when there's space to attack.

For example, the Kulu-Ya-Ku just now.

The monster designed by the Architect is exceptionally intelligent.

But what if it's a team of multiple people?

"If someone in the team can hold off the monster—"

Rosalind's mind conjured up images of the group battling the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

As long as someone can hold the monster back, you can keep using Spirit Blade Slash, Spirit Helm Breaker, Foresight Slash Iai Slash, and Iai Slash to unleash a series of combos!

"It will be much easier if someone can hold them off—we absolutely have to team up."

I've made up my mind.

Rosalind no longer hesitated and decisively returned to the Astera.

Nearly half an hour later.

Rosalind arrived at the Online Gathering Hub and finally found three teammates who were at the same level.

----Three Longsword Swordsman.

"Why are you using katana too?"

Rosalind, looking at her teammates whose names were prefixed with the three regions Canaan, Red Tide, and Helia, couldn't help but ask a question.

--

A maximum of four players can form a party for dungeons.

But all four members of the team are using katana; is that reasonable?

"Handsome."

"Handsome."

"Handsome."

Surprisingly, the three teammates' responses were consistent.

Rosalind took a deep breath. "Alright, so you've all managed to kill the Kulu-Ya-Ku, right?"

The three nodded.

The female player from Canaan added with a laugh, "But I haven't had a chance to play yet; I'd like to try playing in a team."

The others nodded again.

Rosalind hesitated for a moment. "I've already fought it. It's a very agile monster and needs someone to keep it occupied, which is why I formed a team. From now on, I'll take the lead and you can follow my commands, okay?"

Currently, multiplayer instances are in a state of just opening up across the entire world.

Therefore, most players are still quite innocent and are generally very friendly when they encounter players from other areas.

After all, the Border Barrier has been in place for four years.

It had been a long time since any of them had seen people from other countries.

Therefore, when faced with Rosalind's request, the other three, even though they didn't know her identity, readily agreed.

Because she had hit him.

"OK."

"Let's go then."

Although Rosalind was somewhat worried about the fact that all four members of the team were using katanas, she didn't say much and instead set off first for the monster area.

Ten minutes later.

The four arrived at the area inhabited by the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

"Speaking of which, the Nine Provinces dungeon is really amazing."

The male player from the Red Tide region ran alongside, observing the surrounding environment as he went. He exclaimed sincerely, "They really captured the feeling of an ecosystem. Wild monsters even fight each other. I just saw two monsters fighting over territory on the way here."

Do you think other fan-made versions of Nine Provinces might be just as exaggerated?

"That's absolutely outrageous."

A teammate from the Helia region couldn't help but chime in, "When I was choosing weapons, I was already thinking, honestly, is this really something a human could come up with?"

"That's probably Nine Provinces's advantage—by the way, how's your country doing these days?"

The four of them chatted as they ran.

Rosalind would occasionally chime in with a comment.

The atmosphere was quite nice.

The group chatted about dungeons, their respective countries, gathered information, and interacted with players outside the closed circle.

This is impossible in multiplayer system dungeons, because system dungeons basically involve combat from the start, with players fighting in arenas to gain the most battle merits in their respective areas.

Looking at her three harmonious teammates, Rosalind couldn't help but wonder, perhaps this is why the system has opened up multiplayer dungeons?

Lu Xiu is also quite skilled.

It's amazing that they even thought of making a hunting-themed film.

It allows players to coexist peacefully while tracking prey, without interfering with normal dungeon progression.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku suddenly jumped out.

He tilted his head and looked at the four of them.

"Target spotted! Charge!"

Rosalind immediately composed herself, stopped thinking, drew her katana, and charged forward first.

Seeing this, the three behind also drew their swords and followed.

Four Longsword Swordsman charged forward together.

The scene was quite spectacular.

However, the problem arose the next second.

Rosalind rushed in front of the Kulu-Ya-Ku and unleashed a powerful Step Slash.

Almost simultaneously, a female player from Canaan cut in from her right, also delivering a vertical slash.

The two knives nearly collided in mid-air, forcing Rosalind to retract her grip, the blades grazing the Kulu-Ya-Ku's wing before striking the ground.

"Move a little to the left!" Rosalind shouted.

"Okay!"

The Canaan girl quickly moved two steps to the left.

But as she moved to the left, she bumped right into the Red Tide male Hunter who were flanking her from the left.

The moment their shoulders touched, their thrusts went completely astray, one hitting the air and the other the ground.

".

"You two, don't squeeze together!"

The players from Helia circled around from behind, attempting to attack the Kulu-Ya-Ku from behind.

He seized the opportunity and unleashed a sweeping strike, the blade tracing a beautiful arc, precisely striking the Red Tide male Hunter in the back.

The Red Tide male Hunter stumbled, his movements interrupted.

Then it was swatted away by the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

"Holy crap! Who's going to kill me?!"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Let's try again!"

Conducted by Rosalind.

The four quickly scattered and rearranged their formation.

Rosalind took a deep breath and launched another attack, Step Slash followed by the first, second, and third segments of her Spirit Blade Slash.

Big Spin!!!

Yellow Blade!

Open!

Then she slashed at the Kulu-Ya-Ku, but also at her teammate.

"Holy shit!"

"Interrupted again!"

"Who are you trying to kill?!"

In Rosalind's vision, the four of them would form a team, each responsible for a direction, taking turns using Energy Blade techniques to unleash red blades, and then taking turns using Spirit Helm Breaker to form a perfect combo.

But the ideal is very rich.

Reality, however, is not that simple.

Before the monster even attacked, the four Longsword Swordsman had already engaged in several friendly sparring sessions.

And then...

There are even more problems.

"No! This is PvP!!! Can you at least watch out for the Spirit Roundslash attack?!"

What are you Foresight Slash? The Foresight Slash?

"What are you Iai Slash???"

"No way!!! What dragon climbing? And how can this even happen?"

Are you guys fighting monsters or your teammates???

Less than three minutes.

The four people, who were chatting happily and discussing the situation in their respective countries not long ago, suddenly started wailing and cursing each other without any manners.

The trust between people collapsed in an instant.

----It went straight into the stage of suspicion.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku tilted its head, looked at the four Longsword Swordsman who almost started fighting, and then turned and ran.

Rosalind watched the fleeing Kulu-Ya-Ku, then glanced at her teammates who were already tearing at each other's collars, raised her katana again, and slammed it hard to the ground.

She took back what she had just said; Lu Xiu's purpose was simply to torment the players!

It's one thing for the attack to hit teammates, but it's another to interrupt their attacks!

Four Longsword Swordsman!!! Especially four Longsword Swordsman users who prioritize style but are inconsistent in their skills, all together!!

!!

It's a complete disaster!!!

What a piece of junk weapon!!!

What a terrible dungeon!!!

Half an hour later.

Rosalind's team broke up amidst curses and swears.

Half a day later.

Online Gathering Hub.

Players using katanas were kicked from their groups as soon as they joined.

This day.

Lu Xiu single-handedly instilled suspicion in the multiplayer instance.