Chapter 178: Sibling Fight (6)
Silent Wound (S). A newly acquired skill by Noah, it had the ability to decrease all of an opponent’s stats.
The skill worked by reducing the opponent’s stats by 1% per minute, up to a maximum of 50%, starting immediately after inflicting an injury. It had no grade restrictions—it could affect opponents of any rank, and neither poison resistance nor curse resistance could block it.
At a glance, it seemed like an incredibly powerful skill. However, in practice, it was extremely tricky to use.
The first issue was that Noah was a support-type Hunter. Compared to others of the same rank, his stats were relatively low, and his offensive skills were insufficient. This meant that it was difficult for him to even inflict an injury on an S-rank opponent by himself. What use was a skill with no grade restriction if you couldn’t even activate it?
On top of that, Silent Wound only remained active as long as the inflicted wound was left untreated. If the opponent completely healed their injury, the stat reduction effect would disappear. Therefore, in order to fully utilize the skill, Noah needed to continuously hinder the opponent from healing. Naturally, this was another task that was difficult for a support-type Hunter to handle alone.
In essence, Noah—who possessed the ability to assist others—needed to receive assistance from other Hunters to make proper use of the skill.
The skill’s mechanics and requirements fundamentally clashed with Noah’s stat profile and combat style.
However, if applied properly, it was a skill capable of defeating an opponent far stronger than himself.
“How is it, Noah?”
In response to my question, Noah answered.
-The duration has shortened!
The double attack skill effect had reduced the activation time of Silent Wound. In other words, Liette’s stats were now decreasing by 1% every 30 seconds instead of every minute.
For Noah, who needed to endure, a shortened duration worked in his favor. If he could hold out for just five more minutes, it would become much easier to avoid Liette’s attacks.
“Is the maximum stat reduction still the same?”
-The description in the skill window hasn’t changed, so I’m not sure. But the reduction applied to the opponent definitely updates every 30 seconds.
“Then let’s keep running for now!”
-Got it!
As Noah raised his flight altitude, a slightly flustered Yerim’s voice came through.
[Uh… I just received a new update to the match rules. It seems there’s been widespread agreement that the arena should have not only width restrictions but also height restrictions. If an opponent capable of flight keeps ascending, it makes the match difficult to proceed properly.]
…Tch. I’d purposely left out mentioning any height restrictions since it was an advantage for Yuhyun, Yerim, and Noah. But it seemed that Noah’s obvious strategy of flying away had annoyed the spectators. In the ranking matches before my regression, the flight restriction rule had also been introduced during the second round.
Yerim, holding a loudspeaker at her waist, raised her voice.
“From now on, excessive high-altitude flight is prohibited! Since it’s difficult to set an exact height during the match, any flight judged to be evasive rather than combat-oriented will result in a warning! If you accumulate three warnings, it will be counted as a disqualification!”
Noah turned to look at me, as if asking what to do.
“We’ve come this far; we can’t afford to lose by disqualification. But if it gets dangerous, just run. In a real fight, the winner is the one who survives, no matter the means.”
Even if it was declared a disqualification, Liette wasn’t going to end the match just like that. Naturally, we wouldn’t simply nod and accept it either. While it would be ideal to win spectacularly, there was no need to risk losing just to avoid warnings.
Boom!
A thunderous rumble came as Liette closed in rapidly. When Noah ascended further to evade, a voice announced that he had been issued a warning.
“Take two warnings if you need to! Once Liette’s stats drop further, it’ll be safer to lower your altitude, so just hang on for now!”
I reassured Noah, who flinched at the word “warning.” With three strikes leading to disqualification, we could afford to take two warnings. Plus, warnings usually weren’t issued back-to-back. As expected, even though Noah maintained his altitude, the second warning didn’t immediately follow.
It was when he feigned lowering his altitude slightly to appear cooperative.
-Pebble, what did you do?
Liette’s growling voice reached us. Had she noticed already? It had only been about five minutes. If she realized her stats were being reduced, she would undoubtedly become even more aggressive.
[Oh! Liette! What is she planning?!]
Yerim’s exclamation prompted me to quickly glance back. I saw the massive black dragon rising onto her hind legs. With the arena boundary so close, Noah couldn’t keep fleeing and would need to change direction soon. Liette had clearly anticipated this.
A menacing aura radiated from her entire body, an ominous haze enveloping her form. Then, the black dragon slammed her massive frame down onto the ground.
Rumble!
The earth split apart. For now, that wasn’t too alarming. However, Liette didn’t stop at stomping on the ground—her immense weight crushed deeper into the fissures, shattering and burrowing further.
Amid the ceaseless sounds of thunderous impacts, the previously cracked ground began to surge upward. It was as though the world itself had flipped, with soil, rocks, and trees shooting high into the air. And below all this, the black figure was supposed to reemerge.
‘Where’s Liette?’
The black dragon that had flipped the earth completely was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Noah found himself surrounded by obstacles on all sides.
“Noah!”
This was dangerous. I had seen a battle like this before. Without hesitation, I activated the Teacher skill, aiming it at Liette, who had to be nearby. Although she wasn’t visible, the skill activated—it must have worked either because of our proximity or because I already knew she was in the area.
Immediately after confirming this, I transferred Liette’s senses one-sidedly to Noah.
‘…Ugh.’
A strong wave of rejection made my vision spin. But more importantly, I could now sense Liette, who had returned to her human form, hiding among the debris and closing in on Noah’s position. As expected.
Swish—
This time, there was no forewarning, no vibrations in the air. The blade sliced through the space silently. Noah, having received Liette’s senses, moved just in time, but the blade passed so close to his golden scales that it barely missed cutting into them. Even so, blood sprayed from the slight graze.
And this was only the beginning.
Grrrumble, chunks of earth that had been thrown high into the air began falling like rain as Liette’s sword danced through the chaos. Each time Noah narrowly evaded, rocks and trees around him were slashed apart or shattered into splinters. The battlefield had become so cluttered with debris that it was impossible to track Liette’s movements visually. He relied entirely on the shared senses from the Teacher skill to dodge her relentless strikes.
Scrape! Crack!
The gleaming blade scraped against Noah’s golden scales again and again, the light reflecting as if it would last forever. In reality, only a short amount of time had passed, but Noah’s breathing grew heavier with each near miss. Finally, the debris that had been raining down began to settle, leaving no more footholds for Liette. She spun through the air with a sharp gaze and descended toward the ground.
Boom!
With a resounding impact, the black dragon landed heavily. I immediately withdrew the Teacher skill from Liette. My own breathing was as labored as Noah’s at this point. Even with Lautitars’ Natural Enemy effect in play, Liette’s intense resistance made it hard to bear. Without the title, I might have fainted on the spot.
-Are you okay?
Noah asked, using a healing skill on the small injuries covering his body. He had been so busy dodging that he hadn’t even had time to treat his wounds.
“…Yes. Just a bit dizzy.”
Noah flapped his wings wide, circling above Liette, who bared her teeth like a predator stalking prey.
“She’s feeling threatened now, so she’ll likely come at you with everything she has.”
The reason she had reverted to her dragon form was likely because it made it easier for her to endure the stat reductions. When Noah transformed into his dedicated form, all his stats saw a slight increase. The same was probably true for Liette, though her stamina and strength would likely see a much greater boost than Noah’s.
“What’s the stat reduction now?”
-It just reached 20%.
Twenty percent. Assuming Liette’s dedicated form stats were still slightly better than Yuhyun’s in strength and stamina but not in magic or agility, Noah was just barely able to keep up.
“Let’s take one more warning.”
-Got it!
Noah ascended higher, and Liette, crouched as if ready to pounce, let out a growl of frustration. Yerim’s shout quickly followed.
“That’s your second warning! One more and you’ll be disqualified, so be careful!”
The wind brushed past, and the summer sunlight pierced the sky without restraint. I idly wondered if dragons ever sweat. Before receiving the final warning, Noah rapidly descended.
Crash!
Liette, who had chased him down in an instant, launched another attack, but Noah dodged it with noticeably more ease. The destructive power was still the same, uprooting trees and tearing into the mountainside, but it was clear her reduced stats were starting to show.
-It’s at 30%.
“Are the stat-lending skills still active?”
Noah confirmed that they were. We could wait for the stat reduction to hit 50%, but I judged now to be the better time—while Liette’s strength was still potent enough to leave her vulnerable.
“Noah, let’s finish this.”
Noah pressed his lips together tightly, his gaze sweeping the battlefield. His pale gray eyes locked onto the sheer cliffs in the distance. In a swift motion, he reached the cliffside and turned to face Liette. Planting all four legs firmly on the edge, he tensed his limbs and wings. I pressed myself as close as possible against his back.
Bang!
The hard rock of the cliff shattered as Noah pushed off with immense force, his wing membranes cutting through the air like the string of a drawn bow releasing an arrow. Liette turned to meet him, aiming her claws and fangs at his incoming form. Seeing her ferocious attack, I reactivated the Teacher skill on the black dragon, transferring her senses one-sidedly to Noah.
Noah’s golden wings twitched sharply, adjusting his angle with precise movements. He narrowly avoided the claws that seemed poised to tear him apart, slipping just out of their range. Liette’s razor-like teeth snapped at the air, but Noah accelerated further, slamming his weight directly into the thick, scaly neck of the black dragon.
The seemingly impenetrable black scales dented inward. Noah’s strength was forcing Liette back.
-Grrrk!
A sound that resembled choking escaped from Liette’s throat.
-Nuuunieem!
Noah’s shout mixed with hers. And then, finally—
Thud!
Liette’s massive body collapsed to the ground. Unable to withstand the force of the strike, she fell, her legs briefly twitching in what seemed like a momentary paralysis. Noah stood over her, pressing down on her neck as she continued to growl lowly, her pride refusing to fade. His golden eyes, the same color as his scales, met her gaze.
-I’ve won.
-…You have. Now what?
-Nothing.
-Not because of the broadcast?
-No.
Noah let out a long breath before continuing.
-Sister, neither you nor I care about things like that. Of course, I dislike you. I hate you. I’ve wanted to kill you. But now, it doesn’t matter. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. Forgiveness was never something we were capable of giving or receiving from each other anyway.
-As it should be. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.
As if he expected this answer, Noah chuckled. It was a light, casual laugh, as if it truly didn’t bother him.
-Then why are you letting this chance go? It won’t come easily a second time.
-Because I no longer need to hate you.
It doesn’t matter. There’s no need. Noah spoke as if he were shedding the weight of something long held.
-I am loved enough. And that, to me, is much better. Instead of spending my time hating you, instead of filling my heart with resentment and bitterness, I’ll think of and hold onto something warmer. I’ll live my life without you in it.
Liette’s eyes narrowed. She shifted her body slightly, then transformed back into her human form. With a hand that still trembled slightly, she pulled out a potion and waved it toward the drone that was still focused on her.
“I lost. Is it okay if I use a potion?”
Yerim’s voice announced Noah’s victory. Liette drank the potion, then stood up, turning her gaze to her younger brother.
“So, Pebble.”
-It’s Noah.
“Right, Noah.”
Liette nodded, then smiled faintly.
“That’s fine. That’s not a bad way to live. But Noah, remember this—I can always sink my teeth into your wings. You know my nature. Don’t let your guard down.”
-Yes, Sister. And if you ever interfere with my life, I’ll sink my teeth into your neck. One way or another.
“Ah, that hurts my feelings a little.”
Liette scratched the back of her head roughly, but there was no hesitation in her movements as she turned away.
I climbed down from Noah’s back, and he shifted back into his human form. Before I could even ask if this was really okay, Noah smiled first. It was a face completely free of shadows. Without sparing a glance at his retreating sister, he beamed brightly. Seeing his expression, I realized there was no need to ask.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt