Chapter 57: Baiting All The Monsters

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The monsters’ loud footsteps echoed from every direction, making the entire dungeon tremble constantly under their weight. The galloping of gigantic horses mixed with the roars and wild laughter of insane knights. The heavy metallic sound of enormous swords being swung against every obstacle filled the air, and even the thick stone walls began cracking and breaking under the frenzy that Clowny Charm had caused among the monsters.

It was completely insane. Wasn’t this the greatest aggro skill to ever exist? It surpassed every single skill any sort of tank could ever learn. It enraged monsters so thoroughly that it drove them into pure madness.

Well, one major side effect was that they usually became stronger, as if they were under the full effects of Berserk. That was also why Pierrot was seen as such a terrible class by most people. Their skills often worked against them more than for them.

But to Riven, this was amazing.

Why?

The Berserk Status was inflicted forcefully on every enraged and "baited" foe. While under the Berserk Status, monsters could not use Skills or Magic. They could only attack physically.

This was the true greatness of Clowny Charm!

To Riven, Pierrot was the greatest support class possible for someone like him, a fighter who could take on entire armies alone without fear.

"HAHAHAHA!"

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

"I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOULS!"

"WHO DARES TRESPASS MY MASTER’S DOMAIN?!"

"GYAHAHAHAH!"

Daniela trembled in fear as she heard the overlapping roars and ghostly laughter of the incoming army of Undead. Riven did not really feel bad about taking them down. Undead were cursed beings who were practically enslaved to their own rotting corpses.

Killing them actually freed their trapped souls and granted them eternal peace most of the time. Because of that, slaying Undead was something he looked forward to, instead of feeling the usual secondhand guilt he experienced when hunting down more animal-like monsters.

"Hyeee! There’s so many!" Daniela cried, her body trembling. "I-I can’t deal with them!"

"Noir’s here for that," Riven said, glancing at the wolf who could now shapeshift and merge with shadows far more easily than before. "The boy’s been eating a lot lately, so he’s already grown bigger and stronger. Can you protect your big sis?"

"Woof!" Noir wagged his tail excitedly, walked over to Daniela, and offered her his paw to calm her down.

"Awww!" Daniela felt blessed as she gently held his soft paw and waved it. "You’re such a cute little gentleman!"

"DEATH TO ALL!"

"Uwaagh?!"

Her brief moment of bliss was shattered as a giant ghost suddenly appeared above them, roaring as it spewed ghostly fire in every direction.

"BURN IN HELL! GYAHAHAHHAA!"

As the greenish flames descended, Noir quickly transformed into a giant wolf maw, swallowed Daniela protectively, and escaped the fire by diving into the shadows, leaving Riven completely on his own.

The fire struck him hard, but he held his ground, forming thick plates of scales and armor around his body to endure the attack.

"Let’s begin."

His eyes gleamed with excitement as his sword exploded with fiery poisonous flames. He swung it upward in a powerful arc. A giant slash of pure fire tore through the ghost, completely bisecting its body before the remains exploded.

BOOOM!!!

A small pearl fell from its disappearing form. Riven felt relieved that his strategy had worked. The flames he created through magic poison were more than enough to harm ghostly beings.

Above all, he really needed some fire in his arsenal. He was starting to get bored of the skills he already possessed, and some flames would surely spice things up.

He covered his entire body in red and purple flames and armor, then enhanced his physique through both Tyrant Embodiment and Sacrificial Werewolf. In seconds he transformed into a tall, muscular, and gigantic chimeric man.

His sword overflowed with power. Fenrir’s Fang had already killed and drunk the blood of hundreds of creatures, growing steadily stronger over time.

Divine Weapons worked differently from other weapons, and that was something Riven had slowly realized through experience.

Unlike the usual Grades that went from F to SSS and beyond, Divine Weapons started with Tiers, beginning at Tier 1 and climbing infinitely higher.

Each new Tier enhanced the weapon further and allowed it to develop its divine powers and sharpness.

What’s more, he had discovered that the blade could regenerate on its own. The more damage it took, the more it regenerated, becoming harder, tougher, and sharper with every recovery.

A cursed soul was also being born inside the sword, growing stronger with each Tier. Eventually it would develop unique abilities, though he had not unlocked them yet.

Right now his weapon’s growth had been stagnant at 83 percent. With all these monsters charging toward him at once, he hoped it could finally evolve before they reached the final boss.

"KILL HIM!"

"DEATH TO ALL TRESPASSERS!"

The first group to greet him came from behind. A large army of over a dozen Headless Knights charged forward, led by a stronger variant, a Demonic Headless Knight. It wore glowing red armor, stood twice as tall as the others, and wielded a blazing sword.

RUMBLE!

Riven took a single powerful step forward, shattering the stone floor beneath him, and closed the distance without any fear. Their swords struck his body as they attacked under the Berserk status effect. That status guaranteed they would not use the Netherblade Skill, making it much easier for him to tank their blows.

By turning his skin into living metal and increasing his weight dramatically, Riven crashed down onto one of the Headless Knights with his blade, bisecting the undead warrior into two clean halves and destroying both its core and the ghost trapped inside, preventing any chance of it rising to attack again.

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