Chapter 148

‘Is this the princess they say is the strongest right now?’

The Assassin User barely managed to deflect Arang’s incoming attacks and used a movement skill to create distance between them.

However, Arang, who had already memorized all the motions of the Assassin class, predicted where the Assassin User would land.

A sword aiming to decapitate came into the Assassin User’s view.

Despite the Assassin User having the overwhelming advantage in attack speed, and even maintaining the fast two-handed buff unique to Assassins, their speed was almost equal.

The Assassin User, holding their breath, raised their right hand with all their might to defend their neck with a dagger.

*Clang!*

The sword and dagger collided, producing a massive shockwave.

Despite the Assassin class having low attack power, the Assassin User’s right hand was stunned from the impact.

The Assassin User pushed off the ground with all their strength, jumping backward to buy time to recover from the stun.

But Arang, with her heightened senses, didn’t even give them that time.

‘Is she even human? Or is she some kind of creature?’

Most, if not all, of the Assassin’s attacks are multi-hit, meaning they strike multiple times in rapid succession.

For greatswords, two-handed swords, or one-handed swords, even an average user can parry if they get used to the boss’s patterns.

Of course, it comes with risks, but it’s not impossible.

However, the Assassin’s dual daggers strike multiple points, slashing or stabbing in different directions. While other weapons might attack once, the Assassin attacks six times.

Arang parried, deflected, or blocked every single one of those attacks, not letting a single hit land.

[Rosarium]

The Assassin User, desperate to stop Arang’s relentless assault, used [Rosarium], one of the Assassin’s max-level skills.

[Rosarium] is known in Leore for having the most consecutive attacks—24 in total.

It’s a skill that deals an insane amount of damage in an instant, the ultimate technique of the Assassin class.

The Assassin User was confident that even with Arang’s reflexes and physical prowess, this attack would deal significant damage.

Moreover, since Arang was focused on attacking rather than defending, her stance made it impossible for her to block.

But.

As [Rosarium] activated, a red impact representing the skill and a silver impact representing the moon appeared. Arang’s eyes flashed.

Her gaze wasn’t one of panic or surprise, but of clear, overflowing confidence.

‘No way… It’s [Rosarium]. Not just any skill, but [Rosarium].’

As the skill’s effects erupted from the Assassin User’s dagger, Arang’s body moved.

*Ting! Ting! Tang! Ting! Ting! Tang! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! Tang! Tang! Ting! Ting! Tang!*

The sound of continuous parrying echoed, like coins spilling from a torn pouch.

‘What… Is she an AI? Can a human even do this?’

The Assassin’s ultimate skill, [Rosarium], only took 10% of Arang’s HP, a DPS class with low durability.

Normally, this skill would reduce a DPS’s HP by nearly 90% without survival skills, and even with survival skills, it would still deal 60% damage. It also has a cooldown of 5 minutes.

Arang didn’t parry all 24 hits, but she deflected or blocked most of them, and the hits that landed only struck her limbs, which have lower damage multipliers.

“Sorry, but if you’re going to use Leore skills, I recommend not using combat adjustments. Attacks with combat adjustments have predictable patterns, making them easier to parry.”

Arang casually explained while attacking, leaving the Assassin User internally cursing.

They knew.

They knew that combat adjustments weren’t ideal for top-tier players.

But that only applied to single-hit or maybe 2-3 hit skills at most.

Even Leore pros or [Mea’d] raid members use combat adjustments for high-hit, overwhelmingly fast attacks.

Why?

Because it’s impossible for humans otherwise.

Without combat adjustments, you have to manually move your body and decide how to attack before the skill ends.

Only 0.1% of top-tier players can use 3-hit skills without combat adjustments.

The Assassin User was part of that 0.1%.

But from 4 hits onward, it’s a different story.

In Leore, the time recognized as a skill varies, but most are around 1 second. For skills with more hits, it’s about 2 seconds.

Who could possibly move their body, swing a heavy sword, and land attacks within 2 seconds without the system messing up the skill’s range?

Honestly, it’s impossible.

And yet, Arang was suggesting using [Rosarium], a 24-hit skill, without combat adjustments?

‘Don’t mess with me,’ the Assassin User almost blurted out.

Moreover, Arang’s tone made it sound like she could do it herself, which was even more absurd.

But.

As their blades clashed, the Assassin User thought that Arang might actually be capable of it.

Because [Sword Master]’s skills weren’t just about combat adjustments—she moved her body so precisely that even her basic attacks felt like skills.

People around her said Arang had exceptional physical abilities, the best in Leore.

Honestly, the Assassin User didn’t believe it at first.

A 15-year-old girl with superior physical abilities? It didn’t make sense.

But after facing her one-on-one, they had to admit it.

‘If Arang’s body were bigger and her limbs longer, I would’ve been completely crushed.’

Her physical abilities and combat sense were exceptional, but Arang had one clear weakness.

Her body.

No matter how important physical ability is, reach is crucial in combat. Arang’s small frame, barely 140 cm, was a disadvantage.

Being short means shorter arms and legs.

She had to move twice as much and take extra steps to land attacks.

That difference is critical in PVP, where every moment counts. It’s hard to believe she reached Challenger in the arena with this body.

Leore is a cruel game.

In most RPGs, you can customize your character’s appearance and body.

But in Leore, that’s not possible.

The virtual body must match the real one for realism and system management, so you can’t deviate too much from your real physique.

‘If this girl grows up, I can’t imagine how strong she’ll become.’

After the Assassin’s strongest skill was blocked and they were overwhelmed by Arang’s pace, the Assassin User sensed defeat as their HP dwindled.

“Huh?”

The Assassin User, Arang, and Pinkubelly froze.

Well, more like paused for a fraction of a second—0.1 seconds or less.

Only those with high physical abilities, like the Assassin User and Arang, noticed.

‘Server lag?’

The servers run by Mars Company are used worldwide and are known for their overwhelming technical prowess, making lag rare.

But even with their advanced technology, rumored to involve alien torture, they’re not flawless.

With the new season starting and many players gathering for the Conquest content, the server experienced a minor lag.

In the virtual world, lag is different from regular computer games.

Since players move and act with their bodies, lag requires the system to reconstruct the user’s body.

This is to ensure there are no issues or discomfort during gameplay.

The Tashim Sword, which was about to end the Assassin User’s life, hung in mid-air before falling to the ground.

The reason? Arang’s right arm, which was holding the sword, had disappeared.

In situations where the body is being reconstructed, usually just an arm or leg disappears briefly, but Arang’s entire limbs were gone, requiring more loading time.

That brief lag was enough to erase Arang’s limbs, and in this critical moment, she widened her eyes at her suddenly missing arms and legs.

“Uh…?”