The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

V50C9P1 Batalli, the God of Fighting

"The blessing of Batalli had both a positive and a negative effect. As for the positive effect, it made the challenger more powerful and revitalized their fatigued body. On the other hand, it also caused stronger enemies to be summoned. Because of this, this Path of Struggle was not a place he could break through just by enduring the hunger: he had to defeat the waves of enemies that would keep growing ever stronger.

'This makes it more exciting, not knowing what monsters will appear next.'

He did not avoid the incoming enemies, and took the minimum amount of rest. Deliberately forcing his body into a poor condition, he kept winning narrow victories against the monsters and thereby received Batalli's blessing multiple times. While mostly using his usual sword and spear, he sometimes switched to the bow, threw daggers or swung an axe. Those weapons did not possess high striking power, but were nonetheless helpful in certain situations, and what was even better was the fact that the skill levels improved more rapidly on the Path of Struggle than normal.

The most powerful enemy he faced in this place was a 19-meter-tall warrior called a Gratorgue[1] . The estimated level of that monster was about 790 — obviously it was much stronger than Weed, but he had encountered it before during his days as the Great King of Desert.

'I didn't expect to fight this one… It shouldn't appear here at the normal difficulty level. Perhaps I received the blessing too often?'

One ridiculously powerful characteristic of a Gratorgue was its ability to regain the Life Force it had lost at a rate of no less than 2 percent every 10 seconds. Against this enemy which wielded both an iron flail and a whip and swished them simultaneously, any engagement over an extended length of time would lead to a certain defeat.

'Still, it would be worth a shot.'

A reasonable decision would have been to avoid the fight and try to sneak past the Gratorgue… but Weed was presently in his battle frenzy.

'Let's go.'

*Swoooosh!*

He dodged the iron flail flying heavily towards him so that it brushed past him, but he still took hits from the whip for about once every five swings as it was bending in the middle.

< You have taken an intense and painful blow.

You lose 4,281 points of Life Force!

Any additional damage is prevented by your Endurance.

The wounded area is minimized by your high Toughness.

The Durability of Fabio's Sturdy Heavy Armor has been reduced by 3. >

The impact of the attack was powerful enough to damage even his heavy armor.

'I'll only have one chance, even if I somehow force it to show an opening.'

With the Gratorgue constantly swinging both of its long-reach weapons, it was difficult to draw closer to it. Weed circled around the monster, lunged in, and struck it eight times with his Heraim Fencing skill, only to be kicked back hard.

- A foolish attempt, weakling! I shall give you a quick death if you beg for your lowly life.

The Gratorgue spoke to the challenger that had fallen on the ground, but Weed had actually used a skill immediately before he was hit by the monster's foot.

'Sword Cloning skill.'

A master sword skill that creates copies of oneself!

The clone that had just been kicked by the Gratorgue vanished into thin air, and other countless clones appeared, running along the walls or the ceiling.

- One last struggle? Just embrace your death!

The whole Path of Struggle shook as the Gratorgue's attacks smashed the ground and the walls. Weed's 50 clones rushed close to the monster and attacked even as they were being destroyed.

The one chance that presented itself in the short moment right after the monster swung its flail and whip!

Weed, who had been hiding in a blind spot near its flank, rolled forward. He did not use a stealth skill like an assassin, but managed to conceal himself out of the enemy's sight for a couple of short seconds and then reappear. The body of the Gratorgue now fell within the reach of the Loa Sword.

< A successfully strike with the Texture Sword skill!

You have dealt a critical hit. The opponent's Defense will be neutralized, and an extra 426% damage will be dealt. >

< You have successfully made the 9th serial attack.Your Strength increases by 20%.A repeated increase in Strength!Your weapon's attack power increases. >

The Loa Sword penetrated through, ignoring the Gratorgue's defense.

Weed had no fear in him, nor did he have to squeeze out any courage to face the enemy. He simply did his best, motivated only by the thought that he could win this. When fighting monsters, sometimes you won, and sometimes you lost. Even so, a Gratorgue was not an obstacle that couldn't be overcome. The most important factor was that he'd already experienced fighting it before, and on top of that he was so completely absorbed in the battle right now that he was able to turn even a slightest possibility into reality. The feeling of striking one's enemy while in a state of pure ecstasy was light and intense.

< You have successfully made the 10th serial attack.

Your Strength increases by 30%.

Your enemy's Fighting Spirit decreases. >

< You have successfully made the 11th serial attack.

Your Dexterity increases by 30%.

Your enemy is Stunned for 0.6 seconds by the precise strike. >

< You have dealt a critical hit. Your enemy will be Confused for 0.5 seconds. >

Single Point Attack technique, Heraim Fencing skill and Texture Sword skill!

The Gratorgue tried to spin his body around, but Weed successfully made the 23rd attack as he also turned along with the monster.

- You little rat!

The Gratoruge roared in rage. Any average user would lose their spirit in front of such an unfathomably powerful being, leading to a decrease of their physical abilities or even paralysis. But Weed's Fighting Spirit was sufficient to ignore such effects, and as the chain of attacks continued, the special trait of the Loa Sword began to reach its true potential:

- 3x normal damage against large-sized monsters.

- The enemy's maximum Life Force is reduced by half the amount of damage dealt.

- Critical hits weaken the enemy's Defense by 7%.

The Loa Sword was optimized for hunting boss-level monsters.

Weed's Stamina and Life Force also decreased gradually as the fight went on, and finally… after over 45 minutes of desperate battle, he stood victorious!

< On the Path of Struggle, you have guided a Gratorgue into eternal rest.

Your Wonderous Achievement has increased your Fame by 23,283 points.

As the reward for this historical battle, all of your stats increase by 6 points. >

< Your Fame is now over 400,000 points.You have become the most well-known person in the Continent. >

Not caring much about his increased Fame, Weed secured the spoils of the battle.

< You have obtained Gratorgue's iron flail. >

< You have obtained Metal of Ruin. >

The Gratorgue's iron flail was too large for a human to handle. Orc fighters or barbarian races might be able to use it, but as its level requirement was 700 he would not be able to sell the weapon. Still, as it was made from a mixture of various rare metals, he'd just have to melt it. Metal of Ruin was also a first-class ingredient item for blacksmithing.

Just as he had some time to catch his breath, another message window popped up.

< A battle that well deserves admiration!

Marphruk Castle had been guarded for over 200 years by a Gratorgue, a being which caused even the bravest warriors to tremble in fear at just a mention of its name! The challenger, despite possessing a much weaker flesh, managed to defeat it! You have made an achievement where many noble knights of honor and warriors full of combative spirit have failed.

This will be recorded as one of the Five Battles that Deserve Respect in the history of the Versailles Continent. >

< Your Fame in Combat has been increased by 32,890 points. >

< A huge improvement has been made in all your stats related to mental abilities.

Your Charisma, Fighting Spirit, Leadership, Dignity, Courage, Mental Strength, Honor and Insight each increases by 10 points. >

< Batalli the God of Fighting cannot stop being astounded as he continues watching your battle. >

< You have been appointed as a 'Destroyer of Struggle[2] [3]'.

As fighters who demonstrates the might of Batalli to the world, there can only be a maximum of five Destroyer of Struggle on the whole continent, selected only among those who have fighter-class professions.

Regardless of your current profession, you can now learn the divine combat skills of the Church of Batalli.

Your divine combat skills will now be twice as effective.

The following divine spells, 'Fresh Power of Recuperation', 'Perfect Weapon' and 'Formidable Fist' will be imprinted on your body.

While you are assigned as a Destroyer of Struggle, all of your stats will be increased by 45 points.

In the event that you have lost your life seven times or if your Faith reaches 0, or if you refuse to take a quest given by the Church of Batalli twice in a row, your position will be revoked. >

Having seized the victory in an almost impossible battle, he was appointed as a Destroyer of Struggle by the Church of Batalli, on top of gaining an achievement.

Weed's mouth widened with glee.

'For sure, fighting is really fun.'

The Path of Struggle turned out to be a satisfactory experience.

A combat accomplishment and stats reward!

Those were the things that could certainly act as dominating motivations for Weed.

Now that he was a Destroyer of Struggle, he could recover from exhaustion quickly even over a short period of time. Moreover, he was able to exert more potential power from any weapon he was wielding. Formidable Fist was one trait that was not applicable for a swordsman, and just as its name suggested, it made your fist attacks more powerful. As this came into effect when one was not equipped with any weapon, this trait was favorable for unarmed fighters like Surka.

Since no other enemies as strong as the Gratorgue appeared after that battle, Weed reached the end of the Path of Struggle without any great danger, eliminating all the enemies along the way.

*Ding!*

< You have walked the Path of Struggle until the end.

You have now completed your growth as a warrior selected by Batalli himself.

"There is no end to strength. And you will grow stronger when you overcome this ordeal!"

You have proved your worth as you walked upon the Path of Struggle alone. Your sword was quick and mighty, and boasted great precision. You have walked this path fair and square without using any foul tricks, accepted every challenge and overcame it.

The weapons you used in the Path of Struggle are as follows: a sword, a spear, a bow, a large battleaxe, a sickle and chain, and daggers.

The following are the records of your growth after walking in the Path of Struggle.

You have gained 216 points in combat related stats.

Your Sword skill has improved by 1 level.

Your Spear skill has improved by 2 levels.

Your Bow skill has improved by 1 level.

Your Battleaxe skill has improved by 4 levels.

Your Large Weapons skill has improved by 3 levels.

Your Dagger Throwing skill has improved by 4 levels.

By completing the advanced training hall, your Fame increases by 30,000 points.

As a reward, an additional 81 bonus stats have been granted.

Your maximum Life Force increases by 11%.

Your maximum mana increases by 5%.

Path of Struggle completion rate: 327.6%.

For one month, the proficiency of all combat related skills will be gained three times faster than normal. >

A successful completion of the advanced training hall!

Having your maximum Life Force increased was a good thing, and he had gained an incredible amount of stats on top of it. As he passed through the Path of Struggle, his Sword skill had also reached Advanced Level 8. The all-stats improvements alone that he had gained by making combat accomplishments numbered more than 20 points. Considering all these factors, this was an achievement that made the benefits other users had gained in the same training hall look quite puny in comparison.

'Ever since I first went through the beginner training hall, I have been struggling to catch up with other people, but now, I'm ahead of them.'

A feeling of contentment filled his mind.

He had been building up his reputation and competence both as an adventurer and a sculptor, but the feeling of growing stronger as a swordsman was especially precious to him. He was in a mood to even show off his accomplishments to a neighbor.

In one corner stood a shimmering, gold colored portal. This portal had not been seen when other users went through the advanced training hall.

< Batalli the God of Fighting is gazing kindly at the challenger who has left a legend in the Path of Struggle. To celebrate this meeting with the warrior among all warriors, he intends to grant you a special present.

Will you accept the invitation from the God of Fighting? >

Naturally, this was an invitation Weed had no reason to turn down. He gladly stepped into the portal.

****

The Coliseum of the God of Fighting!

The place Weed had entered was a great arena that much resembled the Colosseum.

- I welcome the visit of the warrior!

Batalli the God of War was sitting on a great throne.

The god that knows nothing but fighting!

Instead of jewels and treasures, all kinds of weapons decorated his surroundings.

'This place…'

Weed quickly scanned the great arena. With Batalli in the center, countless warriors were sitting next to him. They had tough-looking faces, and their bodies had many awful scars. One might feel intimidated by them, but there was something familiar in their appearance, like Geomchi and his pupils.

'The arena of the God of Fighting, huh? According to the myth, the warriors of the Versailles Continent come to this place after their death, honing their courage and combat techniques in the endless fight.'

Those who had burned their life with their passion as warriors would be sent here.

'I should take care not to appear weak to them.'

He had completed a rough assessment of the situation.

Weed straightened up his shoulders and stood facing Batalli.

"What present are you going to give me?"

Grandiosity!

The God of Fighting was not someone he could fight right now. But Batalli also wouldn't like it if Weed chose to show a servile attitude and kneeled before him, so he decided to act with dignity. There was also the matter of Weed's another ambition that had been lying dormant ever since he started Royal Road.

'I need to defeat them some day, too.'

God of Fighting or not, one day he was going to beat all of them once he become strong enough! Even ten years was a short time for hunting to a gamer.

Batalli gave a satisfied smile, and opened his mouth to speak.

- The sight of you walking upon the Path of Struggle was truly beautiful.

The God of Fighting, complementing on his epic battle!

Weed was still keeping his mouth shut, as he was more interested in the present than the God's praises.

- I could even smell the captivating scent coming from the sweat running down your face.

"…"

- Your heart was boiling hot, and with those eyes full of grim resolve you stared at your enemies. You throw everything in each battle, and then continue walking every time — how could I not be fascinated by you?

"…"

- I could see your hard muscles and the pulsing veins underneath. Your fearless mind…

A series of somewhat strange compliments… but eventually the God of Fighting began to talk about the present.

- A present granted to a warrior should justly be a weapon or armor. What do you wish to have?

"Can I ask for anything?"

- Your reward shall be based on the combat accomplishments you have made so far.

Combat accomplishments!

Similar to contribution points to a kingdom or a religious order, one could receive a reward from the God of Fighting based on their combat accomplishments.

'I don't need any weapons other than the Loa Sword, and I already have people who can make me armor.'

He had already asked the master blacksmiths Herman and Fabio earlier.

"I must fight Bard Ray, so please grant me a protective gear forged out of Helium."

They had so far competed with each other with best swords as the key factor, but as he was facing the fight against Bard Ray, he had been putting all his efforts into the production of armors. He could simply craft armor utilizing his own blacksmith skills, his social connections and the minerals he had found through quests, but more special equipment was still hard to come by.

After thinking carefully for some time, Weed said,

"I'd like a pair of gloves that I can receive with my current combat accomplishment."

Besides the Defense score, the gloves also served to enhance various abilities and attack power. The highest quality gloves could greatly influence hunting speed or combat efficiency, which meant that their price was all up to the seller.

- You may choose from these three pairs.

As soon as Batalli had said so, three pairs of gloves appeared before him.

The Gloves of Immortal Knight.

Among the various options it had, it most notably increased one's Life Force by 60,000 points, and was enchanted with the spell of Revival. Using this option, in the event of death, one could revive without suffering any penalties once every 100 days. With these gloves, one needed not worry about dying in any hunting ground of moderate difficulty.'This would help me greatly in battle if I get to fight Bard Ray. But in the long term… this is actually not very effective. Up until I grow to the level to match my Great King of Desert days I most probably won't die during a hunt, and with my Moment Sculpting Skill it shouldn't be too difficult for me to escape the fight.'

These gloves were nearly useless if one fought so well in hunting grounds that they never had to worry about dying. However, after choosing the profession as a Necromancer Weed also obtained the Amulet of Immortal Wisdom while hunting in the Giant's lands, so it could still be quite meaningful to collect the set items.

'…but that's a luxury I cannot afford right now.'

The next pair of gloves was 'Gloves of Dimension Door.'

It improved various stats including Dexterity by quite a large amount, but its most unique characteristic was the effect of Dimension Door. While equipped with these gloves, one could see ten semi-transparent circles around them as they were engaged in a fight. Swinging a weapon through a circle or stepping into one caused the weapon or the person to appear from another circle connected to the first one. For example, one could stab a circle on his left with a dagger to make it suddenly reappear from his front right.

'So this enables attacks and defenses based on a sort of short-distance teleportation?'

Depends on the proficiency of the person equipping them, the gloves could make the combat much faster and more efficient. The circles only existed for 0.6 seconds, and the entrance circle and the exit circle kept changing their locations instantaneously, it was not easy to utilize them properly; the circle would disappear while one was trying to assess the situation and come up with a strategy to use them. Of course, this kind of problem was nothing to Weed.

'I could never miss those circles if I imagine 50,000-won notes flying around in them.'

The minimum level requirement was a whopping 760, but Weed was able to equip it thanks to the benefit of his blacksmith skills.

(Continued on next part…)

Translator Notes [1] As I'm not familiar with Weed's earlier adventures, I'm not sure if this name refers to just one unique creature or a race/species of creatures. For now I treated it as the name of a race (so I used articles), but feel free to correct it if I'm wrong.

[2] Honestly, I have no idea what the author meant by this title ['Destroyer of Fights'], it makes very little sense to me. I don't understand why the people who serve to represent the God of Fighting would be called the "destroyers" of fights, but as that was how the author termed them I decided to stick to the literal translation. If anyone could enlighten me on this I would appreciate it.

[3] From the proofreading team: As readers remarked, Weed is not the first to get this position, which was first gotten by Geomchi3 in v42c1. We were also told in v43c9 that 3 members of the Hermes Guild managed to get it. In the end, we'll stick with the previous translation, which was 'Destroyer of Struggle'. According to the translator, the word used here means "fight" or "struggle" and is the same one as in "Path of Struggle". As for the meaning… well, it seems to be given to those who win fights that common sense would say they should lose, so maybe the name means that no fight is too hard for them, but your guesses are as good as ours.