Chapter 51: The Unconquerable Mountain (4)
Weighed down by his emotions, Jake strained to stand up.
'Yeah… I haven't even slapped him in the face for that,' Jake thought, gritting his teeth.
Once he got to his two feet, he crumpled into his Joker Form.
Since he had been expecting to fight the last boss, he wore his black monkey set. It was the best equipment for Joker Form.
In a close-combat battle, the problems caused by high dexterity and lesser accuracy weren't that much of a bother!
'I'll give you… my all,' Jake put on the quiver with the white eagles. He nocked one of them on his bowstring and allowed the arrow to lay on the new arrow rest.
There was a considerable distance between him and Richard, and the last boss didn't seem to be planning on rushing forward, making Jake change his mind and enter the Soldier Form to add his entire strength and weight to his arrow.
He let it fly after achieving his highest anchor point.
Just as the arrow was about to hit Richard in the chest, the last boss fished out a wooden shield that gobbled down Jake's white eagle.
Undaunted, Jake released three more arrows.
Though it may have seemed like Richard had defended himself well against Jake's comeback, his hands were momentarily numbed by Jake's prowess.
Each white eagle lodged itself with such force that cracks popped on the shield's surface, and splinters fell like rain.
Jake crumbled back to Joker Form.
At the same time, the numbness in Richard's hands wore off, prompting him to answer! He charged at Jake with his shield covering his broad frame, exposing only half his legs.
Jake thought, 'He's fast despite being a tank now! If he's a tank, then he will-'
"HA!" Richard shouted, his voice imbued with mana.
[You have been taunted.]
'Mary spoiled me with a trick for that!' Jake inwardly smiled, knowing he was fine.
Taunt skills, especially on the early levels, were double-edged swords. Their principle was so simple that the skill could be used against tanks themselves!
The taunt's foundation is muscle memory—it forces the tank's opponents to perform their most used and practiced muscle memories!
For mages, it'd be the skill they use the most in fighting common monsters or bosses. Swordsmen would use their close-combat pattern with their simple skills.
Therefore, what Richard expected was… The Soldier Form's Highest Anchor Point.
Jake, however, kicked away the ground and leaped to the side. His mental gears were set on the Joker Form, and nothing could have changed that—even the taunt.
He was that stubborn, and stubbornness now held the crown of Jake's actions!
'Still in Joker?! He couldn't have practiced that more than Soldier Form!' Richard exclaimed inwardly, his eyes shifting to the side while his charge still pulled him forward!
Here, he saw Jake landing on his side. Even though he had quite a heavy fall, his hands held the bow and the arrow! He had learned half-forms on Puffy and now highlighted the fruits of his meticulous and difficult training.
Like The White Death lying beneath the snow of Finland, Jake accurately released the white eagle from below, hitting Richard's knee. The arrow, whose origins belong to the legendary boss, easily pierced through Richard's armor.
The last boss knelt, and a groan escaped his lips.
Meanwhile, the sounds of something dropping onto the ground rang out.
When Richard looked up, he saw Jake running toward him barehanded.
Once close, Jake took a swing and slammed his balled hand into Richard's face!
The man's face abruptly craned to the side.
"SATISFIED NOW?!" Jake shouted! "Can we end this fuss now?!"
"Jake…" Richard whispered…
"Thanks for giving me a glimpse of other classes! As you can see, I have no problems disabling my friend's knee, so I'm gonna be fine against other players and residents! I'm not so soft-hearted to act like it's raining when others spit at me! I won't be led around!" Jake's screams continued to batter Richard's heart.
The newbie helper looked down and continued with his facade, "You must kill me. I am one of the human traitors! Kill me, and the misfit will tailor the class for you! That's the only way for this statue to be activated! The class you will receive will be a much higher grade than those common classes most players get on the mainland! Don't hold back!
Don't be such a fool now! Kill me! I have done more wrongdoings than you can imagine! I'm not the older brother you believe me to be!"
"Oh, shut up," Jake clicked his tongue, "It's a part of human nature to be biased, isn't it? You might even be a demon or devil to others, but to me, you were and always will be my friend."
"I held you back… on the tutorial island for seven months…" Richard continued making excuses.
Jake sneered, "Did you enhance the tree's durability? Cause I kept myself here for seven months to cut down trees to The Unconquerable Mountain, practice my skills, and scour the whole island! Don't be such a loser now, Richard! I don't know what you have done or your actual role as the last boss here, but I will never kill or betray my friend to reach the top!
My path to the top will never be soiled like that!"
Those words echoed in Richard's heart, pulling him down.
He crumbled on the ground and raised his hand to cover his eyes. Tears still found their way out, streaking down his face as Richard silently cried.
His cracking voice rang out in the cave, "Can I still… be a human? Do I deserve those… humane feelings of friendship?"
Jake chuckled, "And who decides that? I doubt I would become friends with a mindless criminal or someone who hasn't given up on his dark past… well, you're trying to change, aren't you? Isn't that why you are here to help out others? Anyway, I can decide if you are my friend, so yeah, we're friends. Those feelings of friendship are genuine, I hope."
"Yeah… they are…" Richard replied, no longer hiding his emotions.
Jake smiled, "You looked painful, you know?"
Richard forced a weak smile, "Uh, did I? I heard older brother's weaker side sometimes gets exposed… so that's what I must have gone through."
Jake extended his hand toward Richard, "I guess I've conquered everything now."
Richard took his hand and stood up, "Yeah…"
That was when the statue trembled.
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