Translator: CinderTL
[High-tier class detected: Warrior. Job Resonance can be triggered.]
[Rogue + Warrior]
[Additional Buff Obtained: Battle Dance Shadow]
[Battle Dance Shadow: When "Battle Frenzy" is actively activated, your combat style will undergo a fundamental transformation. You will no longer be a mere warrior relying on strength to suppress your opponents, but will instead become a battlefield phantom dancing on the edge of a blade.]
[Each time you successfully dodge or cause an enemy's attack to miss through exquisite footwork, an "afterimage" composed of restless battle intent and distorted light will be left at your original position for several seconds. The maximum number of afterimage is determined by your Agility attribute.]
[With a thought, you can instantly swap positions with any afterimage you have created on the battlefield. When you launch a surprise attack from an afterimage's position, the attack will channel the undissipated battle intent contained within that afterimage.]
[The more perilous your dance in adversity, the more lethal your counterattack will be.]
As the text slowly faded, Roland focused his mind and attempted to activate this new ability.
There was no earth-shattering commotion, but within his perception, the scorching battle intent derived from the Warrior class and the phantom-like agility brought by the Rogue class began to intertwine and resonate in a completely new way.
He instinctively performed a swift, sliding dodge to the side and forward.
The moment his body came to a halt, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye.
Where he had just been standing, a blurred afterimage—a distorted reflection of his own form composed of turbulent energy and warped light—quietly emerged and lingered in the dim light, like a reflection on water.
"It worked!"
His spirit surged. Roland instantly materialized several more afterimage, then focused his mind, locking onto one of them in the open ground ahead.
His will extended like an invisible tentacle.
The next instant, space seemed to fold and swap.
His main consciousness and sensory core bypassed the intervening distance entirely, "appearing" at the location of the locked afterimage. Meanwhile, a new afterimage remained in his original place.
The entire process was fluid and natural, without a hint of lag. There was no trace of magical fluctuation—this was a purely instinctive displacement born from the resonance of "Battle Will" and "Shadow."
"Incredible mobility."
Witnessing this, Roland felt his throat go dry.
This wasn't an effect achievable through pure speed alone. It was nearly a short-range spatial jump, comparable to a spellcaster's spatial magic.
On the ever-shifting battlefield, this ability would allow him to toy with most opponents, effortlessly slipping in and out of combat to seize absolute control of the initiative.
Combined with the stealth and concealment of [Shadow Dance Form], he could drag his enemies into his own Domain of Death before they even knew what hit them.
Yet, after the initial rush of euphoria, Roland quickly calmed down, his mind sharply analyzing the ability's limitations.
The generation of afterimage relied entirely on "successfully dodging" or "causing an attack to miss."
If an opponent's speed, attack range, or skill far exceeded his own, making it impossible to dodge effectively, the frequency and opportunity to generate afterimage would plummet, and the ability's power would naturally wither.
"A powerful ability, but not an invincible one," Roland concluded coolly, his gaze regaining its usual composure.
"While this trait significantly raises my combat ceiling—especially against numerous or similarly skilled foes—it is no silver bullet for reversing a battle against absolute power."
Just as he was lost in thought, golden text materialized before him once more.
[High-tier class detected: Juggler. Job Resonance can be triggered.]
[Rogue + Juggler]
[Obtained Additional Buff: Phantasmal Footwork]
[Phantasmal Footwork: When the Rogue's stealthy movements combine with the Juggler's dazzling performances, you will no longer be a mere prowler or a simple performer. Instead, you will transform into a "Master of Illusions" capable of manipulating the perception of reality.]
[When you perform agility feats beyond ordinary comprehension—such as wall-running, ground-skimming, or flickering through a confined space—you will leave behind nearly indistinguishable afterimage that persist for a very short time. These afterimage are not physical entities, but they can effectively disrupt an enemy's attack judgment and line-of-sight tracking.]
[Simultaneously, while moving at high speed, you can designate an afterimage to briefly mimic one or two simple actions (such as a forward thrust or a side roll) before it vanishes. This creates the illusion of "multiple versions of you acting at once," greatly confusing enemies. The specific effect depends on your mental attribute.]
[When an enemy misses an attack due to your phantasms, your first strike against them will be converted into "Cognitive True Damage." This attack will directly bypass a portion of their defenses, as the damage stems from the mental collapse caused by their "absolute certainty of being hit."]
After carefully reading the description, Roland involuntarily held his breath.
If [Battle Dance Shadow] had turned him into a spatial magician on the battlefield, then this new ability thrust him straight to the pinnacle of psychological warfare and cognitive deception.
Master of Illusions, Manipulator of Perception...
The title alone was enough to make Roland's heart race.
This was no longer simple stealth or evasion; it was a direct, dimensionality-reducing strike against the enemy's mind.
The brief afterimage generated during extreme movements, while not as enduring as those from [Battle Dance Shadow], held true value in being "indistinguishable" and "guidable."
Imagine it: in the heat of battle, an enemy would not only have to discern his true body but also face several phantoms mimicking his every move.
It was like throwing the opponent's brain into a labyrinth.
But what truly stunned Roland was the "Cognitive True Damage."
This completely transcended the conventional scope of combat. It didn't rely on physically breaking through defenses; instead, it directly exploited the mental shock and cognitive collapse that occurred when an enemy "misjudged and became convinced they had been hit."
This meant that even if an enemy wore legendary armor or held a magic shield, as long as they were deceived by a phantom, the subsequent attack would bypass all external protections and strike directly at their spiritual essence.
This was simply...
The perfect tool, tailor-made for the weak to overcome the strong and shatter the most impenetrable defenses.
While both [Phantasmal Footwork] and [Battle Dance Shadow] centered on the concept of "afterimage," their roles and effects were fundamentally different.
[Battle Dance Shadow] focused on extreme mobility, repositioning, and seizing openings for surprise attacks—it was tactical spatial control.
[Phantasmal Footwork], on the other hand, specialized in psychological deception, sensory interference, and capitalizing on enemy mistakes to deal True Damage—it was strategic cognitive warfare.
One created opportunities and positional advantages; the other confused the opponent and turned their errors into lethal strikes.
If he could master the synergy between the two, his threat level on the battlefield would increase exponentially.
Yet, after the initial rush of excitement, Roland's reason quickly returned, and he pinpointed the fatal weakness of this powerful ability.
Mental Attribute Dependency.
The effectiveness of the afterimage' deception depended entirely on his Mental Attribute...
This meant that against opponents with iron wills, indomitable spirits, or senses far beyond ordinary mortals—beings like...
Corellon.
These carefully crafted phantasms would likely be severely diminished in effectiveness, or even seen through instantly.
Trying to deceive opponents at that level with illusions was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Without the element of surprise, the subsequent "Cognitive True Damage" would naturally become a river without a source.
Shaking his head slightly, Roland refocused his gaze on the golden text before him.
[High-tier class detected: Blacksmith. Job Resonance can be triggered.]
[Rogue + Blacksmith]
[Obtained Additional Buff: trap master]
[Trap Master: You have gained the ability to set lethal traps with extraordinary speed and creativity. In an extremely short amount of time, you can use discarded weapons, stones, or even the wreckage of enemies' equipment on the battlefield as materials to quickly assemble "improvised trap."]
[With suitable materials, you can forge traps with special effects (such as explosions, strong acid, binding, sonic and light interference, etc.).]
Before the text could fully fade, a torrent of knowledge and inspiration—blueprints for trap construction, material ratios, trigger mechanisms, and environmental utilization—surged into Roland's mind, as if being hammered in by an invisible smith.
From the simplest tripwire pitfalls to explosive devices made from elemental energy and metal shards, to booby traps that could spray corrosive slime...
The variety was staggering, a veritable feast for the eyes.
"A workshop that turns the battlefield into my own personal domain..."
Roland quickly processed this information, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes.
[Trap Master] was fundamentally different from the mobility and deception abilities he had acquired before. It introduced an entirely new dimension to combat:
Domain Control.
Whether it was obstructing a retreat route, establishing a death zone in a specific area, or using traps to force enemies into a prearranged battlefield, its strategic value was immeasurable.
It compensated for his inherent weaknesses in prolonged frontal battles and area defense, making his tactical options far more diverse and adaptable.
"Still, it doesn't fundamentally boost my combat power..."
As he pondered, the golden text flashed again.
[High-tier class detected: Knight's Squire. Class Resonance triggered.]
[Rogue + Knight's Squire]
[Additional Buff Acquired: Shadow Iron Rider]
[Shadow Iron Rider: When you enter a stealth or concealed state while mounted, your mount will also be shrouded in shadow power. This drastically reduces the noise it makes and masks its tracks and aura, allowing it to perform incredibly stealthy movements.]
"Shadow Iron Rider..."
Roland savored the implications of this ability. It was undoubtedly a perfect fusion of a rogue's stealth and a knight's charge.
Imagine it: a Death Knight emerging from the shadows, closing the distance like a wraith before the enemy even knew he was there. The shock and lethality would be absolute.
As expected, the core foundation of job resonances related to the Knight's Squire class lies in the mount itself.
Whether it's [Riding Synchronization], [Shadow Iron Rider], or the additional buffs triggered by other classes interacting with [Knight's Squire], they all require a powerful and suitable mount to fully unleash their potential.
An ordinary warhorse might barely suffice, but to truly maximize these traits and bonuses, a mount that was fast, resilient, and perhaps even possessed some transcendent qualities was essential.
It seems finding a suitable mount must become a priority.
Just as he was lost in thought and planning, a faint cry pierced the silence and reached his ears.
(End of the Chapter)
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