Chapter 78: High Risk, High Reward

Amano Yukiko is weak in the early game.

It’s because of her passive skill.

Amano Yukiko’s passive, [Iaido], is a skill that triggers an additional effect on the first strike when the sword is drawn from its sheath.

At first glance, this may sound simple and effective—“An extra effect on the first strike? Sounds good!”—but it’s not as straightforward as it seems.

While [Iaido] is undoubtedly a strong skill, it’s not without its drawbacks.

The main disadvantage of [Iaido] is that you can’t use any skills or basic attacks unless you first perform an Iaido draw.

What does this mean?

It means that every skill has an inherent delay built into it.

Basic attack → Sheath the sword → Skill 1 → Sheath the sword → Skill 2 → Sheath the sword → Ultimate skill.

That’s the rhythm.

As a result, Amano Yukiko only gains power at level 6, where the delay in [Iaido] can be somewhat mitigated.

Her prime time begins when she acquires items and improves her attack speed.

Under normal circumstances, roaming around at level 4 with such a character to hunt enemies isn’t a great choice.

Unless, of course, someone has been taunting the enemy team with an area-wide provocation for five whole minutes—like me.

Crash!

A flying glass bottle shattered, creating a wall of ice behind me.

With my escape route blocked, I turned to face the enemy guardian and Arina.

Amano Yukiko might be weak in the early game, but she still ranks high compared to other characters.

Against most champions, even a 1v2 scenario would be manageable.

However, Cheondunjin Gun, particularly one using a lightning-element martial arts style, is even weaker in the early game.

Engaging head-on was unlikely to yield good results.

But running away doesn’t win you the game either.

If I retreated now and gave up the objective, the losses would snowball.

If both teams were evenly matched, my losses could be compensated for elsewhere.

But since my team was at a disadvantage overall, I couldn’t afford to lose here.

So, I didn’t call for backup from Bbangbbang.

Even if summoned, he wouldn’t have been much help, and reducing the pressure on the enemy’s main carry would have made things even harder for my team.

Under these circumstances, maximizing my advantage was the most reliable way to secure victory.

Arina charged at me, with the alchemist behind her preparing another flask.

I slowly stepped forward, raising my fists.

Cheondunjin Gun’s playstyle changes completely based on the martial arts style chosen.

In some ways, it’s even more extreme than Thierry.

One moment, you’re a ranged damage dealer; the next, you’re melee.

Sometimes you’re focused on skill-based attacks, other times on basic attacks.

One moment you’re wielding a sword, then a spear, then fighting barehanded, or even using magical artifacts—it’s utter chaos.

Thankfully, once you pick a martial arts style, you can’t change it mid-game.

Otherwise, Cheondunjin Gun would have been as notorious as Thierry for its difficulty.

If I were to summarize the lightning-element martial arts style of Cheondunjin Gun in one phrase, it would be this:

High risk, high reward.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward. That’s the concept.

Arina’s sword sliced through the air.

Amano Yukiko’s first skill, [High-Speed Iaido], was activated.

[High-Speed Iaido] is a skill that delivers a rapid strike within basic attack range. When combined with [Iaido], it grants an attack speed buff upon hitting the target.

Since Amano Yukiko’s entire playstyle revolves around attack speed, landing this skill is a must.

Arina’s sword left a long slash on my body. My health plummeted.

To think I’d take this much damage from the early-game skills of a weak Amano Yukiko—it really underscored just how feeble Cheondunjin Gun was in the early game.

I immediately landed a counterpunch on Arina.

At the same time—Crash!—a flask shattered at my feet. Flames erupted, further depleting my health.

It was a perfectly executed combo.

To land that slow skill, they had waited for a moment when my movement was restricted, striking just as I countered Arina.

It was frustrating.

Why couldn’t my Bbangbbang pull off moves like that?

Crackle. Sparks erupted across Arina’s body. She had used her third skill, [Divine Beast’s Steps].

Blue footprints marked her path as she moved.

Arina’s sword came slashing down from the upper left.

I parried the glowing blue sword with precise timing and threw a punch.

Crackle!

Arina’s body turned into a bolt of lightning, and like a rewinding video, she returned to her original position.

Testing the waters and retreating when the situation turned unfavorable—it was almost as if she had a personal regression ability.

If she could do this in the early game, imagine what it would be like in the mid-to-late game.

By then, her skill levels would have increased, reducing cooldowns.

Why hasn’t she been nerfed yet?

What is she, Novella’s favored child?

I weaved backward. Crash! A flask shattered where I had been standing moments ago.

Sticky black slime spilled from the flask. If it had hit me, I’d have been slowed and my attack speed debuffed.

Why waste such an important skill when it wasn’t even the right time to land it?

Once again, I appreciated my obedient Bbangbbang.

“Go ahead, take some losses.”

The alchemist, Sird, had just used their third skill, [Black Potion]. Its cooldown was about 26 seconds.

I had to settle this within that time.

I lunged at Arina.

Her sword flashed out at high speed. Slash! My health dropped further.

Ignoring it, I struck her with my fist.

Whoosh. Flames engulfed me. I ignored them.

Slash! Her sword cut through me again. I ignored it and swung my fist.

And then—

The moment her [High-Speed Iaido] landed again, my health dropped into the danger zone.

At this point, even a single ranged attack could kill me.

You probably understand by now just how reckless this situation was, given how often I’ve explained the mechanics of Eternal World.

Eternal World is a complex game.

Melee combat feels like a fighting game, where frame battles and mind games are key.

But ranged combat?

It’s like an FPS.

So while it’s possible to miss a basic attack due to bad aim or movement disruption, intentionally dodging a projectile is nearly impossible.

Nearly impossible—but not entirely.

And the difference between “nearly impossible” and “impossible” is immense, like the difference between 0 and 1.

Cheondunjin Gun’s first skill, [Oath], activated.

[Oath] scales stats based on lost health.

I dodged the alchemist’s ranged attack by ducking.

Even with subpar game knowledge, they were still in Gold rank, so their aim wasn’t exceptional. Dodging wasn’t difficult.

Arina followed up with [High-Speed Iaido].

A solid combo, but it wasn’t enough to catch up with my newfound speed.

I extended my fist.

Clang! Arina’s sword blocked my punch. Amano Yukiko’s second skill, [Still Water], was triggered.

This skill parries the opponent’s attack, adding a stun effect to the next basic attack.

However, I had no intention of letting Arina land her basic attack.

I activated my second skill, [Reverse Heaven].

This skill reduces all defense-related stats to zero in exchange for dramatically boosting attack stats.

Clang! This time, I parried Arina’s attack and threw a clean right hook.

Crunch. The sound of bones breaking echoed. The system registered my attack as a critical hit.

Despite the early game, Cheondunjin Gun’s high-risk, high-reward style showcased overwhelming destructive power.

Arina tried to counter with another slash, but I stopped her blade with my foot, pinning it down. I followed up with a left hook.

Crash! A sharp sound rang out.

Panic flickered across Arina’s face. She needed just one hit—no more, no less—to secure victory for her team.

This wasn’t even a 1v1; it was a 2v1.

Logically, there was no reason for Arina to lose.

But as I’ve said before, the difference between “nearly impossible” and “impossible” is vast.

[Han Yurim Double Kill]

The first set’s winner:

IronSavesTheWorld.

Winning the first set in a multi-round match is a significant advantage.

After all, the opposing team now has to rethink their strategy, while we can stick to our original plan.

“Let’s keep the same ban-pick strategy.”

As long as we banned highly mobile guardians like Noah Weber and Plawy, our team wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

Though Bbangbbang wasn’t playing to perfection, he wasn’t making blatant mistakes either.

It was just a matter of waiting for him to hit his stride.