The Amber Sword Volume 3 Chapter 192
TL DR: Don’t get Black Desert Online because the devs are more interested in making money than creating a game (it goes beyond P2W issues).
Two more chapters coming soon, within 2 to 24 hours. Great RNG!
Chapter 192 – The final moment (8)
“Stop hiding there, coward!”
Andesha’s voice was like a hissing snake, echoing throughout the courtyard again. The group of people under the cloak did not dare to move.
The Mistress of Withering Decay finally made her move and conjured a whip, but instead of attacking the courtyard, she swung it at the other end of the forest. The vine whip of incredible length swept through the forest, cut through the trees with overwhelming force and uprooted them with thunderous noises.
Soil and dirt fell through the air like rain, while someone emerged from the forest and approached Andesha at lightning speed.
But before Brendel managed to see who the mysterious stranger was, he caught sight of the rain suddenly stopping in its midst. The colors of the area were suddenly changed into greyscale, while Andesha’s whip slowed down as though it was going through a sea of liquid that resisted it.
[The World of Ashes!]
It was a nickname given to Mephisto’s Element Power.
The Grey Realm was a boundary that changed the Laws of the area. It was an Elemental Plane with a high concentration of Shadow Element and Grey Mana that was related to the Earth Element. However, this particular Elemental Plane was destroyed in the Twilight War into many fragments, and they were scattered throughout the continent’s Physical Plane.
Mephisto’s World of Ashes was a powerful ability that projected the Grey World into the continent’s Physical Plane, bringing forth the power that was entrenched within the realm.
The slowing of time was one of them.
It was one of the most unique Element Powers, and Brendel was absolutely certain that it was Mephisto who had appeared.
[Why is he here?]
He took in a deep breath and found his palms to be full of cold sweat. The situation was a little too exciting for him, especially when Andesha took out a whip. Surely no one expected this sudden turn of events.
Andesha frowned as she put in more strength to her whip, causing it to speed up and chase Mephisto like a living snake.
Mephisto had to change his direction in a sharp angle in order to avoid the attack. He did not advance any further and patted the dirt away from his body before he looked up and said:
“Andesha, I presume?”
The Mistress of Withering Decay scoffed: “So it’s the defeated dog from the Kirrlutz Empire. The Sword Saint of Ashes, Mephisto, why are you not going after the citizens of Kirrlutz, but appear in this godforsaken place instead?”
Mephisto ignored her words completely and spoke as though he was talking to himself: “Since you’re Andesha, then I apologize, I’m here to take your life—”
“This man is the infamous demon in our empire, Mephisto? But who does he think he is; he actually dares to look down on that woman……”
Faena was shocked to learn of that man’s name. It was indeed a famous name in the Kirrlutz Empire. Adults even used his name to scare their own children, telling them that the demon Mephisto would kill them if they did not go to sleep early.
Unfortunately, once Faena saw that Mephisto was not a menacing giant with rippling muscles, but someone who looked like a relatively handsome middle-aged man, her opinion of his name dropped.
Andesha was stunned as well. She did not expect Mephisto to fight after speaking twice. The greatsword on his back was pulled out with two hands, its color grey underneath the bright sun, and he pointed it at her.
“Get ready!” Mephisto’s voice was low-pitched.
“You!” Andesha’s wrath was clear: “Such arrogance!”
Dark clouds suddenly gathered out from nowhere in the sky after her furious scream, and it was as though Lightning Dragons were breathing out in the sky; lightning flashes were accompanied with thunders.
Andesha pointed her finger downwards.
Brendel vaguely saw three runes appear around her body before they disappeared—
Countless lightning strikes hammered down from the sky, all of them converging onto a single point as if there was a gigantic lightning rod placed there.
[The Druidic Call Lightning spell. The Runes used were ‘lightning’, ‘Fury’, and ‘Nature’.]
Brendel starting analyzing Andesha’s response. The spell she used could be separated and used as an area-of-effect attack to strike multiple enemies, or it could be used to concentrate the lightning strikes onto a single person. Each peal of lightning could kill a knight, and the spell’s power could be raised accordingly based on the caster’s bloodline.
[As expected from a Tree Shepherd, each strike can easily kill a silver-ranker, and converging every one of them into a single spot would increase its destructive power multiple times. But it’s not as if it can’t be countered—]
But no sooner than Brendel thought about it, Mephisto showed that he had the same idea.
The Sword Saint of Ashes tossed his sword into the air, and it fell down into a neat arc and sank into the ground. The lightning was caught and the laws of physics happened. The sword turned into a blinding lightning rod of light. Normal metal would have been melted by the high temperature, but Mephisto’s weapon was a magical sword capable of absorbing the mana from the lightning.
The spiraling electricity that descended from the sky only lasted for a moment. The ground that the blade sank into was scorched black, while the sword had electricity the size of an arm emitting from it accompanied with startling, cracking noises.
[Should I say that this is to be expected from the legendary swordsman who fought off the pursuers from Kirrlutz countless times? Now his sword is actually enchanted from Andesha’s spell instead. That sword is going to cause some serious damage for the next three strikes.]
“Why are you lost in your thoughts?” Faena pulled his sleeves and mouthed urgently: “Start moving!”
“You’re right. Let’s go. This is a chance for us,” Brendel patted Sifrid’s head and answered.
Faena nodded to acknowledge his words with lingering fear as she glanced at Andesha. Even though that woman’s spell did not do its desired effect, it was a spectacular feat. The environment actually appeared dim because the light was too overwhelmingly bright.
Mephisto did not even walk to his sword. He merely stretched out his hand and the greatsword returned to him. In the next second, he faded into a blurry image and blazed towards where Andesha was.
Brendel noted Mephisto’s speed was slower than before when the latter chased him. It was probably because Mephisto had to maintain the World of Ashes.
Andesha immediately cast a second spell, summoning Spirits of Darkness and Decay. Wild deformed beasts with blood oozing out from every crevice burst out from the ground like an exploding spring. The largest creature looked like a buffalo with the size of a huge elephant, but there were bones protruding out at many sections of its body, which were also covered with thorn-like protrusions.
It was a spell unique to the Tree Shepherds. It was similar to how Druids were able to summon holy beasts to aid them, while the Tree Shepherds corrupted these holy beasts with the Blood of Gods and bound them to do their bidding.
Andesha pointed at Mephisto and the creatures rampaged towards him, destroying the pebbles under their feet and knocking down trees. There were even shockwaves coming from their feet. If a soldier were to stand within ten meters of the creatures, they would be instantly killed even without being trampled on.
But these creatures were merely capable of impeding Mephisto’s progress. Andesha did not rely on them to subdue him. She waved her hand again. Countless vines sprang out from the ground and parted to reveal a staff that had squirming vines. It was a little revolting as they flailed about like a sea creature’s tentacles.
The Mistress of Withering Decay grabbed the staff and waved it. Her lower legs that were made out of green vines turned into tough brown bark and extended outwards, covering her slim belly and chest to create a suit of hardened armor. Even her hair had a layer of protection.
This was the first time she prepared to defend herself.
She raised her staff as her Medusa-like hair danced against the wind that was picking up, appearing strikingly abominable like an evil deity that was only mentioned in myths.
[Shit, that crazy bitch is going all out! I know that Mephisto’s stronger than Veronica, but is he really that strong to force her hand like this?]
Brendel and the others were hurriedly moving across the ground, feeling a sense of great trepidation washing over them.
Mephisto’s method of killing the buffalo was of brutal efficiency. He did not even bother to get out of its charging path. Once the creature lowered its horn to target him, he grabbed by its horn without even dodging. There was a loud explosion of noise—
The seemingly unstoppable charge was halted with just a single hand.
The powerful speeding creature that changed into a frozen state made everyone feel like their eyes had been deceived, but the gigantic buffalo actually knelt down despite its muscular limbs. Another loud crack reached everyone’s ears as the ground split in several directions.
Not a moment later, the creature was swung left and right, knocking away the other unholy spirits into piles of bloody flesh. When Mephisto finally released his hand, the buffalo’s head was bleeding from all its orifices, apparently killed at the very first moment when it was forced down onto the ground.
[Holy shit, is this guy still a human? This middle-aged man looks like a gentleman, but he’s such a violent fighter when he doesn’t use his weapon…… Though I did do it rarely during certain occasions when I was level 120 and above.]
Brendel was suddenly feeling a little battle-thirsty. This was how warriors should fight, advancing without stopping and fighting till they reached their limits. Once they charged forward, the enemies would shrink in fear.
Andesha was not afraid, but she was surprised at Mephisto’s strength. The majority of her face was covered by the armored vines and there was no emotion that could be seen, but her eyes glinted once. She clenched her teeth and hissed, waving her staff once: “Go forth, my children!”
An earthquake commenced. The buildings in the area started to shake and many of them crumbled into broken rocks, including the building that Andesha was standing on. Massive roots broke through from the ground and formed into something that resembled a gargantuan Sandworm, reaching for the sky before it arched towards Mephisto.
“Conjure Greater Plant Wyrm!” Brendel remarked while his feet continued moving. The quality of the duel was nearly causing him to stay right where he was to watch them. The standard of the battle was the highest he had seen thus far after he arrived in this world.
Both parties were incredibly experienced in combat.
The normal players in the game could never be as good in battle as the famous NPCs in the game, and even skilled players could learn a few tricks from them.
November 12, 2018 @ 1:05 pm
I would have played BDO too if I realized the free promo thing. Eh, I’m already sucked into Grindfram- I mean, Warframe.
Thanks for the chapter Wolfie!
November 12, 2018 @ 9:20 pm
Warframe is love, Warframe is life.
November 13, 2018 @ 2:54 am
We all lift together
November 12, 2018 @ 1:07 pm
Wtf is wrong with Brendel…move ur arss man
November 12, 2018 @ 1:09 pm
Thanks for the chapter~~
November 12, 2018 @ 1:21 pm
Brendel turned into a commentator . Thanks for the chapter , I’ll be waiting for the next onE /\ so excited !!!
November 12, 2018 @ 2:16 pm
Aw, glad you finally realized lol
Gameplay alone I enjoy BDO a lot, the classes are fucking fun, the graphic is insane, I think it is worth the 10$ registration cost to get the base game just to make my own waifu but it is indeed overly monetized.
I think it is still worth a try just to experience the combat and classes but nothing more. Just go play Monster Hunter World or Warframe if you haven’t already, either play good AAA game or a good f2p game, BDO is neither lol
November 12, 2018 @ 5:59 pm
Hmm, I kind of hesitate to play MHW since the score rating is low and I rather wait for a 50% discount. I might try warframe, but it’s more than likely I’ll go back to overwatch/finish my backlogs of games first.
December 10, 2018 @ 7:59 pm
Mhw is definitely a fun game, but I would wait on a sale, especially if you dont have any friends to play with. Though that does not really matter till mid to late game as the game forces you to play the campaign on your own until you see the missions cut scenes which is super annoying as 4 ultimate just let you play though with a friend.
It also gets really grindy in late game as you are hoping and praying for jewels to optimize your hunter build . I said screw it and used cheat engine to get what I need after 20 hours of little luck.
I say wait till something like the spring festival when it should be pretty close to the content the consoles have
November 12, 2018 @ 2:56 pm
[These people at the top don’t seem like they are here to create a game but a product that reaps money from the users.] I must say congratulations, you discovered that water get you wet.
thanks for the translation.
also this kind of chapters makes me remember that this is a cn webnovel (pay for word count)
November 12, 2018 @ 3:32 pm
This analogy is quite wrong. I knew that many companies have P2W, but claiming bugs = gameplay is a new one to me. Threatening and suing the customers for bad-pressing them is also a new one. Their EU and SEA TOS doesn’t seem to be entirely healthy either, seeing as how the Russian players’ data can be wiped without any repercussions (players must go to the publishers and prove their purchases, but the data is wiped as far as I understand it). This situation was later fixed in the end though.
But all these things add up and I find it to be even more insane than EA losing player accounts for strange reasons, honestly.
And in regards to the recent chapters, well at least the action parts are starting up again.
November 12, 2018 @ 3:17 pm
Ever thought of trying Final Fantasy 14?
To be frank the game doesnt really flesh out until 40+ and the free trial only lets you get up to level 30. It took me awhile to get out of base game (because I was playing other games) but I’m now level 70 and I really do enjoy it. If you do try it I’d say take your time to enjoy the story and to not rush leveling.
November 12, 2018 @ 3:45 pm
I might, but it’s unlikely for me to sink my time in a MMORPG for a long, long time.
November 13, 2018 @ 6:28 am
If you do decide to try it and make a character in the Aether data center I’d be glad to help you through dungeons.
November 13, 2018 @ 4:45 pm
I’ll take you up on that offer if I have the time lol.
November 12, 2018 @ 3:45 pm
Meets one of the strongest humans alive. Not impressed. ¬_¬ Man this girl.
“also this kind of chapters makes me remember that this is a cn webnovel (pay for word count)”
>Overly descriptive of a battle between 2 powerful characters.
I’ll allow it.
Though I agree that Brendel really ought to get a move on. Bird in the hand man.
November 12, 2018 @ 4:20 pm
Thanks!
November 12, 2018 @ 7:20 pm
I think Crowfall might be a good MMO once it’s released next year, currently still in alpha but their combination of design goals are quite innovative and ambitious (i.e. dynamic/temporary campaign worlds, player driven economy, active and passive skill building, and own player territory/vassal system, etc). They have been quite upfront/transparent about their development, but haven’t touched much on the monetization aspect yet. Most MMO change that anyway after a few months when investors/publishers get more involved and/or maintenance costs rise.
Disclaimer: I’m a Kickstarter backer, tho waiting till beta is finished before getting into it.
November 12, 2018 @ 8:54 pm
Thank you very much Wolfie!
November 12, 2018 @ 10:06 pm
I could’ve told you much about BDO… sadly for all its faults it is still the best MMO mechanics and visual wise. Biggest fault is the dumb as fuck inability to play with others jointly in objectives and shit… Also the retarded bs of no quick travel. Getting anywhere is too tedious and upgrading is not worth it. Overall though game even though for the money thing the devs still actually do shit and put effort into unlike garbage from Activision or EA or those China knock off crap
November 13, 2018 @ 4:41 am
The developers really have exceptional skills when it comes to designing and animating. See the thing is, when it comes to working in a project, there are teams split up to work on different aspects of the game. So something major like overhauling the game system isn’t going to happen because Team A is most likely tasked to fix other things first (DRM creation because it involves money), then next event’s code, then minor bugs.
Visual and model animating Team B is tasked to create new gameplay content, like a new class or map, and these people are really skilled, so you can say they are top-notch developers for designing stuff.
Then there’s sound Team C, UI/2D art Team D, etc. Usually roles are split up in a big company, but at the end of the day, they answer to management.
Once management hears that bug ABC takes months to fix, Team A has to leave it alone and find a workaround. Fortunately for them, such bugs seem to be pretty rare.
I hear that sea monster hunting where players earn up to 10 billion was left alone for months until the recent tax, so the market received a pretty huge influx of silver, inflating goods’ prices. Not a particularly good balancing. Then there are other complaints that a casual player like myself wouldn’t understand fully, but I don’t think it’s fair to EA/Activision when you say BDO devs are better at gameplay design.
They really do excel at graphical stuff though. Nice telegraphs on bosses and character animations. I’m sure I can learn much from it.
As for China knock-offs…… Look, never say never, you know. Maybe one day they will become the best companies out there (with large grains of salt), though the best ones invest instead of making up their own games. LoL is under tencent, for example and they are supposedly hands-off the developers.
November 12, 2018 @ 11:37 pm
Well, BDO is tough competitive game and I couldn’t disagree if someone said it’s overly P2W. However, as I goes more into the game, I found the game is rather “online PC-time spending” rather than “Player-time spending” but it also could mean both. And so, most of the cash items are for “save time for progress” stuff. The only notable P2W stuff is the camouflage costumes. It’s one of the stuff that can’t be traded, or sold in marketplace. Any player has buy it if want to have it. As for other PVP stuff, it’s more like that you have to spend lots of silver to get buffs and gears.
I play with community so it’s fun rather than solo play. Seeing other who pay get their progress way faster than us who just play as it is might seems frustrating but if you aren’t into mass PVP like node war in a guild then just enjoy it as you play is much better. I see that I progress more in gears and money by doing lifeskill which is for fun rather than grinding monster which take alot of mind and concentration.
My advise is, just enjoy it at your own pace.
November 12, 2018 @ 11:57 pm
As for Private server, as far as I know, most of the private server of every MMO game existence and survivability is on the mercy of the genuine main developer. It’s the risk for playing private server that copy the game data from main official server.
I have no comment for UI, basically anyone can edit the UI position, disable some icons, bars, and stuffs. Well, for some those stuff might need revamp and I agree that getting stuck is surely an unneeded bug. My fishing boat always getting stuck for parking near the shore area which actually could happen in real life (LOL).
the only thing that I wish to change is how users abusing the economic inflation ingame, sigh. Poor players who have don’t have much silver are harder to progress since most of the goodstuff in market were pre-ordered by some whale players
November 13, 2018 @ 3:08 am
Man try Destiny 2, i love.