[Poisoned State 5].
This was displayed on An Dong’s status bar.
He was losing 100 health per second, a seemingly small amount considering An Dong’s total health of 6000.
However, if this effect persisted for merely one minute, An Dong would slowly succumb to the poison.
“[Backflip]!”
An Dong’s brow furrowed deeply as he swiftly activated his Backflip skill, displacing himself backward and creating a 20-yard distance between himself and Little Green.
“[Healing Spell]!”
A verdant healing light emanated from the gleaming ring on his left hand, enveloping An Dong’s tall physique.
Little Green seemed to have no intention of interrupting his Tier 4 [Recovery Spell], as she slowly walked towards him.
“…”
Perhaps due to their earlier extensive conversation, a silence had fallen between them, and they simply gazed at each other wordlessly.
Little Green fixed her eyes on An Dong, who was now fully recovered thanks to his Tier 4 [Healing Spell], a faint smile gracing her lips.
It appeared she was intimately familiar with An Dong’s combat style, including his Tier 4 [Healing Spell] and the fact that he was a resistance tank.
This understanding explained why she had never intended to use crowd control skills to interrupt his recovery from the outset.
Yet, while Little Green had no intention of interrupting his [Healing Spell], this by no means signified a halt to her offensive.
With remarkable speed, she closed the distance to An Dong, who was still casting his [Healing Spell], and her purplish-brown left hand once again brushed against his arm.
“Six layers.”
‘Damn it.’
An Dong stared at the words ‘[Poisoned State 6]’ on his status bar, a wave of profound regret washing over him for not having asked Suo Liya to engrave a [Dispel] skill onto his equipment.
With a priest’s [Dispel] skill, the poisoned status would be utterly inconsequential.
While resistance tanks weren’t particularly vulnerable to [poison], it would be more accurate to say that top-tier resistance tanks were entirely immune to [poisoning].
This was because [poisoned status] was a type of [abnormal status], and a resistance tank with extremely high abnormal resistance could effectively mitigate [poison].
Unfortunately, the new server had only been open for a short time, and players’ leveling was still in its early to mid-stages.
An Dong had only reached level 42, his resistance attributes had merely accumulated to 512 points, granting him only 55% abnormal resistance.
Furthermore, the effect of the [Blacklamp Battle Helmet] was “Control Reduction +75% Spirit Blood +5%”.
It was important to note that this was control reduction, not abnormal resistance.
Since [poisoned status] was not a crowd control effect, this control reduction was utterly useless against it.
Thus, when facing Little Green, the Poison Maiden (TL Note: A title referring to a master of poisons, often associated with a female character.)’s [Toxic Skin], he was completely helpless, save for his 55% abnormal resistance which reduced the original one-minute [poisoned status] duration to roughly 28 seconds.
‘While killing me won’t be easy, I possess the innate skill [Blood Exchange], which converts a certain percentage of lost health into mana, allowing me to then cast a Tier 4 [Healing Spell] to restore health.
Essentially, I’m a semi-perpetual motion machine.’
‘If I can just drag this out for 30 minutes, victory will be mine.’
As An Dong’s mind raced with these thoughts, he twisted his large frame, attempting to evade, but Little Green’s movements were simply too swift.
In the time it took An Dong to ponder and then cast another [Healing Spell], she had already stacked three more layers of poison onto him.
“Nine layers.”
Little Green’s face still held that relaxed smile, as if utterly oblivious to the passage of time.
‘[Poisoned State 9]’
‘180 damage per second, huh… still manageable.’
An Dong bit his lip, continuing his strenuous efforts to dodge.
He had considered a counterattack, but Little Green’s [Mithril Gauntlet (Right Hand)] possessed an inherent, ridiculously powerful ability: it could block low-damage skills.
In its presence, the meager damage An Dong, as a tank, could inflict would never land on Little Green; even crowd control skills would be parried.
‘And…’
An Dong shifted his massive shield, striving to block Little Green’s venomous left hand as it lunged towards him.
He gazed at her, so close, with a complicated expression, his eyes settling on the [Mithril Gauntlet (Left Hand)] tucked into her waistband.
With this innate piece of equipment, Little Green could actually bypass the restriction against using potions in PK (Player Kill) combat.
If An Dong failed to instantly kill her, she would likely use a [Tier 3 Recovery Potion] to instantly restore her health, wouldn’t she?
An Dong couldn’t believe that an Alchemist like Little Green wouldn’t have her inventory brimming with various potions before entering the arena…
‘Therefore, a counterattack seems impossible.
I can only win by stalling.’
‘Perhaps I can even last the full thirty minutes.’
Just as An Dong was lost in these thoughts, Little Green’s movements abruptly changed.
With a sudden motion, she flung the [Mithril Gauntlet (Left Hand)] from her waistband towards An Dong’s back, then swiftly removed the gauntlet from her right hand.
‘Not good!’
An Dong surmised that Little Green intended to use Flying Thunder God (TL Note: A teleportation technique, often involving marking a target or object.) to don the left-hand gauntlet and then use a potion.
While he didn’t know her exact plan, An Dong understood it would certainly not bode well for him.
‘Now that she’s removed the [Mithril Gauntlet] from her right hand, the one that blocks skills, I must seize this chance to control her!’
An Dong thought this, but then realized Little Green had, at some unknown point, widened the distance between them by roughly 10 yards, making all his close-range target-selected skills unable to reach her.
‘What a cunning opponent!’
An Dong swiftly altered his strategy, employing a targeted displacement crowd control skill.
“Brutal Charge!”
Little Green was only 10 yards from the edge of the arena.
If he could hit her, he could knock her right out of the ring.
As he thought this, An Dong seemed to glimpse the dawn of victory.
[Flying Thunder God]!
Unfortunately, Little Green’s reaction was even quicker.
An Dong felt his [Brutal Charge] suddenly pass through the afterimage Little Green had left behind.
Immediately, the charge sharply pivoted, automatically surging towards Little Green, who had used [Flying Thunder God] to teleport to the gauntlet’s position.
Indeed, a targeted displacement crowd control skill would continue its pursuit if it didn’t strike the opponent or wasn’t interrupted by an obstruction!
Little Green’s current position was also not far from the edge of the arena, and the knock-back distance of [Brutal Charge] was still sufficient to push her out of the ring!
‘It’ll work!’
An Dong thought to himself, pressing the [Shield of Xuan Stone] before him, and charged towards Little Green’s petite form with the force of a thunderbolt.
A sudden yellow glow emanated from Little Green’s left-hand gauntlet.
She swiftly patted this faint yellow light onto herself!
“Bedrock Potion!”
In that very instant, An Dong’s massive shield made contact with Little Green, and [Brutal Charge] struck her.
Yet, Little Green stood firm, like an deeply rooted bedrock, unyielding and not retreating a single step.
“It seems this mutated potion truly works.”
Observing the incredulous expression on An Dong’s face, Little Green slowly began to explain.
“[Bedrock Potion]: Grants immunity to one abnormal status within three minutes of use.”
Naturally, the [knock-back effect] of [Brutal Charge] had been nullified by the [Bedrock Potion].
“There’s a potion like that!?”
An Dong found it difficult to accept.
“I’m a pure artisan class [Alchemist], after all.”
Little Green chuckled triumphantly.
“It’s not strange to have some peculiar potions on hand, is it?
Besides, once [Potion Crafting] proficiency reaches Level 5, the possibilities for potion recipe generation are infinite.
Don’t be so surprised by something this minor, An Dong Gege (TL Note: A respectful and affectionate term for an older brother or male friend.)~”
To An Dong, Little Green’s sweet smile seemed like that of a mischievous imp from a fairy tale.
“Let An Dong Gege (TL Note: A respectful and affectionate term for an older brother or male friend.) broaden his horizons.
These are potions I specifically concocted to deal with you.”
“Voodoo Potion!”
A dark green light ascended from Little Green’s left hand.
She gently raised her hand.
And patted the [Mithril Gauntlet] on her left hand onto herself.