## Chapter 106: Guidance
Negative Status Effects indeed make all adventurers turn pale upon hearing of them, but for me, they are not as terrifying as imagined. Firstly, I can use the Wizard's life-saving Skill, "Frozen Armor". Just this alone can prevent enemies without Cold Immunity Equipment from continuing their pursuit. Furthermore, later on, if I can acquire the Necromancer's Bone Armor Skill, I can essentially eliminate the worry of being hit by Combos. Secondly, with the increased Drop Rate provided by the Bugged Amulet, my Equipment Defense will definitely not be low. Just like Strength, the higher the Defense, the lower the probability of suffering Negative Status Effects.
I don't think Kashya couldn't think of the first point, but she likely has her own persistence. From our conversation, it's vaguely apparent that the Strength she pursues is the limit of her own abilities. Compared to Skills and Equipment, she focuses more on her own Combat Technique and Experience. If she can defeat other Opponents/Rivals without relying on Skills and Excellent Equipment, then who could possibly defeat her?
This idea isn't necessarily wrong, but I think it's a bit extreme. The quality of Skills and Equipment should actually be part of one's Strength/Power. In my opinion, a true Strongest Expert should be able to perfectly combine their Skills, Equipment, Experience, and Technique to create their own combat style.
Of course, this conclusion is derived from my many years of novel reading and gaming. It may not necessarily be universally applicable in the Diablo World. Perhaps it's just because I'm lazy and don't want to train myself as brutally as Kashya, leading to this opposing idea.
However, it's only a few days of guidance, so it shouldn't be a big problem for me. Besides, isn't there a saying, "many skills don't weigh you down"? Although Kashya's current guidance doesn't seem very useful to me, it's better to experience it than not.
"Kid, your current Strength should be around 35 points, not exceeding 40, right?" Kashya suddenly spoke.
"How do you know?" My heart skipped a beat. My current Strength was exactly 36 points.
"Haha, this is a matter of an Expert's Vision/Insight. A true Expert can roughly guess the opponent's Strength from their Presence, Muscle, and Movement. Of course, the Stat Value won't be very precise; you'd need to clash to understand it specifically. However, you currently have no Presence, and you're wearing a large Cloak, so it's hard to tell."
"Huh? Then how did you figure it out, Lord?" I twitched the Corner of my mouth again. This wicked woman was definitely trying to provoke me just now, absolutely.
"Did you forget when I patted you when we met?" Kashya waved her Wooden Club and laughed as if her scheme had succeeded.
"..." People who can become Elders. They are indeed all wily old foxes.
"Alright then, let's begin. Go pick a Weapon first, and then Attack however you like."
Filled with resentment, I obediently picked up a Javelin from the nearby Weapon Rack. I suddenly turned and Thrust towards Kashya. Haha, let you see the terror of the new generation surpassing the old, combined with an Otaku's resentment!
But, as my body fully turned around and the Javelin was already halfway through its Thrust, I suddenly saw the thin, long wooden stick in Kashya's hand. It was already raised high, as if waiting for me, the Mole, to pop my Brain out in a game of Whac-A-Mole. On that face, which always wore a casual smile, there was now an expression of incomparable cunning and slyness.
"Whack."
Before my Javelin could Thrust into Kashya's body, her wooden stick struck my Brain first. I immediately felt a wave of Pain. Although I didn't fall into a Stun Status, my body stiffened, and the tip of my Javelin, which was about to touch Kashya, also stopped. Damn, it seems my Attack was not only hit by an Interruption, but I also fell into a Stun for about half a second. This is probably the perfect illustration of attempting to gain something but ending up losing something instead.
"Haha, kid. When you want to perform a Sneak attack, it's best to Thrust blindly, or only turn around just before you hit. Otherwise, it's very easy for others to see through it," Kashya said with a sly grin.
It seems I still lack Experience. With such a large turning movement, even a Rookie could see it. How can that be called a Sneak attack? It's clearly giving the Initiative to the Enemy! I couldn't help but feel discouraged, but I still retorted defiantly.
"What if Lady Kashya just misunderstood, and I didn't intend to perform a Sneak attack?"
"Then I would still hit you. It would just be me performing a Sneak attack on you instead. When you pick up a Weapon, the combat has already begun. If you don't have this Epiphany, then I will use this method to give you some good Teachings, hehe. But it seems your Epiphany is quite high; you just lack too much Experience. Your Sneak attack was like announcing it with drums and gongs."
Kashya pursed her lips, trying hard to hold back her laughter.
Uh... Kashya was indeed right. I've learned a lot. Fighting against an Expert truly allows one to realize many things.
After the Sneak attack attempt, it was time for regular Melee Combat. Naturally, I would Attack Kashya; if she made a move, I wouldn't have much chance to act.
Leaning slightly forward, I held the Spear Shaft with my left hand and the Spear Tail with my right. Across from me, Kashya held her Staff, angled slightly towards me. Her smiling eyes emitted a sharp Glow like an eagle's, as if she wanted to imprint every slight change in my body into her vision.
"Haa..."
The tense Atmosphere lasted for a while. Suddenly, I took a large step forward with my right foot, loosened my left hand's grip, and with my right hand gripping the Spear Tail, I thrust it fiercely towards Kashya. There were no fancy moves; with my current Experience, any fancy moves would be impractical against Kashya. It was better to pursue the fastest Speed; perhaps I could still pose some threat.
The dazzling cold light on the Javelin tip seemed to pierce even the air, instantly nearing Kashya's left shoulder. However, the result was the expected disappointment. Kashya's stick still struck me first. The fierce Strength on the stick made me stumble. Although I didn't enter a Pause or Stun, my Attack was also hit by an Interruption, and I almost lost my grip on the Javelin I had thrust out.
Such incredible Dexterity, such incredible Strength! At this rate, I can't inflict any Damage on her at all. However, it seems that in Kashya's guidance Course, I was only meant to be Taking Hits, sob sob~~
"The way you're holding the spear isn't quite right. At this Distance, you should grip it a bit higher. Your left hand should be more flexible; the grip position needs to be flexible and change according to the Enemy's Distance. This way, you can adjust for effective Space. And your right hand..." The experienced Kashya pointed out the several small mistakes I had just made one by one.
"This way, the Speed of your spear thrust will be faster, and your Moves will be more flexible, making it easier to unleash the Spear's Maximum Damage. Mastering these is actually enough to deal with Monsters that aren't very intelligent. Don't set your requirements too high. But if you're going to PvP against an Expert, sigh, I don't even know what to say." Kashya covered her forehead, looking a bit troubled.
"If you're facing a truly experienced Expert, you have even more Weaknesses. What kind of stance were you taking just before Making a Move? Were you telling your Opponent/Rival that you were aiming for their shoulder and that your Move was a spear thrust? Also, why shout when Making a Move? Are you kindly reminding the other party that you're about to make a move, or are you hoping to startle them?..."
These were problems I had never thought of, and they made Cold Sweat continuously break out. Just now, in pursuit of the fastest Speed, I indeed overlooked many things. Furthermore, it was my first time using a Two-Handed Spear, so I really had no Experience to speak of.
Kashya spoke for several minutes, only licking her lips when she was finally satisfied.
"I'll talk about the rest later. Continue!"
Following Kashya's Teachings, I adopted an inconspicuous stance, mimicking how she held her stick just now. Seeing Kashya nod slightly, I suddenly thrust out silently.
Unfortunately, I was hit by an Interruption again, accompanied by a momentary Pause. Although it was only for an instant, it would be enough if I were facing a true Expert.
"Your stance is better this time. But you're holding a Spear, not a stick. So the spearhead should be angled slightly upwards. This shortens the time it takes to thrust out. Of course, if you intend to Attack with the Spear Shaft, that's another matter..."
And so, while practicing dealing with Negative Status Effects, Kashya also taught me many other things. Besides the Spear, she covered more flexible ways to use and handle several other Weapons, including stances, dodging, and Blocking. Although these were just theoretical for me for now and I couldn't truly put them into practice yet, they gave me a feeling of sudden enlightenment. As the saying goes, understand one principle, understand a hundred. Compared to my previous method of just 'randomly' hacking and chopping with a Weapon, these important Techniques would undoubtedly make the Speed of my Making a Move more flexible and swift. I also gained a preliminary understanding of how to unleash a Weapon's Maximum Damage Value. However, Kashya was clearly not skilled in how to utilize my Fist and Claws for Attack after Shapeshifting. She only shared some Experience and Insights from her PvP matches against Druids and told me to figure it out myself, sob sob~~ I really regret not having learned Mizongyi, Eagle Claw Style, or something similar in my original world...
What surprised me was that Interruption, Pause, and Stun, these Negative Status Effects that cause endless Pain and had rarely appeared during Trials, occurred in about seven out of ten times when Kashya counterattacked. That feeling can be imagined as suddenly being stopped when you're sprinting at your fastest Speed, the Pain like tearing Muscle, and the feeling of emptiness with nowhere to land in your heart. If Class Changers didn't have relatively strong Vitality and Spirit, I would have been driven mad by the Torment. Up until now, my Spear hasn't even touched Kashya once. Even the three-tenths of my Attacks that weren't affected by Negative Status Effects were all skillfully dodged by Kashya's Dexterity. The Amazon's Dexterity is second only to the Assassin among the Seven Major Classes, and coupled with her Skill that provides a Passive Dodge Bonus, if your Level and Attack Rating are a bit low, you won't even be able to touch a single hair on her.
I don't know how much time passed, but the sky gradually darkened. Listening from afar, the training Students were starting to disperse and head home. In the southern direction, faint wisps of cooking smoke began to appear, then merged into a single sheet, finally disappearing into the crimson sunset glow. The Students' clamor gradually faded, and the Surroundings became quiet. The cool evening breeze, mixed with the intermittent calls of tired birds returning to their nests, felt like a kind Mother, gently blowing across the entire Rogue Encampment, giving a feeling of tranquility and warmth.
Yet, amidst such beautiful scenery and a lovely evening, I was still holding a Spear, being battered again and again. My Brain had started to go numb, my entire body's Muscle was sore and aching, and my hands holding the Spear were slightly trembling. This was the first time since I arrived in Sanctuary. However, I continued to Practice persistently. If I couldn't even overcome this much hardship, what was the point of talking about becoming a Strongest Expert?
I don't know how many times I thrust out the Spear, but Kashya still lightly sidestepped. The Staff in her hand, which had caused me so much trouble, struck hard against my chest again, making my body stiffen abruptly and causing me to stumble back a few steps involuntarily. But to my surprise, Kashya didn't stop as she had before. Instead, she turned and took another step forward. Before my retreating Footsteps could stabilize, her stick struck my waist again.
With a crisp "Thwack", my body lost its Balance again and tilted to the side. Then, Kashya's Attack followed like a shadow, coming at me again. Pause, Stun, I couldn't even stand steadily on my heels. My body no longer belonged to me; it was as if I were a puppet on strings, completely controlled by Kashya's small wooden stick.
Combo!!!
A term I had just learned flashed through my mind instantly.
Kashya's Attack had no Pause at all. Four, five, six, seven... I don't know how many hits. I only felt my Body suddenly sway, and with a sudden inspiration, I seized that tiny Weakness and rolled back fiercely. I finally escaped Kashya's demonic continuous Attack, but I couldn't stand up again. I just lay there on the ground, gasping for air.
"Oh, kid, that was pretty good. How did you even manage to catch such a small Weakness?" Kashya rarely showed a hint of an appreciative smile as she squatted beside me and said with a laugh.
"Haha... Th-that's natural."
I forced a smile. That was just a flash of inspiration; if it happened again, I wasn't sure I could dodge it. At this moment, I finally experienced the true terror of High-Level Combos. I couldn't control my Body's movement at all, and I couldn't even perform Blocking. That feeling of helplessness, so frustrating it made me want to vomit blood, and even Despair, made me shiver violently. Kashya's Combo had reached a terrifying Extent/Point. Her Attack just now didn't cause me to suffer a Negative Status Effect every time, but she skillfully seized the moment I lost my Balance and forcefully continued the Combo. In that Storm-like Attack, I was like a small boat tossing in the waves, unable to regain my Balance even once. That feeling of being unable to control myself, as if my Body no longer belonged to me, was something I never wanted to experience a second time.
"Alright, that's enough training for today. Sigh, there are only a few days. If you can manage to face Negative Status Effects with Calmness, you'll be considered qualified."