Nie Fan casted Cheetahmorph, found one Windwalk Polype and lunged at it.
He needed to familiarize himself with the various gimmicks of Energy Blast and Smite so that he wouldn’t be too unaccustomed to using it.
On the other hand, that Windwalk Polyp started shrieking when it noticed him, and flapped its wings as it darted towards him in return.
Vertical Leap!
Jumping and dodging the creature’s attack, Nie Fan swung his claws, Smiting down on the back of the Windwalk Polyp.
However, Nie Fan could feel that his claws did not really hit the mark because exerting strength was different for human forms and Cheetahmorph.
Thud!
The Windwalk Polyp swayed, rendered Dizzy while a [-23] damage sign appeared over its head.
Nie Fan glanced at his skill casting notification.
[System: Skill completion rate 56%, 38% damage dealt, 2 seconds Dizzy, 1 Chain point.]
His Skill Proficiency had increased by a fraction after casting Smite.
Still, the damage with Smite was a little too low compared to his Black Oil and Mini Fireball combo, which deals hundreds of damage points at minimum.
Even if the skill casting was not really perfect, top players such as Dancing Phoenix could cast their skills at a completion rate of at least 65%, even reaching above 80%.
The two seconds of Dizzy and 1 Chain point was fundamental, but there would be increased if the skill completion rate was high.
Nonetheless, Nie Fan was dissatisfied with that level of damage. He would want nothing less than perfect in everything he pursued within Blade of Tyranny, because he would be surpassed if he didn’t reach perfection!
That being said, Smite provides good control, and its skill effect would be absolutely stunning when fully unleashed. In this game, melee classes were more technical than ranged classes since every close-range skill has certain demands for the movements of every player. All of them must first familiarize themselves with the casting before being able to unleash the power of their skills, or they would never reach the ranks of the top players.
Black Oil!
Mini Fireball!
Nie Fan casted a Black Oil and Mini Fireball combo to kill off the Windwalk Polyp as he waited for Smite to come off cooldown before continuing his experimenting. That was also the moment when his mind whirred and he thought of the question: how could he apply his kickboxing skills deftly in the game?
Blade of Tyranny was the most realistic of all currently available games, just as its close-range fights were almost a mimic of reality. However, there was obviously no way for Nie Fan to imitate his martial arts into the game, because he was a human in the real world and needed his Cheetahmorph form to gain close-ranged fighting ability in the game. As it was made clear before, human and cheetah have different bodies and different form of exertion.
Be that as it may, Nie Fan’s thoughts began to extend: despite the different combat styles, there were certain principles that connected them—be it human or beast, they exerted strength through their joints and muscles. Moreover, only martial artists who understood every aspect and layout of those joints and muscles could truly become a grandmaster, as they would be aware of the opponent’s vulnerable points and how to unleash devastating strikes with minimum exertion.
With that thought, Nie Fan downloaded a muscle distribution chart and a skeleton anatomy for cheetahs. It turned out that their shoulders and pelvis have extraordinarily developed muscles and a curious bone frame, allowing them to achieve bursting speeds instantly.
Nie Fan gained a vague epiphany after looking through the data, and lured a Windwalk Polyp to himself by launching a Mini Fireball at it.
Watching as the Windwalk Polyp dashed towards him, Nie Fan abruptly accelerated away, but he had also gone out too quickly that he couldn’t stop after dashing for almost three yards away. He crashed into the Windwalk Polyp and knocked it back while it struck him once, with a fifty plus damage sign appearing over his head.
However, he promptly used Vertical Leap as the Windwalk Polyp lunged towards him again, a hint of excitement showing in his eyes because he had clearly felt the burst of strength and speed from his dash just now. If he could time those well, his combat ability would rise by a whole notch!
Hence, after using Vertical Leap, Nie Fan rushed forward and swung his right claws firmly down.
Smite!
Although he did not maintain his balance before rushing out and almost missed his Smite, it was still casted for better or worse.
The Windwalk Polyp was struck with a bang, and rendered Dizzy.
[System: Skill completion rate 65%, 72% damage dealt, 2 seconds Dizzy, 1 Chain point.]
Nie Fan lifted his brow at the message displayed on his skill bar. His completion rate for Smite had increased a lot, which proved that his research was quite effective. Moreover, he had only casted Smite just a few times and obtained such effect, and he was convinced that the completion rate would increase further soon if he kept using it.
Still, not anyone could reach Nie Fan’s level after that bit of researching as they might not necessarily be familiar with a skill even after days or weeks. Because he had been trained extensively since he was a child, Nie Fan’s physical harmony had reached stunning thresholds, and while the fighting styles would complete change in the game, things such as reflexes and hand-eye coordination would not. Indeed, Nie Fan was slowly adapting even though Cheetahmorph felt very irregular.
Hence, he continued familiarizing himself with Smite, leveling while adapting to the close-range combat style and eventually becoming engrossed. Although there was no major development, he was gaining remarkable understanding of many things such as his usage of Cheetahmorph and casting of Smite.
Just like before, he lured a Windwalk Polyp towards himself and accelerated when it approached. He launched Smite while slightly shifting his body aside in the air, landing gently to the creature’s flank while a seventyish damage sign appeared over the Windwalk Polyp’s head.
[System: Skill completion rate 72%, 83% damage dealt, 2 seconds Dizzy, 1 Chain point.]
At 72%, his skill completion rate was comparable to top-tiered players such as Dancing Phoenix and Warsong, who were at that level too. That being said, Nie Fan had a much harder time than them in casting Smite because he has to be in Cheetahmorph, while they could use it as a Warrior’s skill in human form.
Nie Fan was a little dissatisfied despite his skill completion rate having reached 72%. He had basically exerted all of the strength of his pelvis, and he would now use his shoulder strength—and given that the cheetah form has exceedingly developed muscle clusters in that body portion, he just might unleash Smite at full damage capacity if he attacked with the correct measure.
After killing the Windwalk Polyp, Nie Fan flexed his shoulder joint to check how he could maximize his strength output, swiping the air viciously and repetitively as he gained another epiphany. However, he no longer had the time to train his Smite—his body was changing rapidly, and he reverted to human form.
His Cheetahmorph was over, but those ten minutes were quite fruitful.