Chapter 133: Probing the Enemy with the Die of Replication

Wang Chen’s Water Dragon Strike was aimed directly at the man’s knees. Since the attack dealt bonus critical damage to joints, he had to find a way to neutralize the man’s overwhelming movement speed. The water bullet, imbued with a piercing, drilling force, spun violently against the man’s kneecap, only to be blocked by a faint metallic sheen.

Watching this, Wang Chen’s mind raced. "That metallic luster must be a skill; otherwise, his defense would rival that of a high-level beast. Since it’s a skill, it must have a time limit and should enter a cooldown period soon."

He observed the man, who remained standing motionless in the thick fog like a stubborn boulder. If not for the rather underwhelming polo shirt he wore, the man would have truly mastered the aura of a high-level expert.

"He doesn't seem the least bit anxious. Could his skill have a short cooldown like my Water Dragon Strike?" Wang Chen pondered. "Or perhaps, like me, he possesses potions or items that can reset cooldowns? I was planning to stall for time, and if he wants to play this waiting game, I have no objections."

Wang Chen found himself in a dilemma. He felt there was no need to press the attack while the man remained trapped in place. Evidently, the lingering fog had obscured the man’s vision, forcing him to adopt this "remain unmoved to counter all changes" strategy. Furthermore, while Wang Chen appeared idle, the man was still taking steady, chip damage from the "Five-Mile Mist" skill with every breath. Time was on his side.

"If you want to drag this out, I’m happy to oblige. Let’s see who has more patience," Wang Chen thought.

Just then, the man suddenly moved, hands clasped behind his back, charging toward Wang Chen. His strides were massive, and there was an indescribable lightness to his leaps, as if he were a water strider gliding across a pond. In a few quick bounds, he reached Wang Chen and launched a high kick toward his face.

Wang Chen’s pupils constricted, and he immediately activated Teleport. A flicker of black light enveloped him, and he vanished from the spot. He reappeared on the other side of the battlefield. His face stung faintly; the sheer pressure from the man’s kick had been enough to turn the surrounding air into a cutting blade.

He pulled a potion from his storage space and downed it. "If that kick had landed, the consequences would be unimaginable," he muttered.

What concerned him more was how the man had pinpointed his location without him using any active skills. He realized the disadvantage of lacking a "Beast Eye"—when facing a human professional, he had no way to discern their skills. If it were a mage or an elementalist, he could roughly judge their abilities by the visual effects, but this melee fighter left no such breadcrumbs, making it difficult for Wang Chen to probe him.

"Wait, perhaps it’s not impossible," he suddenly realized.

He remembered a skill he had obtained from the system lottery called the "Dice of Replication," which allowed him to randomly copy one of an opponent's skills. He had never found the right opportunity to use it, but now was the perfect time.

Wang Chen twirled his staff, the Forest Storm, its tip flickering with light like a shaking dice cup. With a flick of his hand, a magical seal appeared beneath the man, projecting a human-sized die that began to tumble around him. Taking advantage of this, Wang Chen flashed with black light and teleported to a different spot.

A moment later, the tumbling die stopped and burst into light. Information flooded Wang Chen’s mind.

[Steel-Reinforced Bones]
[Description: A talent skill for the Fighter class. Its strength increases with the user's level, reaching absolute defense at the peak. Upon activation, a metallic sheen covers the body. Lasts for thirty minutes with a one-hour cooldown.]

"Copying this defensive skill isn't bad at all. Now I can use it too, and his attacks won't be able to deal much damage to me anymore," Wang Chen chuckled to himself. Using the enemy's shield against their spear—how could he lose?

He tapped his body, triggering the skill. A giant die manifested above him, circling him briefly before his skin took on the same metallic luster. This time, he didn't bother teleporting away. The man leaped forward and landed a kick squarely on Wang Chen’s neck.

However, the blow lacked the power to send him flying. A metallic clang echoed through the air as the force of the strike was largely negated. Wang Chen looked at the man and offered a cold smile before vanishing in a flicker of black light.

The man stood there, stunned. "How does this guy have my skill? Was that the effect of that phantom die?"

Wang Chen reappeared elsewhere. Though he no longer feared the man’s attacks, he didn't intend to stand still and take them; a Shaman should always maintain distance. Moreover, he wanted to continue probing to figure out how the man kept finding his position.

He drank another potion. "Traitor’s Dice! Reverse the effect of the Dice of Replication!"

[Reversal effect activated. Please check status. Reverting again will restore original effects.]

Wang Chen shook the Forest Storm, and the die reappeared, circling the man. It burst into light, but this time, no skill information appeared in Wang Chen's mind—a quirk of the reversed effect.

Wang Chen stood his ground after activating the skill, and the man rushed toward him, guided by the movement. But this time, the man’s speed was significantly slower. Wang Chen easily side-stepped him.

"So, the reversed effect of the Dice of Replication strips away the target's active skills," Wang Chen mused. "It seems his high mobility was also a skill effect."

The man was panicking. "Why did my high-speed movement suddenly fail? Did the activation fail?" He checked his professional interface, baffled to see the cooldown timer still active. "It clearly shows it's been activated..."

His confidence wavered. He decided he needed to end this quickly. He had initially thought he could easily handle this greenhorn, but he no longer felt so sure. If he let Wang Chen continue these tricks, there was no telling what other surprises might be in store.

Wang Chen, however, wasn't entirely satisfied. Stripping the skill didn't reveal what it actually was, so he decided to switch back to copying.