The ethereal energy orbs of Stage 3 winked out as the << Trial Stage 3 Complete >> notification vanished. Drake stood centered in the Alvari training chamber, his [Trial Blades] held ready. His [Parry] was locked at 80% SCR, [Twin Fang Strike] at 83%, and [Blade Dance] at 81%. Each skill had been a testament to focused grinding. The chamber reconfigured subtly, and new targets appeared: Resonance Constructs, featureless humanoid figures of dark Alvari metal, designed purely to endure attacks.
Elder Jian's voice, calm as ever, resonated. "Stage Four: The Unbroken Chain. The Twin Soul Bladesworn's essence lies in a continuous, flowing assault, two blades as one. This stage focuses solely on the [Basic Attack Combo R/L]. All other active skills are sealed. Your objective: achieve an 80% Skill Completion Rate with both hands to prove you can sustain a viable offensive chain. Study the technique's parameters carefully; precision and endurance are paramount."
Drake's trial interface updated. His recently learned skills greyed out, leaving only one active: [Basic Attack Combo R/L]. He immediately brought up its full description, knowing every detail mattered.
[Basic Attack Combo R/L] (Active Basic - Twin Soul Bladesworn)
Description: Continuous alternating strikes with equipped weapons (R/L/R/L...). Requires precise timing for each hand independently.
SCR Mechanics: Independent SCR checks for each hand's strike. Separate SCR for (Right Hand) and (Left Hand).Combo Length & Integrity:The potential maximum length of a combo sequence is determined by the lowest SCR achieved on any strike within that active sequence.Higher SCR tiers allow for longer potential chains (e.g., 60-64% allows 5 hits, 65-69% allows 7 hits, 70-74% allows 10 hits... 95-99% allows 23 hits).Achieving 100% SCR on all actions within the sequence allows for a theoretically unlimited combo length for that sequence.
Crucial Interaction: If a strike within the sequence (e.g., hit #6) is performed at a lower SCR (say, 65%, allowing a 7-hit max combo), then the combo cannot naturally extend beyond the 7th hit, even if subsequent individual strikes could be 100% SCR.
Stacking Damage: Each successful hit adds +5% damage to the next hit within the same combo chain (no cap). Longer, higher-quality chains result in significantly higher per-hit damage.
Skill Weaving: Possible mid-combo. If a woven skill's SCR is lower than the current basic attack SCRs in the chain, it will become the new "lowest SCR achieved in the sequence" and will determine the combo's remaining maximum length.
Failure Penalty:If any basic attack strike within an ongoing combo sequence fails its individual SCR check (i.e., scores <60%), the combo immediately breaks, imposing a 2-second attack cooldown AND a 10-second, -50% damage debuff.
Similarly, if you attempt to execute a strike that exceeds the current maximum combo length determined by the lowest SCR achieved so far in that active sequence (e.g., attempting an 8th hit when your lowest SCR in that sequence was 65%, which only allows for 7 hits), this overextension also triggers the full 2-second attack cooldown AND a 10-second, -50% damage debuff.
Ending the Combo:The combo ends cleanly (with only a 1-second cooldown, no damage debuff, but resetting the stacking damage bonus) if:The player voluntarily stops attacking.The player successfully completes the maximum number of hits allowed by the lowest SCR achieved within that sequence.
"This is brutal. So, not only does each hand need to succeed, but the lowest SCR in the chain dictates how long I can even go. And if I try to push past that limit based on a low SCR hit, or if either hand actually fails below 60%... that penalty is a death sentence in a real fight. The +5% damage per hit only becomes truly insane if I can maintain very long chains with high SCR on both hands consistently."
<< Trial Stage 4 Initiated: Master [Basic Attack Combo R/L] (Off-Hand) to 80% SCR. >>
Drake approached a Resonance Construct. He focused, initiating the combo with his dominant right hand. The familiar phantom guide for a basic strike appeared, and years of muscle memory, further honed by achieving 100% [Basic Slash] as a Warrior, kicked in. << [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Right Hand] Skill Success! SCR 100%! PERFECT EXECUTION! >> << Damage Dealt: 30! >>
"Right hand still perfect, as expected."
Now for the left. He attempted the follow-up strike. The phantom guide for his off-hand flashed. His left arm felt uncoordinated, the timing alien for an offensive lead. Whiff. << [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Left Hand] Skill Failed! SCR 38%! >> Instantly, a jarring error sound. His arms felt locked, heavy. A red debuff icon showing a broken chain and a downward sword appeared on his UI. << COMBO BROKEN! Penalty Applied: Attack Cooldown (2s), Damage Output -50% (10s)! >>
"Complete failure. That penalty is crippling. Two seconds of doing nothing, then ten seconds of pathetic damage even if I could hit."
He waited out the penalty, frustration already simmering. He tried again. Right Hand: << Perfect Execution! SCR 100%! Damage: 30! >> Left Hand: He poured all his focus into tracing the guide, timing the input. Clumsy connection. << [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Left Hand] Skill Success! SCR 61%! >> << [Peak Performance Replication] updated: [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Left Hand] SCR 61%! >>
"Sixty-one percent! Okay, it's a pass, at least for the left hand. The combo continues! And it's locked by Eidetic Execution." Right Hand: << Perfect Execution! SCR 100%! Damage: 31! >> (Base 30 + 5% from the previous 61% hit). Left Hand: Now his talent ensured his left hand would also perform at 61% SCR. << [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Left Hand] Skill Success! SCR 61%! Damage: 33! >> Right Hand: << Perfect Execution! SCR 100%! Damage: 34! >>
This was the 5th hit. According to the 60-64% SCR tier rules for combo length, 61% SCR on his left hand meant the maximum chain was 5 hits. The combo ended. << COMBO LIMIT REACHED (5 Hits - Lowest SCR in sequence: 61%)! Stacking Damage Reset! Attack Cooldown (1s)! >>
"So, a 5-hit combo. Max damage on the last hit +20%, ok let's keep it growing."
Hours passed in the Alvari chamber in this grueling, frustrating cycle. He'd execute a perfect Right, then his Left would hit at its locked 61%. If he consciously tried to improve his Left Hand's execution beyond 61% and fumbled, dropping its SCR below 60% for that specific attempt, penalty. He spent more time waiting out cooldowns and damage debuffs than actually practicing fluid combos. The Resonance Constructs stood impassive, absorbing his weak, truncated 5-hit chains.
[Perfect Recall] was his only tool against the despair. He replayed every successful 61% left-hand strike, every fumbled attempt, analyzing the phantom guide, his arm's trajectory, the input timing. He was trying to build a new muscle memory for his off-hand, an offensive precision it had never possessed.
After what felt like an entire day of this mental and virtual flagellation, through sheer bloody-minded persistence, he managed a slightly better left-hand execution during one chain: R(100%) -> L << [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Left Hand] Skill Success! SCR 65%! >> << [Peak Performance Replication] updated: [Basic Attack Combo R/L - Left Hand] SCR 65%! >>
Now his combo sequence, when executed perfectly up to the new Left Hand baseline, looked like: R(100%) -> L(65%) -> R(100%) -> L(65%) -> R(100%) -> L(65%) -> R(100%) This was 7 hits, as per the 65-69% SCR tier. After the 7th hit: << COMBO LIMIT REACHED (7 Hits - Lowest SCR in sequence: 65%)! Stacking Damage Reset! Attack Cooldown (1s)! >>
"Sixty-five percent. A 7-hit combo. The +5% damage now stacks to +30% on the last hit. Still pitifully short of the 80% off-hand SCR needed for this stage, and lightyears away from the 'unlimited' potential my 100% right hand offers. This is... the hardest thing I've faced in this game by far, even worse than the Guardian initially."
He slumped virtually against the chamber wall for a moment, the weight of the challenge pressing down. His off-hand felt like a clumsy lead weight, a constant barrier to the fluid, powerful dual-wielding style he envisioned. The Left Hand's Wall seemed incredibly high, and he had only just begun to chip away at its base.