Drake stepped out of Silverhaven's southern gate, the bustling sounds of the metropolis fading behind him as he entered the Silverwood Foothills. The [Initiate's Twin Blades] felt light and perfectly balanced in his hands, a stark contrast to the sword-and-buckler combination he had used for his entire journey up to this point. He was eager, almost anxious, to see how his newly unlocked [Twin Soul Bladesworn] abilities would perform in live combat against actual, unpredictable enemies. The practice dummy in the inn's courtyard had given him a taste, highlighting the combo length limitation due to his 82% SCR Left Hand, but a static target could never replicate the chaos of a real fight.
"Silverwood Foothills. Mobs around Level 20-22. Perfect testing ground. Need to see how [Relentless Assault] stacks with dual blades in a real engagement, how the combo reset feels, and if my current SCRs for Parry, Twin Fang, and Blade Dance are truly combat-viable for this level range."
He moved deeper into the woods, [Relic Hunter] active out of habit, though his focus now was on finding a suitable group of mobs. It wasn't long before he spotted a trio of Silverwood Stalkers (Level 20), sleek forest predators with dappled coats, prowling near a rocky outcrop.
"Three Level 20s. Good initial test."
He approached, drawing their aggro. One Stalker immediately lunged, claws extended. Drake met the attack, initiating [Parry] (85% SCR). << Skill Success! [Parry] SCR 85%! Damage Significantly Reduced! Stalker Staggered (Minor)! >> << Damage Taken: 15! >> < Relentless Assault: +6 Stacks! >> << Effect Triggered: [Echoing Steel] - Next [Twin Fang Strike] +10% Crit Chance (3s)! >>
"Parry at 85% still lets some damage through, but the stagger and Echoing Steel proc are nice. Stacks building."
He didn't waste the opening. He immediately targeted the staggered Stalker and unleashed [Twin Fang Strike] (83% SCR). << Skill Success! [Twin Fang Strike] Average SCR 83%! Critical Hit! (Buff Assisted) >> << Vulnerability Exploited! Significant Damage Dealt: 450! >>. << Relentless Assault: +4 Stacks! (Total: 10) >>
The damage was impressive, a significant burst that took a large chunk out of the Stalker's health. The other two Stalkers were now closing in, attempting to flank him. Drake spun, activating [Blade Dance]. << Skill Success! [Blade Dance] SCR 81%! Targets Hit: 2! Moderate AoE Damage Dealt: 120 each! >> << Relentless Assault: +2 Stacks per target hit! (Total: 14) >> The spin created some space, pushing the two flanking Stalkers back slightly.
Now, he focused on the most injured Stalker, initiating his [Basic Attack Combo R/L]. Right Hand (100%): SHINK! << Perfect Execution! Damage Dealt: ~75! >> << Relentless Assault: +21 Stacks! (Total: 35) >> Left: shink! << Damage Dealt: ~28! >> << Relentless Assault: +3 Stacks! (Total: 38) >>
The crucial difference from his old Warrior style became immediately apparent. Even though his left hand was only 82% SCR, the sheer frequency of hits from wielding two blades caused [Relentless Assault] to stack much faster than he had initially anticipated. Each hand contributed to the stack count. His Right Hand, with its perfect execution, poured in +21 stacks per hit. His Left Hand, while weaker and capping the combo length, still added its +3 stacks per hit. The "Echoing Strikes" set bonus from his [Initiate's Twin Blades] also proced occasionally, a phantom third strike adding a small burst of damage.
Within a few seconds of sustained combo, his [Relentless Assault] stacks were already soaring past 300, then 500. His attack speed visibly increased, his twin blades becoming a silver blur. The +5% damage per hit from the combo skill itself was also accumulating, making each successive blow more potent, even if the chain was capped at around 17 hits by his Left Hand's 82% SCR before the 1-second reset.
The first Stalker, already wounded by the critical [Twin Fang Strike], simply melted under the focused barrage of high-stack, dual-blade attacks. << Target Eliminated! EXP +400 >>
Drake immediately switched targets to the next Stalker, his [Relentless Assault] stacks still high. The 1-second combo reset felt less impactful than he'd feared in live combat because he could re-engage and rebuild the +5% damage bonus very quickly with his increased attack speed, and the [Relentless Assault] stacks themselves had a 5-second duration, easily maintained by the constant flurry of hits.
He parried a lunge from the second Stalker (<< Parry SCR 85%! Damage Reduced! Stacks +6! >>), used the [Echoing Steel] proc to land another powerful [Twin Fang Strike] (<< Critical Hit! Damage: 480! Stacks +4! >>), and then tore into it with his basic combo. It fell almost as quickly as the first. The third Stalker, now alone, tried to flee but was cut down before it could take three steps.
<< All targets eliminated. Relentless Assault stacks faded. >>
Drake stood amidst the fading corpses of the Level 20 Stalkers, a sense of exhilaration washing over him. The fight had been fast, dynamic, and incredibly effective.
"Spectacular... Absolutely spectacular. The synergy is incredible. Even with the Left Hand at 82%, the sheer volume of attacks from dual-wielding means Relentless Assault stacks like crazy. The damage output is orders of magnitude higher than my sword-and-shield Warrior style. That 1-second combo reset? Barely noticeable when I'm hitting so fast and can re-engage instantly. The +5% stacking damage on the combo still ramps up decently within the ~17 hits."
Any doubts he'd harbored about his current SCR baselines being insufficient for immediate questing vanished. While pushing for 90%+ on all skills, especially his Left Hand basic and Parry, remained a long-term goal for true perfection, his current setup was clearly more than capable of handling content at his level, and likely even a bit above.
He spent the next hour testing his limits in the Silverwood Foothills. He sought out larger packs of Stalkers, engaged Level 21 Silvermane Alpha wolves, and even took down a rare Level 22 Ancient Treant Sapling (which had some physical resistance but not enough to nullify his damage). In every encounter, the results were the same: his precise Parries mitigated incoming threats, [Blade Dance] provided excellent repositioning and multi-target pressure, [Twin Fang Strike] delivered potent burst when openings appeared, and his [Basic Attack Combo R/L], fueled by the rapidly stacking [Relentless Assault], unleashed a torrent of damage that overwhelmed his foes. Mobs that would have been a significant challenge, or even a deadly threat, to his old Warrior build were now "totally destroyed" with what felt like relative ease.
The field test was an undeniable success. The [Twin Soul Bladesworn] class, even with its initial, imperfect SCR baselines for some skills, was a powerhouse, perfectly amplified by his [Eidetic Execution] and [Relentless Assault].
"Okay. Doubts erased. My current mastery is more than enough to start the Echoing Forge quest. Grinding those last few SCR points to 90 or 100 can happen organically through combat, or later if I hit a serious wall. Time to find that Forge."