[SP-F2] Breaking more than just a rock. (in progress)

[Him 0]

[5979] 4 - 12
Him: 9/9 (+1HP)
Rock: 10/10

He was on quite the peaceful path for today, having nothing in sight and nothing in mind. Little beat the leisurely pace of a mid-afternoon stroll, but not too long after he had begun, he'd find something blocking his path. It was none other than a mere rock, but it was not comparable to a pebble in size. Oh, no. It was far larger, a boulder, something that could quite easily ruin his stroll if nothing was done to remove its presence from the path that he had decided to take. He walked up to it and tried to push it, "Well, it was worth a shot." It was far too heavy, but after taking a step back to examine the rut that he was in, he'd find a prompt on his screen.

[Him 0]

[5980] 1 - 1
Him: 8/9
Rock: 10/10

Clicking on the prompt, he'd find exactly what this misfortune was about - a quest. He let out a sigh of disapproval, quite disappointed that he had to disrupt the serenity of his walk, "Today was looking rather opportune, to boot." There was no telling what he could have done today, but now, it certainly wouldn't happen. It was a rock and all he had was a measly dagger, which he would unsheath, then proceed to strike the rock once. It reverberated as it struck and sent a spark of pain up his arm, sending his health bar one point to the left, "Quite a quest this might be."

[Him 0]

[5981] 8 - 5
Him: 8/9
Rock: 9/10

He took a look at the quest's description once more, having shown a lack of attention for the disruption:

"In your path lies a boulder
That can only be destroyed
By those that can clobber it."

"Ah, what a terrible poem." He sheathed his stick in the side holder, then went ahead and unequiped it. Obviously, it wasn't needed. He pulled back his fist and struck it forward, creating a loud thump as a cracked formed upon the surface of the oversized rock.

[Him 0]

[5982] 3 - 10
Him: 8/9 (+1HP)
Rock: 9/10

"That's better." He pulled back his fist from the rock and examined the crack, unable to tell if it was merely a cosmetic effect of the game or if it was having any effect on the actual integrity of the rock itself. He put his palm on it, feeling the crevice, "Perhaps that is all it takes, how disappointing." Most quests had some sort of challenge to them, ranging in varying degrees of difficulty, but this was a pretty clear cut case. If all it took was a few punches, then this would be the easiest to his knowledge. He winded up another punch and tossed it forwards, once more at the now cracked area.

[Him 0]

[5983] 8 - 7
Him: 8/9
Rock: 8/10

It didn't budge, "Humph." His health hadn't faltered simply due to the Battle Healing skill, but it did have a counter effect on him. He leaned against the rock, rubbing his chin beneath the mask, "It appears as if it does have a weakness, but it can not be abused multiple times." Considering that it had cracked with no outwards marks prior to his attack, that meant that certain faults beneath the surface could be brought up. However, that meant he would have to get lucky or find the corresponding points as they came up. He stood up and gave it another go, trying along the right hand side this time around.

[Him 0]

[5984] 9 - 8
Him: 8/9
Rock: 6/10

A crack, very similar to the original one, formed on the surface, "There we go, that's still quite easy. It appears as if it's more of a game of minesweeper, taking a few lucky guesses to start off the entire mathematical game." He examined the rock once more, determining that creating a triangular pattern amongst the rock would enable the structure of it to begin falling apart at an increased rate. At the very least, it was worth a shot, "Right here." He patted the rock, leaving a slightly noticeable imprint before winding up his fist and punching it once again.

[Him 0]

[5985] 7 - 9
Him: 8/9
Rock: 5/10

It worked very well, the crack spread towards the other two cracks, leaving a small gap between the ends of each of the lines extending from the original cracks. He rubbed his chin once again, it would take at least another four hits to completely break through the surface, but he wasn't quite sure if it would take many more than that or if it was a spot on assumption. Rather than taking his time to calculate all that was involved, he cut right back to the chase. He threw his arm towards the center, in between all three current cracks, assuming that it would be the next optimal location.

[Him 0]

[5986] 2 - 9
Him: 7/9
Rock: 5/10

It didn't seem to do much, leaving nothing more than a hardly noticeable crater from the punch itself, but it must be successful if it left him undamaged. He winded his arm around, stretching it, though it was unlikely that it would have any effect. He wasn't too sure if this game had some degree of strength intertwined with the punching mechanics, considering this was known as "Sword" Art Online and not something of the fist to fist, beat-em-up genre. He would line up a shot at the center, smack dab in the middle of the miniature crater he had inflicted.

[Him 0]

[5987] 8 - 5
Him: 7/9
Rock: 4/10

He pulled his fist back just as quickly away as he did towards, "Missed the mark." He had hit the curvature of the concave marking, sending a spike of pain in his wrist as the punch failed in accuracy, but not power. It was surprising to know that he had lost health from engaging in combat with a non-living, unmoved object. A simpleton at best, he could only imagine what titles he would earn if someone happened across him while he was partaking on this rather short and dull quest, "Well, it shouldn't take much more of a beating." It looked quite rough already with all the cracks, but one more punch might be all it would take...
 

[Him 0]

[5988] 4 - 2
Him: 6/9
Rock: 4/10

"No, sir." He removed his fist from the cracked surface, satisfied that two corners fo the triangular points were now fully and well connected. It was by no means a guaranteed logic, with this being a game, but he assumed that the creators of such an intricate and intoxicating game such as this would have thought of such logic. It was undoubtedly coded into the game, especially with this being a quest, but Him was uncertain as to what may or may not be the key to performing the perfect strike. He wound up once more, intending to connect the second gap between two of the unconnected cracks.

[Him 0]

[5989] 5 - 5
Him: 5/9
Rock: 4/10

Unfortunately, he wasn't too successful in his positioning as it sent that familiar sensation up his arms, "Seems I'm taking the wrong approach." He felt his palm across the surface of the rock, hoping that it would give him some sort of sense for its weakness points. The texture felt the same, the lack of warmth was the same, and... Well, besides the crack, he couldn't tell anything apart from one another. It was all the same rock, nothing particular about it, thus he tried to punch it once more in the center. Even if it didn't work, it would at least be worth the shot.

[Him 0]

[5990] 2 - 12
Him: 5/9 (+1HP)
Rock: 4/10

He withdrew his fist, "Damn, this is quite the predicament." He had well and truly formed a plan in the beginning, one that obviously had a pretty good degree of success. At least until now, which meant he would have to try something else. He wasn't entirely sure what to do though since his weapon was useless in such a situation and only physical contact could otherwise "clobber" it. Of course, he could always purchase some apple cobbler and toss it at the rock, but if... wait, "I will kill somebody today if that is the solution." He hit his clenched fist against the rock, unintentionally striking it.

[Him 0]

[5991] 5 - 4
Him: 4/9
Rock: 4/10

He pulled his hand back, gritting his teeth in the process, "Relax, there is nothing to get infuriated with." He calmly put the problem in a much simpler form, "I must get past this rock. To do so, I must break the rock. A weapon has no effect. Fists do have an effect. Physical contact with the player is the required means of inflicting damage to the structural integrity of the rock." He thought about it for a second, thinking of a secondary means of physical contact, "That must mean..." He took a few steps back, broke into a semi-sprint, then kicked it much like one would see in a hollywood action movie.
 

[Him 0]

Him: 9/9 (+5 HP - Health Potion)
Rock: 4/10

 

The natural response that recoiled through his leg was slightly more severe than the one that flowed through his arm, this was truly bothering him. He let out a sigh and plopped down, leaning against the rock. He pulled his mask up, not enough to reveal his face, but just enough to consume the potion that he had previously purchased. He looked up, watching his health bar completely fill to the end, much to his satisfaction. Thankfully, it was a minimal expense, even if the price was high enough to knock out what little remained of his coinage. He didn't have much since he had only just begun, but he didn't need everything.

[Him 0]

[5992] 9 - 3
Him: 9/9
Rock: 2/10

 

He stood back up after a few minutes had passed by, assuring himself that he had devised a plan. Rather than formulating what would statistically be the best location for a strike, he'd simply do widespread damage instead of focused damage. Obviously, the center was actually taking the consistent damage that he had been dishing out in the beginning so he needed another plan and he figured this would do. He walked to the left side and positioned himself so that he was as far away as possible from the other cracks before winding up his arm and throwing in a jab. If the crack could form, then perhaps it'd be easier to follow up with the newfound strategy.

[Him 0]

[6030] 3 - 3
Him: 3/9
Rock: 2/10

[Him 0]

[6031] 4 - 2
Him: 2/9
Rock: 2/10

[Him 0]

[6032] 6 - 9
Him: 2/9
Rock: 1/10

[Him 0]

[6033] 5 - 5
Him: 5/9
Rock: 1/10

[Him 0]

[6034] 5 - 9
Him: 4/9
Rock: 1/10