Chapter 20
The knight presses forward like a storm, barely blocking the swinging sword.
Clank!
At the moment their swords clash, the knight’s wrist shakes, and the blade slides down aiming to slice Taesan’s wrist.
Taesan hastily tries to widen the gap, but their weapons stick together as if glued.
“Ugh!”
[You receive 20 damage.]
His forearm is cut. Taesan swings his sword widely to break free and checks his arm’s condition.
‘No problem.’
The muscle and bone are unharmed. It stings, but it’s not a wound that will affect the fight.
‘What the hell is this?’
It was dumbfounding.
What is this? This is a technique, a systematically trained knight’s swordsmanship.
Taesan had never seen such a technique. Most players called their experience in combat as weapon skills, not like the knight’s high-level something.
It was the same for Taesan.
All the techniques he used were improvised swordsmanship learned in real combat. He moved based on experience. He had no clue how to deal with this new type.
The knight swings its sword. Taesan responds roughly. As their swords clash, creating a grand noise, the knight pushes forward. Taesan tries to deflect the force to counterattack but is lightly overpowered and kicked away by the knight.
[You receive 11 damage.]
“Wow.”
Now, astonishment came out.
It’s in his hands, but he can’t control it. He hadn’t thought much of techniques after facing several real combats, but now his opinion changed.
If a technique reaches its extreme, it’s possible to do that. He didn’t know that. The knight before him was an unbeatable opponent in swordsmanship. Even if Taesan clashed swords thousands of times, he couldn’t see a way to win.
“I wish I could learn it.”
Taesan muttered.
Greed filled his eyes.
Every action in the dungeon is evaluated, and if it exceeds a certain level, it’s defined as a skill.
The swordsmanship before him had crossed that line. Surely, it must be a skill, at least of high rank.
He wanted to learn it.
If he could learn that swordsmanship, he could overcome many obstacles he anticipated.
Although he was about to gain many skills, swordsmanship wasn’t among them. Like a greedy Scrooge, he eyed the knight with deep desire and lust. The knight momentarily backed away at the intensity of his gaze.
“Swordsmanship is your advantage. I acknowledge that.”
He is a player. One who conquers the dungeon.
“But that’s not everything.”
He has skills.
Until now, the knight was the one attacking, and Taesan was retreating. The difference in swordsmanship was clear, so it was natural.
But this time, Taesan charged forward. In his hand was not a sword, but a red staff.
[You have activated Fireball.]
A red sphere flies forward. Taesan immediately switches his weapon back to a sword. Following closely behind the fireball, he charges at the knight. The knight swings down its sword.
Whoosh.
The fireball is sliced by the sword and disappears. Taesan takes advantage of the sword being down and swings his left-hand sword.
[The knight takes 6 damage.] [You have activated Breathless Attack. You gain freedom of breath for the next 10 seconds.]
He stabs with his right-hand sword immediately after. The same 6 damage is inflicted.
The knight corrects its stance and stabs its sword. Taesan doesn’t block. Instead, he charges towards the sword. If he stayed, his head would be perfectly pierced.
[You have activated Deflection. The next attack will be diverted.]
The sword is just about to reach Taesan’s head when its trajectory twists. Forced to miss Taesan and hit instead.
The knight desperately pulls back the sword, but it doesn’t obey.
The sword grazes Taesan’s shoulder.
[You receive 15 damage.]
The knight, controlled by the sword, is exposed. Taesan swings his sword fiercely.
[You have activated Breathless Attack. You gain freedom of breath for the next 12 seconds.]
6, 6, 5, 5, 6.
[You have obtained the special continuously activated skill [Consecutive Attack] through continuous attacks.]
Alongside a long damage window, a skill acquisition window appears.
‘When will you die?’
Humanoids don’t usually have higher health than Giant Rats. Yet, the knight shows no sign of dying.
Mana is almost depleted.
Intelligence reduces consumption, but at a level in the 20s, it’s not significant. The remaining mana is barely enough for one or two more skills.
And Taesan’s remaining health is 71.
There’s no retreat. Taesan dives in even more aggressively, stabbing with his sword.
[The knight takes 5 damage.]
The knight raises its sword. Kneeling, it aims to smash Taesan with the pommel.
[You have activated Counter. The next attack from your opponent will be countered.]
His body moves automatically. He dodges the descending pommel. The knight’s force is directed, and Taesan moves his sword towards it. With both hands, he strikes the knight’s neck twice.
[The knight takes 22 damage.] [The knight takes 21 damage.]
But it doesn’t die. The knight kicks Taesan away.
“Ugh!”
Taesan clenches his teeth in pain. If he gets knocked down now, there’s really no hope. He forces his abdomen to resist and manages not to fall.
Taesan wildly swings his sword. Cracks start to form on the knight’s armor.
The knight, too, does not stand idly. It swings its sword, cutting a diagonal line. Taesan ducks low to avoid it, using the momentum to lunge and break the helmet.
A pale face is revealed.
Fairly handsome, but there’s no time to appreciate it.
Taesan slashes towards the head. The knight counters, aiming for Taesan’s chest.
[You receive 65 damage.] [Your Endurance has been activated. The attack that would have led to death is nullified. All damage is reduced to 0 for 1 second.]
Endurance.
The nullification of all damage. This is the last chance.
[The knight takes 16 damage.] [The knight takes 15 damage.]
Suddenly, the knight’s armor breaks apart. Life returns to its pale face. The knight, regaining its senses, gives Taesan a small smile. Its lips move slightly.
[It was a good battle. Brave one.]
Taesan felt the knight said so.
The knight’s form disperses into mist, rising to the dungeon’s ceiling. Soon, the dungeon’s scenery returns to normal.
[You have defeated the knight.] [Lakiratas is greatly satisfied.]
“Satisfied, my ass.”
Taesan clicks his tongue. The knight, having regained its intellect, was truly formidable. Mana was spent, and health was critically low.
“Who changes quest content like that? If I had made any mistake, I would have been dead.”
Taesan’s heart harbored resentment towards Lakiratas. Whether Lakiratas knew it or not, it proceeded with the reward.
[The area of Lakiratas’s interference has decreased.] [Lakiratas awards you a reward. You receive [Lakiratas’s Ritual Knife].] [Since you’ve cleared an enhanced trial, additional rewards follow.] [You gain the special continuously activated skill [Proof of Struggle].] [Lakiratas offers you a contract of apostleship.]
