Chapter 195
Chapter 195: Ambush. (3)
Shhhhhh!
“Hrgh!”
I kept dodging the Skull Monster’s relentless magic as the fight dragged on.
Magic Missiles, Thorns, Flame, and more.
A rapid barrage of quick-cast, single-shot spells.
And whenever I tried to close the distance and strike with my sword—
Fwoosh!
He would vanish on the spot using Blink magic, only to reappear behind me.
‘There’s no way to beat this bastard with textbook moves.’
If I were in top condition, maybe. But after my battle with Veritarun, both my stamina and mana were drained.
Trying to simply speed up and land a critical blow was pure nonsense.
“Just die quietly. You’re holding out surprisingly well, but this is just meaningless thrashing.”
The Skull Monster sneered, and I answered with a grin.
“Sorry, but if I gave up that easily, I’d get an earful from the Young Master.”
“Nonsense.”
Bababang!
He fired four Magic Missiles. I rolled my body and narrowly avoided them.
As I desperately dodged and blocked his unending assault, I racked my brain for an answer.
‘There has to be a way.’
---
"Just do it like I do! Like I did it! Has there ever been a time when something couldn’t be done just because someone said it couldn’t?"
---
Suddenly, I remembered something Lord Hardin once shouted until our ears bled.
At the time, it just sounded like hot air, but coming from the Young Master, it held weight.
After all, no matter how hopeless the situation, he always found an answer.
‘There must be a way this time too.’
I recalled the past. The battles I’d fought.
The Calpion Viscounty, the Count of Tread, fights against all sorts of monsters, the capture of the Cockatrice…
One impossible situation after another flashed through my mind.
Then—
---
"You idiots, use the terrain! Depending on the situation, the terrain can be a weapon—or sometimes, a shield!"
---
The battle with the Kreveion.
I suddenly recalled what Hardin said as he darted around using the underground cavern rocks as cover.
‘Sometimes a weapon, sometimes a shield.’
My eyes scanned my surroundings.
A foggy canyon.
On both sides, jagged rock formations rose like giants.
‘Good. That’s it.’
Chaaaang!
I readied my sword.
‘I’ll get… just one shot at this.’
To pull it off, I needed a massive amount of mana.
With only a sliver of mana left, I wouldn’t get another chance. I had to make this work.
“Grrrrgh!”
A blue aura gathered at the tip of my sword.
Different from the usual aura I channeled when using Gyre—it converged into a single glowing point.
Behind his mask, the Skull Monster smirked.
“Shockwave, is it…? So you’re thinking of going out with a bang?”
What a fool.
Shockwave—a knight’s ultimate technique that channels their mana into a sword and unleashes it in a single, decisive strike.
It definitely packed tremendous destructive power, and if a knight of that caliber used it, even the Skull Monster would suffer a critical blow.
The problem was...
‘That’s only if it hits.’
Activating Shockwave required time to prepare.
That meant the opponent could easily get ready to counter it… and to begin with, the nature of Shockwave’s movement was incredibly linear, making it not all that hard to dodge.
Especially for a Battle Mage, who would consider mobility their strongest suit.
And yet, it seemed the opponent had decided to go through with this reckless tactic.
Taah!
I narrowed my eyes and began closing the distance.
‘Foolish.’
Tatata! Tang!
The Skull Monster hurled Magic Missiles, and I dodged them by the thinnest of margins.
Fssht! Fssht!
A few couldn’t be completely avoided. They grazed my cheek, my arm, and my leg, slicing past me—but I didn’t stop.
Like someone prepared to die.
‘Hmph, even so…’
The Skull Monster was about to cast another spell when—
Taaah!
‘What?!’
In that instant, my body accelerated once more.
A speed far greater than anything I’d shown up until now.
‘Damn it…!’
Before the Skull Monster could even raise his staff, I had already thrust my blade—charged with brilliant blue energy—straight at him.
BOOOOOM!
Shockwave exploded with a deafening roar.
There was just one problem.
“…Not bad. I’ll admit, that one actually surprised me.”
The Skull Monster was no longer there.
‘If I’d been even a second late, I’d be dead.’
Right before Shockwave detonated—
He activated Blink at the very last possible moment, just barely escaping on a diagonal path.
Maybe that was why...
A mix of despair and confusion clouded my face.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!”
Was it the hopelessness of seeing my final strike fail?
I charged at him, roaring in rage, swinging my sword wildly.
“Hmph.”
From that point on, it was easy.
The Skull Monster kept retreating, dodging my attacks while striking back with magic. Each hit gradually wore down my body.
Slowly draining my strength—eventually, his victory would be inevitable.
Who knew how long that continued.
“Aaaaaah!”
Bwoooom!
I swung my sword with both hands, carving a huge opening in my stance.
Clack!
The Skull Monster aimed his staff at me.
A blue glow gathered at its tip, and it looked like the spell would fire any second now.
He muttered,
“You fought well, but it seems this is the end for you.”
And at that moment—
“I think… that’s my line.”
“What?”
Heh!
A grin suddenly spread across my face, which had until moments ago been filled with despair.
A face full of confidence, as if I were certain of my victory.
‘What is this…?’
It had seemed like the outcome was already decided…
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Kra-kka-krakkk!
“Gahhhk!”
A massive boulder suddenly dropped from above, crushing the Skull Monster beneath it.
He hadn’t even had time to react.
“…Haaah…”
Even with the lower half of his body completely pinned and blood pouring out, the Skull Monster lifted his still-intact upper body to look at me.
“D-Don’t tell me… That Shockwave… you used it for this?”
“Yeah. Same trick your side pulled. There’re falling rocks here, but with all this fog, you wouldn’t be able to see or react to them.”
What he thought was my final, desperate attack—my Shockwave—was probably never meant to hit him directly.
It had been used to shatter one of the jagged rocks of the canyon and send it crashing down.
And then, pretending to lose control, charging and yelling like a madman… all of it had been part of drawing him to that very spot.
‘So… he lured me here.’
All the strength drained from the Skull Monster’s body.
“I… lost…”
The moment the life faded from his body—
“I did it…”
I let out a deep, bitter sigh, wearing a conflicted expression.
---
---
Meanwhile, a short distance away—
“Ha ha ha! How’s that for a taste of my trap?!”
“Grrrrgh!”
Mikkelsen shouted gleefully at the Lanky Monster that had fallen into a pit.
Maybe the hole was too narrow.
The monster’s massive scythe was wedged against the walls, stuck tight and unable to budge.
A smirk crept onto Mikkelsen’s face.
‘Good thing I scouted ahead.’
This trap—no, this pit—had already existed naturally in the canyon.
The reason Mikkelsen was able to use it this way was thanks to a brief exchange he’d had just before the ambush began.
---
"Watch your step there, there’s a pit!"
"Damn, what kind of pit is this… It’s like someone set it up on purpose."
---
Of course, whether or not it had already been there, getting the bastard to fall into it—that was all Mikkelsen’s skill.
‘After all, nothing works better for bait than pissing the other guy off.’
The method was simple.
He kept striking and retreating, repeating the cycle until the monster was angry enough to chase him down. Then he lured him toward the trap and provoked a big attack.
‘Just dodge that, give him a little push from behind, and done!’
Now he just had to finish it. Victory was already in hand.
Mikkelsen jumped straight into the pit.
“Die! Die!”
The Lanky Monster, still fumbling with the scythe stuck in the wall, flailed in panic when Mikkelsen rushed in and swung its fist to counter.
But Mikkelsen dodged that easily.
Cra-kkk!
Then he rammed his sword straight into the monster’s chest with brutal force.
“If anyone’s dying, it’s you, freak.”
Blood poured down, filling the bottom of the pit drop by drop.
---
---
At the same time, somewhere else—
Clang! Clang!
Jerry was exchanging blades with the Dwarf Monster.
Rolling, hurling daggers, narrowing the gap only to aim for vital spots with swift stabs—every move was nimble, fast, and relentless.
The scratches on both their cheeks and all over their bodies showed just how intense the battle had been.
But there was one key difference.
“Tsk. All that struggling… meaningless in the end.”
The Dwarf Monster wore a relaxed expression, quite composed.
“Grghhhh…”
Whereas Jerry’s face twisted in visible pain.
It made sense, though…
“My blade is laced with a deadly poison made from Purple Mold. Even wild beasts collapse in four to five minutes after getting nicked by it.”
It looked like an even back-and-forth, but in truth, the Dwarf Monster had been fighting with poison on his side.
“Coward… bastard.”
Knowing his time was limited, Jerry moved more aggressively.
Slash! Slash!
But of course, in a situation like this, the one racing against time was naturally at a disadvantage.
“Your attacks are getting sloppy. Come on now, try a little harder, will you?”
The Dwarf Monster taunted him, effortlessly dodging Jerry’s desperate swings like it was all beneath him.
Moments later—
Stagger…
“Ughhhhhh…”
Thud!
Jerry collapsed on the spot, finally succumbing.
Foam bubbled at his mouth, and he twitched like a fish just pulled out of water—then, nothing.
The poison had taken full effect.
The Dwarf Monster smiled.
“Well, I’ll give you this—lasted longer than I expected.”
Not a bad bit of fun.
He slowly walked forward and raised his dagger right in front of Jerry’s face.
He was about to sever the head and claim the kill.
That’s when—
Kra-kkk!
“…Huh?”
“Got you, you rat bastard.”
Right in front of the Dwarf Monster’s eyes, Jerry was grinning—a devilish smile on his face.
And at the same time, a warm sensation bloomed in his stomach.
Thump!
The dagger slipped from the Dwarf Monster’s hand and clattered to the ground. His face twisted in disbelief.
“W-What is this… I saw you die from the poison…”
“Sorry, but that crap doesn’t work on me.”
“What the hell are you—”
Kra-kkk!
Jerry shoved the dagger in even deeper, then whispered in his ear,
“I’m not exactly eager to explain the details, but… my bloodline’s a little special.”
“N-No way…”
Could he be…?
Just as that thought crossed the Dwarf Monster’s mind, his eyes widened like lanterns.
Kra-kkk!
Jerry twisted the dagger sideways.
The Dwarf Monster’s eyes rolled back instantly—
Thud!
—and he went limp, dead where he stood.
---
---
Deeper inside Veritarun’s canyon—
“Aaaaagh!”
“Uwooooh!”
Clang! Clang!
Two giants roared as they swung their swords nonstop.
Boulders shattered around them, and dust exploded from the earth.
A fierce clash raged on, but—
‘Damn it, I’m getting pushed back!’
The problem was, Beryl was slowly but surely losing ground to the Troll Monster.
And to make matters worse—
‘If this drags on, I lose.’
It was clear that his stamina and mana would give out first.
If I couldn’t find a way out of this soon, it was clear—I was going to lose.
Then, at that very moment—
Thunk!
My heel caught on a small rock, throwing off my balance for the briefest instant.
“Grghhhh!”
The Troll Monster didn’t miss his chance and lunged, thrusting his sword toward my chest.
‘Crap!’
I twisted my body as fast as I could.
Shhhrrrkk!
The blade grazed my chest, slicing through the armor—blood sprayed into the air.
The burst of crimson drenched the Troll Monster’s face, and he licked his lips with a pleased expression.
“Damn it…”
Ssssssh!
I pressed a glowing blue palm against the torn part of my armor, trying to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding.
Even in that state—
“Graaaagh! GRAAGH!”
The Troll Monster gave me no room to breathe, keeping up his relentless pressure.
As his one-sided barrage raged on—
I suddenly gave a slow, crooked grin.
“Hey, buddy. I get it—you’re all fired up, got the momentum and everything.”
“GRRAAAGHH!”
“But sometimes, you gotta know when to look behind you.”
Right at that moment—
KIIIIEEEAAAAH!
A monstrous shriek rang out from behind, and a beast leapt onto the Troll Monster.
“Guhhhwooooh!”
The monster clawed and scratched at his back, stabbing into him with its sharp talons.
The Troll Monster screamed and flailed, trying to shake it off.
“Hrrgh!”
SHHRRAAKK!
I swung my sword in a clean arc, cutting through both the Troll Monster and the beast latched onto him.
As I confirmed the strike had landed cleanly, I let my shoulders fall, exhausted.
“I… I did it.”
And just then, I remembered Hardin's nagging voice.
---
"Monsters have a nose for blood. If you don’t want to get blindsided, stop the bleeding first!"
---
That annoying lecture… turned out to be useful again.
If not for that, victory might’ve been out of reach.
“Well, anyway… Where’s the Young Master?”
Seemed like it was about time to regroup.
I readjusted my grip on my sword as I scanned the area around me.