“Until when are you going to stay still? At this rate, it’s no different from hitting a scarecrow.”
Perhaps it was my provocation that had angered the skeleton, as venom seeped into its voice.
Given that I was currently in the position of blocking the wildly swinging sword over and over again, it was naturally frustrating to hear. However, regrettably, I could not refute it.
Because that was reality.
Quite so ti had passed since the battle began, yet I was still only on the defensive.
There were two main problems.
“Where did the confidence from the trial go? Was it truly a miracle granted by the gods?”
The first was that facing the skeleton, which had erged from the trial, was entirely different from overcoming the trial.
The scenery of the trial was not much different from what I had seen beyond the monitor.
The movents of the opponent, their habits, the types of attacks they unleashed, their tactics—all of it was exactly as I rembered.
Now, I had the ability to recreate the past madness. I just needed to showcase the ability of the stagnant waters.
However, the current scenery did not resemble what I rembered.
I had faced the skeleton that had erged from the trial several tis. I had morized its patterns.
For the first few encounters, my knowledge aligned perfectly. If it hadn’t been for the skeleton’s astonishing responses, I might have determined the outco.
But at so point, the story changed.
The skeleton began to respond differently.
From what I knew to sothing I didn’t.
Thus, the knowledge I had gathered from stagnant waters beca ineffective.
“What’s the matter? Have you been cornered and now your once active tongue has stopped? Such a childlike behavior.”
The next problem arose as my knowledge was countered and I was forced into a defensive position.
There was simply no opportunity to slip in.
The strategy I generally relied on when responding to an equal or stronger opponent was to endure until an opening presented itself.
It’s true that my skills were rapidly growing, but that was only after a year.
I was bound to lack absolute experience, so if I pursued a fair fight against a strong opponent, I would naturally be at a disadvantage.
Therefore, I preferred to hide behind my shield, watching for an opportunity, and when a decisive gap erged, I would rush in and end the battle in an instant.
Coincidentally, my sugaki Skill was specialized in creating openings against opponents. It was also the fighting style that the elder had taught for those who wield shields. Thus, I had adhered to this strategy until now.
In fact, this strategy had never failed .
If I could withstand the opponent’s attacks, I could create an opening through them. I would inevitably find the path to victory at the end of the fight.
However, this battle was different from any I had faced before.
Was it impossible to endure the opponent’s attacks?
Not at all.
The skeleton, believing itself to be Garard, was originally moving under the influence of Charon’s magic, just like the other skeletons.
However, that magic of Charon had disappeared once the trial ended. Now, the skeleton was moving not by Charon’s magic but by the aura of the Evil God.
And the aura of the Evil God, which had yet to fully resurrect, was likely insufficient compared to Charon’s magic. The power that lay within the skeleton now was incomparable to when it was responsible for the trial.
That wasn’t all.
The skeleton was resisting the aura of the Evil God. The fact that it could speak with reason and did not unleash its lethal attacks made this quite evident.
This skeleton had these two constraints.
Its power was incomparably weaker than it had been at the end of the dungeon.
Therefore, I could endure.
My shield, Ankhris, could easily block the skeleton's sword.
Was my provocation not effective?
Not at all.
The ability of the sugaki Skill was absolute.
Every ti the words of provocation were uttered, the rattling of the skeleton’s jaw.
The intensifying sword strikes.
The hands that showed strength despite having no muscles.
The rising exhilaration within my body.
All of these were evidence that the provocation was indeed effective.
So, the strategy that had granted nurous victories until now was working properly.
As the exchanges of blows continued, the frustration in my heart only grew.
“...Ugh♡ Why do you make open my mouth when I’m suffering from the skeleton’s disgusting sll?♡ Do you want to see vomit?♡ I thought you were a pervert, but you’re truly a revolting type of pervert♡ You weren’t planning on licking the floor later, were you?♡”
“...Tsk.”
As I responded to the opponent's taunts, I pondered.
What was the problem?
Why couldn’t I find an opening?
Wasn’t I being given a chance?
Am I trying to move too safely?
Should I take so risks against an opponent stronger than ?
While my mind was filled with questions, Garard’s sword path beca clearly etched in my eyes.
If it’s that sword...
I could definitely deflect it.
My thoughts moved faster than my actions. I moved my shield as if possessed.
Clang! The unmistakable feeling of parrying resonated through my shield.
This was an opportunity.
An opening.
Finally, this mont had arrived.
Unconsciously, I stepped my left foot forward and surveyed the situation.
The sword that had been knocked away had already been retrieved.
The stance was the sa. It was prepared for anything, just like before.
The feeling of exhilaration turned cold in an instant.
I was not responding to a crisis.
I was trying to swallow the bait that was creeping into my mouth.
Before I could even make that judgnt, the steel wall sounded the alarm of danger.
I hurriedly raised my shield as instructed, but...
The shield I raised in haste, prepared for an attack, was slow and insufficient.
If I blocked the attack like this, my balance would collapse, exposing to the opponent’s strike.
I would have to continue defending from an unstable stance.
...But that would surely lead to my downfall.
So what should I do?
What flashed through my rapidly spinning mind was sothing I had learned during training in the Alrn family.
Sotis, it’s better to let oneself fly rather than awkwardly block.
Deliberately jumping back slightly, I received the skeleton’s sword.
My light body, now airborne, was easily pushed back by the skeleton's strength, and when I spun in the air and regained my stance, the distance between the skeleton and was considerable.
I had succeeded in resetting a situation that should have been unfavorable.
“You’ve been good at hiding, but you’re also good at running away. Are you a mouse from the sewer?”
“Sorry~♡ I thought the dog bone stuck in the sewer was feeling lonely, so I tried to approach, but the sll was too disgusting for ~♡ Please understand♡ I’m a small and cute noble girl~♡ I’m different from you who lives in the sewer♡”
“...As expected, that tongue of his.”
I checked the situation while provoking the opponent.
The first thing I could feel was that the opponent was far superior to .
The skill of the sword accumulated over long years. The logic forged through countless battles. It was perfectly pinning down.
If the Evil God hadn’t weakened the dungeon’s control...
And if that skeleton hadn’t been reserving its strength to resist the Evil God’s aura...
Would I truly have been able to withstand that skeleton?
The answer to my own question ca back swiftly.
No.
I wouldn’t have lasted even a minute before being shattered.
And soon, fear would crawl up my spine and take hold of my mind.
All I would be able to do is wrap my head in my arms and plead for my life.
That’s how great the difference was.
That much of a difference.
As I contemplated this fact, a laugh escaped .
If a weakened imitation was this strong, just how powerful would a real hero be?
I had felt this before when the elder perford miracles, but the distance was vast. Too far.
Thinking this, I gripped the handle of my shield again.
Before I could even respond, the elder, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
‘That’s true.’
What I needed to do now was not to defeat the skeleton but to endure.
Once Luca was subdued and Kal returned to join, he would take care of the weakened skeleton for .
‘No. I’m not that deluded about myself.’
‘I want to deliver at least one blow myself.’
Elder, you wouldn’t know, but I wasted a month because of that skeleton.
Do you have any idea how much stress I went through during that ti?
I actually ended up with a hole in my head from the stress, you know?!
After countless efforts, I finally succeeded in overcoming the trial, but that void of power still remains vividly in my mory.
And now, since I began to spar with that skeleton, the emotions I felt up until now were similar.
Powerlessness. Frustration. Impatience. Annoyance. Anger.
If I simply held out until Kal arrived, these emotions would not disappear.
I would remain stuck at 0 wins and 1 loss.
I would forever repeat my defeat without even getting a chance to turn this score around.
I didn’t want that.
I absolutely didn’t want that.
Seeing the skeleton win and bragging as it vanished would be so infuriating that I felt like collapsing from anger!
So, I needed to land a blow.
To achieve a ntal victory.
To shout, “You couldn’t do it, could you?”
Hearing my words, the elder fell silent for a mont before bursting into the most hearty laughter.
What’s this? Elder? I’m being completely serious right now, you know? This isn’t the ti for laughing!
‘What on earth are you saying?’
Oh. It’s good that your thoughts have changed.
But is there sothing strange in between?
Did you just say I could withstand because of that amusing dog bone toy rather than my skill?
I straightened my stance while listening to the elder’s words.
Despite the fight having gone on for quite so ti, my body was still in perfect condition.
So, I thought I could land a blow if an opportunity arose, but it turned out that my readiness was because the opponent had played along.
Hah. Damn. This is seriously embarrassing.
And.
Really.
Really.
This is not a joke; I’m extrely annoyed.
‘Huh? But—’
That was true.
I was frustrated.
I was powerless.
As ti passed, my thoughts grew nurous.
As if reading my mind, the elder murmured before responding with an overly confident tone.
‘...Then what’s the problem?’
Despite countless attempts to attack so far, they all returned as failures.
If it had worked when my ga knowledge was effective, that was one thing, but afterward, I couldn’t even threaten the opponent.
‘I’m always prepared.’
The elder praised for being comndable and soon spoke in a voice full of amusent.
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