71. Worthy Opponent
I've never properly crossed swords with her before, but this knight was disgustingly strong. No wonder I'd decided to bolt right away. The gap between us was so wide that even escape had been impossible.
Of course, my specs hadn't improved dramatically since then, so by any normal measure, this was a fight I had zero chance of winning.
-Kwaang!
The instant I blocked Mercedes' sideways sword swing, a shockwave hit my entire body—absurdly powerful. And I mean I blocked it. Not just eating it defenseless; I raised my sword properly to parry.
"Fucking... hell...!"
But it didn't even feel like I'd blocked. I activated Super Sense to steady my stance, stomped forward to close the gap, and counterattacked immediately.
Super Sense
Swinging my sword in concise motions. Simple moves, but versatile—adept at shifting directions on a dime. A sword path that anticipates the opponent's reactions and counters, chaining follow-ups precisely whether they block or dodge.
But Mercedes responded by simply surpassing my expectations.
-Hwooung.
The thrust itself was utterly ordinary. At that angle, a basic parry was all it should have been.
-Kwaang!
Yet even that normal parry exploded with abnormal power and speed. My body tilted. Her sword whipped around again. I yanked my blade up to block—and even though I'd clearly parried clean, I slid back steadily.
And it didn't end there.
-Kwakang!
I'd been shoved far away, but she closed the distance in a blink and smacked my sword. My palm buzzed like a live wire. If my grip had been any weaker, I'd have dropped it.
-Kagak, kak!
Swords locked, unfolding our paths in a standoff, both of us aiming for the throat. In a bind like this, the instant the power balance tips, you eat a lethal blow. But why was this bitch so goddamn strong? Her stance looked like she was just flicking her wrist, but the weight behind her blade was insane.
"Pathetic."
Then Mercedes dropped her stance in a flash, shifting her center of gravity. The blade crushing down from above dove low in an instant. I readjusted my grip quick to cope.
-Kwak!
The moment she swung upward, a massive shock launched my body airborne.
"Shit."
I spat the curse, twisting midair to brace for pursuit. But no follow-up came. Mercedes stepped back instead, flicking her sword clean.
-Thud.
I hit the ground and cursed inwardly again. This smug cunt was treating me like total dogshit. She'd been fighting me one-handed the whole time. At first, I thought that hand behind her back was going for a sub-weapon, but nope—just hands clasped casual. And then she charges in to flex the skill gap? Fucking infuriating.
"Goddamn tower has zero fucking mercy."
I'd thought my sword skills had leveled up big-time, but against this merciless bitch? No contest. Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.4—among low-floor challengers, nobody outranked me. So what the hell made her so overpowered?
"Short-lived races think small, too. Did you actually believe you could beat me?"
Mercedes dangled her sword as she approached, tossing out the obvious taunt.
"Obviously. Unlike your princey-boy, I don't quit easy."
She knew it too, even as she talked shit. This wasn't my full power—I was still holding plenty back. I hadn't unleashed my variable style, swapping weapons mid-fight. Wasn't planning to win on swordplay alone anyway. Knew from jump she wasn't someone I could beat while sandbagging.
"Words like that won't save you, human."
Her face twisted at my jab. She stomped and slashed diagonally.
-Buwuk!
The blade grazed overhead, ripping the air like tearing cloth. Utterly ridiculous. But I was getting the hang of it now. Hands-behind-back limited her paths. And—spoiler—I had more than just weapon tricks up my sleeve. Like this one.
All-Out
-Kaang!
The passive skill I'd picked up from the 2nd-floor boss fight: All-Out. Its description was vague as hell—"boosts power on full-effort attacks." No numbers, just "go all-out and it hits harder"? I'd never felt it post-acquisition. Truth was, its real value unlocked after hitting a certain level.
-Kaang!
Mercedes' face hardened—she'd never imagined her sword bouncing back. No surprise; to her, my strength had spiked out of nowhere. And it had.
Once All-Out broke that level threshold, it gained an active option. Effect: momentary stat amp. Single-use MP-burner buff—not great on efficiency. But popping it in clutch moments to surge a stat? Perfect for throwing them off.
All-Out
Agility Amp
After batting her sword aside, I triggered All-Out again—this time amping Agility. My blade whipped toward her exposed torso, way faster than normal.
-Kak!
Mercedes blocked even that, but not perfectly. Her hands-behind-back stance broke; her center pitched hard, crumbling her form.
Chaining sword paths from here for a solid hit? Tough. That's why you save the aces for moments like this.
"Gotcha."
Pulled a hand axe from inventory and swung for her ear.
Post-training with Elenoir, I'd mastered mana sensing—which let me wield All-Out freely. I could feel mana flowing in my body, grasping the skill's principle: channeling mana into specific muscles for explosive power. Once I got the mechanic, adapting was easy. Applied it to real fights no sweat.
-Chwak!
The axe raked her long elf ear rough. Not a huge wound. But a wound's a wound—I'd landed a clean hit on someone I couldn't even run from before.
"Hah."
That thrill after so long? Laughter bubbled up. Perfect. No stopping now. Couldn't settle for this off one opening—keep pressing.
I dumped weapons from inventory, assaulting nonstop: sword, spear, axe, hammer, iron balls.
-Kangkangkangkangkangkangkagangkaang!!
Unleashed every honed weapon art and footwork in a barrage.
"Y-you... bastard...!"
All-Out's edge went beyond raw amps. Dumping a stat into one direction made my attacks unpredictable in speed and power. Mercedes would adapt eventually, but not right now.
-Kaang!
I knocked her frantic defense skyward, then flung a dagger at her wide-open torso.
-Puk!
Solid hit at last. Then I called a skill I hadn't used in ages.
Lightning Charge
-Pajijik!
Lightning surged through the dagger, twisting her face in agony. What used to be a mild zap had powered up huge after mana mastery.
But the dagger wouldn't pull free. Not the first time—I ditched it and swung the hand axe.
-Kwak!
Her bare hand snatched the axe. Reaction sharper than before. Tch. My turn's over? Still, not bad.
I hopped back light to make space.
"Kuh..."
Mercedes groaned softly, yanking the dagger from her side. Deeper than expected. If she'd had her armor and shield like our first meet, it wouldn't have stuck. Underestimating me cost her a real injury.
"Hey, say that shit again. What was 'pathetic'?"
I stowed the scattered weapons back in inventory, tossing a light taunt.
True to high-elf pride, her face warped instantly.
"You'll regret those words."
-Kururung!
Thunder rumbled as pure white light swirled her body. Mana Reinforcement. Conquest garb offered zero defense, but that didn't matter now. Offense and defense amped to another level entirely.
"Alright, phase two, huh?"
Now the real fight began.