Chapter 66: Its Testing Me
His arm blurred as he tried to land the first blow, but his attack bounced off, the monster still looking unfazed. He gritted his teeth, increased the power in the attack, but still nothing, its skin was just too strong... or was it a layer of mana? He could not tell.
"Tough bastard." He made some distance and went into a different stance, this one attacked sideways. As the slash made its way to the monster, the air was ripped apart, but the impact still did nothing. ’This might be bad, that thing is not budging an inch.’
[Master, I advise you to run. You cannot win against something like that yet.] He ignored the system’s words and continued attacking without doing any damage. Yenna watched from afar, looking worried. She thought he could put up a fight, but seeing him struggle made her really scared.
’Should I go help? ...No, he will yell at me. I was told to stay back, so I will do that... however, if his life is in danger... I will not hesitate.’ She was ready to attack if anything went wrong.
[Master, stop this and listen to me. Run, there is no shame in admitting defeat.]
’Do you think I am ashamed of running away? You really do not know me, huh? Why would I run and waste such a good training opportunity?’ He slid back, charging up a mana ball.
[Even if you end up dying?]
’Sorry to break it to you, but I will not be dying anytime soon. Sit back and enjoy the show, you know how I fight. Have some faith in your master.’ He threw the mana ball not just randomly, but aimed for a spot he knew was not as strong: the eyes. The monster instinctively closed its eyes, and Vell smirked.
’Bingo! No matter how strong something may seem, there is always a weak spot, and this one is not smart enough to fix that weakness.’
His confidence was shattered as the air around the monster shifted. It smirked, with drool hitting the ground like acid. Its form contorted, appearing as if it would explode. ’What the hell?’ He took a step back, his palms sweaty. It stopped expanding, then sucked its body inward, forming a humanoid shape that was still a mixture of different monsters. It exhaled, looking at him with a proud smirk.
"I have found a new toy. What is your name, human?" Its voice was like an echo, filled with many voices speaking at once. Vell did not know what to think, his body was frozen, not from fear, but from the dense mana emitting from the monster. Its words hung in the air, resonating like a low hum that seemed to crawl beneath his skin.
The mana’s pressure was getting stronger with each passing moment, but he quickly gripped his sword tighter, forcing himself to stand firm. ’Focus. This is just another challenge.’
"Vell," he finally said, his voice steady despite the pressure weighing him down. "And you?"
It laughed, a discordant sound that sent shivers down his spine. "Names... are for those who fear being forgotten. You may call me whatever you wish, toy. It will not matter when you are gone."
His jaw tightened. "We will see about that."
[Master, this thing is not just strong. It is intelligent. I strongly suggest retreat—]
’Quiet! It is testing me. I need to figure out its weaknesses. I swear victory will be mine.’ His sword vibrated as mana condensed around it, making his blade bigger.
"Impressive power," the creature mused, tilting its head. "But do you really believe brute force will save you?"
"Who said anything about brute force?" He replied with a smirk.
He let his body fall until it was around a 60-degree angle parallel to the ground, and then he surged, the ground cracking from his leap. The monster did not move, it wanted to see what he had planned. He stopped mere inches from it and swung his sword like a bat. ’Connect...’ The impact caused a loud explosion with dust forming everywhere, but when the dust cleared, the monster stood there, unfazed.
’Well, fuck.’
"Disappointing." It punched him faster than he could react, sending him flying with his eyes rolled upward. His body went through multiple trees before stopping at a large one. Yenna wanted to leap in to save him, but her body was frozen in fear, its aura was different than before.
"Hmm, that was a soft punch, did he die already? Come on, I even transformed for you, so get up." Its face looked sad, like a kid that had just lost its toy. "If you are really dead, I guess I will play with your little girl over there." It smirked villainously, this was a taunt, and it worked. Vell jumped to his feet, his chest in pain with a large, fresh wound.
"Damn, you are strong as hell, huh." He covered his wound with mana, easing the pain.
The monster’s smirk widened. "Ah, there you are. I was worried I broke you too soon. Ready for round two?"
He wiped the blood from his lip, his hand trembling slightly. "Do not flatter yourself. I am just getting started."
[Master, this is reckless! You cannot beat this thing in your current state!]
’Shut it. If I do not keep fighting, Yenna will be in danger. And you know I do not leave battles unfinished.’
His body screamed at him to stop, but he refused to yield. ’You made the seals, right? Release one.’
[I cannot do that, it is too risky, you could die or worse, you might lose yourself in darkness.]
’Shut up! This is an order, do it!’
[I cannot... I am sorry.]
’Then I will do it myself.’
[That is imposs-... master? What are you doing? Stop!]
’You seem to have forgotten that I can use you without your permission, you belong to me. Let me remind you of that.’ One of the circles faded away, and his mana exploded.
The monster raised a curious eyebrow. "Ah, desperation... or perhaps something more? Show me."
"Hehehe, what is this? You were fighting such an opponent without me? My feelings are hurt, so why do not you sleep and let me take care of this for us." He swung his sword, and the trees behind him got destroyed. "Ahhh, what bliss."