NOVEL WEB Chapter 29
“Hey, you guys! Just because you got hit by one spell, how long are you gonna cower in fear? Let’s go! It’s time for the hunt!”
[Gospel casts ‘Hunting Time’.]
[Calculating disparity… Partial resistance!]
[If the caster’s attack deals damage, additional weak defense-ignoring damage will be inflicted.]
[Agility increase when pursuing does not apply.]
It seemed that aside from agility, the difference wasn’t that significant, as only half of it seemed to take effect.
“Huh? Why is the brand so faint? Well, whatever. I’m caught, so it’s good enough.”
Gospel began issuing commands to his party members as if it was no big deal.
“Hey! Stop sending dead guys over, and you two slackers messing around with Skylon, take care of those girls over there.”
As they hesitated and didn’t move, he glared at them.
“If we finish off Bloodhee and the others here, it’s all over, so don’t be scared! …What are you doing? Get moving now!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood, brother!”
The three, now terrified, rushed over. Unable to send them away, they tried to stop them immediately.
“Whoa, your opponent is me! Where do you think you’re going?”
Woosh.
Clang! Clang!
The dagger, shimmering with a red essence like his hair, flashed between them.
Whoosh.
His stabbing and slashing were skilled.
Even when his attacks returned empty, Gospel continued to flow into the next moves without caring.
Each blow he landed was strong, yet somehow, the guy didn’t falter in his stance.
“If you can’t kill me quickly, your party members might die, you know? Try using a bit more strength!”
Huff. ‘I need to seize the initiative, but I can’t find any openings.’
When my stats first rose from E to D, I instinctively felt something was different.
This time it’s even greater. The gap between agility C- and D is this huge?
Every time Gospel swung his dagger, it slowed down, and I could see everything, but…
Just because the attacks looked slow doesn’t mean my body could move any faster, so while dodging or parrying was possible, counterattacking was tough.
“Geez, you’re pretty good, huh?”
Clang! Clang!
Out of nowhere, as if he had struck just now, he blocked my attack and swung back, striking like the wind.
“Your blocking is amazing. But, are you just gonna keep defending? I’m starting to think that dagger met the wrong master!”
I kept my cool and waited for an opportunity, but soon, I heard fierce battle sounds from behind.
“Light arrow piercing the unholy!”
[Holy Arrow]
Zing—
“Not a chance! Whirlwind!”
[Skylon casts ‘Whirlwind’.]
“The unseen hands that grasp the night.”
[Lugen’s Grasp]
Damn, what’s going on? Yeriell and Lumia need to hold on!
[Chaos tells his comrades to trust in them and focus on what’s in front of them now.]
Whoosh!
“Are you worried about them? Huh? You shouldn’t be distracted when you have me right in front of you.”
Whoosh.
“Honestly, I’ve lost interest in that Bloodhee girl.”
Clang! Clang.
Gospel smirked as we engaged in a power struggle.
“I think it’d be more fun battling you to the death than killing her for a group revenge!”
What the hell is he going on about?
“I found an entertaining prey for the first time in a while… that’s what you wanted to say, right?”
“Ha ha ha, right! So whether your girlfriends die or our trash gets wiped out, let’s focus on this fight with all we’ve got!”
Ding!
This lunatic.
Sure. If I’m going to die here, I’d rather spit up blood and live.
I cast aside any hesitation.
“Phew…”
Boom!—
“Cough!”
Gospel’s attack collided directly with my empowerment of the explosive sword technique.
An explosion echoed, pushing him back as if a bomb had gone off.
I didn’t care if my weapon broke. It would recover anyway.
Now that his chest was exposed, it was my chance.
Swoosh!
“Gah!”
I sensed that I was deep in.
“Shit. Did I lose out on strength?”
Gospel held his chest where blood seeped through, even cutting into the armor.
“Ha, interesting. Seems like you had something hidden up your sleeve. A wound like this? I’ll kill you and just pop a potion to be fine.”
Tap. Clang. Whoosh.
The playful glint vanished from his face.
Like a snake, the dagger curved and sliced toward me.
Crash!
Gospel flinched, seemingly stunned from being pushed back. But—
Though the value of speed prevented him from evading or counterattacking, it was enough for him to block.
Crash! Boom! Crash!
“Gah.”
Gospel gritted his teeth.
No matter how I attacked, he blocked even harder; I bet it was infuriating.
[Gospel casts ‘Flurry’.]
Is this an intermediate dagger technique? He began wildly swinging the dagger.
Damn. I can see it, but it’s so fast I can’t respond. My body can’t keep up with my eyes.
Slice. Slash.
Blood—
His magical flurry tore at my armor, cracking it and lightly cutting my arm.
“Ugh.”
“Cough.”
…So, that’s how the defense-ignoring damage of the brand is applied?
I avoided serious injuries, yet I felt blood rushing back up and spewed it out.
[Gospel casts ‘Invisibility’.]
Whoosh—
As his attack succeeded, he vanished without a trace in an instant using another technique.
Is he coming from the front, back? No way, the side?
The world slowed down.
…Behind me!
I immediately dove forward and rolled on the ground.
Whoosh.
I bounced back up, finding Gospel off balance as he prepared to strike down from the air.
“What.”
As he fumbled to speak, I charged, swinging down the weapon intending to cleave him in half due to his lack of a helmet.
Clang.
Gospel barely managed to block with one knee.
“Geh!”
“Uwaaa!”
I tried to press down my weight on him, but he skillfully twisted the dagger and rolled away.
“Huff, huff. What the hell are you? No eyes behind your head or anything. Just how many traits do you have?”
You have no idea how hard I had to roll my eyes to dodge that attack just now.
“I’m getting sick of your onion-like layers, so I’m ending this. Bye!”
[Gospel casts ‘Fatal Blow’.]
He charged at me, determined to end it.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
A wind-like strike targeting my heart.
Devastating sequential strikes aimed at my abdomen and neck.
Whoosh. Bang!
He spun while executing a downwards strike and diagonal slash.
“Uh.”
—I blocked them all.
Perhaps due to the recoil of his technique, he looked paralyzed as I concentrated my magic into my right arm.
This is my chance. Now is the only moment when he won’t respond to my attack.
The explosive sword arts aren’t just about weapon enhancement.
Think about the practical drills with Ivelyn.
Draw an unpredictable path for the sword.
‘You can’t just throw around threats about killing me after a random attack. Who do you think you are ending this now?’
I released the magic I stored in my right arm, unleashing a light-like slash downwards.
While he desperately tried to bring the dagger to block, it was…
Whoosh! Slash.
“Gaaah─!”
In the middle of my downward slash, I found an empty spot, transitioning immediately to a horizontal slash with another magic blast.
I sliced through his side.
“Guh… What… the hell…”
Blood gushed from his side as he clutched it.
Zing.
As I prepared to swing again, I felt an ache in my right arm, ready to strike once more.
“Gahhh, Cough─!”
[Gospel enters death’s door and falls into a ‘Frenzy’ state.]
A red aura enveloped him, pushing me away.
‘Damn it. If I had just decapitated him in one go, would this trait have activated? No. Even a severed head might reattach.’
Don’t beat yourself up over pointless thoughts; I should learn the final details from the aura surrounding him before the last battle.
────
[Gospel]
[Strength: C-] [Agility: C] [Durability: C-]
[Health: C-] [Magic: D] [Luck: F-]
[Traits]
Intermediate Dagger Technique
Unleashed Madness
Hunting Time
Roar of Malevolence
────
────
[Unleashed Madness (B)] [P]
When under the threat of death, the beast inside is finally unleashed. Once respected sanity is lost, only a bloodthirsty beast remains.
– All attributes surge by one level, excluding luck.
– Luck is fixed at F-.
– ‘Madness’ maintains 5 stacks continuously.
– Regeneration significantly increases.
────
[Roar of Malevolence (C)] [A]
Lets out a horrific cry filled with overwhelming malevolence. A normal human would lose their life in an instant upon encountering that malice.
– ‘Roar of Malevolence’ becomes available.
– When used, it has a very high probability of instilling fear.
– When used, it has a high probability of instilling despair.
────
This is truly annoying. Just one trait and the status screens have transformed this much.
─Aren, can you hear me?! Thanks to Lumia, we wiped out everything on this side!
Whoa.
Did those two really take out three, including the front line?
I was expecting to just hold on, but… maybe I underestimated them a bit too much.
─I’ll head over your way now!
‘Right now, this insane bastard’s physical stats are all around C rank. If he turns his attention on anyone, it’ll be trouble, so could you wait from somewhere safe and just buff us from afar?’
─Sure! Got it. I don’t want to be a burden either. I’ve already made enough trouble, right? I trust your judgment, Aren. …Hold on.
[Due to Divine Weapon’s effect, strength increases by one level for 30 minutes.]
[Due to Haste’s effect, agility increases by one level for 30 minutes.]
‘Alright! I’ll finish this quickly and be back, so don’t worry, just wait with Lumia.’
As I exchanged quick words with Yeriell, the turbulent red aura that had been restricting my movement settled down.
…Here it comes!
Thud!
“Grrr.”
Gospel, his eyes completely red, charged at me, and all logical restraint had vanished.
Only instinct remained.
Crash! Crash! Boom!
Using explosive sword techniques, I kept repelling his magic-infused dagger.
One, two, three. The relentless onslaught from Gospel continued.
Despite his enhanced stats from the frenzy, I somehow found it easier to deal with him now, compared to earlier.
‘He’s not thinking anymore, he’s swinging purely based on muscle memory accumulated through experience.’
If that’s the case…
“Whoa!”
Bang! Slash!
“Kyah!”
“Gah.”
A fast-paced exchange.
Dodging his attacks as much as possible, I continuously slashed back.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
I diverted my sword’s trajectory, jamming into the openings created during his strikes.
Despite the small nicks, my stomach churned, and I could taste blood rising in my throat.
My right arm throbbed painfully, and I felt like I would throw up at any moment, but knowing he was suffering even more kept me going.
Slice. Slash! Scrape!
“Please just die already─!”
With C- durability and regeneration due to the trait,
To kill him outright, I’d need to sever his head or stab his heart, but…
Was the beast trait merely instinct? He relentlessly charged at me, never exposing his vital spots.
Then it happened.
Zap, crackle!
“Gyaaah─!”
I got hit by Barrack’s rare shock state infliction!
[Gospel casts ‘Roar of Malevolence’.]
Roar!
“Shit—.”
[Chaos nullifies fear.]
[Chaos nullifies despair.]
Whether his technique was a mental attack or a physical mixed determination, it mostly failed against Chaos, but the physical part still sent me flying.
‘No! If I miss this chance…’
…
…Damn it, it’s down to just this.
‘Lightning Step.’
[Stacks: 1→0]
Zap.
Designating a location within sight to transform into lightning and move just once a day.
I had sealed it after using it during training with Ivelyn, as even with Barrack’s strong lightning resistance, I was once hit with excruciating pain and burn, which left me unable to fight afterward.
Rumble—
Sure enough, right after moving behind Gospel, I collapsed, clutching my leg.
“Damn it—!”
It hurts. Is it hot? Cold? My legs, my hands. They’re burning. Am I standing? Did I fall? Do I feel like dying? Am I dying? Kill. The sword. Heart. I need to kill to live. What?
[Chaos urges me to hold on tight and gather my wits.]
…Right.
Get up.
Over the fallen Gospel in front of me.
Whoosh!
I crawled to him and stabbed Barrack into his heart.
“Ugh, ugh.”
Flipping onto my back, I couldn’t help but feel tears trickle down my face.
What the hell? Why do I have to struggle like this from the first floor?
Even when I dropped straight from the third floor, it wasn’t this bad.
[Chaos wishes to hug me and pat my back.]
“Grah.”
…Phew. Alright, I need to pull myself together.
‘Well, can life ever be that easy? Sometimes you hurt, fall, and have to get back up. That’s just life. Now that I’m feeling okay, don’t worry.’
[Chaos, impressed, promises to shower me with affection once we return to the city.]
Heh.
‘If I look the same as last time, I bet I’d get even more affection from my side, right?’
[Chaos snorts, saying we’ll see about that.]
That’s enough of this banter…
‘Yeriell! Can you hear me? Everything’s sorted, so grab the bags and the stuff we looted off him and come over here!’
─Yes! Got it. But you’re not hurt badly, are you…?
‘Nothing too bad. I just need a heal. I might have relaxed a bit too much.’
─Oh no! I’ll be there in no time! Just wait a bit!
The others will be coming soon too. I wonder if there’s anything worth looting off Gospel?
At the very least, I should grab the dagger he was using.
“Uh?”
As I managed to lift my upper body, I glanced at Gospel’s corpse,
The center of his corpse was… glowing gray.