The only saving grace is that, because I avoided an absolute death, even though I am currently accumulating internal injuries, it is much milder than initially predicted and has not yet affected my movements.
Damn it, they even called this VIP, and then they start with this high difficulty? Isn't there any leveling bonus for disadvantageous classes? Or maybe some special leveling time before the key boss battle, or time stop or something... Am I crazy to expect a ranged unit without any leather armor to fight melee units in close combat?!
Where are the protests? Where are the quits? Where are the game balance reports?!
But since things have come to this, I can't complain any more. I can only try my best to defend against the attacks and rack my brains to find a way out of this predicament.
The bastard before me possessed skills far exceeding his written statistics, perhaps thanks to the effect of that special component—and perhaps also the long list of personal attribute bonuses. This allowed him to accumulate experience across multiple loops, ultimately transforming him into a truly super-powerful character.
My strengths come from my practical experience, rapid spellcasting ability, and overwhelming mana reserves... but these advantages are almost completely useless now, because I am actually fighting against someone who is skilled in melee combat, and I don't have a hidden compartment where I can store a lot of spellcasting materials.
"Raging fire, listen..."
I couldn't even finish reciting the complete incantation.
Whenever I try to create distance and prepare a larger spell, that bastard with the gloomy eyes will quickly close the distance or throw an air blade, forcing me to stop casting spells and move quickly and drastically within a short distance.
Perhaps I could try to tough it out and try to cast the spell. It would be worthwhile to turn the tide with just one injury, which is much better than just wasting my already limited strength and stamina. But that bastard never intended to give me such a moment. Instead, the next second that thought crossed my mind, he launched an even more ferocious attack.
The originally narrow cave has now expanded greatly to both sides due to our struggle, and there is even a crisis where the force pierces through the weak top layer, causing the cement and stone above to fall downwards.
We had to move around to different places while dodging or destroying the damaged building materials falling from above, which caused a large area of the ground to tremble like an earthquake. However, this also allowed us to change our direction of movement, expanding our options to include moving forward, backward, left, right, up, and down.
I'm sorry, this intense fighting might affect those I've placed in the rear, but I don't have the energy to take care of them right now. I can only try my best not to shift the center of the battlefield towards that area.
Of course, I also believe that Sheng is smart enough to confirm what is happening here based on the details and his partial understanding of this mad protagonist, and that he has already evacuated the other two underground as quickly as possible.
I hope they're alright.
With that in mind, I tried to gather my senses and bring all the magic power contained within the magic array I had set up under my control.
This is difficult.
I had to do these things while fighting a powerful swordsman with the potential to become a sword saint. This caused my clothes to begin to tear at an unexpected rate, and bleeding wounds appeared on the gradually exposed skin.
The magic circle, much smaller than it was in the outside world, emitted a hazy, pale golden glow.
But that was enough to cover the area where I fought the sword demon, even as he became wary and tried to retreat from the area covered by the magic circle.
His magic level is very low, which means that he is a pure power character who is not very sensitive to magic, or even cannot feel the existence of magic at all.
So now, the offensive relationship between us has begun to reverse.
This is not a friendly exchange that can be easily ended by one side backing down.
It is more akin to a fight where the slightest misstep could result in one side losing their life, or a mutually destructive clash.
I am familiar with this long-lost feeling.
Of course, I also believe that the bastard on the other side is very familiar with this situation.
We could clearly feel that each other's postures became lighter and more skillful when they collided, even though my arms were already in unbearable pain from the successive shocks, and even though his body was also beginning to show signs of burning and cuts.
But I think I still have a way out, because this is not my reality, so I don't need to be afraid.
The sword demon's eyes flickered and hesitated unexpectedly, perhaps because he had some concerns—for example, whether dying here would successfully end this endless cycle of reincarnation—which made his swordplay far less sharp than it had been initially.
This gave me enough space to begin my attack and counterattack.
I didn't try to use any more easily interrupted spells. I simply transformed and shaped the free-floating magic into specific forms, even if it meant losing most of it compared to when I was focused on guiding it. My goal was simply to disrupt the sword demon's movements and create minor injuries that could cause him to lose blood and stamina.
This is consistent with the strategy he is currently using against me.
When it is determined that neither side can defeat the other in a short period of time, a war of attrition becomes the only option.
Probe, attack, defend.
The seamless switching between the three is like a mind-reading game of rock-paper-scissors, or a dangerous dance where each tries to trample the other's steps while protecting itself. The rapid shifts in offense and defense also shred everything that unfortunately stands in our way into tiny fragments.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
