Chapter 14

The tension was palpable. Behind them, the portal was closed despite the fact that the alleged boss had been killed. While in front, Claudio fiddled with his broadsword, chuckling softly. There was no other escape route, not even a hole to hide in and think of a plan. Samuele and everyone else were rats in a trap.

Behind Samuele and Sofia, the four boys huddled together were visibly trembling with fear.

"Should I ever get out of here alive, I'll turn to horseback riding rather than continue being an Adventurer." Said one to the other three in a low, fearful voice.

"Let's think about the present for now. What do we do?"

"Let's pray."

"Good idea."

"What did you do to Marco?" Sofia asked in a nervous, trembling voice. Claudio smiled disgustedly at her.

"I had to interrupt our game to stop you from escaping, but there was no need, apparently. The portal won't open. Here's another portal incident!" Claudio exclaimed, amused. A stony silence enveloped everyone, before the assassin resumed speaking. "You know, things were much simpler before. You enter a portal, kill a few monsters, collect your reward, and leave before the portal closes for good. Now, however, a problem arises with every Quest. 'Evaluation error! 'Monsters stronger than there should be'! I'm sick of it! I just want to kill, you know? It's that simple! Too many problems make the desire to slaughter monsters go away. Thinking about it, maybe that's also why killing people gives me more pleasure. I feel like I'm back in my early days, when the only thing I had to worry about was which imaginative way to rip the guts out of goblins."

"You are crazy." Samuele affirmed in a somber tone. Claudio turned to him with a quiet expression and snorted.

"I suppose I am, yes." His gaze went to each of the Adventurers in front of him, as if to analyze them. The four boys behind all of them did not pose the slightest problem. They were too scared to even move a muscle. At this he smiled in amusement. He moved on to the remaining two. The girl had Healer Class, so it would be easy. The boy had the Mage Class, but did not use attack magics. The only ability she had seen from him was to increase his own speed, but no big deal. Compared to him, the neo-adventurer was equally slow.

It was only a matter of very few seconds and Claudio set off on the attack with a quick burst. The quartet cried out sharply in fear as they hugged each other as tightly as they could.

Samuele sharpened his eyes. In less than two seconds he found Claudio in front of him, his broadsword ready to slice him in half. Samuele did not let himself be surprised and with his shield parried the devastating blow, barely managing to repel his attack but backing away a few steps.

Claudio laughed it off. "Not bad, kid. Let's see how much fun you can give me!"

Samuele grimaced in annoyance. "You are repulsive."

Another clash between their two swords resounded along the cavern.

YOU HAVE ACTIVATED "ACTIVE SKILL: TIMELY BLESSING"!

The System's voice resounded in Samuele's head. Slightly faster than before, he was now fighting almost evenly against Claudio.

Almost.

It did not take long for the Warrior to regain his hegemony over the confrontation. A decisive blow was all it took to catch Samuele squarely in the chest and inflict a cut deep enough to make him scream in pain and fall to the ground. Copious blood flowed from his wound.

"It's a shame, but you should have known better." Claudio said as he approached Samuele's lying body and knelt down, looking closely at his sore, angry face. "You are just a little fish in the presence of a shark."

Claudio slowly brought the tip of his blade closer to Samuele's heart, with the latter looking at him with trembling eyes.

Claudio's smile grew bigger and bigger. That was exactly the look he wanted to see. He wanted him to beg for mercy.

He was so attentive on Samuele's face that he became aware too late of an itchy sensation all the way down his back to his neck. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadow of something coming toward him and moved nimbly. With his broadsword he deflected the sword pointing at his head by a few millimeters.

Years of experience fighting monsters had taught him to use his survival instincts to the fullest extent of his ability. His cold eyes moved to look at the one who had just tried to kill him. It was the Healer.

"I hate being interrupted." He said in a calm tone, losing the smile he had moments before.

Sofia gritted her teeth, nervousness written all over her face. She hoped she could at least hurt him, but clearly she was too weak for him. And now it was over. Claudio was going to kill her.

The man stood up and looked at Sofia intensely, with the latter visibly trembling despite hiding behind a determined look.

"Just this once..." Claudio said, confusing Sofia. He stepped back a few meters and continued. "Just this once, I allow you to treat him. Consider it a reward for your courage. Maybe the second time is the right time to kill me, who knows." He giggled, as if teasing them.

Sofia did not know what plan Claudio had in mind, but she decided it was more important to heal Samuele. She brought her hands close to his chest and the wound began to close slowly, casting an occasional glance at Claudio in case he had done something.

It took a few minutes for it to heal completely, and for a single moment Samuele had an expression of relief before changing again and becoming serious.

"Is everything all right now?" Sofia asked him.

"Yes, thanks to you." He replied, getting up from the floor and focusing on the man again.

"Are you ready for round two, boy?" He asked. Samuele once again got into a fighting stance and exhaled deeply.

Claudio sprinted toward him, but Samuele realized almost too late that he was not his target. Sofia's eyes went wide when she saw the broadsword half a meter away from his chest. She was not prepared. She could not even move a single muscle. She closed her eyes, waiting with fear in her face for that sword to pierce her. A metallic clash made her open her eyes and she was surprised to see that Samuele had managed to parry the blow directed at her.

"I am your opponent, not her!" Samuele exclaimed, trying to resist her overwhelming force.

"I just wanted to get the weak out of the way. You know, to keep them from interrupting us!"

The swords broke away from each other, and Samuele attempted a horizontal slash that Claudio avoided by backing away a few steps.

Samuele caught his breath and cast a glance at Sofia.

"Get out of here."

"What? Are you crazy?!"

"You are of no use here." At this statement, Sofia became angry.

"What do you mean! You would have died if I hadn't treated you."

"You would have died if he hadn't let you."

"Alone you don't stand a chance. There are six of us against him. Together we can do it." Feeling pulled in, the quartet cackled.

"Why us too?!"

Samuele and Sofia didn't even give him a chance.

"I will surely die if you stay here."

Sofia was about to retort, but then realized what he meant. She turned to the foursome and spoke.

"Did you hear that? For this ungrateful one, we are in the way. Let's go somewhere else."

"With pleasure!"

"Farewell, ungrateful one!"

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, but we're busy now!"

"Yeah, you know how it is... life is wonderful and all. Bye-bye!" Said the quartet, following as fast as they could Sofia.

Claudio laughed at them, not even giving them a glance. "What cowards! You, on the other hand... I can't tell if you are brave, reckless or just crazy."

"The fool is you who did all this."

"Yes, you already told me that. And I think so, too. You know, craziness allows you to give a damn about the rules imposed by society. I can do whatever I want without any remorse."

Claudio went on the attack. Samuele sharpened his eyes and defended himself with his shield, solid enough to withstand the powerful attack. 

"You are just a mental deviant. You don't need rules to understand that what you do is evil and mean."

He repelled the broadsword and moved back into position. This time it was his turn to attack.

He launched a series of slashes that were parried and dodged quite easily by Claudio.

"Craziness gives me an advantage. I can reach levels of creativity and audacity that a "sane" person could never experience. All this makes me feel like an artist, whose canvas is the blood of my victims."

He launched a horizontal slash that aimed straight at Samuele's neck. The latter managed fairly quickly to parry it, but not without difficulty. The shield cracked slightly and he almost stumbled sideways from the recoil. He immediately recovered his balance and looked at the arm with which he parried. It was visibly trembling, aching. His gaze returned to Samuele and he spoke, as if the last blow had not affected him in the slightest.

"I don't even know what to say. You disgust me as a human being."

"You know, thinking about it more, maybe you're the crazy ones, locking yourselves in your cage alone out of fear of going outside the box. I, on the other hand, fly free. I do what I want without any restrictions. I live my life free from everyone, without having to meet your stupid expectations."

"Being free does not give you the right to steal other people's freedom. If for you living without restrictions means living without the respect of others, then you are dead wrong. There can be no justification for all the evil you inflict on those around you."

"As I said, I don't have to please anyone!"

Another series of attacks derived from the two opponents. There was no equal between the two, of course. Claudio was experienced, with years of fighting behind him. Samuele had just made his debut as an Adventurer. The difference between the two was as obvious as day and night. Still, Samuele endured. And he improved with every attack he received and inflicted in turn. 

There was no need to level up to improve his sword and observation skills.

Every blow he gave became more and more accurate. And Claudio noticed this. He marveled at his ability to learn during combat that he almost thought it was due to the System.

His face became more serious. 'This boy...' he did not even want to think about it. His ego would not let him.

He decided he had to end the fight quickly.

"You're boring me." That was his excuse.

Samuele sharpened his eyes once more, and a little bell rang in his head.

YOU HAVE ACTIVATED "ACTIVE SKILL: TIMELY BLESSING"!

The two opponents attacked each other again. Sword against sword. Samuele aimed for quick attacks, sacrificing some of his strength. Blows flew through the air like lightning and thunder. The clash grew fiercer and fiercer, between the boy's lightning-fast moves and the powerful blows of Claudio, whose swords resounded like a wild orchestra.

With an unparalleled burst, Claudio found himself behind Samuele, with the latter's eyes wide in amazement. He barely had time to turn around to see the broadsword cut through the air and almost cleave his neck.

A metallic clash interrupted the moment. Samuele saw a shadow beside him who had just parried the blow directed at him with his sword. Looking into his face, he sighed in relief.

"I said I wouldn't let you hurt these guys." Marco Terranova was standing in front of him, defending him. Unlike what Marco thought, Claudio appeared calm.

"It's about time you got here. I was beginning to think that before you arrived I was going to kill this guy. And damn, I was close." Said Claudio in an excited tone. He looked behind Marco and saw the group led by Sofia whom he had purposely let escape earlier.

The two swords parted and the now former companions backed away a few steps.

"I figured you did that on purpose..." Marco admitted. It was not like Claudio to make such a mistake. No monster had ever managed to escape from him. "Just as well. You wanted a good fight? Well, now you're going to get it. Samuele, Sofia, come on!" He called the two Adventurers to come forward.

Meanwhile, the quartet was relieved to know that they had not been called. They had gone back against their will, but they did not want to be alone at the bottom of the cave. They preferred to stay at arm's length from the madmen about to clash, but close enough to see the confrontation.

"If I knew earlier I would have brought a change of underwear..."

"If I knew earlier I wouldn't have even come, that's all."

"They won't lose, right?"

"Of course not! The good guys always triumph! ...I hope."

The silence was total. Not a single sound dared to interrupt the tense moment revolving around the opponents.

Claudio stood in front of the group with an evil aura emanating from his body.

The two Warriors, Marco and Samuele, armed with sharp swords, positioned themselves on either side of Healer Sofia, ready to protect her and harness her healing magic. They felt very well the weight of the darkness enveloping Claudio, but together they were not intimidated.

It was the final confrontation. The one that would decide which of them would remain alive, whether Claudio or the rest of the group.

For a moment, the group saw Claudio's eyes turn red and his expression turn furious. A strong, oppressive aura was unleashed from his body. And they felt it all.

"W-what is this?" Sofia asked, barely resisting.

"His ability... 'Berserk,' so called." Marco replied, explaining later. "It increases his strength and speed. Be very careful."

Samuele clucked his tongue. "As if it wasn't enough before."

In response to his skill, Samuele and Marco activated theirs.

Thus began the final confrontation. Claudio hurled himself at them with superhuman speed and strength. His attacks were precise and devastating, but the two warriors managed to defend themselves skillfully, parrying the blows with their swords.

No matter how hard the two were trying, Claudio was able to fight on an equal footing against them without even struggling much. In fact, with each barrage of blows, the two were wounded over and over again. The cuts became visible all along their bodies.

It was Sofia's turn to spring into action. She activated her second healing ability.

Those who obtained the Healer Class started with two skills. The first was the basic one, "Heal," which allowed them to perform their support role. The second was the classic random skill as given to all other Classes.

Sofia's skill was called "Spiritual Reinforcement" and allowed her to enhance an ally's offensive or defensive abilities, temporarily increasing their strength and endurance.

Samuele felt a new strength invade his body. He felt faster, stronger. Simply, much lighter than before. Focused on the fight, he did not care what it was and continued fighting.

Both Marco and Claudio noticed the change in the boy, and the two obviously had mixed reactions.

Claudio became even more nervous. "How dare you..." The situation had reversed. Now he was the one in trouble. Every blow he tried to inflict was parried, deflected, or dodged, while some of the attacks he received went his way. He understood what Samuele's change was due to. He looked at the Healer and unleashed another murderous aura.

'I must kill her! Claudio thought. He was beginning to feel fatigue from the 'Berserk' skill he was using to fight. There was no more room for fun. He had to finish the fight quickly before he was defeated. He did not want to admit it, but he was in serious trouble.

With a timely snap, he hurled himself at Sofia ready to pierce her through the chest. The girl did not even see him clearly, but her heart beat quickly in fear.

Claudio could not imagine being interrupted yet again by killing someone, perhaps because of the rage that was consuming him. His neck was split by the blade of a sword that came at great speed. His head rolled to the ground, with the rest of his body falling soon after.

Sofia could let out a sigh she did not know she was keeping. She looked at the one who saved her and spoke.

"Thank you..." She thanked Samuele for his promptness.

"You saved me more times than I could imagine, it was the least I could do." Samuele smiled at her.

The quartet as well gathered around the three, beaming that they had survived.

"Yay!!! We're saved!!!"

"Yeah! Now could we get out that I should go to the bathroom and change?"

A System bell rang in the heads of the whole group.

[CONGRATULATIONS!]

YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE QUEST! YOU CAN RETRIEVE THE TREASURE CHEST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAVE.

EXIT THE PORTAL BEFORE IT CLOSES.

"So the boss was Claudio?" Sofia asked in an uncertain tone.

"Apparently, yes." Samuele answered her.

"What? Why did he have to be the boss?" Marco asked confused.

"I have no idea, but I agree with them. I want to get out of here and end this long day." Said Samuele, feeling all the fatigue now that the adrenaline in his body had stopped kicking in.

"Don't you at least want a reward for being great? Let's go get the chest first."

All the Adventurers looked at each other and nodded in agreement, turning to Marco and all saying together with a happy smile, "All right!"

They headed toward the back of the cave and chatted. Samuele turned to Sofia and asked her a question.

"Before, when we were fighting, I felt invigorated. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I used my skill."

"But why on me and not on Mr. Terranova?"

"I don't know...I guess because I trusted you at that time."

"...I see. Thank you for your trust then."

"You're welcome..." Sofia assumed a thoughtful expression. She had trusted him, but why? She felt safe next to him. Perhaps because of his calm, pleasant, warm aura. Plus, his skill in strategy was what had impressed her most. She remembered the first quest she had completed at his side. That section of the cave against the giant spiders, it was thanks to him that they had passed it without too much difficulty. He wanted to do more quests by his side.

"Get out of here, how about giving me your number?" She asked, catching Samuele off guard.

"W-wha... All right, I guess..."

As they all chatted, Marco stayed behind the group, turning to look at Claudio's helpless body. He did not understand why he had become like this, especially at any moment. He was obviously sorry. He was one of his oldest comrades, but there was nothing he could do to prevent that end.

'Goodbye, Claudio. I hope you can find your happiness wherever you are now.' He said goodbye to him as a sign of respect for an old friend.

END OF CHAPTER.

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Here we go again, guys! The last chapter I uploaded was about three weeks ago. In my defense, I didn't feel like translating the chapter xD. However, rereading it after five months (yes, I wrote it in October heheh...sorry), I realized how well I wrote all the fight, so much so that I was getting into reading it myself. Too bad it was only a one-time thing xD.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please leave a comment, a review and don't forget to give me your PRECIOUS!!