Chapter 123: The Unique Nature of Martial Arts – Attrition – Departure

Go Gin mistook the power of the "Dark Wave" as a form of magic.

Lyle had no intention of correcting him.

After all, the abilities displayed by high-tier professions were entirely different from the martial techniques of this world. It was only natural they'd be mistaken for magic.

"I underestimated you earlier," Go Gin said, drawing in a deep breath and suppressing the shock surging through him. His fierce white eyes fixed on Lyle, no longer seeing him as a mere bystander—but as a true opponent.

"My weapon wasn't up to the task either," Lyle replied as he casually tossed aside the fractured hilt of his sword, the last remaining piece of his shattered blade.

Go Gin's pupils contracted as his eyes fell on the broken fragments of the sword scattered across the ground.

What the hell just happened?

In that moment—besides the sudden stiffness of his body—his mind had gone hazy. By the time he regained awareness, a deep gash had already appeared across his chest.

Was that strange spell a one-time technique that destroyed his weapon in exchange for power?

The thought flashed through Go Gin's mind. His thick legs bent slightly, and his gaze sharpened.

"Skin Reinforcement!" he shouted.

Clenching his fists tightly, he roared again: "Enhanced Skin Reinforcement!"

A pale brown glow flashed across Go Gin's entire body, followed by a second, brighter layer of the same hue.

From a distance, it looked as though his deep green skin had taken on the sheen of metal.

Lyle narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze flicking to the stat panel floating before him. He had always paid special attention to the unique martial techniques of this world—especially reinforcement-type ones, which differed from magical enhancements entirely.

Take magical buffs, for instance—Magic Enhancement and Greater Magic Enhancement. When both were cast, only the stronger one remained active.

But martial techniques were different!

When Skin Reinforcement and Enhanced Skin Reinforcement were used together, their effects stacked rather than canceled each other out.

That was the true peculiarity of martial arts!

Lyle shifted his eyes away from the panel. He hadn't learned those two reinforcement skills—not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.

Humans, after all, didn't possess the thick dermal layer unique to demi-human races. Reinforcements like that simply weren't usable for people like him.

"I truly underestimated you, human alchemist," Go Gin said solemnly, lowering his massive arms that hung past his waist and nearly brushed his thighs.

"From this point on, I will only attack once. If you can withstand it, I will apologize for my arrogance."

After speaking, Go Gin felt a flicker of shame.

His warrior's instinct told him Lyle's aura was clearly weaker than his own. And yet, this supposed alchemist—this spellcaster—had wounded him, forced him back, and even made him use his strongest defensive techniques.

Upon hearing Go Gin's declaration—

"A single strike to decide the outcome?" Lyle raised an eyebrow. "That's quite generous of you."

Truth be told, Lyle knew where he stood. In a straight-up contest of strength, he wasn't a match for Go Gin.

His only chance to win lay in a battle of attrition—taking advantage of Go Gin's inability to fly. If he summoned the Flame Archangel, it could lift him into the sky and wear his opponent down from a distance.

But...

He had nearly exhausted his stock of Flame Archangel scrolls back in the great swamp. The only gain from that whole ordeal was an experience boost:

EXP: 20,152 / 10,000 — just enough to ensure one stable level-up.

The last two remaining scrolls had been destroyed in his earlier battle with Go Gin.

As for the three-day journey back to the imperial capital, Lyle had only managed to craft two more Flame Archangel scrolls—most of his remaining mana had gone into charging the Orb of Death (110 / 280).

So even his attrition strategy was barely viable.

Go Gin's sudden visit had caught him completely off guard.

Still—

His earlier use of the Dark Wave wasn't just to show off—it had been part of his setup for a prolonged battle.

Lyle's eyes flicked toward the steadily bleeding wound on Go Gin's chest, his expression unreadable.

After leveling up the Cursed Knight class to Level 3, its curse effects inflicted wounds that couldn't be healed with low-tier restoration spells—and worse, they suppressed regeneration.

That made them a natural counter to regenerative creatures like trolls or ogres.

Go Gin probably hadn't realized it yet, but if this dragged on, just the blood loss alone would wear him down.

"I'm coming!" Go Gin roared, his killing intent surging like a wave.

Boom!

The ground trembled.

Go Gin charged like a runaway locomotive, his massive frame generating enough force to stir up a violent gust of wind as he rushed Lyle.

At the same time—

Another flash of light burst across his body.

"Flowstep Acceleration!"

His already terrifying speed soared to another level. As he neared Lyle, Go Gin appeared to anticipate a repeat of Lyle's strange disabling move.

Bang!

His foot slammed the ground as he leapt into the air, using his massive bulk to plummet downward with a crushing punch.

This kind of tactic—

Even if Lyle used that technique to immobilize him again, Go Gin would still be able to strike simply by falling with gravity.

Such sharp combat instincts.

Lyle stared at the descending giant, who resembled a massive boulder hurtling from the sky, his expression tinged with awe.

Even he hadn't anticipated that someone could use sheer weight and momentum to bypass status effects.

Worse, even if he summoned a Flame Archangel to block, it would just be crushed under Go Gin's massive frame.

A fourth-tier angel, then?

Not worth it.

Instead, a glow of mana shimmered around Lyle's body—and in an instant, he shrank rapidly.

He moved.

Like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, he shot dozens of meters away.

Shrink!

Boom!

Go Gin's punch struck only empty ground, unleashing a shockwave of force.

But his eyes, fierce and white, glinted with excitement as he saw Lyle cleanly dodge the strike.

It had been far too long since he'd fought someone this interesting.

Weaker than him—yet not only had Lyle wounded him, he'd dodged his best attack with ease.

Suppressing his thrill, Go Gin bared his sharp teeth in a wide grin and called out openly:

"I concede, human alchemist."

Go Gin never gave such respect to weaklings. But their short exchange had made one thing abundantly clear—Lyle was no ordinary spellcaster. He was a force to be reckoned with.

"Let's start over. I'm Go Gin."

"Lyle Valecroft of the Free Will," came the response as Lyle returned to his normal size.

Thud!

Go Gin sat cross-legged on the ground with a heavy thump. "Then let's talk, Lyle Valecroft."

"Very well," Lyle said calmly. "But first, you need treatment."

He pointed at the gaping wound on Go Gin's chest, which was still gushing blood—likely made worse by all the movement during their clash.

Go Gin glanced down.

His white pupils constricted.

As a troll-kin, his regeneration was a point of pride. Wounds that would kill humans were nothing to him—just a matter of time.

But now?

This injury—barely more than a scratch in his view—hadn't healed at all. Worse, the blood loss was accelerating.

"You…"

Go Gin looked up, lips parting as if to speak, but the words caught in his throat.

Meanwhile, outside the noble estate, members of various imperial factions were still waiting.

Everyone knew of Go Gin, the Warlord.

Why was he here, of all places?

And why had he been inside for so long?

It didn't make sense.

But time ticked on.

Until sunset.

That's when the doors finally opened—and Go Gin stepped out.

He cast a cold glance at the onlookers.

"Humph."

With a grunt, he ignored them all and closed the ornate gate behind him, striding away. Wherever he passed, the crowd instinctively parted to make way.

Many stared, wide-eyed.

Just that single motion—closing the gate himself—was enough.

They knew something had happened in there. Something serious.

And word of it quickly reached the Bloody Emperor.

He could ignore other rumors. But this?

This involved Go Gin, his idol—and more importantly, an imperial symbol.

He immediately ordered his agent, Osk, from the Imperial Arena to question Go Gin personally.

How could a mere alchemist delay the Warlord for so long? Something was off.

In the lavish imperial hall—

The Bloody Emperor paced, fingers against his chin in thought.

"Unique alchemy... Using troll blood for potions..."

His golden eyes gleamed.

"Was his target Go Gin from the start?"

"No... That doesn't seem right. This man is getting more and more suspicious."

Knock knock.

"Enter," the Bloody Emperor said without looking up.

A nervous secretary stepped in.

"Speak."

"Osk questioned him. The Warlord said nothing. He just canceled all his matches for the next few days."

Silence.

Then—

"Keep a close watch on that alchemist. I want eyes on him at all times."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Late that night, in the noble district—

Lyle looked up at the moon, its glow shrouded by clouds. He smiled faintly and turned to the little demon hound beside him.

"Time to go."

"Woof," replied the little beast.

Lyle gently patted its head.

"Shrink."

The barghest's body shimmered and shrank, becoming no larger than a normal puppy.

Then, from his item box, Lyle retrieved a feather from some kind of bird and held it up.

His body began to glow with a bright green light.

"Wild Transformation!"

Whoosh!

Lyle's form twisted and compressed, transforming into a large hawk over a meter tall.

[Skill: Wild Transformation (I)]

Cost: Requires one beast or monster material of the intended transformation. Each material is single-use.

Description: Cannot transform into creatures larger than the caster. While transformed, the caster cannot use their original abilities.

If the caster's level exceeds the creature's, stats are capped at the beast's natural limits.

Lyle wobbled slightly in his new form, still unused to the weakened body of a beast.

He glanced at the stat panel:

Hawk (Lv 8)

"Max level eight, huh?"

His sharp beak let out a human voice.

Flap!

Powerful wings unfurled and beat downward.

Clutching the shrunken barghest in his talons, Lyle rose into the air and vanished into the night sky.