Chapter 0028 - Dodge, My Lord!

******

"This… what in the world is my lord doing?!"

Lilith, who had been relentlessly firing arrow after arrow at the Mossling, far too focused to glance at Xylen's side of the battle, suddenly sensed something amiss after catching a glimpse of the way Xylen was running.

'Has he defeated the Springfox?' She wondered, her brows tightly furrowing.

'Then why the hell is he running toward the Mossling?!'

Different thoughts ran through her mind, and without hesitation, she glanced at the Springfox.

The sight she saw, however, nearly stole the breath from her lungs.

"How…"

Panic overtook her, and without a second thought, she seized the long blade and dagger from her bag, sprinting in Xylen's direction.

"Move faster, my lord!"

She screamed, her voice laced with desperation.

Meanwhile, Xylen tore across the battlefield as though hell itself was at his heels.

The most bewildered of them all, however, was the Mossling.

Just a second ago, it had been locked in a relentless duel with Lilith, her arrows not powerful but irritating enough to demand its full attention. Now, however, the barrage had stopped, and the very same weak attacker was suddenly charging straight into the fray.

It hesitated for barely a second before an ominous glint flashed through its being.

It had endured enough.

The Mossling's fury flared, and without further reluctance, it pivoted its attention toward Lilith, intent on eliminating the persistent nuisance.

Yet before it could strike, a sudden, spine-chilling premonition washed over it.

Its gaze shifted, and to its shock…

The second weak ant… Xylen was charging straight at it; sword raised high, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent, as if ready to cleave itself in two.

It was first stunned…, and then its immediate instinct was to lash out.

In the next instant, thorned roots burst forth toward Xylen—relentless, merciless, and brimming with force.

It was going to tear Xylen into pieces.

Unfortunately for it, however… just as it was going to strike Xylen, he ducked, completely evading it.

And then—

"Wraaaaaghhhh!"

An unexpected, guttural, and agonized shriek ripped through the forest, greatly startling the Mossling and Lilith.

It belonged to the Springfox.

The poor and unfortunate beast, driven by madness and just moments from catching up to Xylen, had been struck with full force—hit hard and mercilessly, bearing the entire brunt of the attack intended for Xylen.

What just happened?

The Mossling and the Springfox wondered in unison, pausing for a moment.

But before the Mossling could fully comprehend the sudden changed situation, the Springfox that had already lost its mind lunged at it with unbridled fury.

This was Xylen's gambit… and it had succeeded.

....

"Are you all right, my lord?" Lilith, reaching Xylen at this moment, asked, her tone thick and heavy with worry.

Gasping for breath, Xylen managed a nod before his eyes landed on the short blade in her grasp. In the following second,

"Give me that!"

Without waiting for permission, he snatched the Rusthorn Blade from Lilith's hands and, without missing a beat, hurled himself back into the fray.

'This…' Lilith froze, unable to react for a moment before;

"My lord—!"

She cried frantically, but her concern fell on deaf ears.

"Keep attacking the Mossling!"

Xylen barked a response and plunged straight into the fray, instantly throwing the battlefield into complete chaos.

The Frenzied Springfox began to lash out indiscriminately at both the Mossling and Xylen while Lilith, after a momentary hesitation, resumed her relentless barrage of arrows.

Seizing the opening, Xylen activated Royal Scan, and the instant he saw the enemies' HP bars, his blood surged with exhilaration, his eyes lightening up.

With this, his attacks turned savage, as if he had also lost his mind.

His Sword and blade slashed, punctured, and tore through the Springfox's flesh with reckless abandon.

And then…

A sickening squelch.

The Rusthorn Blade's skill was activated, suddenly impaling the Springfox in the—

'This… this sort of ill luck…'

Xylen felt his stomach turn, and just then, blood gushed out from the Springfox's…

Butthole?

The absurdity of the moment barely registered before—

0

A massive, blood-red notification flared above the Springfox as it let out a shriek, thrashing violently before collapsing to the ground and becoming motionless.

In the next second;

[ Battle Log ]

[ You have slain a level 6 Springfox ]

[ EXP + 1000 ]

[ Loots Acquired:

—Phantom Steps (Grade C Skill),

—Tendril Whip (Grade C Item),

—200 copper coins

]

[ All rewards have doubled in effect due to a 5-level gap between you and the defeated enemy! ]

[ Bonus effect canceled—external assistance detected in the kill. ]

[ Battle Rating: A ]

|| E N D ||

.....

"This…"

Xylen stared, completely shell-shocked.

He had just… slain the unstoppable foe?

He stood frozen, reality refusing to sink in for what felt like an eternity until suddenly,

"Dodge, my lord!"

Lilith's urgent scream tore through the air, shattering his trance.

Hearing her, Xylen's gaze instantly snapped up, and in the next second, dread washed over him.

A dead tree branch was hurtling toward him, and feeling the force and pressure it was emitting, Xylen knew, even without trying that… there was no way he was dodging this.

His body tensed up, and—

'Damn it! Am I still going to die even after so much effort?!'

He screamed desperately and unwillingly when suddenly…

[ Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 1. ]

[ All your stats have recovered. ]

[ All your stats have increased. ]

[ You have gained one unassigned stat point. ]

….

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up to level 2. ]

[ All your stats have increased. ]

[ You have gained two unassigned stat points. ]

...

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up to level 3. ]

[ All your stats have increased. ]

[ You have gained three unassigned stat points. ]

...

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up to level 4. ]

[ All your stats have increased. ]

[ You have gained four unassigned stat points. ]

….

Four consecutive announcements echoed in his mind, and just then…

Bang!

The branch struck, launching him through the air.

******

[A/N:

Hey everyone,

So far, this book has received no Golden Tickets and very little support, making me feel pessimistic about it.

This is my first book on this platform, and I'll be honest—the lack of support has been discouraging. So please, if you're enjoying the story, consider voting, gifting, and leaving a comment. Your support makes all the difference!

If it's going to gain traction, now is the best time to help it grow!

Thank you!