Today... one last time (3)

A few days had passed since our last meeting with the Alchemy Master.

And, as promised, the potions were ready.

''Who would've thought being friends with a protagonist would be so profitable'' I said, glancing at the brand-new spear resting beside me.

Kim Gongja had bought it for me.

A real spear. A decent weapon.

No crooked handle, no chipped blade, no permanent moldy smell.

The old one... well.

The old one was a piece of metal pretending to be a weapon.

Absolute trash, further destroyed during the fight against the masked man.

And worse—since it was returned to the inventory already in shambles, even rewinding time didn't help.

But this one?

This one was different.

A sleek, matte sheen, a firm grip, balanced the way it should be. Like trading an old slipper for a pair of enchanted war boots.

I was almost emotional.

Almost.

[Perseus, focus.]

Luxxion's voice cut through my thoughts.

I snapped back to reality.

The living room of Sang-Ryun's residence was peaceful.

Gongja sat in an armchair in the corner, watching as I faced the Alchemy Master in a chess match.

She seemed quite excited about the challenge.

And Luxxion?

Luxxion seemed determined to turn her into a pile of fallen pieces.

[She's going to move the knight to F3.]

''Rook to D4.''

[Confirmation: precise move. Good choice.]

The Alchemy Master raised an eyebrow. Her golden eyes gleamed.

''You play well.''

''Me? Not at all. I just… feel the game.''

[Blatant lie detected.]

She moved her piece. I responded with another.

''Knight to C6. Check.''

Gongja scoffed in the background.

''I'm starting to think you have an oracle whispering in your ear.''

''Oh, come on.'' I smiled. ''Intuition.''

[That's an insult to the very concept of "intuition."]

The Alchemy Master narrowed her eyes.

''You're strange, Liam. But in a good way.''

''So are you. But in a mildly concerning way.''

She laughed.

Her expression, once cold and reserved, was noticeably more open.

With two more moves, I ended the match.

''Checkmate.''

''…Huh?''

She stared at the board, genuinely confused.

Gongja choked on his tea.

''You lost? You?!''

''He cheated!'' she said, pointing at me before crossing her arms. ''He used tricks.''

''Just strategy.'' I winked.

[With technical supervision.]

With the match over, she gave us final instructions about the potions. Rows of vials lined up on the table.

''They work best together, but be careful'' she said, serious again.'' Overuse can cause an overdose. Side effects include seizures, loss of consciousness, internal bleeding, and… well, death.

''So, no potion shots. Noted.''

Gongja scratched his neck, laughing awkwardly.

''We'll be careful. Promise.''

''You'd better. I like you two alive.''

The Alchemy Master began packing up her things.

As she stored the remaining vials, Luxxion made a comment in my mind:

[Curious. She developed an attachment in record time.]

''I think even I'd start liking me if I saw myself winning at chess.'' I murmured.

[That's the joke. You didn't win. I did.]

Ignoring Luxxion, I watched as the Alchemy Master said her goodbyes.

She left, and Gongja collapsed onto the couch.

''Ugh. Finally some peace.''

''She's a bit intense'' I commented, sitting across from him.

''You won at chess. I can't trust you anymore.''

''Trust is overrated.''

We exchanged a brief look.

The silence that followed was comfortable. Unlike the first time we met.

But the truce couldn't last long.

''Now what?'' Gongja asked, adjusting the dagger at his belt. ''Do we wait a bit longer?''

''No.'' I stood. ''He should've shown up by now, shouldn't he?''

''Yeah.''

''And nothing. Not a peep. No attack attempts, no infiltration.''

''It's way too suspicious.''

[He's waiting for something.]

''Waiting for what?'' I grumbled.

Gongja stood as well, adjusting his clothes.

''Let's end this already. If there's one place he'll look for us… it's there.''

''The tenth floor.''

[That's a solid assumption.]

I grabbed my new spear. The metal gleamed under the room's light.

With a final glance, we left the residence.

Ready for whatever awaited us.

____________

It's been an hour since Gongja and I arrived on the tenth floor.

No sign of him yet.

The scenery around us remained the same: jagged rocks, a motionless gray sky, and dry wind passing by as if we were trapped in a timeless limbo.

The tenth floor was vast, with cliffs stretching into the distance and elevated rock formations.

If the masked man wanted to, he could be watching us right now.

I rested the new spear on my shoulder.

The past few days had been exhausting.

Gongja and I trained as much as we could.

We sparred.

Tried to figure out how to fight better together.

Gongja was still inexperienced with aura, which kept us on equal footing.

I made up for my lack of it with pure experience and a bit of technique.

But what bothered me…

''Your aura is stronger than it should be.''

Gongja blinked at me.

''Mind explaining how the hell you know that?''

''I'm your fan. Something like that.''

He sighed.

''… You say that like it's not weird.''

I ignored the suspicious look and turned my attention to the guard posted at the tenth floor's entrance.

The same guard we had seen die.

Gongja was watching him too.

''Do you think… he remembers anything?''

I studied the man for a moment.

''If he does, he's an excellent actor.''

The guard showed nothing unusual.

His face was the same as any other day. No hesitation, no trace of discomfort.

I scratched my neck.

''This just raises more questions.''

''Yeah.''

He shrugged.

So, I changed the subject.

''So... how do I improve my spear technique?''

''How would I know?''

Gongja looked slightly perplexed.

''I wasn't asking you. I was asking the guy who lives in your head. The Sword Emperor.''

Gongja blinked.

Then scoffed.

''So you know about the Sword Emperor too.''

''Of course. He seems like an interesting guy. Bet he knows some cool techniques.''

There was a pause.

Then, Gongja laughed.

''He said you're an insufferable bootlicker.''

Luxxion didn't miss a beat:

[That's your secret skill, User Perseus. "Master-Level Bootlicking."]

Gongja was still laughing at his spirit's comment, but soon began relaying the Sword Emperor's advice.

Luxxion agreed with most of it.

Curiously, some of the mistakes pointed out hadn't appeared in the System's holograms.

Had I already corrected them without realizing it?

The conversation continued… until Gongja suddenly went silent.

His body stiffened.

I knew immediately.

Footsteps.

Footsteps I knew all too well.

I turned slowly.

And there he was.

The Masked-man.

Approaching from a distance, unhurried. Sword sheathed at his waist, eyes hidden behind the mask.

My hand moved on instinct.

I opened my inventory and pulled out the potions.

Gongja looked at me, confused.

''How the hell did you do that?''

I ignored him.

And downed the vials in one go.

The effect was immediate.

The world slowed.

But my heart—my heart pounded like a Formula 1 engine.

My blood burned, boiling through my veins.

The sound around me became sharper. More intense.

I could hear the wind slicing against the rocks.

Every detail. Every breath.

I could even feel the strands of my hair shifting against my skin.

It was agonizing.

Then, Luxxion announced:

[Stats increased temporarily!]

[Strength: 1 Star (52% → 65%)]

[Agility: 1 Star (58% → 80%)]

[Endurance: 1 Star (44% → 55%)]

[Perception: 1 Star (36% → 72%)]

My mind expanded.

The masked man lunged.

Time seemed to warp.

He was a blur, but a blur I could follow.

My spear rose to block—

The impact was violent.

My weapon nearly slipped from my hands as his blade collided with the metal shaft.

The force sent me skidding backward, my feet scraping against the cracked ground.

Great. That told me everything.

Blocking was suicide. Even without his aura activated.

Gongja dashed in.

His dagger glowed with crimson aura as it slashed through the air.

The masked man twisted his body, dodging as if dancing.

He turned back to me in an instant—

The sword came in a horizontal slash.

I ducked at the last second.

The fight was a whirlwind.

Gongja struck from one side, I from the other.

He dodged, blocked, countered with absurd precision.

But…

He was different.

Slower. Even without his energy.

The potions were absurdly good. I'd make sure to hug the Alchemy Master after this.

I raised my spear and forced an attack. A quick lateral slash aimed at his ribs.

He lifted his sword to block—

And I pulled back at the last second.

A feint.

His defense opened a fraction too late.

And Gongja seized the moment.

His dagger slashed the masked man's shoulder.

Blood sprayed.

But instead of a cry of pain, the man laughed.

A low, distorted chuckle.

He wiped the blood with his fingers and muttered something to himself.

His sword lifted as he stepped back.

The putrid energy rippled, like a starving miasma.

My stomach twisted.

He wasn't playing anymore.

I tightened my grip on the spear.

The real fight… was about to begin.