Today... one last time (4)

His blade sliced through the air, passing inches from my throat.

I twisted my body low to dodge, feeling the rough stone floor scrape against my boots.

The spear followed immediately — an upward arc aimed at his exposed side.

He blocked.

But for the first time… he faltered.

My skill was activating.

["Defying the Impossible" – Active.]

[Analyzing power gap…]

[Enemy classified as High-Rank D.]

[Strength: 1 Star (65% → 73%)]

[Agility: 1 Star (80% → 91%)]

[Endurance: 1 Star (55% → 63%)]

[Perception: 1 Star (72% → 83%)]

Agility had received a major boost.

Was it based on the stat values of the enemy I was facing?

My body reacted before my mind could catch up.

It was strange.

It would be an exaggeration to say I felt like a feather.

But honestly? I couldn't think of a better analogy.

The masked man stepped back, his invisible eyes behind the mask locked on me.

He spun his sword again, this time coming in with a straight thrust aimed at my face.

I leaned my torso back.

The strike passed close.

And then…

''Hey! What's going on here?!'' the shout came from the side.

It was the tenth-floor guard. Again.

He was running toward us, armor clinking, face full of horror.

''This is a boss area! You can't—''

The blade pierced his neck in an instant.

Blood sprayed like a ruptured fountain.

The body collapsed to the ground without ceremony.

Again.

I stared at the scene for a second. Not because I was shocked.

But because of what it confirmed.

Before, I would've frozen. A little, maybe.

But maybe… after watching Gongja die more than forty times… something inside me had changed.

As if my mind had grown a thick shell where panic used to be.

The masked man turned back to us.

And this time, I advanced.

My spear slashed downward, forcing him to sidestep.

That's when I threw it.

The potion arced through the air slow enough that even a child could've dodged it.

He smirked smugly. Probably thought I'd missed.

But I'd never intended to hit him directly.

It exploded at his feet with a wet, abrupt SPLASH.

The steaming liquid hit his boots, and yellowish smoke rose immediately.

The effect was instant.

He stumbled.

The putrid energy around his sword hissed, as if being choked.

Blisters began to form on his skin — red, inflamed.

[Analysis complete.]

[Alchemy Master's Potion – "Internal Fragmentation"]

[Effect: Agility reduction (-20%). Physical resistance (-15%). Continuous corrosive damage.]

His leg buckled for a moment.

He leaned on his sword.

A groan slipped out from behind the mask.

''That was the plan?'' Gongja asked, appearing beside me.

''That is the plan.'' I replied.

Three potions.

One already used.

One with me. One with Gongja.

We'd use them at random moments. To mess with his senses.

He'd probably expect us to have more. That's why random timing was essential.

It was crude. It was improvised.

But it worked.

My spear spun again.

This time, I used the base of the shaft to guide the masked man's blade away.

The impact rattled down to my bones, but it was better than letting that fucking energy melt my weapon completely.

Gongja came in from behind, his aura-coated dagger slicing through the space between them.

The masked man turned — but he was already too late.

Gongja's blade skimmed past his arm.

Another cut.

More blood.

[Stats increased.]

[Agility increased by 3%]

[Perception increased by 4%]

[Values updated successfully!]

[Agility: 91% → 94%]

[Perception: 83% → 87%]

The increase in stats against someone was much greater than the increase in training or fighting monsters.

It was like going after copper and finding a ton of gold.

By the way...

''Luxxion.''

[Yes?]

''The Seed… it still hasn't bloomed yet, has it?''

[Correct.]

''What's missing?''

[…Response unavailable.]

Of course.

Everything always "unavailable."

But deep down, I knew.

This thing would only bloom if Gongja died — permanently — at this bastard's hands.

Maybe there were more variables.

But that was the main one.

I moved.

The tip of the spear pierced through the air and grazed the enemy's stomach.

A slash. Shallow, but real.

He hissed.

Spun. Attacked.

My spear shuddered as I deflected the blade again.

I could feel the heat of the energy even from inches away.

A rotting heat, like burning spoiled meat.

Blocking was still not the right choice.

Dodging was the only choice.

Guiding his strikes. Redirecting. Biting bit by bit.

Luxxion spoke in my mind.

[Progress detected.]

[Stats increased.]

[Agility: 1 Star (91% → 1 Star – 100%)]

Holy shit, agility…!

[New Rank: 2 Stars (2%)]

[Endurance: 1 Star (63% → 69%)]

My body was vibrating. Like my blood wanted to sprint out on its own.

My senses were maxed out.

Gongja seemed sharper too.

His attacks came from unusual angles, trying to force the masked man to move more than necessary.

The strategy was working.

The potion was weakening him.

But it still wasn't enough.

He was much slower than the first time. But his strikes still carried weight.

And the worst part?

He seemed… calm.

As if he was waiting for something.

It wasn't just brute force. There was method.

''You feel that?'' I asked, still dodging strikes.

''I do.'' Gongja replied, sweating.

''He's holding something back.''

Gongja nodded, eyes locked on the enemy.

''This is about to get ugly, isn't it?''

''Nah. It's gonna be beautiful. Like a Van Gogh painting.''

''What the hell are you even talking about, man?'' Gongja asked.

And then, the masked man moved differently.

The blade rose in a vertical arc.

I leapt to the side, rolling across the ground.

The slash came down hard, cracking the stone where I'd just been with a dry snap.

My spear lifted again.

My legs were burning.

The potion's burst still flickered weakly in the air as I moved again.

My breathing came in short, uneven bursts, blood pulsing in my ears like a siren.

Was the overdose starting to kick in?

My organs felt like they were spinning inside me — but not with the intensity the Alchemy Master had warned about.

I could still keep going. At least, for now.

The masked man was backing off.

His feet sank into the purple liquid trapped in his boots.

The vapor curled around his calves like serpents made of acid.

The skin on his legs blistered and tore open, muscles beneath throbbing, swollen, exposed.

But he was still standing.

''You bastards…'' he spat blood on the ground, eyes still hidden behind the mask. ''You call this resistance? This isn't courage. It's stupidity... wrapped in a bow of rotten hope.''

Gongja came from behind, his dagger humming with red aura.

A direct slash to the neck.

The masked man turned at the last second, his sword sweeping in a wide, deadly arc.

Gongja ducked, slid across the ground, and sliced the man's calf with his blade.

Shallow, but solid.

The masked man didn't hesitate.

''That little scratch?'' He raised his leg and drove his knee into Gongja's stomach. ''Insect!''

Gongja flew, slamming into a rock several meters away.

I surged forward.

My spear thrust straight toward his left flank.

He moved half a second too late — and the blade grazed him, opening a cut that stained his clothes with blood.

''You think you can change fate with sticks and spit?''

He spun, sword rising from the ground in a brutal arc.

I dove to the side.

The blade grazed my thigh, slicing through the fabric.

Sting. But not much blood.

[Perception increased: 1 Star (72%) → 1 Star (74%)]

[Agility increased: 2 Stars (4%) → 2 Stars (9%)]

[Condition: Prolonged combat under high risk.]

Luxxion remained silent.

Cold. Methodical. As if death was just three calculations away.

My spear moved more naturally now.

It felt good to be faster, too.

Satisfying, actually.

The weight no longer felt like an obstacle.

My arms knew what to do. Barely, but enough.

Nevertheless, to say that this man knew how to fight skillfully... well, that must have been because I wasn't exactly the most skilled person either.

The masked man came in with another slash.

Diagonal.

I didn't block.

I rolled my shoulders, guided the blade with the spear's shaft, twisted my hips, and slipped past it by a hair.

''You two…'' the masked man panted, chest rising and falling ''are just shadows trying to challenge the sun.''

Another strike. Horizontal.

I ducked, felt the wind of the blade above my head. A few strands of hair were cut off.

So now, besides being a terrible poet, this guy was also a barber?

Gongja appeared again, his aura stronger.

We attacked together.

My spear went for his chest. The dagger, his back.

He blocked the dagger. My tip slashed his abdomen.

A hoarse scream burst from his throat. More blood.

''ENOUGH!''

The putrid energy wrapped around the sword again, now pulsing even more aggressively.

The ground beneath his feet began to crack. The pressure in the air shifted.

Heavy. Way heavier than before. Was his rage feeding this thing?

My nostrils burned.

Gongja pulled back. So did I.

But he moved.

He took a step.

Then another.

And appeared right in front of me.

The blade came from above, straight down.

I tried to leap to the side.

Too late.

The sword tore through my arm, cutting deep—nearly to the bone.

Explosive pain tore through me like liquid fire.

But it wasn't a killing blow.

Not yet.

I staggered back. My right arm dangled.

Blood dripped from my elbow.

The masked man approached, breathing hard.

''You're too damn stubborn. You should be on your knees by now, crying, begging to die with dignity.''

My fingers were still wrapped around the last potion vial.

My hand trembled.

But I didn't hesitate.

My eyes locked with his, beyond the cracked mask.

I smiled.

''Then how about... we cry together?''

And I threw the potion between us.