NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Explosive Pulse, 2-Star
I tightened my grip on the dagger.
I’d been worried Cat’s Paw might stop me from holding it, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
“Even a cursed physique like mine should at least let me use other people’s weapons.”
“Gah!”
The assassin’s panic was obvious—whether because his surprise attack had failed or because I caught his dagger barehanded, I wasn’t sure.
I was a bit surprised myself.
“So he really is an assassin.”
From the moment I’d seen him, he’d radiated an eerie lack of presence.
He even disappeared briefly during the meeting.
If I hadn’t been aware of him beforehand, I might’ve been skewered.
But now that he’d been caught, he’d have to pay the price.
“Let me show you something fun.”
-Thrum! Thrum!
Explosive Pulse activated, filling my body with energy as the mana engine roared to life.
Coupled with the raw strength from Herculean Strength, I was unstoppable.
-Crack!
The dagger shattered in my grip, reduced to splinters.
“What kind of lunatic—!”
The assassin stumbled back in horror, but I closed the distance instantly.
How long could an assassin survive in a head-on fight, especially after losing his weapon?
“Just a little closer.”
All I needed was to touch him—even just a finger.
And then—
“You’re dead.”
I grabbed his collar and yanked him forward into a brutal headbutt.
-Bam!
The sickening crack of his neck signaled his instant death.
[First boss defeated! You have obtained a skill book!]
“Nice.”
The assassin’s body felt frail—expected, given his build.
It was fortunate for me. If he dropped an assassin-class skill, it might actually be useful.
Of course, I’d confirm that later.
-Clang! Clang!
“Another ambush? Really?”
I blocked the sword strike of Lak-Lak’s bodyguard with my forearm.
Normally, that would’ve been the end of my arm, but—
[Diamond Parts (E) – Active]
With Diamond Parts, I could block it.
“What sorcery is this?”
The bodyguard’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.
Understandable—my arm should’ve been cleaved, but it wasn’t.
-Grind.
He twisted his blade upward.
Diamond Parts only covered specific parts of my body.
If he targeted another area, I’d be in trouble.
-Slash!
Even though I twisted my neck at the last moment, the tip of the blade grazed me, leaving a shallow cut.
He was quick—both in movement and judgment.
What made him especially dangerous, though, was—
“The reach advantage.”
Not only was he taller, but he also wielded a sword, giving him significant range over me.
Though he wasn’t a knight, his skill was battle-tested, honed by years of practical experience.
-Boom!
“Whoa!”
Big Hammer’s leader, Damon, swung his massive hammer with incredible force.
I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow.
Taking that head-on was out of the question.
Even though he was only a 2-star fighter, he couldn’t be underestimated.
“2-star fighters can reinforce their bodies with mana.”
For someone as physically imposing as Damon, that enhancement made him even more terrifying.
And with a hammer that powerful, even Diamond Parts wouldn’t fully absorb the impact—it’d cause damage elsewhere.
The combination of the nimble swordsman and the destructive hammer-wielder was proving—
“Incredibly annoying.”
“Still have the energy to complain?”
The swordsman’s blade shimmered as he prepared another attack.
-Swoosh!
The blade began to spin, and suddenly ten phantom swords materialized in the air around him.
“Illusory blades?”
“So, it’s Ten Wings Blade!”
“Impressive. Now die.”
-Flash!
The phantom swords shot toward me.
For a split second, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
Which one was real? There was no time to figure it out—they were too fast.
-Slice! Slash!
“Ugh!”
Even the phantoms were sharp enough to leave shallow cuts as I leapt backward.
“Hahaha! Think you can run? There’s nowhere to go!”
The cramped space worked against me.
I kept retreating, but my back quickly hit the wall.
“Crush him!”
“Get out of here!”
I ducked just in time to avoid Damon’s hammer, which smashed into the wall where my head had been moments earlier.
As much as I wanted to deal with him first—
-Clang!
The swordsman’s relentless attacks made it impossible.
“Cowards, ganging up on me like this.”
Dealing with a fast jab was hard enough in boxing.
The swordsman’s thrusts weren’t much different—except there were ten of them at once.
-Swish! Swish!
The Ten Wings Blade skill wasn’t particularly powerful in terms of raw damage.
Its E-grade rank reflected that, as the damage was dispersed across the phantoms.
But experiencing it firsthand?
“This is insane.”
The skill’s effectiveness wasn’t in its damage but its ability to overwhelm opponents.
Deflecting the real blade while dodging the phantoms wasn’t easy.
“Should I just take a few hits and close the distance?”
If I protected my vital areas with Diamond Parts, I might manage to get close.
Up close, I’d have the advantage in hand-to-hand combat.
-Whoosh!
I reinforced my guard with Diamond Parts and lunged forward.
-Ting!
The blade struck my arm and bounced off harmlessly.
This could work.
I was about to throw a punch when—
-Chill
A cold sensation ran through my abdomen.
I twisted instinctively, avoiding a fatal wound, but blood trickled from the gash on my side.
“Sharp reflexes. I almost skewered you.”
The real blade had nearly impaled me.
If I’d kept charging, I’d be dead.
“That was close.”
But oddly enough—
“Why does it feel… manageable?”
The attacks were dangerous, but I felt a strange confidence that I could evade them.
-Swoosh! Slash!
Even when the blade was inches from piercing me, I managed to dodge at the last moment.
“How is this possible?!”
The swordsman’s frustration boiled over.
His strikes were landing, but not with the effect he’d expected.
I realized why.
“It’s thanks to Instructor Nohr’s training.”
The skill Mana Release, available to those who walk the martial path at 3-star rank, was something Instructor Nohr had drilled into me relentlessly.
To teach me this, he constantly jabbed me with his finger, forcing me to react.
That training—learning to sense danger and avoid it instinctively—had become second nature.
“Didn’t expect it to come in handy like this.”
What I initially thought was just a lesson in technique was also a way to develop reflexes and crisis perception, essential for survival in life-and-death combat.
This ingrained sense was now keeping me alive.
Trusting my instincts, I pressed forward.
-Clang!
I dodged and countered the swordsman’s attack, managing to strike back.
At this moment, I couldn’t help but admire Nohr.
Sure, he had a difficult personality, but as a teacher, he was unparalleled.
“Still can’t let my guard down.”
The situation was still heavily against me.
-Thud!
A quick jab knocked aside one of the phantom swords.
It was light.
The illusions themselves lacked weight.
-Bam! Bam! Bam!
I advanced with a flurry of punches.
The swordsman’s panic was palpable as I wove through the barrage of illusory blades.
With every step I took forward, my body accumulated more wounds, but it was the swordsman who was slowly being pushed back.
“Does this guy even feel fear?”
Damon muttered from the sidelines, unable to interfere.
Of course, I felt fear.
I was fighting barehanded, and one misstep could mean death.
[Diamond Parts (E) – Active]
What I relied on were my skills and instincts.
It was like walking a precarious tightrope.
But I didn’t let my fear show.
“You wretched brat!”
The swordsman’s attacks sped up, his movements becoming increasingly heated.
My body burned with exertion as Explosive Pulse pushed itself to its limits.
Heat radiated from my body as fatigue threatened to overwhelm me.
Without Herculean Strength, I would’ve collapsed long ago.
“I can’t let this drag on.”
I resolved to end it quickly.
-Stab!
-Slash!
I blocked what I could, absorbing less critical hits with my body.
For truly dangerous strikes, I relied on instinct—
-Twitch.
My senses flared, and I ducked.
-Bang!
Using the recoil, I swung an uppercut.
“You bastard!”
The punch was aimed to break his arm, but the force rebounded as his mana-coated arm absorbed the impact.
The mana that surged around his forearm shimmered and dissipated.
“Mana Release, huh?”
“Damn 3-star rank.”
It was my first time fighting someone actively using Mana Release.
Now I understood why rankings were divided by stars—and why 3-star marked the beginning of the intermediate tier.
“What am I supposed to do about this?!”
[Heavy Strike (D) – Active]
[Diamond Parts (E) – Active]
-Crash!
I shattered the illusions with my fists and punched directly at his real blade.
“Ack!”
The swordsman stumbled backward, sliding across the floor.
I clicked my tongue.
If I’d hit his jaw instead of his sword, he’d be dead by now.
“Been making good money in the alleys, huh? That’s some fancy gear you’ve got.”
Despite my effort, his sword only cracked.
Still, it didn’t matter.
Unlike before, I could now use Heavy Strike without breaking my hand.
I’d just keep hitting until it shattered.
-Bang! Bam! Crash!
I unleashed a relentless series of punches before he could activate Ten Wings Blade again.
Barehanded attacks were faster, and with Explosive Pulse, I had enough power to overwhelm him.
The swordsman staggered back, barely keeping his footing, until—
“Damn it!”
His foot caught on a corpse, and he tripped.
“Perfect.”
Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward, ready to pummel him into the ground, when I felt it—
-Chill!
A warning, deep and primal.
Turning my head, I saw Damon charging with his hammer raised high.
“This ends here, you brat!”
Damn it.
In my focus on the swordsman, I’d left my back exposed.
“That’s a cheap weapon, isn’t it?”
-Crunch!
Instead of dodging, I punched the hammer as it came down.
The impact bent the hammer’s handle into a U-shape.
Spinning on my heel, I followed up with a spinning back kick.
“Gahhh!”
Damon let out a strangled scream as he flew into the wall, collapsing in a heap.
He coughed violently, but it seemed he wasn’t dead yet.
“Better finish him off now.”
As I moved to crush his skull, something pierced me.
-Stab.
“Heh. Never turn your back on an enemy.”
Damn it.
A foreign sensation coursed through my body.
Looking down, I saw the blade sticking out of my abdomen.
I hadn’t even realized the swordsman had thrown his weapon.
“Cheap shot, throwing your sword?”
The icy feeling of the blade was followed by searing pain in my side, accompanied by the sudden realization that I might die.
-Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
My heart pounded furiously.
-Whirr!
In response, Explosive Pulse roared to life, flooding my body with mana.
“Urghhh!”
The mana raged uncontrollably, tearing through my circuits and filling me with excruciating pain.
[Physique: Mana Circuits are expanding!]
As if evolving, my circuits widened, adapting to the surge of mana.
-Thump!
A shock reverberated through my chest as if my heart had momentarily stopped.
[Explosive Pulse has reached 2-star rank!]
[New functionalities unlocked!]
[Physique: Mana Circuits strengthened!]
The mana engine roared with a chain reaction of explosions, pushing the system to its limits.
As the circuits expanded to match the overwhelming mana, a final detonation rippled outward.
-Boom!
A shockwave swept through the area, annihilating everything in its path.