Ciel's lips curled up as he returned his gaze to me, a devious gaze.
Oh, he had a plan or a trap? Is he going to finally use his Arcanum now?
Soon, my musings were answered as the ground subtly shifted, something emerging from under the dirt likely attempting to grab me.
I barely dodged as tendrils sprouted up, attempting to wrap around my feet to inhibit my movement, but the danger wasn't over.
"Hmm… Truly, not bad. You're one of the best I've fought," he praised attempting to distract me as a flaming arrow rapidly approached me.
Subtly twisting, I narrowly avoided it as I took in and observed my surroundings.
It still wasn't over yet.
With my exceptional situational and spatial awareness, I noticed a stealthy figure creeping up, getting close.
Still, I should applaud this motley crew.
This tactic of subversion and ambushing was very effective, I myself used it in the battle against the Behemoth of Flames, working wonders.
Unfortunately, these people had to run into me: a fighter brought up as a high noble, extensively trained in any and all situations.
"Oh not bad. Prepared a trap and backup huh? Smart thinking, you'll stand a better chance this way."
Ciel's face twisted at my praising yet degrading words as he charged at me with a snarl.
He had a newfound vigor now because my Abyssal Hand detached from his wrist when I had to back off from the tendrils and arrow.
At the same time, the distant archer nocked another arrow onto their bow, and the stealthy assassin crept closer to me.
Sigh…
Fighting against three opponents two stages higher than me simultaneously, and with my Arcanum already known, I didn't have much confidence to win this battle.
…With my current strength that is.
===
Usable Attribute Points: 8
Mana Capacity: B+
Mental Strength: C
Strength: A → SS [4 Attribute points spent]
Speed: A → SS [4 Attribute points spent]
Vitality: SS+ [Maxed]
===
Hehe…
I swiftly assigned my usable attribute points I received from leveling up and the ones saved from not desiring to be too overpowered.
Well… Now that's kinda gone.
Sigh, If I could've fought them one after the other, I would be able to win pretty easily.
As Ciel launched a barrage of attacks at me and the tendrils extended, I defended, pretending like my strength and speed hadn't jumped.
His attacks slowly backed me up closer to the assassin, seeming like I was unaware of their presence.
Another flaming shot at me, and the assassin closed in, finally making their move.
Ceil momentarily halted his assault to give me a brief moment of respite, believing I would use the moment to stand still and catch my breath, unknowing of the impending doom approaching.
With an incredibly swift pivot thanks to my upgraded speed stat, I comfortably avoided the incoming sneak attack, delivering a brutal counterattack in return.
The metal part of my shovel hit them straight in the face, and with my A-rank equivalent strength, they weren't getting back up. Especially not after the point blank windblade I launched right after.
[You have slain SoulReaperJohn, Upper Stage Awakened Realm]
Rewards: 55 xp, 4 gold and 80 silver
At the same time, my Abyssal Hand moved to completely tank the incoming arrow, being destroyed in the process.
The fire wasn't an issue, the physical force behind the arrow was.
This was similar to when I faced the Behemoth of Flames. Though, I never tried directly blocking one of its attacks.
"W-What?! You're hacking!!" Ciel stammered, shocked at my sudden display of speed and strength.
"Calling hacks now… Really? Come on bro," I said unamusedly, returning the barrage of attacks he threw at me and I threw at him previously, effortlessly dodging arrows in the process.
I also cut many of the tendrils sprouted and pushed him to areas where his tendrils didn't start growing.
"You just suddenly got so much stronger and faster!! How do you explain that?!"
He was frantic, trying his best to block my whirlwind of shovel swings and windblades.
In his rattled state, he didn't notice the conglomeration of mana reforming my Abyssal Hand to his right.
"CIEL!!!"
A scream rang from the distance after he positioned his greatsword to the left to meet my shovel's blade.
Unluckily for the girl, that scream only seemed to confuse and distract him, rather than warning him of the imminent knuckle sandwich from the right.
The free jaw adjustment surgery severely disorientated him, allowing me to hit him with the one-two combo of shovel and windblade.
[You have slain Ciel Winterforge, Upper Stage Awakened Realm]
Rewards: 60 xp, 9 gold and 40 silver
HOLY FUCK!
This boy was rich rich!
For a highwayman, I thought he'd be pretty broke.
Is hunting random people coming back to the town that profitable? Perhaps I should consider a career change.
The sound of bushes rustling and footsteps echoing broke my thoughts.
Ah, that's right! I didn't end the third one.
When I began chasing, I received a notification of my Ring of Swiftness going off cooldown. Perfect!
Soon, I hunted down that flandering archer. Even with the head start, her speed was… less than desirable.
I got three gold from her, bringing the net gain from this return trip to a staggering seventeen gold! This was more than the bounty from the Behemoth of Flames and the gold I got from slaying it.
Hehe, speaking of that. I probably reaped more profit than Miyaura right?
Oh! Speaking of Miyaura, it seems I left someone behind.
***
"Sooo… How was your jog?" Miyaura sarcastically asked when we reconvened. "Glad you prioritized your cardio."
"Hey! I rocketed back to the battlefield like my life depended on it after finishing that woman off. I was going so fast, I found time to pet cats, admire nature, and take detours on the way to slay some monsters that seemed ripe with xp."
He rolled his eyes wearily as we made our way back to the village.
Judging from his clothing, he suffered some pretty serious wounds in the 1v3, but he still came out on top.
"How do you still look like you're perfectly fine after all that?" He asked, seeing my relaxed gait. We had both fought an enemy three stages higher, than a one on three after all.
"Cause I do cardio. You seem to be pretty out of shape if you're tired."
"Oh, what's your workout regiment then? Seems to work wonders."
Suppressing my smile, I said "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km run."
"The fuck? Is that a joke?"
"You wouldn't get it," I said, lightly shaking my head.
A couple minutes later, we were finally back at the village.
"Now… How shall we split the bounty from the behemoth?" I asked.
He smiled.
"Later."
Then he disappeared. He had logged off.