The sound of a loud crash filled the air as dust billowed out from The Green Meadow Inn, where the second floor had collapsed, causing both Kyoma and the mysterious assassin to tumble down into the inn's main lobby. The first floor served as the inn's main lobby, while the second and third floors were designated for tenants.
Kyoma's curse barrier absorbed the impact of the fall, and with more space in the main lobby, he had a chance to escape. Utilising his weakened cursed barrier, Kyoma made a run for the exit, knowing that the public space would prevent the mysterious man from continuing his assault without drawing attention. But the man was determined not to let his target escape, especially one with knowledge of his organisation's secrets. As Kyoma's barrier neared its breaking point, the man prepared to launch a final attack to end the battle.
The mysterious man invoked the spell "Tempest Stab", assuming an offensive stance with both knees slightly bent and both hands holding his shortsword around the height of his head with both elbows bent. The blade faced upwards with the tip pointing straight at Kyoma, who was making a run for the exit. Suddenly, a surge of erratic wind enveloped the man as he lunged at Kyoma with great force, causing the wooden floor to crack under the immense pressure. As he flew towards Kyoma, the surging wind around the man's body gathered on his sword in a stylish double helix fashion that converged at the tip, greatly increasing its penetrative force like a drill.
Upon contact with the enhanced tip of the blade, Kyoma's cursed barrier shook violently as if it were a bubble about to burst.
-1507
!!!
The current barrier proved insufficient to withstand the force of the enhanced blade and shattered, leaving Kyoma vulnerable. The mysterious man's sword continued its trajectory towards Kyoma's exposed back, now without the enhancement from the double helix wind energy. It was now just an ordinary sword wielded by a master assassin, piercing through Kyoma's chest like butter. Kyoma regretted not wearing his chainmail armour to bed, as it could have helped defend against the assassin's relentless assault. He was left defenceless, clad only in his pyjamas as the sword plunged deep into his chest.
-661!!
Kyoma's HP instantly plunged from 770 to 109, indicating a critical level of damage. Luckily, the sword didn't pierce his heart, but rather his left lung. The spherical cursed barrier surrounding him deflected the direction of the stab. Because of its circular shape, unless the attacker aimed directly at the center, the stab would inevitably deviate from the intended trajectory. It was akin to thrusting a sword at a shield. If the attacker aimed straight at the center of the perfectly perpendicular shield, the sword would remain in a straight line at the point of impact. However, if the shield was tilted, it would alter the direction of the impact to the angle of the tilt. Fortunately for Kyoma, the barrier shifted the direction of the sword slightly to the left, missing his heart by a few centimeters.
....
Getting stabbed in the lung is a critical wound that, if not treated promptly, can result in breathing difficulties and death. Kyoma experienced intense pain in his chest and groaned in agony. To worsen things, the mysterious man withdrew his sword that had pierced Kyoma's chest. The only thing preventing a massive blood loss was removed mercilessly, causing Kyoma to collapse to the ground and blood to spurt from his chest and mouth. Despite this, the mysterious man attempted to deliver the finishing blow but was interrupted by the enraged hobgoblin, who had activated "Beserk" and charged towards Kyoma. The hobgoblin bulldozed through obstacles and debris, aiming to protect Kyoma by sacrificing itself. The mysterious man sidestepped the attack, but it was not directed at him. As the hobgoblin reached Kyoma, it covered him with its massive frame, like a death knight dedicated to safeguarding his master from all external dangers.
The mysterious man, puzzled by the hobgoblin's actions, disregarded the self-sacrificing creature and searched for an opening to finish off Kyoma. Suddenly, an enraged blizzard storm, known as "Blizzard Storm," engulfed the entire main lobby, freezing everything within a 10-meter radius of Kyoma. The blizzard's howling winds attacked every living thing within its range. Kyoma, protected by the hobgoblin's body, remained unaffected by the blizzard storm. However, the mysterious man, who lacked strong defensive gear, suffered significant damage from the storm.
-180
-198
-199
-187
...
Both the hobgoblin and the mysterious man were rapidly losing health due to the unexpected blizzard. The hobgoblin, with an impressive health pool of 1500 and boosted defence from its "Berserk" skill, was just barely able to endure the onslaught. On the other hand, the mysterious man was unable to withstand the blizzard and had to make a hasty retreat. As he fled, three dark arrows imbued with energy resistant to the fierce winds of the blizzard were launched towards him. While two of the arrows were blown off course and missed their mark, the third arrow struck the man, causing him to slow to a crawl due to the blizzard's debilitating effects. The arrow's dark energy seeped into his body, weighing him down even more and reducing his already tortoise-like speed to a pace slower than a snail.
Positioned at the edge of the blizzard storm, the melee dark goblin held its iron mace menacingly, waiting for the mysterious man who had nearly killed his master. As the man neared the exit of the blizzard storm, the goblin let out a fierce battle cry and swung its Dark Matter-enhanced mace at him. Hindered by the twofold slow debuff, the man was unable to dodge the attack and had to rely on his superior close combat skills to parry it. However, each time he did so, he was forced to step back to lessen the force of the blow. It was impossible for his thin sword to withstand a direct confrontation with the heavy mace. Instead, he had to redirect some of the force using technique, channel it through his body, and release the energy by stepping back and using the ground to cushion the blow.
The mysterious man's technique of redirecting blows would be effective in an actual fight, but he was currently trapped in a blizzard storm, losing nearly 200 HP per second. The frost energy was seeping into his bones, slowing him down even more, and he needed to make a breakthrough. However, the two dark goblins were blocking his path, forcing him to launch repeated attacks that became weaker with each successive strike. After nine seconds and using up all his life-saving potions and items, the man finally succumbed to the blizzard storm, his body turning to ice. The storm subsided after ten seconds, but the hobgoblin covering Kyoma was also near death. Kyoma, who had been shielded by the hobgoblin, had lost too much blood and was on the verge of passing out.
Kyoma held a tattered scroll in his hand, emitting a faint frost energy that resembled the blizzard storm. The scroll was the Ice Magic Scroll that he had obtained after clearing the dungeon, and it had the power to unleash a blizzard storm within a 10m radius. It was evident that Kyoma had just used the scroll to create the blizzard storm that had caused so much chaos. After the hobgoblin stood up to save Kyoma from being crushed under its weight, the scroll was still clutched tightly in Kyoma's hand, radiating with residual frost mana.
Kyoma's undead companions gathered around him, worried about the large stab wound on his chest that was oozing blood. In a matter of moments, Kyoma lost consciousness. Before he did, he overheard two adventurers discussing the recent battle and the cause of the destructive blizzard storm that had engulfed the Green Meadow Inn. Fortunately, only half of the inn was frozen, including the main hall, and no one else was harmed except for the frozen body of the mysterious man.
"Why are there goblins here?"
"Don't kill them, they belong to that young man."
"Oh..."
"That man in the hood...is he who we suspect him to be?"
"..."
"......"
...
Kyoma found himself back in the white space once again, and he heard a deep and powerful voice booming in his ears.
"Can you hear me now?"
...