Using the less illuminated parts of the cave to his advantage, along with [Silent Steps], Sol closed the distance to the variant.
The variant kobold, completely unaware, waited with an impatient attitude, likely waiting for the kobolds to bring more food. The moment he got within 10 feet, Sol went into action using [Leap] to bridge the remaining distance and used [Cross Slash] on him.
"Argh! Who?!"
The variant kobold survived the attack and responded with [Snap Punch], firing his fist fast at Sol.
Using his sword to parry the blow, Sol succeeded and was left unharmed but was launched back 5 feet.
Once separated, the variant finally got a better look at his assailant and shouted, "Human! Die!"
Keeping [Analysis] active to monitor the variant kobold's health, he saw how much damage his strongest attack did.
HP: 743/1000
'I would need to land 3 more of those to win. This might be tougher than I expected.'
While the variant was much stronger and tougher than Sol anticipated, on the bright side, Sol was much faster and able to react to his attacks and find more openings.
Both parties exchanged more blows as Sol landed a few decent normal attacks but couldn't find an opening to execute another [Cross Slash].
Wanting to finish the fight before any other kobolds appeared, he started brainstorming. Sol then got an idea that would tilt the odds in his favor.
"Make the wind move in my favor, [Tailwind]!"
Suddenly, he felt much lighter as wherever he moved, he faced no resistance and was instead assisted and pushed by the wind. He checked his mana reserves and noticed this basic spell only cost him 15 mana. This left him with more than enough to use [Cross Slash] two more times.
With an even higher speed advantage, Sol landed many more blows and even found an opening to land [Cross Slash] once. He no longer needed to even risk parrying attacks as he could dodge them with ease, thanks to the buff he received from the spell.
"Slippery human! Stay still!"
The variant kobold was getting frustrated at his antics but had no way to stop him. If it used [Dragon Claw], Sol dodged to the side and got a quick attack in. If it tried to use its fastest move [Snap Punch], it was either dodged or parried. It didn't even bother trying to use [Charge] as when it tried it once, it gave Sol the opening for [Cross Slash].
After fighting continuously for 30 minutes straight, Sol managed to lower the variant's health to 230, making it one well-placed [Cross Slash] away from victory. But Sol didn't get cocky or reckless to try and finish the fight faster. If he risked it and took a full blow from the variant, its abnormal strength would severely wound him. He also had no need to risk it as the fight was almost over with the variant helpless against him.
But as fate would have it, Sol would soon have another problem.
"Human! Human!"
The group of kobolds had returned alongside the other kobolds who had left to find food. In their hands, they were carrying crops, wild plants, and a few dead rodents but dropped them the moment they saw their leader attacked.
The variant kobold, seeing his reinforcement finally appear, ordered them to attack.
"Attack! Kill human!"
The kobolds, having no powerful fighting strength, resorted to throwing rocks, crude spears, and even the food they gathered at Sol.
While it would do little to no damage to Sol, he had no choice but to evade to the best of his abilities as getting hit would slow him down, leaving an opening for the variant kobold to exploit.
Sol ran around the variant, trying to position himself so that the variant stood between him and the group of kobolds at the entrance. This forced the kobolds to slow down their attacks in fear of hitting their leader.
'This stopped the attacks for now but they will eventually spread out and attack me from multiple angles. Think Sol, how do I get out of this.'
He then took a quick glance at his skills as he looked for a solution to his dilemma and spotted one.
'It's risky but it's better than taking them down one at a time.'
Springing immediately into action, Sol ran past the variant towards the kobolds at the entrance, prompting it to chase after. Sol dodged and parried the attacks thrown at him as he got close enough to use [Leap], jumping over all the kobolds.
The variant then joined the group of kobolds and prepared to charge after him, but Sol was already one step ahead, casting a spell.
"Flames gather and condense to one, expand outwards and blast my foes, [Explosion]!"
Sol felt all his remaining mana in his body leave at once, commanding the fire element to gather in a single point.
A small dot of light flashed in the middle of the group of kobolds only lasting for a second. The next moment, a sudden blast of fire erupted from that point, incinerating all the kobolds. Yet one still remained, the variant. While standing, it was still stunned from the explosion.
HP: 23/1000
Sol, feeling absolutely spent, gathered his remaining energy to run up and slash at it with all its might. His sword entered through the left shoulder of the variant kobold and traveled down all the way to the heart, cutting it in half. The sword, already worn down from years of usage, could not last any longer and snapped at the hilt, leaving the blade stuck in the heart of the variant.
You have slain a Lv 21 Variant Kobold! Gained 2500 Exp.
"I… did it…"
Seeing the confirmation message confirming its death, Sol's vision immediately went dark.