"Tell me, human, why do you dare to invade our lands?"
One of the giant guardians begins to speak.
They had sensed two major disturbances in their habitat after the rift opened; both left a significant trail of mana.
So, Martyn's arrival was no surprise to them; in fact, they were expecting him.
"Don't make me look like the villain in this situation, I'm not stopping on my path," Martyn exclaimed with total confidence.
After the battle in the cave, his combat senses were through the roof; the feeling of being on the verge of getting stronger consumed him from within.
And how could it not?
He was just one step away from obtaining an elemental rune and 100 stat points, which would make him an extremely powerful hunter.
Seeing that the boy had no intention of stopping his plan to eliminate them, one of the guardians began to freeze his fist before speaking:
"I hope you can at least entertain us."
The threat was already set, now it was time for action!
And action did not delay, because as soon as those words were spoken, the guardian proceeded to throw a punch at Martyn.
For the old Martyn, this would have scared or made him nervous.
But now, things were different!
"I've become stronger," were Martyn's thoughts as he used the guardian's blow to walk along his arm.
He let his sword drop onto the enemy's skin.
Contrary to what one might think at first glance, it was quite tough.
The guardian did not appreciate Martyn's game and began to shake his arm.
How could he allow himself to be beaten by a mere human?
The guardians were proud and egocentric beings, after all, they were the first creatures to appear in their corresponding habitat.
Seeing his companion in trouble, the others launched several ice spikes at Martyn, but he deflected them with his dagger.
"I knew this would be useful," said the boy while holding his weapon proudly.
After defeating the crystal lizards, he decided to try his luck and attempted to create a weapon from their fangs.
He had many setbacks and failed attempts, but thanks to his perseverance, he had managed to create the dagger he now held in his hand.
After traversing the guardian's body for some time, Martyn had finally reached the guardian's face.
He knew that such an opportunity could not be wasted, so he began to charge as much mana as possible into his sword while thinking about his ability:
[Skills]
[Precise Cuts]
A large burst of green mana was fired at the guardian.
Normally, he might have resisted it, but the attack had struck directly at his energy core, weakening him instantly.
[You have defeated a guardian]
[Snow Monster: 1/3]
[You have gained 50 experience points]
[EXP: 610/1040]
A smile quickly appeared on Martyn's face. He was savoring victory!
But there was no time to rest, as another guardian had charged toward him, wielding a large ice sword.
Meanwhile, his companion was preparing a long-range attack.
Shit, they've got me!
Seeing the complexity of the situation, Martyn decided to sheathe his weapons and focus on one of the attacks.
[Skills]
[Flow]
Martyn didn't have much mana left, as he had used a lot of his ability, so he couldn't abuse it.
("Alright, the cost per minute is 3000 mana points, I need to do this as quickly as possible.")
With that in mind, Martyn decided which attack would be best to defend against, and seconds later, he had his answer:
"The long-range one is the best," he thought as he watched the guardian hurl a large ice spear at him.
The spear's power was enough to defeat three hunters if it hit its target.
Nevertheless, Martyn remained calm.
Thanks to his skill, he saw the massive, pointed chunk of ice approaching slowly.
He quickly shifted his body upwards, placing his foot right on the edge of the other guardian's sword.
In other circumstances, he would have taken the full brunt of the damage, but in this case, Martyn had timed it perfectly, using the attack to propel himself.
It was a high-level maneuver!
After confirming that he was out of the attack's range, Martyn deactivated his skill, finding himself with a beautiful view.
The spear had struck the other guardian's body!
"That's what I call bad luck," the boy would say, drawing his weapons again.
Due to the attack, the other guardian's body was halved, so Martyn wasted no time and approached his head, which was now easier to locate.
[Skills]
[Precise Cuts]
This time, no mana charge was necessary, as the guardian's core had been perfectly slashed by Martyn.
[You have defeated a guardian]
[Snow Monster: 1/3]
[Due to assistance, you will only receive half the experience]
[You have gained 25 experience points]
[EXP: 635/1040]
Martyn couldn't help but grumble upon seeing the system message.
Could they be any stingier?
These were some of the thoughts he had upon seeing that he had only received half of his points.
But it wasn't the time to complain.
Martyn's attention shifted from his meager points to the remaining guardian, who was now preparing an ice shield.
Seeing that his two companions had been defeated so easily, he, as the last one standing, decided to take a more defensive approach.
Martyn saw this as a fun challenge and decided to use only his sword.
He charged at the guardian, who did the same, while holding his shield and forming a large ice hammer with his other hand.
The clash between weapons was immediate, and Martyn's gleaming sword began to wear down.
[Warning]
[The weapon: Greenflare Sword is wearing out rapidly]
The vivid green light was growing paler.
But Martyn didn't back down; he twisted his body to increase the strength of his slash, which collided again, this time with the guardian's shield.
"You will pay for what you've done!"
The guardian shouted, aiming his hammer at the boy's head.
"Sorry, but that won't happen."
Martyn leaped up and threw his sword at the guardian, who defensively blocked it with his hammer, destroying the weapon.
[Warning]
[The weapon: Greenflare Sword has broken]
Due to this, a bright flash of light blinded the guardian, giving Martyn enough time to approach with his dagger.
[Skills]
[Precise Cuts]
One.
Two.
Three.
This time, it took three strikes to defeat his enemy, as the guardian's core had been completely damaged.
[You have defeated a guardian]
[Snow Monster: 3/3]
[You have gained 50 experience points]
[EXP: 685/1040]
[Congratulations]
[You have completed the zone trial: Frost Destruction]
[Reward obtained: Skill: Summon, Frozen Rune, Heroic Rank Weapon, Defensive Hood, 100 stat points]
With those messages, Martyn didn't hesitate to open his system.
"It's time to use the runes!"