The air was still as they walked side by side, leaving the safety of Giban behind. The barren land stretched endlessly before them, jagged stones and cracked earth casting sharp shadows in the afternoon sun. Livia's steps were steady, but Ichio noticed the way her hands clenched into fists every few moments.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and activated Eclipsight. His vision shifted, intricate lines of golden energy framing her form as her stats appeared before him:
Name: Livia Invicta
Rank: Eta
AC (Axion Class): Warrior
Level: 15
EP (Existence Points): 180
SP (Stat Points): SP [7k / 20k]
AP (Artem Points): AP [30 / 50]
---
Strength: [Gamma | 1k / 5k]
Speed/Agility: [Gamma | 2k / 5k]
Defense: [Gamma | 1.2k / 5k]
Vitality: [Gamma | 1.5k / 5k]
Intelligence: [Gamma | 2.2k / 5k]
Luck: [Gamma | 2.5k / 5k]
---
*Active*
Swordsmanship Mastery
Zeren Sword Style
Goblin Slayer's Technique
*Passive*
Precision Strike (Increased accuracy when using swords)
Blade Intuition (Boosts reaction time during melee combat)
---
*Zeren Sword*
Nullification Strike: Negates the defense of enemies upon impact.
Void Slash: Sends out a slicing shockwave that disrupts Metra and reduces energy-based defenses.
Seal Breaker: Breaks through any defensive seals or barriers.
*Goblin Slayer Sword*
Rending Cleave: Deals increased damage to lower-ranked monsters.
Decapitation Precision: Automatically targets vital spots for critical damage.
Monster's Bane: Causes continuous damage over time to monsters struck.
---
Ichio frowned slightly, dismissing the display. Her stats weren't terrible, but for someone who had once been known as Livia Invicta, they were a shadow of her former self.
He stopped walking, causing Livia to halt beside him. She turned to him, her brows furrowed in confusion. Before she could speak, he cut her off.
"Liva," he said, his tone calm yet sharp enough to cut through the tension. "I want you to understand something."
She blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in his demeanor. "What is it?"
"I'll always be here for you, but you can't expect me to protect you every step of the way," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "There will be times when I won't be there, and if you're not strong enough to protect yourself…" He trailed off, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"I'm not trying to be cruel, but I can't afford to have weaklings around me. They get in the way. And as you are now, you're weak."
Livia's lips parted, her face a mix of shock and anger, but she stayed silent.
"If you want to regain the strength you had as Livia Invicta, then you'll have to push yourself. Harder than you ever have. I'll make sure of it. Even if it means making you stronger than me, I'll do it."
Her fists clenched at his words, her jaw tightening. "I'll prove it to you," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll get stronger. I'll surpass even the person I used to be."
"Good," Ichio said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Then let's start now."
He gestured to the horizon, where the ominous silhouettes of Ainslif towers stretched into the sky like cursed monoliths. "Before we head to floor five, you're going to clear these Ainslif. All of them. And you're going to do it alone."
Livia's eyes widened slightly. "Alone?"
Ichio nodded. "Each one is filled with monsters—lizardmen, goblins, orcs, and other monsters. You'll go in, wipe them out, and come back alive. Simple."
Before she could protest, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a glowing blade. It shimmered faintly, its surface rippling like a mirage.
"This is Alter," he said, handing it to her. "I forged it after collecting some rare materials. It's not at full strength yet, but its ability to alter reality—slightly—should help you. Use it wisely."
Livia took the sword, her eyes tracing its intricate design. She nodded, determination burning in her gaze. "I won't let you down."
"See that you don't." Ichio said with a smirk.
The sun burned high above the barren expanse of cracked earth and jagged rocks. In the distance, the 15 Ainslif loomed—twisting, grotesque towers of distorted chaos teeming with monsters. The air crackled with tension.
Ichio stood at the edge of the battlefield, his cold gaze sweeping over the distorted Ainslif. Without looking at her, he spoke in a voice like ice.
"Liva, this is your fight. Prove to me that you're not the weakling who faltered back in Giban. Show me your rage. Vent all of it here. I'll be watching."
Livia stood beside him, gripping the hilt of her new sword, *Alter*. The blade shimmered faintly, its surface rippling as though reality itself struggled to hold its form. Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from the sheer intensity of her resolve. She tightened her grip, her knuckles turning white.
"I'll show you," she muttered under her breath, her eyes blazing.
Ichio stepped back, leaning against a jagged boulder, his arms crossed. "Don't hold back. If you do, they'll kill you. And I don't save people who can't save themselves."
Without another word, Livia surged forward, her boots pounding against the cracked ground. The first Ainslif stood before her, a distorted portal with writhing veins of black energy. Inside it emerged a pack of lizardmen, their scaly bodies glistening in the sunlight, armed with crude spears and shields.
Livia didn't hesitate. She dashed forward, her speed blurring, and her first strike came down like a thunderclap. *Alter* glowed faintly as her blade cleaved through the lead lizardman, severing its torso cleanly. Blood sprayed into the air, but she didn't stop.
A second lizardman lunged at her, its spear thrusting toward her heart. She sidestepped with precision, twisting her body as her blade flashed upward. *Void Slash*. A shockwave erupted from her sword, slicing through the air and cleaving through three more lizardmen in a single sweep. Their bodies crumpled as their weapons clattered to the ground.
A roar erupted behind her—a massive lizardman wielding a warhammer barreled toward her, its steps shaking the earth. She turned, her eyes narrowing. The lizardman brought the hammer down with monstrous strength, but Livia rolled to the side, her speed outmatching its sluggish movements.
She leaped onto its back, driving her blade deep into the lizarman's neck. With a savage twist, she severed its head, blood spurting like a fountain as the beast crumpled beneath her.
"Too slow," she spat, her voice low and cold.
*In another Ainslif*
The remaining monsters hesitated, growling and snarling as they encircled her. Goblins chittered nervously, their crude daggers shaking in their hands. Livia stared them down, her blade raised high, and then charged.
Her sword was a whirlwind of death. She moved with precision and fury, her strikes calculated yet fueled by rage. *Rending Cleave* tore through their ranks, slicing goblins clean in half with each swing. When one tried to flee, she activated *Seal Breaker*, shattering the invisible barrier of the Shaman that it tried to hide behind, and struck both down without mercy.
*Ainslif 5*
More monsters poured from the Ainslif—an endless wave of grotesque forms. Livia didn't falter. Her movements grew more brutal, her blade carving a path through flesh and bone. An orc raised its shield to block her attack, but she activated *Nullification Strike*. The shield disintegrated on impact, and her sword plunged through the orc's chest.
Her breaths came heavy now, her arms aching, but she pressed on. A pair of lizardmen lunged at her simultaneously. She parried one spear and dodged the other, countering with a spin that decapitated one and left the other reeling. She didn't give it a chance to recover—*Decapitation Precision* ensured her blade found its mark, ending the monster with a single strike.
*Ainslif 8*
As the final wave emerged—a towering goblin shaman surrounded by its monstrous entourage—Livia's grip on *Alter* tightened. The sword's faint glow intensified as she activated its unique ability. With a ferocious swing, she altered the trajectory of the shaman's protective spells, redirecting them back at its allies. Fire and lightning exploded around her, reducing the goblin shaman's guards to ash.
The shaman screeched in desperation, summoning a massive boulder with its remaining power. Livia dashed forward, her speed blinding. She leaped high into the air, her blade raised above her head.
"This ends now!" she roared.
*Void Slash* erupted from her sword mid-air, cutting through the boulder and the shaman in one devastating strike. The two halves of its body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
Livia landed, her knees hitting the ground. The battlefield was silent now, save for the faint hum of *Alter* and her labored breathing. Blood soaked her armor and the earth beneath her. She glanced over her shoulder to find Ichio leaning against a rock, his expression unreadable.
"Done already?" he asked, his tone cold and detached.
Livia pushed herself to her feet, wiping blood from her face. "Not yet. There are still more Ainslif to take down. Let's move."
Ichio smirked faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Good. Then let's not waste time standing around." Without another word, the two moved toward the next Ainslif, Livia's resolve burning brighter than ever.
*Ainslif 10*
The barren land stretched on, dotted with the jagged black portals of the remaining Ainslif. Their ominous hum filled the air, each one crackling with faint energy that distorted the surroundings.
Ichio leaned against a rocky outcrop, arms crossed, his eyes lazily following Livia's movements as she approached the next Ainslif. "There are six left," he said without looking at her. "You know the drill. Go in, clean house, and come back unharmed. No excuses."
Livia nodded, switching to the Zeren Sword, which shimmered faintly in her hand. She took a deep breath, her sharp eyes fixed on the Ainslif before her. She entered, inside were several goblins, their sickly green skin glistening. Among them, a hulking figure—a Goblin Lord—stood, its red eyes glaring as it barked orders to its subordinates.
Without a word, Livia sprinted forward, her movements fluid and precise. The goblins charged at her, crude weapons raised, but she was faster.
She defeated the Goblin Lord, therefore clearing the Ainslif.
*Ainslif 12*
Livia darted through the mob, her Zeren Sword glowing as she activated Void Slash. The blade cut the air, sending a shockwave of energy that tore through the first wave of goblins, reducing them to ash.
A goblin leaped at her from behind, but she spun on her heel, driving her blade upward into its chest. The momentum carried her into another swing, slicing through two more goblins in one fluid motion.
The Goblin King roared, charging at her with a massive cleaver. Livia ducked beneath its swing, the wind from the blow whipping her hair. She countered with a quick Nullification Strike, her blade glowing faintly as it bypassed the creature's tough defenses. The Goblin King staggered, blood seeping from the deep gash in its chest.
Switching tactics, Livia invoked the Goblin Slayer Sword, the Zeren Sword disappearing in a flicker of light as the new weapon materialized in her hand. The Goblin Slayer Sword glowed with a fiery red aura, its abilities honed for exactly this kind of fight.
"Rending Cleave!" she shouted, her strike carving a deep gash into the Goblin King's torso. The creature howled in pain, but Livia was relentless. She sidestepped its retaliatory swing and followed up with Decapitation Precision, the blade slicing cleanly through its neck.
The Goblin King's head hit the ground, and its body crumpled moments later.
*Ainslif 14*
As the Goblin Slayer Sword faded into her Inventory, Livia conjured Alter, the shimmering blade appearing in her hand. She approached the next Ainslif, which revealed a stream of orcs, their muscular forms bristling with crude weapons. At the back of the group stood an Ultimate Orc, barking orders as its forces swarmed toward her.
Livia leaped into the fray, her Alter Sword glowing faintly as she activated its reality-altering ability. She dodged an orc's hammer strike and altered the probability of its next swing, causing it to stumble and leave itself open. Her blade flashed, cutting it down in one strike.
The thin orcs were faster, their weapons aimed for her vitals. Livia narrowed her eyes and activated Blade Intuition, her reaction time increasing dramatically. She weaved through their attacks, her blade dancing in her hands as she struck them down one by one.
The Ultimate Orc charged at her, its massive club swinging down like a falling tree. Livia rolled to the side and switched back to the Zeren Sword, the weapon materializing in a flash. She activated Seal Breaker, her strike cutting through the protective barrier the creature had conjured.
The Ultimate Orc lunged at her, but she parried its strikes, their weapons sparking as they clashed. Using Precision Strike, she slipped through its defenses and delivered a killing blow to its chest.
*Last Ainslif*
The last Ainslif pulsed ominously as Livia approached, the air around it heavy with power. From within emerged an Ultimate Lizard General, its scaly form towering over her. It carried a thin, spiked mace and radiated an aura of menace.
Ichio watched from a distance, his expression impassive. "This one's tougher. Let's see if you can handle it."
Livia raised the Goblin Slayer Sword, determination burning in her eyes. The Lizard General roared, charging at her with surprising speed.
She sidestepped its first swing and activated Monster's Bane, her blade glowing red as it bit into the creature's flesh. The Lizard General howled, but it didn't slow down. It swung its mace in a wide arc, forcing her to retreat.
Switching back to Alter, Livia altered the probability of its next step, causing it to stumble. She used the opening to close the distance, slashing at its legs to cripple its movement. The Lizard General roared in rage, swinging wildly, but she was too fast.
In a final move, Livia invoked Zeren Sword and activated Void Slash, the energy shockwave cutting through the Lizard General's torso. The massive creature fell to its knees, blood pooling around it.
With one last swing, she ended its life.
Livia stood, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Blood stained her clothes, but her eyes were fierce, her resolve unbroken.
Ichio approached her slowly, his boots crunching against the dirt. He glanced at the empty land and then back at her.
"Good work," he said simply, his tone cool but with the faintest hint of approval. "You're getting stronger. Nice!"
Livia didn't respond, but the fire in her eyes said everything. She wasn't done yet.
CHAPTER END.