As far as heroines go, Ophelia Hunt is more the action-hero type, and her look reflects that; currently, she's wearing a tank top beneath her standard-issue blazer, trousers, and boots. This also means that she won't hesitate to skip diplomacy and jump straight to fighting. I have to be very careful here so that I don't draw her attention—
"I heard you challenged Rex to a duel," she grins, "I didn't think you had the nerve for that. Why wait though? Let's have a duel between ourselves right now!"
—and, never mind.
She points her massive blade at me. I don't even know how she swings that thing around that smoothly. She wants a duel, but even if I was into that, there's no way I'll win if I fight now. I haven't even tried out Thomas Filmore's skills yet.
She's right in front of me, so I can't say it, but just out of curiosity, I think with intent:
Analyse.
Surprisingly enough, the blue window pops up.
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Ophelia Hunt (Berserker)
LVL 14
Con – 20
Str – 20
Dex – 17
Sta – 20
Mag – 0
Fai – 3
Skills:
?
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Okay, so she's two levels higher than me. And not only that, but her stats are super physical. I vaguely remember something like that. Or rather, I remember using her to tank dangerous hits, so these stats make sense.
"No thanks," I say. I hope the matter ends there.
Of course, it doesn't. "Why not? You're fine with fighting Rex, but not me?" She bares her unusually sharp teeth at me, "You and me, here and now. Let's go. You've been pissing me off since we first met!"
This girl is honestly really scary, I feel like I'll be crushed if I don't defuse the situation right this instant.
"Maybe so, but I have no interest in fighting you," I say.
That only seems to make Ophelia angrier, "Are you saying I'm not worth fighting?" And just when I think that a fight is unavoidable, she snickers, the anger melting from her face, "Ha! You should see your expression right now. I know what you are, you're just a yapping pup! I bet the only reason you challenged Rex is because you have some dirty trick up your sleeve. Well it doesn't matter, Rex will blow through all that like he usually does!"
Er… I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but crises averted? I guess everyone's disdain for Thomas worked out for me this time somehow. Then again, I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for Thomas going around making enemies like collecting Pokémon cards.
"Can't wait to see you fall flat on your face again, noble," Ophelia says, going on ahead with a wave.
Once she's gone, I breathe a sigh of relief. If Ophelia chose to fight, I wouldn't have stood a chance. The glint of the blue gem from the killed spider catches my eye and I pick it up. For that matter, the spider might have defeated me before her arrival as well. Something instinctive in my body just makes it impossible to approach them.
Both cases have one solution: I have to learn how to use the Abyssflame skill.
From what I remember from Rising Hero, Thomas uses the Abyssflame as a ranged attack. He slashes with his blade, and the cut manifests as a wave of black flames that flies through the air. If I had that, I might have stood a chance against Ophelia, and I'll be able to kill spiders from afar.
I clear my throat and face the wall, "Er… Abyssflame!" I shout as I swing my sword.
Nothing happens.
Okay, maybe I said the wrong thing, "Abyssflame Slash!" I shout, swinging my sword again. Once more, nothing happens. I stare at the wall for a few moments, wondering where I went wrong.
And then I hear a skittering sound. Not rat-skittering, spider-skittering—I can tell.
My hands grow clammy and I begin to breathe a little quicker. Come on, you useless brain, think! What am I missing?
The spider's mouth pokes out of one of the holes in the walls, its fangs twitching in a disgusting manner, and a tremor of revulsion runs down my body. It's only now that it clicks; right, I've been interacting with the system of this world all along, haven't I?
The spider squeezes through, and I prepare to swing my blade one more time, imagining the black flames in my head, wishing with all my heart that it will manifest.
"Abyssflame Slash!" I roar with intent.
Fire as dark as oil springs to life on my sword, and it feels like I'm pushing it through water. Still, I continue the swing, completing the arc even though with all the resistance it feels like I'm swinging in slow motion.
My swing leaves behind a trail of black flame, and as soon as I finish with the follow-through, those black flames fly forward, crashing against the spider and the wall behind it. The spider doesn't even last a second, burning to nothing in an instant, but the flame lingers.
Ordinary fire cannot burn on raw stone, but the Abyssflame is different it seems. It begins to slowly eat even into the cave walls, but after a few moments, it finally vanishes.
I breathe deeply and sweat runs down my face. It feels like I've run a kilometre or two. I put my hands on my knees and lean on them to support myself. I guess this is what it feels like to use a mana-intensive spell? I prefer a simple mana bar to be honest…
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2 EXP
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I suddenly laugh. Thanks, system! Whatever the case, I guess I know how to use Thomas Filmore's skills now. I take a few more moments to recover before kneeling down to pick up the blue gem the spider dropped and pressing on. I have no intention of turning back now.
Also, I don't want to be here when the spider respawns again.