He dropped into a low, explosive stance. The archer instantly drew her bow to its limit. Remedy let out a breath—a sound of pure, dark joy. The smile of a manipulator who had just led his enemies right into his trap.
Hehe. Manifestation...
[DING! 50 MP CONSUMED. LAW OF THE SHARPNESS OF A VIBRATING BLADE MANIFESTED WITHIN THE REALITY OF THE BOW.]
The swordsman sneered, mocking the boy for attempting a 1-vs-4. But Remedy wasn't looking at him. He was waiting for the archer to reach full draw tension.
Bind.
[THE LAW OF SHARPNESS WITHIN THE BOW IS NOW BOUND TO THE ARCHER AND THE ARROW. TO THEM, THE ENTIRE BOW IS AS SHARP AS A VIBRATING BLADE.]
The wood, the grip, the string—everything suddenly possessed the serrated edge of a high-frequency blade. As the girl pulled back with all her strength, the string sliced into the arrow's nock like a hot wire through butter. It didn't stop there. The string bit deep into her fingers.
The tension snapped. The bow uncurled violently, shearing the arrow in two. The jagged shards flew off aimlessly, and the vibrating string severed the archer's fingers clean off. She let out a blood-curdling scream, clutching her mutilated hand.
Startled by the botched shot and the scream, the swordsman instinctively glanced back for a fraction of a second.
That one second of distraction was all Remedy needed.
A shadow loomed over him. By the time the swordsman turned back, Remedy had already cleared the twelve-meter gap. A hard-clenched fist rained down toward his face.
Boom!
The blow detonated against the tank's shield. The heavy-set boy had remained vigilant, stepping in just in time. The shield and the tank's arms vibrated under the violent impact of a hand capable of lifting 700 kg.
Immediately, the tank's body flared with energy: Aggro. Remedy's eyes locked onto him. In his mental world, nothing existed but the tank. Seizing the opening, the swordsman circled around the shield, his blade swinging in a lethal arc toward Remedy's exposed arm.
Shian!
Remedy's arm blurred out of the trajectory. The sword whistled through empty air. Remedy hopped back once, then twice, creating distance.
The girl with the staff rushed to the archer, picking up the severed, still-warm fingers. She pressed them back into place, her staff glowing as she began to reattach them instantly.
The tank and the swordsman readjusted their stances.
"You broke my Aggro?" the tank grunted, surprised.
"Seems you've got a strong mind," the swordsman added, resting his blade back on his shoulder. Remedy saw the opening and whispered: Manifestation.
[FAILURE: MANIFESTATION LEVEL IS LOWER THAN THE SWORD'S LEVEL. DO YOU WISH TO INCREASE MANIFESTATION LEVEL?]
No.
Watching from the shadows, the boy with the wide eyes stayed hidden like a lone wolf, waiting for his moment. Far away in the academy, the professors had become silent spectators, their eyes glued to the screen displaying the carnage.
The swordsman stepped forward. "That attack... what was it? How did you cut her fingers? What's your Class?"
Remedy straightened up, uncoiling the chains from around his forearms. "I'm not telling you anything."
"Don't worry, I was just asking." The swordsman began to flex his arm, testing his blade. "But I noticed something. I feel twice as strong. Twice as fast. Mentally sharper. It's like I've received a 2x multiplier to all my stats."
The tank lifted his shield; it felt light as a feather. "You too? I thought it was just me."
They glanced back at their companions. The healer was working faster than ever, and the archer was standing up as if the trauma had never happened.
"So that's it." The swordsman turned back to Remedy. "I don't know what power you're using... but it seems to have a backlash. You end up boosting your enemies?"
Remedy finished unwinding his chains, leaving the ends dangling. They wrapped around his arms like reinforced bracers, ready to block or strike with the protruding metal tips.
"Good catch," Remedy said coolly. He pointed a finger above their heads. "But you don't have it anymore."
Before they could react, the atmosphere grew heavy. The air darkened. A fractured black sphere materialized above each of their heads.
The swordsman tried to swat the sphere with his sword, but it was intangible. His eyes shifted toward Serene. "Is it that girl? Strange... I feel like I recognize her?"
He shook it off and leveled his sword at Remedy. "Doesn't change anything. It's four against two. You should start preparing your exit speech."
Remedy fell into a combat stance, the long chains hanging from his hands. "It's 1-vs-4."
Silence fell, broken only by the wind whistling through the dead leaves. A single leaf detached and drifted down. The moment it touched the pink snow, both leaders lunged.
In a heartbeat, Remedy grabbed the dangling ends of his chains, pulling them taut into two parallel lines. They caught the swordsman's descending strike. The clash of metal rang through the forest, vibrating the very air.
The swordsman pressed down with both hands on the hilt. The blade slid along the chains, sparks spraying into Remedy's face. Remedy skidded back, releasing the tension to let the chains snap outward.
The swordsman didn't give him a second to breathe, unleashing a flurry of sword combos. Remedy retreated, his hands whipping the chain ends to deflect the raining blows. He backed up until his spine hit a tree.
Suddenly, the tank's body glowed again, forcing Remedy's focus away for a split second. His guard dropped. A sword strike flashed diagonally. Remedy tilted his head; the blade hissed past his ear, shearing a thick branch off the tree behind him.
Remedy immediately lunged for the swordsman's arm mid-swing to trap it, while his other fist drove toward the man's abdomen. But the swordsman was fast—he danced back. Remedy's hand caught only air.
The swordsman landed lightly on his toes. "To think a wounded Level 15 can keep up with me, a Level 17, and still counter-attack. Truly interesting."
He stood tall, mana erupting from his body and coating his blade in a continuous, serrated flow of energy. "But you forgot one thing. I'm a Swordsman, and I haven't even used my Skills yet."
He resumed his stance. Behind him, the healer pointed her staff toward the group. Her body glowed, and so did her allies. "Neither have they."
Remedy pushed off the tree.
[I recommend using the healing potion.]
It's not that bad, Ely. Besides, that potion is precious.
[Then stop playing around. Or you will get killed.]
Ugh... I'm not playing, Ely. I'm gauging the enemy's strength.
[You are not as ordinary as you claim to be. And now that Serene is compensating for your first curse, don't try to convince me you can't handle an opponent two levels higher than you.]
Remedy sighed. Alright, alright. Enough with the analysis. Taking a few hits keeps me sharp. It keeps my guard up.
He began to fully unwrap the chains from his arms, letting the ends grow long and lethal. Besides... I already planned on getting serious. But 1-vs-4...
His eyes scanned his opponents. The swordsman in front. The healer in the back.
"Serene!"
She understood instantly and moved behind him. A smooth black sphere appeared above his head. He gripped the long chains firmly.
With Serene's 50% boost... I can handle them.
The two sides faced off, ready to collide. But the eyes of both leaders weren't on each other—they were fixed on the person standing in the back.
The Support.
End of chapter 20
═══ STATUS WINDOW ═══
Name: [Anonymized]
Lineage: Human
Tier: I — Optimized Human
Level: 17
Health: 95%
Mana: 70%
═══ CLASS ═══
• Initial Path: Swordsman
═══ SKILLS ═══
• Coating: Coats the blade in mana, creating a high-frequency sword aura.
═══════════════════════════