His level shot up from LV1 to LV7 in one go. Nidhogg could increasingly sense the changes in his physical constitution. He now possessed much richer combat experience out of thin air; his reactions were sharper, and his muscles were becoming firmer.
Previously, he had been somewhat breathless after hacking several guards to death with his sword. Now, his breathing had become steady and even, and he even felt a sense of ease, as if he had energy to spare.
Nidhogg was initially surprised by this change, but then he readily accepted it.
This was a good thing. He was still in the middle of a chaotic battlefield; every bit of increased martial prowess was an extra guarantee of a safe escape.
But this new quest... kill "The Grey Knight" Bazuso? That knight who was as tall and strong as a bear and had captured me? I'm supposed to kill him? I'm lucky enough just not to have been killed by him.
Emotionally, Nidhogg certainly wanted to take down Bazuso. If it weren't for that guy, he wouldn't have had to endure a flogging or sit in a prison cell for several days. But rationally, he knew very well that the man would be difficult to deal with.
However, if he didn't complete the quest, would there be a "punishment" this time too? And what would that "punishment" be? Forget it, forget it—why worry about so much right now?
Nidhogg stopped dwelling on these questions and picked up the heater shield he had been pinning down with his foot, seeing its brief information.
"heater shield"
A relatively easy-to-use metal medium shield.
Metal shields are favored on the battlefield for their excellent physical damage reduction.
"Combat Art: Parry"
A Combat Art that deflects attacks while throwing the enemy off balance.
Must be timed with an enemy's close-range attack.
Once they lose their balance, the opportunity for a "Critical Hit" follows.
With the shield in his left hand and the sword in his right, wearing the Vagabond Knight helmet, armor, gauntlets, and greaves, Nidhogg was now fully equipped!
As for the quest, he would wait for the right moment and act within his means.
He crept quietly up the spiral stone staircase and reached the top of the tower. There, he saw several crossbowmen leaning over the battlements, firing volleys of bolts at the courtyard battlefield below.
One of the crossbowmen happened to turn his head and saw Nidhogg. Startled at first, he then pointed at Nidhogg and began shouting.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
In an instant, the several crossbowmen on the tower all turned their heads, looking at Nidhogg in shock and panic.
They thought Nidhogg was an enemy soldier who had already infiltrated their rear. Breaking into a cold sweat, they hurriedly notched bolts into their crossbows, preparing to shoot him dead.
Nidhogg was also startled by this display. He instinctively took a step forward, aimed at the nearest crossbowman, and unleashed the Longsword's Ready Stance Combat Art, lunging forward with a sudden thrust!
Puchi—
The crossbowman had no time to load a bolt, let alone run. He was run through the chest and abdomen by the longsword. Under the power of the thrusting Combat Art, his armor was pierced as easily as if it were a layer of soft leather!
Nidhogg hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. He froze for a moment before quickly pulling out the longsword, which dripped with blood onto the ground.
"Fire... fire!"
By now, the other crossbowmen had recovered. Sweating profusely, they aimed their crossbows at Nidhogg and loosed their bolts with a series of'shoo-shoo-shoo' sounds.
With his improved constitution and combat experience, Nidhogg actually calmed down at this moment. He took the most correct action: raising his heater shield while heading toward the bridge on one side of the tower.
He didn't want to go back the way he came, fearing he would be caught in a pincer attack on the narrow spiral stone stairs.
Clang, clang, clang, clang—