Of course, it was a result of luck, but even without the activation of Black Flame, I think I could have taken down about two of them.
Five hunters consumed by the Black Flame, turned to ashes, and scattered.
“Unbelievable… How… How…?”
Haseirin looked as if she couldn’t believe the current situation, and then, with a scream, glared at me.
“What the hell are you?!”
“I’m a skeleton.”
“AAARRRGH!! You bastard!!”
Seeing her not charging straight at me was a clear sign of her caution, but that was all.
‘I thought she’d run away right away? This is a bit troublesome.’
I thought it would be easy to finish her off if she turned to flee after losing her guards.
Instead, Haseirin bravely made her best move and charged at me, forcing me to figure out my next move.
‘Fast!’
Even in a normal state, she was a tough opponent.
But with all her stats decreased by 40 due to my transformation, Haseirin’s movements felt like a dance.
[Chain of Flame]
In that instant, I managed to bind her but—
“Is that all?!”
KABOOM—!
‘What the?! That’s Wukong’s Headband, right? Damn!’
A golden aura I had never seen before shimmered on Haseirin’s forehead, elegantly freeing her from my binding.
The ‘Wukong’s Headband’ is an item that can nullify any crowd control.
It’s an item crafted by ‘Mechanical Alice’, a renowned crafter said to gather oddball blacksmiths and item makers at ‘Volcanus’ Castle’.
Although it’s a consumable item limited to two uses, it’s incredibly useful, as you can see, for escaping a life-or-death crisis.
That artisan, now known as the ‘Mage of Release’, is so famous among hunters that no one is unfamiliar with her, but before gaining fame, she struggled with loan sharks due to financial issues.
The item that helped her break free from that hardship was precisely the ‘Wukong’s Headband’.
‘I heard it was ridiculously expensive. Talk about preparation.’
I had no idea how an ordinary hunter created such an artifact, but once activated, the effect lasts for a while, meaning I had to find another way.
At that moment, Haseirin’s sleek leg whipped towards my head like a whip.
‘First, dodge the attack and counter—’
WHAM—!
‘?!’
I thought I had created enough distance to evade, but somehow I was hit directly and pushed back.
My health didn’t drop, but a part of my armor was heavily dented.
‘What just happened? Did her leg stretch?’
It probably hadn’t actually stretched, but that’s the feeling I got, prompting me to carefully examine her magic power.
‘There’s nothing special… Is it a skill? Why does it hurt so much? Does it carry a property?’
A feature or skill that temporarily increases the attack range significantly.
As someone who uses bones to execute similar tactics, I can confidently say there’s no more efficient combat method than this.
‘The destructive power is immense… Just a few more hits and my health will drop.’
Surprisingly fast with excellent reflexes.
On top of that, she had the rare ability to deal damage laced with properties.
‘It’s true; Great Evils aren’t any joke. Just based on combat power, she might be on par with my guards.’
“Damn it, whatever’s in that armor, get ready! I’ll tear you apart and feed you to the dogs!”
Provoking the enraged Haseirin, I flailed my arms from side to side like a distraction. Today, I meant to go all out.
“I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
“AAARRRGH!! I’m going to kill you!!”
Haseirin, now even angrier seeing me mimic ‘Rainy’s’ signature move, leaped at me again.
I activated [Stealth] once more, but for some reason, it felt different than usual.
‘Ah, I think I got marked.’
The first attack I had allowed didn’t seem like a simple strike after all. Now the effect of [Stealth] had worn off entirely.
Haseirin accurately aimed for my head with a kick, but I narrowly evaded.
She then spun 180 degrees and swung about 70cm of her leg, barely nicking my neck and scratching my armor.
‘Wow—she’s really fast.’
While dodging, I threw a light jab, but she smirked and dodged it.
After clashing, did she think it was manageable? Confidence oozed from her expression.
However.
‘Gotcha.’
– [Curse of Stone] activates!
[Curse of Stone]
– Costs 50 mana to cast on an opponent who dodged a physical attack.
– Turns a localized part of their body into ‘stone’ for one minute.
“Ugh?! What, what is this? Heek!”
As the curse activated, Haseirin stepped back, widening the distance.
It’s a skill that curses those who evade, and no matter how experienced she is, quick reactions aren’t easy for her.
“Undo it!! Hurry!”
She frantically pulled out a status cure scroll and tried to use it, but curses can only be lifted with an undo or the help of a spellcaster.
If not, they’d have to endure the set time of agony. And I don’t think that can be stopped even by Wukong’s Headband.
“A curse?!”
She aimlessly tossed the scroll away, finally checking the message, her eyes widening in shock as she cautiously moved back.
“Damn it-!”
Her fingers turned as stiff as stone, and quickly realizing she couldn’t fight, she swapped her stance and started to flee.
“Pant—pant—this can’t be real! How could this happen to me—”
Even though she had predicted the enemy’s approach and prepared, this outcome must have been a significant mental shock.
“An S-rank hunter? Why would someone like that want me? Revenge? Grudge? Who are they? Damn! It can’t just be one or two!”
Her cute face was contrasted by harsh language, and she still seemed lost in confusion.
Logically, one wouldn’t think of a physically inferior opponent as an S-rank hunter.
CRACK—
Utilizing all my mobility techniques, I tightly pursued her.
But it seemed she also had her movement skills; she wasn’t easily giving up ground.
‘For real, an A-rank hunter. It’ll take me some time to catch up.’
[Wall of Fire]
Fwoosh—
I stacked fire barriers in her escape path, but despite the pain of her body burning, she stubbornly kept running forward.
‘If she runs any further, it’ll get dangerous.’
It would be disastrous if hunters from around the neighborhood rushed over upon seeing a beautiful woman chased by a fully armored man.
[Red Horn Pipe]
BRUUUM—
I had to pull her toward me even at the cost of exhausting all my mana.
– You’ve entered a ‘Mana Exhaust’ state.
‘Ugh… feeling dizzy.’
Just like me with exhaustion, Haseirin clutched her head in agony from the sound of the pipe.
“Ughhh—!”
Seconds later, Haseirin completely lost her composure and stopped fleeing, charging back towards me.
‘The provocational effect is fantastic! Oh, I feel dizzy.’
The world spun around me.
Confusion and disorientation set in, my limbs trembling. I couldn’t run straight, veering all over the place.
It hadn’t been this bad when I was a skeleton.
– Trait [Calm] activates!
‘Huh— that’s a bit better.’
“AAARRRGH!! I’m going to kill you—!”
A light-year apart.
Haseirin drooled and wildly chased after me.
Receiving the effect of [Red Horn Pipe], her physical abilities increased a whopping 15%, making her momentum fierce.
She was already physically outpacing me, an opponent I couldn’t match head-on.
‘I need to let off some mana.’
Now the tables had turned; I was the one being chased.
Fortunately, I was still a bit quicker in movement speed, so I wouldn’t get caught. Even without changing to [Combat type], I managed that.
‘First, let’s lure her to a place with fewer people…’
I led her while restoring my mana until Haseirin regained her senses.
* Top-tier mana circuit is in effect.
1. When remaining mana drops below 100, mana recovery speed increases by 100%.
2. When remaining mana drops below 50, mana will fully recover once per day.
3. When remaining mana drops below 30, mana recovery speed increases to 300% for 10 minutes.
I had already used the second effect.
However, due to the third effect, my mana was rapidly surging.
Additionally, continuously pouring Irmana’s water from the ancient jug I summoned in the Space, my recovery sped up even further.
This was all thanks to [Window of Darkness], which allows me to manipulate objects summoned from the Space with sheer will.
Once you acquire any trait or skill, you’re bound to find a use for it sooner or later.
“Ugh- A? Huh?!”
After a few minutes of the chase, I finally entered a deserted alley, and only then did Haseirin regain her senses.
“Sigh—damn it! I don’t even know what’s what anymore! Who the hell are you?! Let’s at least know your name!”
“Dummy.”
‘You really think I’m going to tell you that?’
This is a world where unimaginable skills and traits are rampant.
The power that a name holds was very vividly felt when I named Rainy.
There’s no reason for me to share something so precious.
“Damn. That bastard really wants to end this, huh?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Huh? What? Are you mocking me?”
I clacked my teeth at her reply, and she became even angrier, raising her mana.
‘She sure is still like that, even though she’s released from the curse.’
Regardless, she probably felt like she could give it another shot now that the curse had lifted.
Whoosh—
In an instant, Haseirin’s figure vanished from sight.
– BANG—!
Simultaneously, an attack came from the side.
I quickly formed a bone shield in a round shape to defend, then shot spikes from my body in every direction.
SHRRRRAAAK—!
Like a flower blooming rapidly, the bone spikes blossomed.
“Ugh?! What, what is this? A bone user?!”
Of course, there are hunters who manipulate bones within their bodies too. She wouldn’t be ignorant of that.
She was shocked by the sharpness and strength of the bones extending from my body, their speed, and the area of effect, which defied expectations.
For her who specializes in close combat, it was a terrible mismatch.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Though her eyes were fixed on me, I could sense her focus shifting to her rear.
It seemed she was looking for a gap to run away, but this time, I couldn’t let her escape.
‘People like this really wear you out.’
Monsters would charge without calculating anything, but humans are the most troublesome.
[Lightning Step]
CRACKLE—
Haseirin had exhausted her mana from using movement techniques while trying to pursue me.
It wouldn’t be easy for her to shake me off, who was keenly targeting her back.
“?!”
In a flash, I closed the distance behind her and seized the initiative.
KABOOM!! KABOOM!! KABOOM!!
Haseirin was forced into a situation where she had to concentrate on her defense.
I incessantly pressured her.
[Bran]
Amid trading blows, I executed the absolute evasion technique [Bran], successfully knocking Haseirin off balance completely.
In such close quarters, I had already retrieved my great sword into the Space.
I quickly threw short straight punches to exploit gaps, and she somehow managed to defend against them.
“Aah?!”
[Fierce Claws Lv.Max]
– Using body parts, a successful attack inflicts 100% chance for status ailments [Bleeding] and [Paralysis].
– Ignores 40% of the opponent’s defense.
– Bleeding: Decreases maximum health by 0.1% every second.
– Paralysis: Stiffens the body for one second.
I generated tiny spikes invisible to the naked eye to deliver damage that ignores defense.
Even after she defended against the attack, she still took damage due to this unreasonable trait.
“Oh no!”
Haseirin swayed dramatically.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
