Although [Frost Lock] controlled an enemy, it also immobilized one of Vinny’s hands. Additionally, [Frost Lock] only inflicted continuous damage, which was quite limited. Its primary function was more about control and utility rather than dealing significant harm.
Apart from [Frost Moon Slash], Vinny had no other skill capable of killing his enemies.
Currently, [Frost Moon Slash] was still on cooldown, and while another active skill was available, using it would render [Frost Moon Slash] unusable for an entire day.
This would effectively strip Vinny of his combat effectiveness, a situation he couldn’t accept.
As the Lightning Thorn Sword closed in, Vinny had no choice but to retract his Frost Lock and focus on defending against the other two attackers.
The spear, often regarded as the king of weapons, gave Vinny a significant advantage due to its length compared to the long sword.
The young man wielding the longsword, unable to use magic skill, was less of a threat than the one with the Lightning Thorn Sword.
Vinny thrust his spear forward, leveraging its reach to keep the longsword-wielding young man at bay with continuous swings.
Vinny’s spear technique was unrefined, as he had never received formal training or guidance.
However, his opponent was similarly inexperienced, lacking practical combat experience and unfamiliar with facing a spear.
The Frostfang spear’s relentless attacks forced the young man to retreat, wary of advancing.
Vinny’s strategy was sound. Lightning magic is particularly troublesome because lightning can conduct through weapons.
Direct contact with a lightning weapon would result in being electrocuted.
Unable to engage directly, Vinny adopted an offensive defense, using his spear to keep the Lightning Thorn Sword at a distance.
However, focusing on one opponent left him vulnerable to the other.
The young man behind him shouted and swung a large sword at Vinny’s back.
The strike landed, but Vinny barely flinched, feeling only a slight scrape as if brushed by a branch.
The spear’s effectiveness diminishes at close range, so Vinny improvised.
He aimed the spear’s blade at the longsword-wielding young man while using the blunt end to jab at the abdomen of the attacker behind him, forcing him to retreat.
Despite his efforts, Vinny was stretched thin dealing with two opponents simultaneously.
He had no time to react to the water ball that suddenly appeared in front of him.
[Secondary Explosion: Small Water Wave]
“Bang!”
The water ball exploded on Vinny’s face, the impact sending him flying several meters and tumbling across the ground.
Ignoring the pain, Vinny struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on his spear.
The water magic had hit him, but fortunately, it was a low-level water-element skill with minimal attack power.
Had it been a stronger spell, Vinny might not have been able to stand.
“Oh, bullseye!” The leading young man laughed triumphantly, clearly pleased with his sneak attack.
Despite their numerical advantage and underhanded tactics, the group revealed their perceived victory.
The young man who had been immobilized by Vinny’s Frost Lock and suffered frostbite finally recovered.
He grinned menacingly as he approached Vinny.
“Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect this brat to be so tough. You guys, tie him up like before, and I’ll make him eat another water ball!” the leader ordered, eager to deliver the final blow.
“Let’s see how many points you’re worth, hehehe.”
As the four closed in, Vinny remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Silence does not signify that he is too angry to speak, nor does it mean he is at a loss for ideas.
Rather, it indicates that the King of Ideas is brewing a new great thought in his mind.
“That’s it?” Vinny laughed.
“You’re so shameless?”
“You guys are truly ignorant, unable to distinguish between the big and small jokers in a deck of cards.”
“Hey, catch this guy,” the leading young man sneered.
“I want to see if he can still be so stubborn when I press his head to the ground and make him eat dirt.”
“Wow, you guys really don’t get it,” Vinny smiled.
“I didn’t want to use this ultimate move so early, but you’ve forced my hand.”
“You little brat, why are you being so cryptic?”
“Cryptic? Just wait and see if I’m truly being cryptic.” Vinny put away the Frostfang and hung it on his earlobe again.
He shrugged his shoulders and removed the Armor Fortress.
“Oh, are you planning to surrender?” the leading young man laughed.
“If you kneel down and bark like a dog, I might spare you some pain.”
Vinny said nothing. He stretched out his hands, took a deep breath, and then shouted with full force:
“Four Ice Gods, heed my call once more!
Let the winds howl, the snow descend, and the frost take hold!”
If nothing else, the sheer volume of his roar was enough to startle the four of them.
They halted and braced themselves for defense.
“Haha!” Vinny sent out two frost chains from his palms.
However, these chains weren’t aimed at the four individuals but rather toward the sides.
Could it be!?
The four of them froze for a moment, then realization dawned.
Could it be that this guy intended to use these two frost chains to bind all four of them together!?
At this thought, they hastily retreated.
“Hahaha, you’ve just realized it now? Too late!” Vinny laughed.
“This brat!” The leading young man panicked.
He hadn’t expected Vinny to have mastered such advanced skill.
Considering the frost chains he had released earlier, it wasn’t hard to guess the purpose of these two chains.
Most likely, they were meant to control everyone on a large scale.
Had he truly mastered such advanced skill!?
Of course not.
Vinny thought silently.
This wasn’t an advanced skill at all. It was just [Frost Lock] x2, so it couldn’t automatically lock onto the enemy and tie all four of them together.
If he had the ability to do that, he would have done it long ago.
As for why he chose to spend his limited mana on this, aside from bluffing, there was another reason.
He noticed that the frost chains had wrapped around two large trees, creating an impenetrable barrier.
And now, the only option was—run!
After completing all this and noticing that the four were still on guard, wary of him casting some grand spell, Vinny pulled a face at them, stuck out his tongue a few times, then turned and bolted.
“Damn it!” The leader of the group was momentarily stunned before realizing they had been fooled, his fury igniting instantly.
The other three weren’t faring much better.
Vinny’s strength had been so far beyond their expectations that they had subconsciously assumed he had a backup plan.
They never imagined he was just bluffing!
That’s right! That useless Vinny. He only knew a few low-level skills. What other tricks could he possibly have?
Once they figured this out, the four of them were livid, realizing they’d been fooled.
They gave chase in a rage, but the path ahead was blocked by Vinny’s frost chains.
They had to take a detour, which only widened the gap between them and Vinny.
Vinny sprinted forward, glancing back to see the four men closing in on him.
A wicked smile curled his lips.
Come on, keep chasing. No matter how fast he ran, he was more afraid they wouldn’t catch up than if they did.
Today, he was going to teach these four idiots the consequences of provoking Camella, the biggest villain.
You like fighting, don’t you? Fine, he might not be strong enough to take you on, but there’s someone else who is.
Yes, Vinny finally remembered why this place looked so familiar.
Wasn’t this one of the CGs from the dungeon assessment in the original story?
As for why this location had a CG in the original story, that was naturally because...
As he ran, the path grew more and more familiar.
Vinny recognized the forest trail and sprinted toward it.
“You can’t run forever, you little brat!” The four behind him were relentless in their pursuit.
Wow, they’re chasing me so hard, like a pack of dogs.
Vinny reached the end of the forest path and deliberately slowed his pace, then peeked into the clearing.
Perfect! The timing was just right.
It was the exact moment the CG was supposed to happen.
Better to arrive at the right time than too early.
After confirming the main character was there, Vinny stepped out of the bushes.
At that very moment, the four pursuers caught up and surrounded him.
“Hey, run! Why aren’t you running now? You dared to trick us, you little brat. Just wait and see how we’re going to deal with you!” the leading young man snarled viciously.
“You fell for it so easily. Are you all fools?” Vinny taunted, unfazed by his seemingly hopeless situation.
As he spoke, he subtly adjusted his position.
“You little bastard, just wait and see what I’m going to do to you!” The leading young man, seething with anger, conjured a water ball in his hand and hurled it at Vinny.
Hey! Great throw!
He had expected it to take some effort, but to his delight, the surprise came easily.
Vinny crouched just in time, allowing the water ball to sail over his head and disappear into the grass.
“Surround him! Don’t let him escape!” the leading young man barked.
“Don’t worry, I won’t run this time,” Vinny said, placing his hands behind his back as if sensing something. He smiled faintly.
“Because now, it’s your turn to run.”
“Are you out of your mind, kid?”
“No, no, this is just a friendly reminder from me. If you °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° don’t want to be eliminated, you’d better turn around and run now. Maybe there’s still time,” Vinny said with a mysterious grin.
“I think you’ve got a fever and you’re talking nonsense. Seems like I need to fix that brain of yours.”
“Can’t be helped. I’ve given you fair warning,” Vinny said, raising an eyebrow.
“I already told you, if you dare lay a hand on me, you’ll be in big trouble. The four of you may be a team, but I’m not alone. Let me tell you, my eldest sister is incredibly powerful. She was resting earlier, but once she wakes up, she’ll beat you all to a pulp. She’s ruthless.”
“Ha! What a joke. Who would team up with a notorious rat like you, with no parents?” the tall young man sneered.
“...Hey, you can’t touch a tiger’s butt, and you definitely can’t touch a tigress’s,” Vinny sighed, saying something that made no sense to the four of them.
“Whatever, it’s no big deal. Just be careful next year,” Vinny said, seemingly sensing something, and stepped aside.
“Goodbye, everyone,” Vinny said, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.
In the next moment, an incredibly sharp wave of sword energy split the bushes in two, surging through the spot where Vinny had just been standing.
The young man who had been standing in line with Vinny had no idea what was happening. By the time he realized it, the scene around him had completely changed.
“Young man, don’t be discouraged. You’ll have another chance next year,” an instructor said, waving at him.
“Huh?” The young man was utterly confused.
“But... what kind of opponent did you run into?”
The instructor looked at the young man’s disheveled state, hesitated for a moment, and then tossed him a set of clothes.
“Change into these for now. Your current look is... not very decent.”
“???”
The young man looked down at his clothes in bewilderment. They were in tatters, like rotten pickles...
Wait, what?
He’d been eliminated?!
“What else?” The instructor seemed to read his thoughts and gave him a pointed look.
“Be thankful you had the token on you. Otherwise, you’d be in pieces right now, matching the state of your clothes perfectly.”
Hearing this, the young man felt a wave of belated fear wash over him.
Who had attacked him just now?
Meanwhile, back in the dungeon...
“Franky!?” The leading young man was still trying to process the strange gust of wind that had just blown past.
When he looked up again, he realized that their group of four had suddenly become three, with only a map left in Franky’s place. He was stunned.
“Where’s Franky? Did any of you see where he went?” It had happened so quickly that none of them had fully grasped what had just occurred.
“Brother, Franky... he disappeared,” one of the younger brothers stammered, his voice trembling as he pointed to the map left where Franky had been standing.
“What the hell?” The leader’s mouth trembled, his nerves frayed. “What happened to Franky??...”
“Brother, it’s bad! Vinny’s gone!”
“What did you say!?”
Before the leader could finish his sentence, the sound of light, deliberate footsteps echoed from between the split bushes.
The sharp click of high heels against the ground grew louder.
A breathtaking scene unfolded before their eyes, but at that moment, the three of them were in no state to appreciate it.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. Did you throw that water ball earlier?” A silver-haired girl emerged, holding an ornate golden sword adorned with colorful gems and pearls on its hilt.
Her smile was both enchanting and chilling.
“Uh, listen! This is all a misunderstanding! Someone misled us...” the leader stammered, trying to explain.
“So, did you throw the water ball?” The silver-haired girl cut him off, her smile unwavering as she repeated her question.
“It’s... No, no, no! We didn’t throw it!”
“Oh, I see,” the silver-haired girl said, her smile fading in an instant, replaced by icy coldness.
The sword’s aura surged, and with a single swing, the leader and the surrounding dead trees were cleaved in two.
“I hate liars the most,” the silver-haired girl said emotionlessly.
“Elder, Elder sister! This has nothing to do with us! It was all them! We had no part in it!” The other two, realizing they’d messed with the wrong person, immediately began pleading for mercy.
“Really?” The silver-haired girl smiled sweetly. “You two don’t know them?”
“No, I don’t know him,” one of them blurted out. As soon as the words left his mouth, a blade of sword energy struck him down.
“I know him! But I just know him! It wasn’t me who threw the water ball! It has nothing to do with me!” the last young man cried out in desperation.
“Oh, so you know each other, team up, and attack others together, but claim you’re not involved?” The silver-haired girl’s smile turned sharp.
“If you’re a team, how can you say you’re not connected?”
“I...” The young man was at a loss for words.
Before he could come up with an explanation, the silver-haired girl cut him off.
“Don’t bother thinking too hard. You’ll have plenty of time to explain after leaving the dungeon.” With that, she swung her sword, eliminating him and sending him out of the dungeon.