The dungeon chamber shook with every clash of metal.
Ray's breath came in sharp, controlled bursts. He kept his grip firm on his sword, feet steady on the uneven stone floor.
The Black Knight was faster and stronger—there was no denying that. But strength alone wouldn't determine the winner.
His skill [Sword instinct] flared. He felt the shift in the knight's stance before it even moved.
Left. No—high feint, then downward slash.
Ray raised his sword just in time.
CLANK!!!
The force of the impact sent vibrations up his arms, but his footing remained firm. He had adjusted his stance the moment the attack connected, distributing the force evenly across his body.
Still, it wasn't enough. The knight's brute strength was wearing him down.
He needed help.
"Damn it…" He tightened his grip. He was already on the defensive.
"Sir Vince, suppress its movement!" he commanded.
From the far side of the room, Vince nocked an arrow. Mana surged around him as he activated a skill.
"Piercing Volley!"
A rain of glowing arrows shot toward the knight.
But—
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The knight twisted impossibly fast, It's sword moved like a blur, deflecting every single one.
"Shit—!" Vince growled.
Ray's mind raced. This wasn't a mindless brute; the knight had intelligence.
They had to change the flow somehow.
"Sir Lucien, now!"
Lucien, standing near the dungeon's edge, chanting under his breath. His fingers wove intricate patterns in the air as blue mana swirled around him, he used a skill along with a spell.
"Fire Coffin!"
A surge of Heat erupted from the ground, engulfing the knight's legs. Flames crawled up its armor, locking it in place.
For the first time, the knight stopped moving.
"Sir Nathaniel"
A blur of motion—Nathaniel appeared between them, spear raised.
"Titan's Fang!"
His spear glowed as he struck forward, aiming for the knight's head.
The knight twisted at the last second, taking the spear strike on its armored shoulder. Sparks erupted, but the force still sent it stumbling back.
Ray didn't waste the opening.
His sword covered in Fire Aura moved in a perfect arc, aiming for the knight's visor.
But the knight reacted. Even bound, it twisted its body, taking the strike on its shoulder instead. Sparks flew as Ray's blade scraped against the black metal.
Ray ducked just as the knight swung its sword in a vicious sweep. The sheer force sent a gust of wind through the chamber, nearly knocking him off balance.
Then Black knight kicked Ray in the face just as he ducked.
He knew the attack was coming but still it was too fast for him to dodge.
Ray barely registered the kick before he was sent flying. He hit the stone floor hard, rolling several times before skidding to a stop. His lungs burned. His vision swam.
The knight broke free from the Fire chains, turning its eyes toward Ray.
It was coming for him.
"Ray, get up!" Vince shouted.
Ray gritted his teeth and forced himself onto one knee. His body ached, but he wasn't done yet.
He exhaled.
"Sir Vince, attack its right leg. Sir Nathaniel, as soon as it blocks, go for the head. Sir Lucien, be ready to counter when it retaliates."
They moved instantly.
An arrow struck the knight's leg, making it stumble.
Nathaniel charged, his spear moved forward in a brutal strike.
The knight raised its weapon to block—leaving its chest exposed.
Lucien didn't miss the opportunity, he fired the Fire blast spell with almost all his mana.
But the knight anticipated it.
It twisted mid-motion, swinging its sword covered in dark energy in a devastating counterattack.
The fire blast was cleaved in two and dissipated. The sword strike didn't stop and continued towards Vince and Lucien.
Lucien barely managed to block with a fire wall, but Vince took the full force of the hit. He was sent flying, crashing against the stone wall.
The knight's sword again ignited with a dark, crackling energy as it surged toward Ray, the air around it distorting from the sheer force.
In the blink of an eye, the knight was above him.
Ray reacted instantly. [Flicker Step]—his body vanished in a blur of light, reappearing just above the knight, suspended in midair.
As he descended, he shifted his stance, his muscles coiling like a spring, waiting. Waiting for the cooldown of the skill to end.
In previous week his master had drilled one lesson into him over and over again—
A swordsman needs patience.
Patience to observe every attack.
Patience to wait for the perfect opening.
Patience for the enemy to falter.
Patience to analyze every movement.
And patience... to strike at the right moment.
Thus, he waited—Patiently.
The knight landed first, his sword colliding with the ground making the ground cracked and dust and debris flew in the air, but Ray was not there.
As the knight prepared to move, a low voice echoed through the hall, sending a chill through the air.
[Flicker Step] x [Aura Blade: Fire].
While training, he had learned that [Flicker Step] was not true teleportation. It relied on bending space and manipulating light to move at incredible speeds. By combining it with his swordsmanship, he had refined it into something deadly.
A flash of light marked his arrival in front of the knight.
His sword, infused with momentum, slashed toward the knight's neck in a swift, fluid motion.
The speed, the momentum—it all transferred into his strike. His sword carved through the air, leaving behind a blazing red arc, as if etching its presence into the very fabric of reality.
But just before his blade could sever the knight's neck—
Clang!
A black sword, its edges glowing with an eerie green hue, intercepted the strike. Sparks erupted as sword met sword.
The knight had blocked the attack—but he couldn't stop the force behind it.
The impact sent cracks spider webbing across the stone floor. Dust and debris rained down as the knight's armored form remained embedded in the jagged indent, his black sword trembling from the force of the clash.
Ray didn't lower his guard.
His eyes locked onto the knight's unmoving form. For a brief second, silence reigned—thick, suffocating, tense.
"Did he just land a hit?" Vince voiced his thought aloud with a shocked expression.
But no one replied to him.
Then—
Clank.
The knight's fingers twitched. The grip on his sword tightened.
Ray's [sword instinct] screamed warning,
Before the dust could even settle, the knight moved.
A pulse of dark energy erupted from his body, blasting the surrounding debris away. His armor groaned as he stepped forward, his glowing eyes locking onto Ray with an eerie intensity.
And then—he vanished.
A chilling whisper of steel sliced through the air.
Ray barely had time to react—[Flicker Step].
He flickered out of existence, appearing a few meters away. But before he could even steady his stance, the knight was already upon him.
Ray's breath hitched, He is faster than before.
He barely raised his sword in time.
CLANG!
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the hall, forcing Ray back. His feet skidded across the stone floor, sparks flying beneath his boots.
And stronger too.
The knight's aura pulsed—darker, denser. His black sword, now fully engulfed in the eerie green energy, let out an unsettling hum, as if alive.
Ray exhaled sharply.
He's adapting.
A slow grin spread across his lips.
"Good..." he muttered, tightening his grip.
If the knight could adapt—then so could he.
Ray adjusted his stance, lowering his center of gravity. The embers on his sword flared, the heat intensifying. His mana surged, flowing into his blade.
This time—he wouldn't just wait.
With a deep breath, he dashed forward—vanishing into a streak of crimson light.
Ray closed the distance in an instant, his sword carving through the air like a streak of fire.
The knight barely had time to react—Ray's blade crashed against his black sword, the force sending another wave of sparks flying. But this time, Ray didn't stop.
He twisted his wrist, redirecting the angle of his blade mid-swing. The abrupt shift caught the knight off guard.
A sharp, precise slash—
The knight's armor screeched as Ray's sword carved a deep gash across his chest plate.
Got him.
But then—
His [Sword Instincts] screamed—warning.
Ray's eyes widened as the knight didn't retreat. Instead, he lunged straight into Ray's range.
Shit—!
Before he could react, the knight's gauntleted fist slammed into his stomach.
Ray's body folded over the impact, his ribs screaming in protest. Pain—sharp, raw, unrelenting—erupted through his torso. His vision blurred for a moment as his breath was forced out of his lungs.
And then—
A searing pain tore through his side.
The knight's black sword had moved faster than his eyes could follow, its cursed green edge cutting into his ribs.
Move.
His instincts roared at him, drowning out the pain. He forced his body to react, twisting mid-air to lessen the damage.
Instead of being impaled, the blade grazed past his ribs, carving a deep wound into his side.
Blood splattered onto the stone floor.
Ray's feet barely touched the ground before he flickered away, reappearing a few meters back.
He clutched his side, fingers trembling as warm blood seeped through them. The pain burned like molten iron, every breath a sharp reminder of the damage.
The knight straightened, his black sword dripping with Ray's blood. His glowing eyes—empty, emotionless—locked onto Ray.
"Damn…" he muttered, "That actually hurt."
"Ray—!" Irene's voice rang out.
But the knight didn't stop. It charged toward him.
He couldn't dodge.
Before the sword could strike him down, Nathaniel appeared.
His spear clashed with the knight's sword, deflecting the blow just enough for Ray to roll away.
"Lucien, FIRE!"
Lucien finished his next chant.
"Meteor Fall!"
A ball of blazing fire descended from above, smashing into the knight's back. Flames erupted, and for the first time, the knight staggered.
But it wasn't enough.
Ray struggled to his knees, blood dripping from his side.
Irene rushed to him, her hands glowing with healing magic.
"Stay still!" she ordered.
His wound closed, but his body was still weak.
He couldn't win like this.
He needed more.
With shaking hands, Ray opened his system.
[System Shop Opened]
Ray's vision flickered as he scrolled through the options. He was running out of time.
After scrolling the skills and shortlisting them, He found one useful...
[ Skill: Overclock ]
- Temporarily increases all stats by 90% for 5 minutes, After 5 minutes, the body will suffer a backlash, and the user will lose consciousness for a week.
He purchased the skill, with all his remaining system points, after all he had no other choice.
Ray reached into his inventory, his fingers closing around the smooth glass of a high-grade potion. Without hesitation, he uncorked it and chugged it down.
A wave of icy relief spread through his body, the burning pain in his ribs fading almost instantly as the wound closed. Strength surged back into his limbs.
Before he could fully regain his breath, a desperate voice called out—
"Do you have one more of that potion? Selene is in very critical condition," Irene asked, her voice strained with urgency.
Ray's eyes flickered toward her.
Without a word, he reached into his inventory and pulled out another potion, tossing it to Irene.
Ray didn't wait to see the result.
He exhaled sharply, his focus snapping back to the Black knight.
He stood up.
Then—
He activated the skill.
The surrounding air crackled. Mana swirled like a raging storm, coiling around his blade. The stone beneath his feet fractured under the pressure of his aura.
The knight shifted even while fighting others, his glowing eyes narrowing as if recognizing the change in Ray
Ray's lips curled into a sharp grin.
[ Overclock Activated. ]
***