Standing at 1.7 meters tall, Luo Jiuge was by no means short for a player.
Yet the person before her, seated atop the snow beast, exuded an oppressive aura that felt like a looming wall on the verge of collapse.
The system's inspection function was triggered.
【Target: Vevran Develac】
【Identity: White Owl Iron Guard / Grey Dove Monastery Northern Warden】
【Primary Affinity: Holy】
【Secondary Affinity: Elemental (Fire/Lightning)】
【Health: ???】
【Mana: ???】
【Strength: ???】
【Agility: ???】
【Overall Combat Assessment: Extremely Dangerous】
Luo Jiuge's lips twitched as she stared at the row of question marks.
She had just crawled out of a dungeon, only to immediately run into a stat monster.
Did this game really love putting pressure on its players this much?
Vevran looked down at her, her voice low and steady.
“Herwin Hartmann escaped from the Discipline Office. The monks said the one who saved them was a Descender who wields a holy sword.”
Luo Jiuge's heart skipped a beat, but she simply blinked innocently and asked:
“I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows how to use a sword, right?”
Vevran stared at her. “But in the vicinity of Grey Dove Monastery, you are the only one.”
Luo Jiuge: “...”
She fell silent for a second before saying in all seriousness, “Then it must be my bad luck.”
Vevran did not rise to her banter.
She merely reached out to pat Beo's neck. Beo let out a low growl and lowered its massive body.
In the next moment, Vevran flipped and leapt down from Beo's back.
Her heavy armor clanged as she landed, her boots sinking deep into the snow.
The surrounding knights retreated almost in unison, seemingly long accustomed to clearing a battlefield for her.
Watching this, Luo Jiuge's bad premonition grew even stronger.
No way. Is she going to fight me herself?
Although her health bar wasn't empty yet, her stamina had depleted severely after fighting her way out of Grey Dove Monastery.
Dueling a boss with hidden stats in this state would probably result in her account getting forcefully deleted.
Vevran walked over to the dropped holy sword and lightly flicked it with the toe of her boot.
The holy sword flew up from the snow and landed in her hand.
Luo Jiuge's eyelid twitched as Vevran tossed the sword back, embedding it firmly in the snow right in front of her.
Vevran said, “Pick it up.”
Luo Jiuge blanked. “What do you mean?”
“You managed to repel my men, which proves you have some skill.”
Vevran had already raised her own broad-bladed holy sword, adopting a textbook offensive stance. “Let me see what you're truly made of.”
Luo Jiuge suddenly smiled.
So it was a challenge. Now this was getting interesting.
She reached out and gripped the hilt, pulling the holy sword from the snow. Shaking off the clinging powder, she fell into her own starting stance.
“Since you're so eager, sister, I won't hold back.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she lunged forward.
Her holy sword drew a golden arc of light, slashing straight toward Vevran's shoulder.
She didn't hold back at all.
Her opponent's stats were ridiculously high; holding back would be suicidal.
Vevran stood her ground, only raising her broad-bladed holy sword when the blade was right upon her.
The two swords clashed.
Luo Jiuge felt as though she had struck a massive city wall rather than a sword. The sheer force of the impact reverberated down the hilt, tearing open the web of her thumb once more.
So heavy!
Gritting her teeth, she used the recoil to leap backward. The instant her toes touched the ground, she immediately circled to Vevran's left.
If she couldn't match her in strength, she would rely on speed.
Luo Jiuge stayed low, sweeping her blade along the surface of the snow, aiming directly for the side of Vevran's knee.
A faint flicker of approval crossed Vevran's eyes.
“Good reflexes.”
She lifted her leg to dodge, but her own holy sword came crashing down in the same breath.
Dark red flames suddenly erupted along the blade.
【Elemental Enchantment: Flame Blade】
Luo Jiuge's eyes widened at the flashy special effects.
With no time to think, she could only raise her sword horizontally to block.
The flames exploded the moment the swords collided. A scorching wave of heat rushed at her face, forcing Luo Jiuge back three steps.
Smelling a faint singed odor, she hurriedly patted out the sparks near her forehead.
“Do you local powerhouses always offer complimentary hair-styling services with your fights?”
Vevran didn't answer.
She stepped forward, her flaming blade sweeping toward Luo Jiuge in a wide arc.
Luo Jiuge immediately leaned back to dodge. The fiery glow brushed past the tip of her nose, slicing a charred gash straight through the dead tree trunk behind her.
If that had hit her, she would probably have been served medium-well and neatly sliced on the spot.
Luo Jiuge's heart sank, and her holy radiance flared intensely.
【Holy Radiance Slash】
A golden arc of sword light cut through the wind and snow, flying straight toward Vevran.
Vevran raised her sword to meet it head-on.
Flames and holy light erupted simultaneously, the blinding glare forcing the surrounding knights to look away.
The fire on Vevran's sword suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, blue-white lightning crackled along the edge of her blade.
【Elemental Enchantment: Lightning Judgment】
Luo Jiuge finally lost her cool. She wanted to have such flashy skills too.
Just as Luo Jiuge deployed her shield, the lightning struck the pale golden barrier, shattering her defense instantly.
The shock left half of Luo Jiuge's body numb, and the snow beneath her feet was blasted into a scorched circle by the lightning.
【Mana is depleting rapidly.】
【Current Mana is below 40%.】
The moment the system prompt popped up, she finally realized the gravity of her situation.
Her burst damage was high, but her sustainability was terrible.
Vevran, however, was a different story.
Every single one of her strikes was terrifyingly precise. Flames and lightning crashed down in alternating waves, with almost zero wasted energy.
Luo Jiuge was fighting for her life, while Vevran was merely controlling the field.
After several exchanges, Luo Jiuge's movements grew increasingly sluggish, and her breathing turned shallow and ragged.
Yet Vevran remained completely at ease, even finding the time to critique her:
“Your moves are disorganized, and you're full of openings.”
Luo Jiuge: “...”
The physical damage was minimal, but the emotional damage was immense.
Gritting her teeth, she squeezed out the last drops of her mana. Leveraging her agility advantage, she slipped to Vevran's side and thrust her blade upward, aiming for her sword-hand wrist.
This strike was swift and vicious—the absolute limit of what she could muster in her current state.
A sliver of genuine interest finally flared in Vevran's eyes.
“Now this strike is somewhat decent.”
But in the next split second, both fire and lightning erupted simultaneously on her broad-bladed holy sword.
【Composite Enchantment: Flame-Lightning Roar】
The blade, crackling with intertwined fire and lightning, swept outward. Hit dead-on, Luo Jiuge was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the snow.
【Current HP: 20%】
【Current Status: Paralyzed, Dizzy, Exhausted.】
【Insufficient Mana.】
Luo Jiuge pushed against the ground, desperately trying to stand back up.
But her arms were completely weak, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Vevran's boots came to a halt right in front of her.
The tip of the broad-bladed holy sword rested against her shoulder. It didn't pierce her skin, but the pressure kept her pinned to the ground.
Vevran looked down at her.
“High burst, quick reflexes, and plenty of courage.”
Luo Jiuge was just about to say, So you finally noticed my strong points, when she heard Vevran continue:
“But you're still far too green.”
Luo Jiuge: “...”
She closed her eyes. As expected, this woman wasn't actually praising her.
Luo Jiuge wanted to say something more.
But Vevran had already flipped her sword, striking the back of her neck with precision using the flat of the blade.
In the next instant, Luo Jiuge lost consciousness completely.
Rate on N.U.
