On the mound, Calm and Flynn's pincer attack closed in like iron pincers.
Instructor Calm was like a tiger descending a mountain. Channeling his entire body's strength into his steel longsword, he drew a sharp silver arc, thrusting straight at the kobold priest's midsection, which was stiff from spellcasting!
Flynn, meanwhile, was like a phantom. The pale qi blade flickered on his scythe as he stayed low and darted forward. With a shrill whistle, his scythe slashed upward diagonally, targeting the priest's right wrist holding the staff!
The two coordinated seamlessly, cutting off all of the priest's options to dodge.
For the first time, a clear look of terror appeared in the kobold priest's muddy, vertical pupils!
Its garbled screech warped in extreme panic. It was far too late to chant another fireball incantation.
At this life-or-death moment, relying almost entirely on beastly instinct, it frantically poured all of its spirit and will into the crude yet bizarre staff in its hand!
“Hum—!”
The dark red crystal at the tip of the staff did not erupt violently as it did when releasing fireballs. Instead, it suddenly burst with a solid, blood-thick dark red halo!
This halo did not expand outward. Instead, it instantly formed a half-person-high, translucent, dark red energy shield half a meter in front of the priest!
“Clang!!!”
Instructor Calm's thunderous thrust slammed hard into the center of the shield!
The moment the sword tip contacted the shield, it did not produce a crisp metallic ring. Instead, it let out a dull boom, like a heavy hammer striking a war drum!
The dark red shield fluctuated and dented violently, like a stone thrown into a pool of thick blood. Dense ripples washed across its surface, yet it stubbornly ground the peerlessly sharp sword tip to a halt, refusing to yield even an inch!
Hearing the sound, Matthew turned his head to look. A red barrier had appeared out of thin air on the mound!
“A protective shield?!”
Brody glanced over, the greed in his eyes plain to see!
Almost simultaneously!
“Sizzle!”
Flynn's scythe also hacked violently into the edge of the shield!
The dark red energy, like living, viscous plasma, frantically enveloped and eroded the pale qi blade.
But Flynn was a half-step Silver Rank expert after all!
Though the staff was formidable, this kobold priest's level was not high!
A fierce light flashed in Flynn's eyes. His entire body began to steam as if he had just stepped out of a hot bath!
The muscles in his arms bulged as he let out a low, angry roar, “Shatter!”
The pale qi blade clinging to the scythe's edge flared brilliantly, as if catching fire!
An overwhelming force surged from the scythe, forcefully tearing through the sticky energy binding it and plunging forward!
Seeing this, Instructor Calm also channeled his breathing technique, no longer holding back his stamina.
“Crack!!!”
A crisp sound like shattering glass suddenly rang out!
The stubbornly resisting dark red energy shield finally could not withstand the force. Starting from the crack sliced by the scythe blade, cobweb-like fractures instantly spiderwebbed across the entire surface!
In the next instant, the entire dark red shield popped like a giant, punctured blood bubble and exploded!
It kicked up a gust of magical wind that swept in all directions!
On the mound, Flynn and Calm's figures suddenly became clear amidst the turbulent energy.
Flynn's grey clothes billowed, the rising white mist around him not yet fully dispersed. Seeing this, a flash of joy crossed his eyes.
“This annoying turtle shell is finally broken! The staff is as good as ours!”
Calm was much steadier, his expression unchanged as he stared down the kobold priest.
Meanwhile, below the mound...
“It's done!” Brody's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He stared fixedly at the dark red crystal staff, its light completely dimmed as it tumbled onto the muddy ground following the shield's collapse. His eyes flashed with blatant, almost frantic greed and ecstasy!
On the flank, Matthew, in the brief gaps between parrying the kobolds' attacks, was also shaken by the overwhelming collision of power on the mound.
The shockwave from the exploding shield carried a scorching wave of air that hit his face, causing his skin to tingle slightly.
“Is this the power of a Brass Rank Class holder?”
He was thoroughly shocked.
The gap is just too wide...
The excitement from his breathing technique breakthrough gradually faded.
If he were to take Calm's shield-piercing thrust head-on, or Flynn's full-power burst of steaming white mist, he would probably be torn to shreds in an instant!
Yet, rather than filling him with fear, this realization sent a thrilling jolt of excitement straight up his spine—
If he could push the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 to an even higher level...
If he could break through his 【Basic Swordsmanship】 to the Practiced level (currently 188/200)...
Would he also be able to unleash a blow that could shatter mountains and cleave stone?
What will it be like when I become a Class holder? Matthew wondered.
After all, his current stats relied entirely on what the panel gave him.
On the other side...
The backlash from the exploding shield hit the kobold priest like a heavy blow. Its bulky frame suddenly hunched over as it spat dark green, foamy blood, and its right arm holding the staff spasmed violently.
Calm and Flynn followed like shadows, two cold gleams of light instantly sealing off all avenues of retreat!
Calm's sword tip darted toward the priest's throat like a viper, but at the last moment, he shifted his move into an upward slash—“Clang!” His steel longsword struck precisely in the middle of the staff!
The staff, which had already endured the impact of the shield's collapse, let out an overloaded groan under Calm's full-power strike infused with his breathing technique. The dark red crystal shattered instantly!
Oh no! Flynn felt a surge of shock and anger as he saw the staff break, but he had no time to say anything.
The scythe blade drew a shrill arc. Seizing the moment when the priest was dazed by the shattering of its staff, the blade swept toward its neck!
Though the kobold priest's physical constitution far exceeded that of a normal kobold, it still could not withstand this!
Dark green blood sprayed as the kobold priest let out a dying shriek. A deep, bone-deep wound on its neck nearly severed its head!
Yet, its powerful life force, far greater than that of an ordinary kobold, kept it from collapsing immediately. Its massive body stumbled backward, its muddy, vertical pupils staring fixedly at the shattered staff. With a final, unwilling roar, it finally crashed to the ground.
Even after finishing off the priest, Flynn could not set his mind at ease. He looked at the shattered staff nearby, his feelings incredibly complicated.
Below the mound, Matthew and Brody also finished off the last kobolds in front of them almost at the same time.
The two exchanged a look and, without a word, quickly made their way toward the mound.
Brody rushed up the mound in three strides, the corners of his mouth curving upward uncontrollably.
Matthew followed behind him. Looking at Brody's back, a trace of anger flashed in his eyes.
He remembered the tragic sight of Rayson lying in a pool of blood with a wooden spear piercing his chest, and Hal's desperate struggle as he bled from his severed arm.
The root of all this disaster was that Brody, after discovering the kobold priest's staff, had selfishly and recklessly ordered Flynn to attack without any discussion, dragging the entire team into a bloody melee against over thirty kobolds.
Now that the battle was finally over, this instigator showed absolutely no pity for his companions' deaths and injuries. His eyes held nothing but greed for the staff.
If I hadn't been strong enough, I would probably be the one dead right now...
Matthew could handle risks, but toward someone like this, he had to maintain a high level of vigilance.
I wonder how Instructor Calm is doing...
After all, after witnessing Flynn's combat strength and Brody's cruelty, the slight relaxation Matthew had managed to feel instantly vanished, replaced only by vigilance.
Rate on N.U.
