In the hall, the faint green glow emitted by the glowing moss cast eerie, shifting shadows over the mountain of goblin corpses, making it look like a bizarre forest of severed limbs and pools of blood.
Dead silence.
Absolute, dead silence.
Except for the occasional soft tap of water dripping from the rocky ceiling, there was only the extremely subtle sound of Brody's footsteps.
Brody searched for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the entrances of the dim small caves, his brow furrowed tightly.
His heart grew increasingly anxious, and a thought occurred to him.
He stopped his footsteps, deliberately raising his voice, and shouted toward the empty hall:
“Matthew, we're leaving! Where are you?”
Brody's shout echoed through the empty hall, but it only drew an even deeper silence.
Behind the pile of rocks, Matthew took in all of Brody's movements.
He sneered in his heart, What a trick, shouting like that...
The hatred stemming from Rayson's tragic death, which had almost cost him his own life, now wound around him like vines. Intertwined with his greed for Brody's equipment, it transformed into a chilling killing intent.
You wanted to kill me first! Matthew roared in his heart, hesitating no longer.
He quietly adjusted his breathing, instantly pushing the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 to its limit.
Vast power surged from the core in his abdomen, flowing through his limbs and bones. His muscles tensed like a leopard's, and his Perception rose to its limit.
Lowering his posture and using the cover of the faint green glow and the shadows of the corpse pile, he slithered out from behind the rocks as silently as a white snake waiting to strike, circling toward Brody's flank.
Brody seemed not to have noticed, still scanning the cave entrances with a frown. He turned slightly to the other side, exposing half of his back.
Now!
Matthew suddenly exerted force with his feet, kicking up a soft crunch of dirt and gravel.
His figure shot out from the shadows like lightning. The Finely Forged One-Handed Sword traced a cold arc under the faint glow, thrusting straight toward the center of Brody's back!
However, just as the tip of the blade was about to pierce him, Brody seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He slid weirdly forward and to the side, his steel rapier striking back like a biting venomous snake, accurately parrying Matthew's blade with a backhand strike!
“Clang!”
The piercing sound of clashing metal shattered the dead silence, sparks bursting in the faint green light.
Brody spun around with the momentum, a hint of surprise on his face. “This strength... your breathing technique is of no low quality...”
Matthew knew very well in his heart that his Strength, Constitution, and Agility were all granted by the panel. If it were purely the boost from his breathing technique, he probably couldn't even defeat a single kobold.
His thoughts flashed by in an instant, but his offensive did not stop!
Using the rebounding force of the parried sword, he spun and stepped forward, changing his sword's trajectory from a thrust to a slash, sweeping toward Brody's waist and abdomen.
His breathing and sword strikes were in perfect sync, the strength and coordination brought by his Novice level 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 exploding with full force!
A sword strike came!
A harsh light flashed in Brody's eyes. With a low shout, he pushed his 【Fiery Lion Breathing Technique】 to its limits. Mist billowed around his body. He actually didn't dodge, meeting the incoming blade head-on with the chainmail on his left arm!
“Clang!”
A dull, heavy boom resounded as sparks flew!
Matthew felt a heavy, mountain-like rebounding force travel up the blade, violently jarring his arm!
He was shocked in his heart: His Constitution... how can it be this strong?!
But immediately after, the "Armor Penetration" property of the Finely Forged One-Handed Sword took effect!
At the point of contact between the blade and the chainmail, the steel links groaned under the strain and actually split open in a tiny tear!
Though the blade did not completely penetrate the armor, it cut through the lining, leaving a trail of blood on Brody's arm!
“What?!”
Brody's pupils shrank, horror appearing on his face for the first time!
This chainmail was a life-saving armor gifted to him by his family when he was ten years old. Its defense far surpassed ordinary light armor, yet it had almost been sliced open by a single sword strike?
Even though his own carelessness played a part in it.
“You're courting death!” The sharp pain and shock triggered Brody's ferocity. With a roar, he pushed his breathing technique to its absolute limits, and the mist billowing around him suddenly turned a faint red!
The steel rapier turned into a streak of scorching light. Abandoning defense, he met attack with attack, thrusting straight at Matthew's throat!
The wind of the sword was intense, bringing with it a wave of scorching heat!
Matthew's pupils shrank!
Brody's anger-fueled strike was as fast as a serpent's tongue, the scorching wind of the blade already singeing the skin of Matthew's throat!
He had absolutely no time to parry. At this life-or-death moment, the sharp Perception and explosive power brought by the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 saved his life—
“Shhh!”
Matthew's waist and abdominal core suddenly exerted force, his entire body twisting like a coiled spring as he leaned back by a hair's breadth!
The scorching tip of the sword grazed his neck, leaving a burning trail of blood!
The two of them pulled back to create some distance.
Matthew's heart pounded like a war drum!
Across two lifetimes, this duel with Brody was his first true life-or-death battle!
In his previous life on Earth, he had never experienced such a perilous situation where he had to fight for his life.
Although he had fought goblins and kobolds after transmigrating, those were mostly one-sided slaughters relying on his panel's advantages.
To engage in a one-on-one duel to the death like this—against a well-equipped human who possessed a higher-tier breathing technique and a clear intent to kill him—was an absolute first!
Matthew felt the crisis of life and death!
An unexpected look flashed in Brody's eyes, seemingly not expecting Matthew to dodge a fatal strike under those circumstances.
But he did not halt his offensive. Stepping forward swiftly, his rapier transformed into a flurry of scorching red light once more. Thrusting, piercing, slashing, and sweeping, his moves flowed endlessly. Carrying the violent aura characteristic of the 【Fiery Lion Breathing Technique】, they enveloped all of Matthew's vital spots!
Matthew focused entirely, running the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 to its absolute limits. The benefits of his enhanced Perception became fully apparent at this moment.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
The dense sounds of clashing metal echoed repeatedly in this silent hall of corpses.
As the battle dragged on, Brody grew increasingly alarmed the more he fought.
This peasant was clearly inferior in both strength and speed, yet he could always twist his body and shift his steps the moment the blade was about to touch him.
Even more bizarrely, the look in this peasant's eyes actually held a hint of... anticipation?
Furthermore, Brody could sense that the boy's stamina was gradually running out...
“Something's not right!”
His killing intent faded, and the urge to retreat sprouted!
The moment Brody's sword momentum faltered slightly—
“Heh.”
A low laugh escaped Matthew's throat.
“What are you laughing at?” Brody pulled back a bit, using the opportunity to recover his stamina.
Matthew knew what the other was thinking, but he didn't care. Looking at the small black words popping up in front of him, his heart was filled with nothing but excitement!
【Basic Swordsmanship +1】
【Basic Swordsmanship +1】
【...】
...
【Your 【Basic Swordsmanship】 has leveled up. Your current 【Basic Swordsmanship】 is at the "Practiced" level. Your Strength and Constitution have slightly increased.】
【Basic Swordsmanship: Practiced (1/500)】
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Rate on N.U.
