Noob

Bai Xuan did not reply, simply continuing to dodge with ease.

Ronid's frustration grew more intense, and the frequency of his attacks quickened.

Sharp claws slashed against the stone walls, carving deep gashes into them. Rubble flew and dust filled the air, yet Bai Xuan remained completely untouched.

A chill crept up Ronid's spine to the top of his head as the unease in his heart grew stronger.

He felt as if he were striking a pile of cotton.

All his strength vanished without a trace, yielding not a single shred of feedback.

“Damn it!”

Ronid spat a curse, quickly taking several steps back to put some distance between them.

Crossing his hands rapidly in front of him, the shadow energy surrounding his body began to surge frantically.

Mana coalesced rapidly in his palms, forming a pitch-black sphere.

Pulsing red electric arcs crackled across the sphere's surface, radiating a heart-stopping aura.

Letting out a loud shout, he violently thrust the black sphere forward.

“Shadow Burst!”

The black sphere exploded in midair. A powerful shockwave carrying shattered stone swept out in all directions, causing the entire dungeon to tremble slightly.

Bai Xuan's expression remained unchanged. He swiftly raised his staff and slammed a Concussive Field into the ground.

A golden shockwave rippled outward instantly, clashing violently with the black shockwave and canceling it out.

The blast sent rubble and dust flying through the air, obscuring their vision.

Refusing to back down, Ronid unleashed several Shadow Tides in quick succession.

Waves of black energy erupted from the ground, instantly blanketing more than half the dungeon and shattering the stone floor tiles wherever they passed.

Bai Xuan lightly tapped his toes, leaping gracefully onto the top of a slanted stone pillar.

Crouching slightly, he looked down in silence at the exasperated Ronid below.

Ronid snapped his head up. Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the dungeon ceiling, casting down upon Bai Xuan and outlining his figure in a faint silver glow.

Clutching his staff and looking down from above, Bai Xuan seemed to be watching a clown. There was not a single ripple of emotion in his eyes.

In that moment, a blurry memory suddenly flashed through Ronid's mind.

Long ago, he had been a youth in his family obsessed with swordsmanship.

He would begin practicing his swordplay before dawn every day, swinging his blade a thousand times, his clothes drenched in sweat, all in pursuit of greater strength.

Later on, he abandoned swordsmanship and set foot on the path of a Mage.

He firmly believed that magic was the supreme power in this world, the only thing that could elevate him to the peak.

Yet now, even though he had obtained powerful demonic strength,

he could not even touch the hem of a seemingly fragile Healer's clothes. This massive disparity brought him to the brink of a breakdown.

“Impossible...”

He muttered to himself, the veins on his forehead bulging and his eyes blood-red as he roared,

“I don't believe it! I absolutely don't believe it!”

No longer holding anything back, he pushed off the ground, the shadow mana around his body exploding.

Like a cannonball ready to fire, he lunged straight toward Bai Xuan at the top of the stone pillar.

Claws, fists, knees, elbows—he completely shed his human form.

He attacked frantically like an out-of-control beast, every strike carrying violent mana, determined to tear Bai Xuan to shreds.

Finally, Bai Xuan stopped merely dodging. He slowly raised his staff.

The shaft of the staff instantly radiated a brilliant golden light, blending warmth and majesty in stark contrast to the surrounding shadows.

Then, gripping the staff, he slammed it down hard onto Ronid's crossed, guarding arms.

“Bam!”

A colossal force erupted from the staff. Ronid felt his arms go numb.

It was as if he had been violently rammed by a massive magical beast, leaving even his bones aching.

Instinctively, he stacked his other arm on top, crossing both arms tightly in front of him.

Yet that majestic force remained unstoppable, forcefully blasting him back. His feet plowed two deep ruts into the ground as loose gravel showered down.

Ronid slowly raised his head, staring dead at Bai Xuan with eyes full of disbelief and shock.

“You... you're a Healer! How do you have such powerful strength?”

His voice trembled, his tone laced with confusion and resentment.

Resting the staff on his shoulder, Bai Xuan curled the corner of his mouth slightly and spat out a single word, his tone dripping with mockery:

“Noob.”

Ronid's face instantly flushed red, his eyes bloodshot as rage and humiliation instantly clouded his mind.

Although he did not understand the exact meaning of the word "noob," he could clearly sense the mockery behind it.

It was a complete denial of all his efforts and all his power.

“You're dead!”

The demonic power inside him went completely out of control, flooding into his brain and devouring his last remaining sanity.

Having completely lost his mind, he stopped thinking about any tactics.

He simply pushed the mana in his body to the limit, unleashing skill after skill in rapid succession.

Shadow Burst, Shadow Tide, Shadow Bind, shadow blade...

All kinds of shadow magic poured out of him as if they cost nothing.

The entire dungeon shook violently under the consecutive explosions, as if it would collapse at any second.

Large sections of the ceiling caved in, and rubble rained down in dense sheets.

They crashed against the ground with dull thuds, making the situation increasingly perilous.

Bai Xuan could no longer dodge so easily; his clothes were scorched with several holes by the shadow magic.

A few shallow cuts also opened on his arms from the flying debris.

He instinctively glanced back toward the exit and saw that Carson had already safely evacuated the others.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When he turned back, the calm in his eyes faded, replaced by an icy coldness.

“That's enough.”

he muttered softly, his tone completely flat.

Ronid continued to cast frantically, muttering to himself with vacant eyes, having completely spiraled into madness.

“Kill you! I must kill you! And that girl, I must have her! Her scent... I smell it, so sweet...”

Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, his sanity entirely consumed by the desire for greed and slaughter.

At this moment, he was nothing but a monster controlled by his desires.

Bai Xuan hesitated no longer, resolutely charging forward against the barrage of shadow magic.

“Redemption Strike!”

The golden light at the tip of the staff grew even more dazzling as he slammed it hard toward Ronid's shoulder.

Ronid instinctively leaned to the side to dodge, barely avoiding his vitals, but the wind whipped up by the staff still grazed his shoulder, causing his body to jerk violently.

Black blood welled out instantly, and dense demonic energy immediately surged forward, attempting to mend the wound.

But this time, the wound healed at a much slower rate than before.

Gritting his teeth and enduring the excruciating pain, Ronid swung a backhanded claw strike to force the advancing Bai Xuan back.

Bai Xuan gave him no room to breathe and charged once more. This time, he unleashed another combat skill.

【Arcing Strike】

The staff whistled sharply through the air, smashing violently toward Ronid's waist.

Ronid hastily raised his arms to block.

Yet his skin, which had been hardened by demonic power, was torn open as easily as thin paper, and the tip of the staff slammed directly into his bone.

“Aaaagh!”

Ronid let out a shrill scream as he was sent flying sideways, crashing heavily against the stone wall behind him.