Kami leaped back lightly to put some distance between them, her face showing genuine surprise. “Not bad reflexes. It seems appearing behind you all the time hasn’t made you completely complacent.”
She flicked the droplets of blood from the tip of her dagger; the blood looked darker than normal.
“Still, I managed to graze you.”
Quentin, Logan, and Tessa had already silently closed in, blocking any path Bai Xuan might have taken toward the cave entrance or other directions.
Bai Xuan stood with his back against an uneven rock wall, surrounded by enemies in front and on both sides.
He looked at Kami again. “Is a penniless wandering healer really worth all this effort?”
Instead of answering, Kami took a deep breath toward him, her nostrils twitching as if she were savoring something.
“As I thought... the scent has faded a lot. Is it hidden somewhere else?”
She looked up, a strange light flashing in her golden vertical pupils. “I almost forgot to introduce myself. This is my specialty: ‘Secret Treasure Scent.’”
“The fragrance emitted by the good things you have is more enticing to me than roasted meat at a tavern.”
Bai Xuan felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.
What kind of bizarre ability was this?
“So this is your trait?”
Bai Xuan’s voice grew deeper. “You’ve been targeting me since we first met at the tavern.”
“Of course.”
Kami nodded as if it were obvious, looking somewhat smug. “Among a bunch of paupers, you’re like a firefly in the dark.”
“Even the stench of money on that Harvey Cross guy is far inferior to the scent of your treasures.”
Several images flashed through Bai Xuan’s mind: Harvey’s precise interception and his suggestive warnings...
“Harvey knew I went to treat that person because you told him.”
Kami smiled, the kind of smile used in a game of cat and mouse. “I just had a little chat with a servant of the Cross family who enjoys eavesdropping.”
“I mentioned that an outsider healer was using a special method to make money off someone Young Master Harvey had already taught a lesson.”
“I didn't even lie, did I? With that guy’s temper, he was naturally going to look for trouble with you.”
She spread her hands. “An outsider targeted by a local big shot, with nowhere else to go... wouldn’t such a person especially need friends?”
“Wouldn’t they especially need a chance to temporarily escape the trouble? I just happened to provide that.”
The numbness in his arm wound was spreading, and the chill was climbing toward his shoulder.
Bai Xuan felt a slight dizziness, but he forced himself to concentrate. “You’ve been tracking me—at the Class Hall, at the tavern...”
“I had to know where you were going and what you were planning,” Kami cut in, her tone light.
“A person running to the Class Hall with treasures always makes me curious. As for the result...”
She glanced at Bai Xuan’s simple staff. “It seems you didn't get what you wanted? But that’s even better; it makes things easier to handle.”
The dizziness intensified, and the edges of his vision began to blur.
Bai Xuan’s body swayed, and he had to lean slightly against the rock wall behind him.
His face showed an expression of struggling to suppress pain and anger.
“The toxin is taking effect, isn’t it!”
Kami observed his reaction, her tone becoming cheerful. “Although I don’t understand why a magic-type would go to the Warrior Hall, I still had to take precautions.”
She tilted her head. “Are you really not going to consider telling me where the treasure is hidden? Without the antidote, you’ll die very slowly, and it won't be pretty.”
As if remembering something, the fur on her cat ears and tail puffed out slightly. “I’ve seen what people look like at the end when they’re hit with this poison... tsk.”
At that moment, Quentin, who was standing on the flank, moved.
Like a hunting lizard, he charged without warning, his longsword unsheathed and thrusting toward Bai Xuan’s waist and abdomen with a cold gleam.
While not a lethal spot, it was enough to instantly incapacitate someone.
Just as the tip of the sword was about to strike, Bai Xuan’s body—which had seemed weak and sluggish from the poison—suddenly exploded with disproportionate speed and power.
His left hand, which had been behind his back, whipped out. The heavy, solid iron rod brought a dull whistling wind, reaching its target first.
A faint but solid golden halo had somehow covered the rod, which smashed violently toward Quentin’s lunging sword.
【Redemption Strike】
Quentin’s pupils constricted as a look of horror flashed across his face.
He shifted from a thrust to a parry, holding his longsword horizontally.
Clang—!
The explosive sound of clashing metal erupted in the cavern, sending sparks flying.
Quentin felt an absurdly heavy force transmit through the blade. His hand went numb, and the sword was knocked back uncontrollably, the back of the blade slamming hard into his own breastplate.
He let out a muffled groan as the massive force sent him staggering backward, only stopping when he crashed into the rock wall on the other side. His chest felt tight, and he could barely catch his breath.
This single strike not only dismantled the sneak attack but even left Quentin at a disadvantage.
Almost simultaneously, the startled Logan roared and charged with a shield bash, while Tessa lunged from the other side with her daggers.
Bai Xuan gave neither of them a chance to get close, slamming the iron rod heavily onto the rocky ground beneath his feet!
Thud!
With the point where the rod struck as the center, a circle of pale golden shockwaves boomed outward, sweeping through the surrounding meters with a low hum.
【Concussive Field】
Logan and Tessa, who were rushing forward, felt as if they had been struck. Their momentum came to a dead stop, and their shield and daggers were knocked aside.
The two stumbled back miserably, their ears ringing and their heads swimming, losing their balance and sense of direction in an instant.
The effortless smile on Kami’s face vanished.
She looked at Bai Xuan. The young man who had just appeared weak and dizzy was now standing firmly in place.
With one hand leaning on the iron rod that emitted a faint golden light, his eyes were clear and cold. Where was there any sign of being poisoned?
At his feet lay the metal staff set with the low-quality Fluorescent Stone.
“The poison... was neutralized?” For the first time, Kami’s voice lost its sweet sense of control, becoming dry and raspy.
“That skill... you really aren’t a normal healer.”
She stared at the golden light on Bai Xuan’s rod, then looked at her companions, who were still dizzy and rubbing their heads after being blown back.
Bai Xuan moved his arm, which had been grazed earlier; the bleeding had stopped, and all traces of numbness had been dispelled.
The effect of 【Purifying Severance】 was even cleaner and more efficient than he had expected.
“You weren't the only one stalling for time.”
His voice was calm, yet carried a cold mockery. “It seems your intelligence gathering wasn't thorough enough.”
The muscles on Kami’s face twitched. The smiling mask she always wore was completely stripped away, revealing the coldness and ferocity of a predator underneath.
“When did you neutralize the poison?”
Kami suddenly crouched low, her limbs tensed.
She spun her two daggers between her fingers, one held forward and the other reversed against her wrist.
“You certainly hid it well.”
Her voice carried a coldness she couldn't hide. “Too bad it’s useless. You’re just at the Awakened Rank, and we have the numbers. My offer still stands: hand over the items, and I’ll spare your life.”
Bai Xuan didn't speak.
He held the thick iron rod across his chest, his center of gravity slowly lowering into a defensive stance.
In the cavern, those patches of ground continued to silently drink the blood.
Rate on N.U.
