Chapter 84: Cursed Blader (2)
The desert echoed with the sound of cutting metal.
SKREEEEEEEE!
High above the dunes, the Skyblader circled like a living storm of blades. Its metallic wings stretched wide. Thousands of razor-sharp feathers shimmered beneath the scorching sunlight. Every flap of its wings sent deadly projectiles flying through the air.
SWISH!
SWISH!
SWISH!
Blade feathers rained down relentlessly. But unlike before, Nobody wasn’t panicking. He stood firmly on the desert sand. Twin crowbars in hand. His eyes focused entirely on the monster. The black monster-face shirt Ren had given him fluttered in the hot wind.
Nobody rolled his shoulders. "Alright, Gelete Guard Bird! I am gonna beat your AS*! You’ve had enough fun."
The Skyblader screeched. As if accepting the challenge.
SKREEEEEEEE!
Then hundreds of blade feathers launched at once.
Nobody immediately activated his skill.
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[ZIGZAG TELEPORTATION]
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FLASH!
His body vanished. The blades struck empty air.
FLASH!
He appeared ten meters away.
FLASH!
Again.
FLASH!
Again.
The battlefield became a blur. Teleportation mixed with pure instinct.
Sometimes he teleported. Sometimes he simply dodged. And surprisingly, both methods were becoming equally effective.
One blade shot toward his eye. Nobody tilted his head. The blade passed harmlessly beside him.
Another came from below. He jumped.
Another came from behind. He twisted.
Missed.
Missed.
Missed.
The movements felt natural now, like breathing and walking. Like his body already knew where danger would appear.
Far away in the tutorial chamber, Ren watched through a floating screen. A faint smile appeared. "Huh. The poison really did a number on him."
He watched Nobody dodge another barrage. "Physical improvements, improved senses, higher reaction speed. And battle awareness is growing rapidly."
Ren leaned back. Then laughed quietly. "Facing death that closely really made you stronger."
On the battlefield....
Nobody continued weaving through attacks. The Skyblader became increasingly aggressive. Its metallic body flashed silver. The monster folded its wings.
Then unleashed another attack.
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[SKILL ACTIVATED]
Infinite Blade Throws
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The sky darkened when thousands of blade feathers appeared.
Nobody’s eyes widened. "Oh come on!"
The feather storm descended.
WHOOOOOOSH!
The desert exploded. Sand flew everywhere. Blade feathers embedded themselves into rocks, dunes, and cliffs.
Nobody instantly sprinted. His instincts screamed.
Danger.
Danger.
FLASH!
Teleport.
FLASH!
Teleport again.
Several blades narrowly missed his neck. Others sliced through his sleeves. One even clipped a strand of hair.
Nobody immediately changed direction. Then spotted a massive rock formation. "There!" He dashed toward it.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Blade feathers struck behind him. The rock became his temporary shelter. Nobody pressed his back against the stone, breathing heavily. "Damn...That thing isn’t messing around."
More blades struck the rock.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The impacts echoed continuously. Pieces of stone broke away. Nobody peeked around the corner. The Skyblader remained airborne. Far out of reach.
The monster wasn’t stupid. It knew its advantage.
Nobody clicked his tongue. "How am I supposed to hit something flying that high?"
The system suddenly appeared.
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[Battle Awareness Increased]
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Nobody blinked. "Seriously?"
Another window appeared.
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[Battle Awareness Increased]
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Another.
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[Threat Prediction Improved]
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Another.
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[Reaction Speed Improved]
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Nobody stared. "...Am I levelling up just by not getting shaved by that Gelete Guard bird?"
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[System Window]
Is the User Referring to Some Dark Jokes?
(ㆆࡇㆆ")
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Nobody said,"Damn...You think stuff too seriously! Of course not!!" Nobody sighed.
He looked upward again. The Skyblader began circling. Waiting and watching. Looking for an opening.
Nobody narrowed his eyes. Then something clicked. "WAit...The monster isn’t attacking randomly. Its feathers follow patterns."
Not exact patterns.
But patterns nonetheless. Every large attack forced movement. Every movement created openings. Every opening guided prey toward another attack.
The bird wasn’t just throwing blades. It was controlling the battlefield.
Nobody slowly smiled. "Oh.I see what you’re doing."
SKREEEEEEEE!
The monster dove again. Another barrage launched.
This time Nobody didn’t move immediately.
Instead he watched.
One blade.
Two blades.
Five blades.
Twenty.
His eyes tracked every trajectory. His brain processed every angle. Every possible route. He moved...
SWISH!
One step.
SWISH!
A sidestep.
SWISH!
A twist.
SWISH!
A duck.
Not a single teleport but pure movement and instinct. Every blade missed.
Far away,
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" The rabbit coach sat forward. Now he was interested.
Nobody wasn’t merely reacting anymore. He was reading attacks. Predicting and understanding them. That was an entirely different level.
Back on the battlefield...
Nobody continued moving. The Skyblader launched another storm.
And another.
And another.
Yet each attack became easier to avoid. The world itself felt slower.
Clearer and sharper.
Nobody could almost feel where danger would appear before it happened. A strange sensation. But very useful.
The system appeared once more.
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[Battle Awareness Significantly Increased]
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[Danger Detection Improved]
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[Combat Instinct Enhanced]
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Nobody laughed. "Okay. Now we’re talking."
The Skyblader clearly noticed. Its attacks became more frantic and more aggressive.
The bird monster screeched angrily. Its prey was adapting. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Nobody pointed a crowbar toward it. "What, Gelete Birdie? Getting frustrated?"
SKREEEEEEEE!
The monster folded its wings. Energy gathered around its body. The air itself began vibrating.
The system appeared immediately.
Red warning lights flashed.
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[WARNING]
Skyblader Preparing Special Attack
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Nobody’s grin disappeared. "...That can’t be good."
The Skyblader spun rapidly. Faster and faster and faster. Its entire body became a silver tornado. The blade feathers surrounding it merged into a gigantic rotating storm.
Sand rose from the ground. Rocks shattered. The desert trembled.
The system updated.
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[SKILL ACTIVATED]
Spinning Blades
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Nobody stared at the enormous blade cyclone forming above him. "..." He said while being scared"...Ren."
Far away in the tutorial chamber Ren smiled. "What?"
Nobody pointed at the sky. "I officially hate this stage."
Ren burst out laughing. And high above the desert..the spinning blade storm descended toward Nobody. The spinning storm continued descending.
WHOOOOOOOOM!
The pressure alone forced Nobody to slide backward across the sand. He planted both crowbars into the ground.
SCRAAAAAPE!
Sand flew everywhere as he struggled to keep his footing. "This thing is insane!"
The gigantic blade cyclone grew larger and larger in his vision. Every instinct in his body screamed danger.
Yet he didn’t feel panic. He felt focused. His eyes tracked every movement inside the storm. Every rotation, opening and every possible path.
The system suddenly appeared.
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[Battle Awareness Reaching New Threshold]
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Nobody slowly grinned. "Alright then..." He raised his crowbars. "Let’s see if I can dodge this, too."
The spinning blade storm crashed downward and the desert exploded.
