Chapter 41: Reality Check
Leon felt the heavy vibration rattle through his leather boots and vibrate directly against his teeth.
The campfire flickered wildly before sputtering down to a dying ember unable to sustain its light against the oppressive magical pressure suddenly flooding the clearing.
Stormfang let out another highly distressed whimper and lowered his massive armored head toward the dirt.
A magical beast of that caliber cowering in fear was a terrifying indicator of exactly what was approaching.
Seraphina gripped the hilt of her broadsword with both hands and stepped in front of Leon.
Her beautiful face lost its usual arrogant predatory smirk and was replaced by a mask of cold calculating grimness.
The crimson aura surrounding her body flared to its maximum capacity casting a bloody glow over the surrounding foliage as she prepared to face an enemy that clearly dwarfed the corrupted panthers.
The dense brush at the edge of the clearing violently parted.
Stepping into the faint light was a monstrous creature resembling a mutated bear fused with jagged dark crystal.
It stood over twelve feet tall on all fours with thick obsidian armor plating covering its massive shoulders and skull. However the beast itself was not the true threat.
Riding atop the broad back of the obsidian monster was a tall slender man wearing elegant dark robes trimmed with silver thread. He held a long glowing scythe casually in his right hand and wore a highly ornate silver mask that obscured the upper half of his face.
The magical signature radiating from this man was so dense and suffocatingly powerful that it made Seraphina’s formidable aura feel like a flickering candle standing next to a roaring bonfire.
"Lady Seraphina of House Sterling," the masked man spoke in a smooth echoing voice that carried a chillingly polite tone. "I was truly hoping the rumors of your expedition into the woods were accurate. My employers will be highly pleased to receive your head on a silver platter."
Seraphina narrowed her violet eyes and leveled her glowing broadsword at the mounted rider.
She recognized the intricate silver stitching on his dark robes.
"You are an Enforcer for the Eclipse Syndicate," Seraphina spat fiercely her voice dripping with venomous hatred. "I should have known a filthy mercenary guild was responsible for mutating the local wildlife and disrupting our trade routes. You are going to die screaming in this forest."
The masked Enforcer merely chuckled and casually tapped the hilt of his glowing scythe against the thick armor of his monstrous mount.
"Confidence is a charming trait in a young noblewoman," the Enforcer replied mockingly. "But you are merely a master of the lower tiers. You have yet to touch the true boundary of Aura Manifestation and that lack of insight will be your undoing tonight."
Leon stood near the dying campfire analyzing the situation with his newly acquired Night Vision.
He had spent the past two weeks effortlessly dominating arrogant guards and humiliating minor nobles using his massive physical stats.
His ninety points of Strength and hundred and twenty five points of Agility made him feel invincible. He truly believed he could handle any threat this brutal world threw his way.
Untill now.
The digital interface chimed softly in his mind projecting a highly ominous quest prompt into his vision.
[Emergency Survival Quest Issued: The Taste of Dirt]
[Context: A true apex predator has entered the clearing and your current power level is tragically inadequate. Prove you possess the courage to face the abyss.]
[Objective: Intercept one attack aimed at Lady Seraphina and survive the resulting impact without dying.]
[Reward: +50 Maximum Health, Skill ’Pain Nullification (Minor)’, 300 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: Immediate and highly agonizing death by dismemberment.]
The quest did not ask him to face slap the enemy.
It did not ask him to secure dominance or whisper a scandalous compliment. It merely asked him to survive.
The Enforcer swung his scythe lazily through the air sending a massive crescent shaped wave of dark purple magical energy hurtling directly toward the Silver Goddess.
The sheer speed of the projectile was staggering.
Seraphina braced her legs and raised her heavy steel broadsword intending to block the lethal magical attack head on.
Leon realized she was gravely underestimating the density of the incoming spell.
He activated his massive Agility stat and blurred into motion using his Aura Step to cross the distance in a fraction of a second. He materialized directly in front of the noble daughter placing his own body between her and the rushing purple crescent.
He channeled every single ounce of his magical core into his hands activating Kinetic Repulsion at maximum output while simultaneously layering his invisible Mana Skin as thickly as possible over his forearms.
He crossed his arms over his chest and prepared to effortlessly deflect the magical attack just as he had deflected Julian’s fireball in the library.
The dark purple crescent slammed into his Kinetic Repulsion barrier.
The invisible wall of force he had heavily relied upon shattered like fragile glass in less than a millisecond.
The sheer disparity in magical density was astronomical. The residual kinetic energy of the Enforcer’s casual attack crashed directly into Leon’s crossed arms with the unstoppable force of a collapsing mountain.
A sickening crunch echoed loudly across the clearing as both of Leon’s forearms fractured under the immense pressure.
He was violently launched backward through the air like a discarded ragdoll.
His body slammed heavily into Seraphina disrupting her stance and sending them both crashing into the dirt. The sheer concussive shockwave of the impact rattled his brain against his skull and drove the breath forcefully from his lungs.
Leon laid on the cold grass coughing up a violent mouthful of warm blood. His vision swam with dark spots as an agonizing blinding pain radiated from his shattered arms.
He stared up at the night sky through the tree canopy realizing his massive stats meant absolutely nothing against a true master of this world.
His raw strength was practically useless without the proper martial foundation and high tier aura techniques required to wield it.
He was nothing more than a toddler swinging a heavy stick at a seasoned warlord.
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