A Desperate Fight

[Is this enough to knock you out?]

The mystical voice of a man entered my ears as I staggered in place, clutching at my chest to try and breathe and circulate whatever amounts of oxygen that could pass through my canals.

"Kgh… Khac, khac!" I coughed out in pain as terror washed over me in front of this being.

From the corner of my eye, I took notice of the new message that had reached me.

[Someone from Lenticular has associated directly with the Main Story Quest]

So I was right… The Lenticular is like a faction that contains higher beings that can support people who go through the quests for their entertainment.

This feels weirdly similar to a novel I've read… but that aside, it's not time to care about stories right now, for I am about to experience death in the next minute.

[Are you really going down that easy–? A mutt dares to try and lay a hand on me?]

Smool had shapeshifted back into a skinnier male to have more speed, although when in contact with this higher being, he couldn't do anything.

The lean muscle-built entity took hold of Smool's jaws without any effort whatsoever and smoothly swung his arm down, smashing Smool's scalp into the ground. A small crater formed in the surface where Smool had come into contact with.

[Move away now, I have business with someone more interesting.]

He booted Smool without even strengthening his muscles, and yet, Smool flew dozens of meters away. Knocked out.

In the meanwhile, through my shivering of pain and fear, I had gotten up.

[Oh, you finally wanna go at it?]

He spoke, just hearing his voice made me shake in despair. But I know I couldn't back down.

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and trepidation as I stood in front of the otherworldly being.

His dark, long hair swayed ominously around his pale face, and his eyes gleamed with a malevolent glint.

This battle was proving to be more challenging to me without even starting it.

But I took another breath as I opened the system by the right side of my shoulder, taking a look at my spells as I prepared myself to use everything in my arsenal against him.

With a swift motion, I activated my magic, feeling the energy surge within me. Sparks of fiery red danced along my fingertips, ready to be unleashed.

But as I launched my first strike, the being's uncanny speed allowed him to effortlessly dodge, evading my attack with a grace that defied logic.

"Bruh…" I muttered as he retaliated with a powerful counterattack, a surge of dark energy that sent me stumbling backward.

The impact left me reeling, struggling to regain my footing as I back-flipped once. This being possessed a strength and agility far beyond what I had encountered before, even if this is the second time I had come to fight someone else with the system's grace.

Gritting my teeth, I summoned a shield of shimmering light to protect myself, but the dark tendrils of energy penetrated its defenses, grazing my arm with a searing pain.

"Kgha!"

I could feel my magical reserves dwindling as I did my utmost to uphold the pure mana shield, my energy waning with each passing moment.

"At this point, I don't care…" I voiced as I invested an unhealthy amount of stat points towards my MP, even if I didn't know the exact number.

{ [Username: Nord]

[Level: ????] - [Stat Points: ?????] - [Exp: ?????????/?????????]

[Race: Mythical]

[Job: Adventurer]

[Weapon: Mythic Killing Dagger(S-Grade)]

[Modifier(s): The Serpentine Slayer]

[HP: 1500▴▾/1500▴▾] -- [MP: 600▴▾/600▴▾]

[Strength: 102 ▴▾] -- [Agility: 102 ▴▾] -- [Sense: 85 ▴▾] -- [Vitality: 102 ▴▾] -- [Intelligence: 105 ▴▾] }

[MP: 600▴▾/600▴▾]

----->[MP: 1242▴▾/1242▴▾]

As the battle raged on, the being's dark magic grew stronger, casting ominous shadows that threatened to swallow me whole even though tendrils of blue mana were rippling out of my own body.

My attacks were met with formidable resistance as if its very essence repelled my efforts to subdue it.

Determined not to yield, I channeled my now-composed magic levels into a final desperate assault.

My fists crackled with a surge of ether lightning, striking at the being with all of the power I could muster.

[524 MP Has Been Used]

"Arcane Lightning!" I shouted out the spell's name, thinking it might lead to a conclusion.

But he effortlessly sidestepped, his movements fluid and elusive. My gigantic lightning strike dispersed harmlessly into the air.

[Ain't looking bad, are ya?]

The higher being smirked as he guided my right fist away from his face and instead lunged his knee into my solar plexus, sending me flying.

"Kgha!" I coughed as I felt difficulty breathing again, raising my physical stats in the meanwhile too.

[Strength: 102 ▴▾]

-----> [Strength: 202 ▴▾]

Fatigue washed over me, my limbs heavy with exhaustion. The battle between me and him had become a relentless dance of evasion and counterattacks, leaving me struggling to keep up even with my hacked system.

My vision blurred, and my muscles ached with every move. The otherworldly being seemed tireless, relentless in his assault as he approached me.

In a final act of defiance, I gathered the last remnants of my magical energy. Blue-hungry flames erupted from both my fists, engulfing my strikes in a searing inferno.

The intense heat that hacked at his clothes forced the being to falter momentarily, but he quickly regained composure, his dark aura pulsating with renewed strength as the sun was beginning to rise.

With each passing moment, my already-breaking confidence further wavered.

Doubt whispered in the recesses of my mind, threatening to erode my will.

But deep down, I knew I couldn't give up. I had to find a way to overcome this otherworldly foe, to protect myself and Smool in the least, and then the other human beings who all dropped down unconscious in front of his presence.

As the battle continued, the ground beneath us trembled, reflecting the intensity of our clash.

Shadows coalesced, forming a wicked blade in the mystical man's hand, while my own magical energy began to flicker again, barely holding on. The odds seemed insurmountable, but I refused to succumb to despair.

Summoning the last vestiges of my strength, I launched myself at the being with a renewed fervor.

Our powers collided in a cataclysmic explosion, a clash that echoed with a thunderous impact. Yet, despite my efforts, the battle remained unresolved, the outcome hanging in a precarious balance.

[Bwahahaha, now this is exciting!]

Breathing heavily, I took a step back, a mix of exhaustion and determination coursing through me.

The battle was far from over, and I knew that I had to dig deeper within myself to find the strength to face this formidable adversary.

For I am Nord, the Serpentine Slayer, and though the odds may be stacked against me, I will fight on and refuse to yield.

"…"

[I have played around for quite some time now, shall we truly get started?]

A black ripple of mana stretched out of his body as he said that.

'He wasn't even serious…?!'