'This makes ten now.'
The dagger sliced through the air, piercing the icy eye hidden among the frosted tree leaves.
"Boom!"
Exploded, releasing a thick cloud of cold mist, turning the tree into an ice sculpture.
Vio leaped onto a branch, yanking the dagger from the tree trunk.
Along the sloping path, several frozen eyes were scattered among the branches. He took out as many as he could while making his way forward.
Then stopped. Something was waiting at the end of the path—a path that narrowed with every step he took.
He could feel its presence. But the strange part? There was only one person there.
'What kind of trap is this?'
His gaze fell to the dagger. The gray veins on its surface had grown more pronounced. It wouldn't last much longer.
He stored it away and opened the shop.
Whether someone was there or not, he wasn't stupid enough to move forward without taking precautions.
Just as he had saved points by not recklessly spending them, he avoided using coins unless necessary. But given the suspicious situation, Vio wasn't about to lower his guard.
Truthfully, if options hadn't run out, he wouldn't have continued down this path.
On the other side, the person waiting for him, Hamim, had removed the upper part of his clothing. While waiting for the rat to appear, he decided to warm up his body a little, doing push-ups on the snowy ground—just another form of madness in this world.
He knew the rat was approaching. The tremors in the Snow Spirit's energy, caused by the detonation of the frozen-eye traps, gave it away. Otherwise, Vio might have had the element of surprise.
Hamim chose this circular area on purpose. It was the perfect place for a confrontation. The space was enclosed by high walls of mountain rock, with only two narrow exits on either side. If the rat tried to escape, he would have to pass through one of them, exposing his back to Hamim's attacks and forcing a face-to-face confrontation—exactly what Hamim wanted.
The circular shape of the area was another advantage. It allowed a full view of all movements. There was no place to hide, no room for surprises. It was a fair battleground from Hameem's perspective, though he knew the fight hadn't been fair from the start. The long chase had undoubtedly drained the rat's strength, putting him at a disadvantage even before the confrontation began.
Hamim pushed himself up and smirked, gripping the sword, turned toward the narrow entrance—he could hear Vio's footsteps.
Vio emerged through the gap with calm features. The first thing he did was scan the area.
"Finally," Hamim said, raising his sword toward Vio. "I've waited a long time. Now, how do you want it? One strike or…"
A fist appeared in front of his eyes. The punch landed directly on his face, sending him flying into the rocks.
"Boom!"
Vio landed, glancing around.
His focus had been on spotting any traps—whether in the trees or on the ground—but no matter how closely he looked, there was nothing.
'Was this person the trap himself?'
"Rat."
Vio turned his gaze toward the source of the voice. From the rubble, Hamim emerged, shirtless, his smile revealing how much he was enjoying this.
"Don't tell me that's all you've got," Hamim said, tilting his head and cracking his neck.
"Damn you all," Vio shouted. "Is this going to become a habit now?"
It was understandable that the bear's head hadn't exploded, but now, why hadn't this person, who seemed like a lunatic to Vio, had his head exploded? It was incredibly frustrating.
Hamim lunged, slashing toward Vio's neck.
Vio jerked his head back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
"Shink!"
'Is he going to fight me up close?'
A smirk formed on Vio's lips as throwing a punch.
But Hamim was already moving—his cut came from the opposite direction than expected.
Caught off guard, Vio had no choice but to block with his fist.
"Clang!"
The impact wasn't powerful enough to knock Vio back, unlike Hamim. So without hesitation, he threw another punch with the same hand.
But Hamim used the sword's rebound to spin, dodging the punch while slashing at him again.
'Damn it!'
Vio couldn't dodge completely. He pulled his torso back, but the sword's tip still grazed his chest, where a thin, glowing barrier formed, absorbing the damage.
Vio retreated quickly, surprised by Hamim's movement.
If he hadn't bought that shield moments ago, his chest would be split open right now.
[Energy Cloak Shield]
A transparent barrier covering the entire body. Activates automatically upon impact.
Durability: 2000
Energy Source: Pure Energy
Cost: 1EP per 50 durability lost.
[Shield Durability: 1990/2000]
No time to analyze further. Hamim attacked again.
A sidestep, Vio avoided it, throwing a punch. Hameem spun like a whirlwind, dodging the punch and using the momentum to slash again. But this time, Vio was ready, taking a step back, adjusting his body, and punching upward against the sword.
"Clang!"
The blade was knocked upward, but Hamim quickly swung it down on Vio, who countered with another punch.
"Clang!"
Frustration boiled inside Vio.
Hamim was fighting within a space no larger than a single square meter.
Every time his attack failed, he'd throw his body into the sword's rebound, smoothly shifting his stance so his feet always remained balanced. His waist twisted fluidly, his shoulders firm, his back slightly arched—everything was calculated to maintain and even increase his attack momentum.
Because of that, Vio kept getting caught off guard—every strike came from the opposite direction he expected.
"Shink!"
"Boom!"
[Shield Durability: 1930/2000]
Vio couldn't avoid the sword falling on the layers of his shield, barely blocking some of the attacks.
The situation was driving him insane.
Hamim spun, aiming to slash Vio's shoulder.
Vio pulled his arms in, taking a boxer's stance, then swiftly sidestepped to avoid the strike.
Hamim's feet slid smoothly over the ground as he twisted, reversing the direction of his attack. But Vio moved, circling Hamim to get behind him.
A quick punch shot forward, but Hamim stepped ahead, dodging the strike, then spun once more—another sharp slash, giving Vio no time to rest.
Yet again, Hamim found Vio behind him, targeting his back or any perceived blind spot.
This was the pattern Vio noticed: while Hamim twisted and turned in a tight space, Vio decided to exploit the situation by circling him, as if orbiting a fixed target.
Hamim slashed, and Vio dodged and appeared behind him. When Vio threw a punch, Hamim stepped forward to avoid it, and the vicious cycle began anew.
It was absolute madness.
In close-quarters combat, nothing was as effective as boxing. A well-trained shoulder and arm could generate powerful punches even in the tightest spaces.
Swords, on the other hand, a close-combat weapon, usually required a distance no less than the length of its blade to fully utilize its cutting advantages... but Hamim's style made all of this bullshit.
With his rapid circular movements and unnatural balance, he turned the narrow space into an ally. With precise sword strikes, he was able to generate tremendous cutting force even in a space no wider than the length of his arm.
Minutes passed with no real progress.
Vio started thinking of another way. A battle of attrition wasn't in his favor.
'I can't believe this.'
He decided to create distance.
Usually, others backed away from him, but now, thanks to Hamim's technique, the situation reversed.
He took a step back, only to be surprised when one of his legs stopped moving. Before he could realize it, Hamim abandoned the slashing style and instead thrust the sword, which suddenly crackled with lightning sparks, aiming straight for Vio's head.
Vio hunched his shoulders, tilting his head to the side.
The sword barely missed.
His fist didn't.
"Boom!"
Hamim was sent flying, crashing into the solid rock once more.
"Boom!"
Vio looked down—his foot was encased in ice.
'Just what I needed—he can summon ice from his legs, too. FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC.'
Lifted his knee, breaking free.
"Crack. Shnk."
This fight reminded him of his battle with the bear.
Not on the same level of destruction, but similar in annoying complexity.
His opponent was fast.
His punches weren't dealing enough damage.
And now, he needed to keep his distance as much as possible.
Vio exhaled, looking at Hameem, who was slowly pulling himself out of the rubble with a smile on his face.
'Well, it seems you really are the trap. Damn, what's that green layer on his head?'
Vio hadn't noticed it at first, but there was no way he'd miss it a second time.
When his punch landed, a thin, green barrier flashed over Hamim's head—like a shield.
"Ah, I forgot you don't understand our language," Hamim said, straightening his back. With a smile, raised sword toward Vio. "But I'll say it anyway."
His eyes gleamed, a cold, glowing energy radiating from them. Vio had never seen such gray eyes before.
"I am Hamim, the Mad Storm Baniaasif," Hamim said. "Make sure I never forget this fight."
[Mission 'Kill or Be Killed' Activated]
[Request Found]
[Request: 'Make It Memorable']
Description:
The hero has found a madman who wants to fight in an unforgettable, thrilling battle.
Objective:
Simple—what's there to explain? It explains itself.
Rewards:
7 Battery cell
coins Chest
****
Tell me how you found it? Are you excited for what's coming?