With a roar, Subaru's legs sank deep into the floor, yet he maintained absolute pressure. The Kasaka's Venom Fang, gripped tightly in his hand, became a silver flash of lightning, relentlessly and repeatedly stabbing at the wound he had struggled so hard to create.
One strike, two strikes, three, four...
He stabbed without stopping!
"DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Every thrust was infused with his full strength and fury. A profound blue magical flame erupted at the wound, burning hotter and hotter. Igris's once-indestructible blood-red armor began to show spiderweb-like cracks. Dark red energy, like blood, sprayed out from the fissures.
Finally—
With a crisp shattering sound, the blood-red armor exploded. The Kasaka's Venom Fang at last plunged fully into Igris's body, and the dark red energy gushed out like a bursting dam.
[NOTICE: You have eliminated the Knight Commander, 'Red-Blooded Igris'.]
[NOTICE: LEVEL UP!]
[NOTICE: LEVEL UP!]
[NOTICE: LEVEL UP!]
[NOTICE: LEVEL UP!]
[NOTICE: Acquired 1,500,000 Gold.]
[NOTICE: Acquired Item: [Crimson Knight's Helm].]
[NOTICE: Acquired Skill: [Ruler's Hand].]
[NOTICE: Acquired [Blessed Box] x1.]
A series of system notifications echoed in Natsuki Subaru's mind, announcing the end of the life-or-death battle.
Finally... I killed this monster.
Subaru pulled his dagger from Igris's chest, let out a long breath, and collapsed onto the floor. He thought back to the intense battle. That was a one-in-a-million fight. I only won by sheer luck... I was far inferior in skill, power, and combat experience. A single misstep would have meant death. I was so close to triggering Return by Death...
"Thank god I completed my daily quests without fail." Subaru sat on the ground, panting heavily as he muttered to himself. "If I hadn't saved the status recovery reward, I would have really died here today." Although the Job Change Quest had disabled recovery potions and healing from leveling up, the rewards from his daily quests were not restricted. That saved-up reward had, at the critical moment, saved his life.
"But then again, the rewards for defeating Igris are incredibly generous." Subaru looked at the reward notifications on the system panel, a smile spreading across his face as his fingers quickly scrolled through the virtual interface. "I gained 4 levels at once, jumping straight from 45 to 49, and got 1.5 million gold! That's enough to buy several high-level pieces of equipment in the system store!"
He eagerly claimed his rewards. When he saw one of the items, his eyes lit up.
[Item: Crimson Knight's Helm]
[Type: Armor]
[Acquisition Difficulty: S-Rank]
[Effect: Physical Damage Reduction +20%, Stamina +40, Strength +40]
"The Crimson Knight's Helm... it's an S-rank item!" Subaru's eyes widened in amazement. This was the first time he had obtained such a high-level piece of equipment. After looking at the stats, he was even more thrilled. "20% physical damage reduction, plus an extra 40 points in Stamina and Strength? These stats are insane!"
Recalling the heart-pounding battle with Igris and the overwhelming power he displayed, this helm felt even more precious. "I'll equip it right now!"
Subaru eagerly placed the dark red helm on his head. The moment it touched his hair, it began to turn transparent, eventually becoming completely invisible. Although there was no change in his appearance, Subaru could clearly feel a surging energy continuously pouring into his body.
"This feeling... it's incredible!" A warm current coursed through his veins, and an unprecedented power surged through his limbs. He rotated his shoulders, his joints cracking loudly. Every muscle felt filled with explosive strength. He casually threw a punch, and the air shrieked. "My strength has increased by at least twenty percent!"
Next, he turned his attention to the new skill.
[Skill: Ruler's Hand]
[Effect: Telekinetically control objects within a 10-meter range without mana cost. Current maximum controllable weight is 30% of your own body weight.]
[Note: Control ability increases with skill level.]
"A zero-mana-cost skill? That's way too efficient!" Subaru read the description carefully. To be able to exert physical influence without contact... Isn't this the same move Igris used just now? He recalled how Igris had merely gestured, and the greatsword had flown back into his hand. This ability was remarkably similar to the Unseen Hand used by the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Though for now, its range and power are much smaller, the fact that it doesn't consume mana is a huge advantage. And as the skill levels up, its range and force will surely increase.
To test his theory, he tried using Ruler's Hand on a nearby piece of rubble. The stone trembled slightly, then slowly levitated as if held by an invisible hand.
"It worked!" Subaru snapped his fingers excitedly.
Finally, he looked at the last item. "This again, a Blessed Random Box..." He weighed the box that glowed with a rainbow light in his hand. Remembering the last two he opened were both dungeon keys, his enthusiasm waned. He tossed it into his inventory without even bothering to open it.
Having dealt with the rewards, Subaru looked around. "It's strange... I defeated Igris, so why haven't I been teleported out?" Don't tell me... the Job Change Quest isn't over yet?
An ominous premonition suddenly washed over him. At that moment, the entire hall began to fracture. Dozens of pitch-black spatiotemporal rifts spread out like a spiderweb, rapidly expanding. Hordes of knight-like humanoid monsters began to pour out of them.
Before Subaru could process this, a system notification exploded in his mind:
[NOTICE: The Job Change Quest has now begun.]
[OBJECTIVE: Survive for as long as possible to earn the Promotion Points required to advance to a higher-class rank.]
[NOTE: Promotion Points will determine the rank of your job change.]
[NOTICE: Good luck.]
"What?!" Subaru's eyes widened at the new information. "That deathmatch just now was only the warm-up? And what does 'job rank' mean? And that 'Good luck'... it sounds way too ominous!"
A blue timer flickered to life before his eyes: 00:00:01.
The knights, though numerous, were only around level 30 individually. Against the now level 49 Subaru, they should have been no match.
"Since there's no escape, then let's have a good fight!" Subaru's figure blurred as he charged into the enemy ranks.
Bloodlust!
A suffocating pressure erupted from him, and the surrounding knights instantly slowed, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"DIE!"
Like a tiger among sheep, Subaru tore through the enemy lines, his dagger a silver flash reaping lives with every swing. But the number of knights was simply too great. One wave fell, only for another to take its place, a relentless tide.
"Has it only been eight minutes?" Subaru glanced at the timer, and his heart sank. Just eight minutes of fighting, and his stamina was already half-gone. At this rate, he would die of exhaustion in half an hour at most.
He tried a new tactic. I have to change strategies. The objective is survival time, not kill count...
Stealth!
His figure vanished from the knights' sight. The leaderless enemies fell into confusion, wandering aimlessly. Great! I can use this time to recover...
But just as he retreated behind a pillar to catch his breath, a strange magical fluctuation swept over him, and his stealth was instantly broken.
"Dammit! They found me!" Subaru looked up to see several black-robed mages emerging from the rifts, their staves glowing with a detection spell. The horde of knights immediately turned and swarmed toward him.
"So there's no room for tricks! Fine!" A stubborn grin spread across Subaru's face. "Then let's fight head-on!"
He could no longer remember how long the battle raged—half an hour? An hour? More? Time lost all meaning in this slaughterhouse. The ground was littered with the wreckage of knights, but the rifts continued to spew out new enemies endlessly. Fiery pain flared from multiple wounds on Subaru's body. His HP was dropping fast, and his stamina was nearing empty. His mind became pure and focused, with only one thought remaining:
Fight! Get stronger! Level up! Become strong enough to protect everything!
But even that resolve had its limits.
CRUNCH!
A heavy warhammer slammed into him from the side. Subaru barely managed to raise an arm to block, but was still sent crashing to the ground, a spray of blood erupting from his mouth.
[HP: 16/5500]
Through his blurry vision, he saw a knight raise its longsword, its sharp blade glinting with the light of death. If that sword fell, he would surely die.
So this is it, huh? That "Good luck" from the system was hinting at how insane this quest was... The goal isn't to clear it, but to see how long I can last... How sadistic...
But... I absolutely will not fall here!
Just as the sword began its descent, Subaru's eyes flared. The reward from the emergency quest for defeating the Sin Archbishop of Sloth... Claim!
____
Unfortunately, two of our stories were removed... so I created a new account to post them: MikuDayo.
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