Nero charged forward with a smile.
One that was half-confidence and pure madness.
*KRSSKSSS!*
The Burrowing Ravager's enormous head swiveled towards him.
Acid trickled from its whirring rows of teeth as it emitted a shriek that was like a blender experiencing a crisis of existence.
In his hand, the shortsword Aurelia had given him reflected the afternoon sunlight.
A slender, perfectly balanced sword that made his old metal pipe resemble a child's toy.
"Fine, you giant earthworm," he growled, his Greater Instinct ability activating as he studied the monster's moves.
"Let's see what the training arc of divine ass-kicking taught me."
The Ravager charged forward with impressive speed for something of that bulk.
*KRAAAAA!*
Its maw opened wide, exposing a throat covered in more spinning teeth.
Nero dived to the right.
*Wooosh!*
Rolling across the cracked pavement as the creature's jaws closed around where he had stood.
*CRACK!*
The concrete cracked apart under the pressure.
"Note to self," he breathed, raising up in a fighting crouch. "Don't let that to bite me. That would be more than bad."
His gaze scouted out the creature's segmented body, searching for vulnerabilities.
His Greater Instinct was going full out.
The chitinous plates that covered most of its length seemed thick enough to bring a tank shell to a stop.
But there, between the segments, he could observe softer tissue that throbbed with each of the creature's movements.
The joints.
Pin the joints.
Just as Aurelia had drilled into him back in their sparring sessions.
*KRSSKSSS!!!*
The Ravager stood back up, again ready to strike.
Nero took a step forward. He stayed inside the attack zone at the same time when the enormous head descended.
*Slash!*
His sword severed soft tissue between two sections.
*KRSSSSSKSKSSSKSRSS–!!!*
A spray of green ichor then poured out looking like the flesh juice for plants.
The earthworm creature screamed, thrashing its coils about.
One of the coils struck Nero in the ribs and sent him tumbling across the street.
*Pang!*
"Oof–!", he groaned, tasting blood. "... Okay, that one's definitely going to bruise."
But he was already up and moving, rolling onto his feet and reining in his grip on the sword.
Footwork, balance, breathing.
The basics Aurelia had practiced into him until he could perform them while asleep.
The Ravager seethed now, its actions less polished but more ferocious and chaotic.
*CRASH!!!*
It burst through a stationary car as if it were cardboard, spewing metal scraps everywhere.
Nero dropped behind a piece of bumper, then scampered forward again.
This time he aimed for the beast's side.
*Slash!*
His sword encountered a second joint and plunged deep into soft tissue.
Green blood spattered onto his face and torso.
The tail of the Ravager lashed out, smacking him across the shoulder and sending him spinning.
"... Ughh."
He struck a lamppost with enough force to make Nero see stars.
But he didn't relent.
He retained his grip on his shortsword.
"Okay," he gasped, levering himself upright. "Point noted. Don't get slapped by the tail either."
From somewhere behind him, he could hear voices.
"Holy shit, is he actually fighting that thing?"
"Let's go help him…!"
"No, wait—look at how he's moving. He's actually landing hits!"
But Nero tuned them out, concentrating totally on the monster in front of him.
*Sssss….*
The Ravager was now wrapping around him, attempting to use its length to wrap up and crush him.
Classic constrictor tactic.
Nero waited until it committed to the motion, and then,
*Wooossh!*
He ran towards its head rather than away from it.
The eyes of the creature… small, black, and completely alien, followed him with hunting intelligence.
*KRAAA–!*
It yawned wide, ready to swallow him whole.
That's when Nero leaped.
Not upwards, but forward and downwards, sliding on his knees under the snapping jaws of the creature.
His sword rose in a perfect rising cut that struck the Ravager under its chin.
The secondary sword Aurelia gave him was true to their sharpness.
*Sloosh!*
He sliced deeply, severing something crucial.
Green blood poured down like rain.
The Ravager writhed with agony, its movements erratic and desperate.
Nero rolled clear, coming up in a crouch, his sword was ready.
His arms quivered from exhaustion.
He could feel at least three different injuries that were going to hurt like hell tomorrow.
His vitality stat was definitely still too low for him to engage a B-tier monster in a battle of attrition.
*Haaah… haaah…*
He was operating on fumes, whereas the Ravager had a lot of it remaining in the fight.
He had to finish it fast, otherwise, he was fighting a losing battle.
It's time to finish this.
"Time to nut up or shut up."
*KRSSSHSHSSSS–!!!*
The beast stood again, ready to make what would likely be its last, desperate attempt.
Nero caught his breath, grounding himself as Aurelia had once instructed.
Feel the tool as part of you.
Read the other's movements.
Strike at the moment of maximum vulnerability.
The Ravager descended like a collapsing skyscraper.
Every last bit of strength it possessed concentrated on destroying this pesky little human who'd had the audacity to resist.
Nero sidestepped at the very last moment.
*Woopp!*
His sword swept through in a horizontal curve that struck the creature right at the neck-joint between its skull and first body part.
His fundamental knowledge of Valkyria Swordsmanship skill controlled his motions, transforming what was supposed to be a desperate slash into a precise decapitation strike.
*FUSSSHH–!*
The icy sword cut through chitin, muscle, and whatever it was that the creature had for a backbone with a surgeon's precision.
*THUD!*
The head of the Ravager landed on the ground, severed neatly from its body.
Green ichor spouted from the stump, then gradually ceased to flow as the dying spasms of the creature subsided.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Three level-up alerts rang in Nero's mind in quick succession.
Then came,
[Item Drop: Ravager Chitin Set (B)]
[Item Drop: Vitality Orb (A)]
[Passive Skill: Greater Instinct (C) leveled up!]
Another three alerts.
But Nero hardly paid attention to the system notifications.
He stood there for a second panting hard.
He's drenched from head to toe in green monster blood. And he looks like he'd just grappled with a dragon.
Then, slowly, he emerged from the dust cloud that had been kicked up by the Ravager's last thrashing.
His sword lay casually on his shoulder, and in spite of his injuries…
"..."
There was something definitely badass with the way he walked towards them.
He's like a warrior who'd just emerged victorious from a difficult battle.
Which he did, actually.
"... Okay, that was actually pretty cool," Kaito said, his tone full of something that could have been respectful.
"Pretty cool?" Haru corrected. "Dude just soloed a B-tier monster with a sword. That was fucking awesome."
"M-Mr. Nero, you're bleeding. Let me—"
Yui dashed forward with her medical kit.
She's going to use a healing skill.
But,
"I'm fine, just a few bruises and scratches, nothing serious."
Although he said that he stumbled slightly as the adrenaline began to fade.
The middle-aged businessman who's shouting for help earlier then came forward with a hint of hesitation.
"I… I want to say thank you for saving us,"
Although he stammered, he still expressed his gratitude by bowing.
"I-I'm Robert Chen. This is my daughter, Lisa. We thought we were going to die."
The young teen girl with the adorable ponytail nodded intensely, her eyes going wide in awe.
"That was incredible! You were like, "whoosh!" with the sword, and then the monster was all "graaaah!", and then you were like—"
"Lisa, breathe… also you forgot something." Her father said softly.
"Oh right! Thank you, mister!" The daughter also cutely bowed.
But it was then that Aurelia moved forward before him.
"Lord Nero, your performance was. impressive… You showed correct footwork, kept your balance in adversity, and displayed excellent tactical reasoning in striking at the creature's vulnerabilities."
She then finished with,
"That was impeccable."
Her golden eyes appeared to glint with approval and something that looked prideful as a teacher.
"Thanks," Nero said, smiling shyly, holding the sword out to her,
"I should probably return this before I happen to cut myself with it."
But,
"... No, Lord Nero."
Aurelia shook her head, holding him back.
"It is now your sword."
Nero blinked in confusion. "What? But it's yours–"
"Not anymore, that sword found its new owner."
She stood firm with her decision.
Nero then glanced down at the sword in his hands, actually looking at it for the first time.
---
[Item: Dawnbreaker (A)
Type: Weapon (Sword)
Description: A masterwork sword hammered in the fires of the Celestial Cradle. This sword has several attributes that make it perfect for long combat.
Effects:
Self-Sharpening – The blade retains a razor edge for extended use.
Self-Repair – Minor nicks, cracks, and surface damage automatically mend over time.
Lightweight – Forged with weightless alloys or magic. Reduces arm fatigue for usage and allows for faster, sustained combat.
Bloodshed Resistance – Immune to edge blunting from gore or residue.]
---
"This is. this is an A-tier weapon," Nero panted. "I can't accept something this precious."
"It was meant to be a gift to you, Lord Nero," Aurelia blurted out.
"A gift? To me?"
"Yes."
She went on to explain,
"I did not present it to you before since you did not have the basic knowledge on how to use it properly… You could have hurt yourself worse than your enemies."
She went on,
"You also possess the ability to survive, and your own means of fighting… I too stood beside Lord Nero to safeguard you on your endeavors, and so I believed that giving it to you was pointless."
She stopped, and then a strange feeling flashed in her golden eyes,
"… But because you asked this humble knight to be your teacher, I believe this is evidence of your hard work and the token that you have learned from a Valkyrie."
"Well… I did try my best, yeah…" Nero felt awkward as he could notice Aurelia looking at him with such a meaningful stare.
"And you have shown today that you did. You have grasped the fundamentals and now you have enough practice to use it without injuring yourself… That shortsword is yours by right of skill and bravery."
And then, for the first time in Nero's life…
"It is my gift to you. A token that this humble knight of yours instructed something crucial for your application."
He watched the heavens flower in his mind, as Aurelia… put on a genuine smile.
"It is a great honor to be able to guide you, Lord Nero."
The sweetest smile that made her 100x more lovely and captivating.
And as for Nero?
"…"
He just gazed at her, utterly stunned.
No. MEGA STUNNED.
Not so much by the gift he received but by the warmth in her smile.
He felt his life go in slow motion all of a sudden.
Half of what she said didn't even register.
He fell hard.
For the first time since he'd met her, Aurelia was genuinely smiling.
Not just forced and professionally satisfied, but truly, beamingly happy.
And that look on her face?
It was priceless.
It was beautiful.
She is beautiful.
And before he could think about it.
Before his brain could catch up with his body.
"..."
*Hug…!*
Nero moved forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
His angel waifu was simply too cute and beautiful.
He couldn't resist.
And neither does he intend to either.
At least, he deserved this much.
There was only one thing that was in Nero's monkey brain at this point of time.
'I. LOVE. HER.'
Indeed, he is.
***
STATUS UPDATE
---
Name: Nero Walker (Jobless Degenerate)
Race: Human
Level: 11 → 14
Stats:
STR: 1.3/10
DEX: 1.05/10 → 1.1/10
INT: 1.25/10 → 1.3/10
VIT: 1.3/10 → 1.35/10
LUCK: 1.005/10
CHA: 0.8/10 (oof.)
Active Skills:
– [Empty]
Passive Skills:
– [Greater Instinct (C), Lv: 2]
– [Valkyria Swordsmanship (SR), Lv: 1]
Unique Abilities:
– [Waifu Summoner (SSR)]
– [Copycat (A) (Flawed)]
---
***
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