In the same breath, he shifted direction and shot past the boss, aiming straight for the mages who were in the middle of casting their debilitating debuffs and empowering buffs.
With a blur of motion, goblin heads flew skyward, severed cleanly as Seth tore through the mages. But before he could follow up, the massive shadow of the region boss loomed over him. Its greatsword came crashing down, and Seth barely managed to raise his blade in time. The impact rattled his arms, the force so overwhelming it launched him backward. His body smashed through a wall, stone and dust exploding outward as he coughed up blood.
He didn't stay down. Rolling to his feet, Seth moved instinctively, dodging as the boss's sword slash flew through the air, cleaving through the ruined wall, slicing it apart as though it were paper. His eyes narrowed, studying the monster's technique, his mind processing every detail in an instant.
Then, with a sharp breath, he mirrored it. Swinging his sword, he unleashed a blade of energy that ripped through the air—a sword slash nearly identical to the one the boss had used. The attack tore forward, but it was clumsy, weak compared to the original. The region boss lifted its weapon and easily shattered the strike, dispersing it like smoke.
But Seth only grinned faintly. He didn't care that the attack had failed. What mattered was the fact that he had done it at all. He had just replicated a skill he had witnessed for the very first time.
Seth's body stiffened as a new debuff settled over him, the weight dragging at his limbs. His eyes flicked toward the surviving goblin mages. A few were still channeling buffs into the boss, their hands glowing faintly, while one in particular focused entirely on weakening him further. His frown deepened. The longer they lived, the more of a problem they became.
Then the ground trembled.
The region boss let out a thunderous roar that shook the village, each step pounding into the dirt like the strike of a war drum. Its massive frame loomed closer, and with both hands gripping its greatsword, it swung with everything it had. The motion was wide and brutal, like a giant swinging a baseball bat meant to crush mountains.
As the weapon cleaved through the air, it erupted in flames, the heat distorting the very air around it. From that swing, a blazing arc of fire surged outward—a massive sword slash of flame, tearing through the battlefield as it cut directly toward Seth.
Seth planted his foot firmly into the ground, his muscles tensing as he met the oncoming blaze head-on. With a fierce battle cry, he raised his sword, gripping it like a baseball bat, and swung with every ounce of strength he could muster.
In that instant, his blade erupted into flames, fire coiling along its edge before colliding with the incoming fiery slash.
Boom!
The clash detonated like a bomb, shockwaves tearing through the village. Seth's body was hurled backward, rocketing through the air like a shooting star before slamming violently into a wall. The impact shook the structure, cracks spiderwebbing across stone as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He dropped from the shattered wall, crashing down toward the ground below. Even before he landed, the remaining goblins surged forward, rushing in to finish him while he was down.
Seth twisted midair and landed squarely on his feet, knees bending to absorb the impact. His chest heaved with heavy breaths, but instead of grimacing, he stepped forward to meet the rushing goblins with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
His eyes—the Nexus Eyes—were truly overwhelming. By watching how a skill was performed, he could replicate it. The result was never perfect, not as refined as the original, but it was enough. It was a loophole, a way to bypass the hard limit of how many abilities one was allowed to learn. Every clash became not just survival, but an opportunity to study and steal.
Of course, even he knew there were boundaries. His instincts told him plainly that certain abilities—like the boss's roar—were beyond replication. They weren't techniques, but something innate, something tied to bloodline or talent.
So he didn't waste time on what couldn't be copied. With a sharp step, Seth's body blurred into motion, rocketing forward as he vaulted high, clearing the goblins below in a single bound. His eyes locked onto the cluster of mages at the back. They were already preparing their chants, hands glowing as they worked to cast another debuff on him.
Not giving them the chance, Seth swung his blade in a rapid sequence. The sword tore through the air at blinding speed, sending four blazing sword slashes flying toward the mages.
But the region boss had anticipated his strike. At its command, several goblin guards threw themselves in front of the mages, their bodies shielding them from the incoming slashes. The attacks tore through flesh and armor, but the mages were spared. Seth clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
Without hesitation, he blurred out of sight, vanishing from the mages' line of vision. The debuff spell that had been aimed at him fizzled uselessly, failing to find its target.
'Looks like there's a range and sight limit,' Seth thought, narrowing his eyes. His expression hardened into a frown as more goblins charged. He swept his blade casually, each motion cutting down the attackers with effortless effort. Their bodies fell around him, but his mind was already elsewhere.
Closing his eyes, Seth focused. His Nexus Eyes processed everything—each step the goblins took, every breath drawn in and released, the subtle tightening of their muscles, the rhythm of their movements. Countless fragments of information stacked together seamlessly in his head, woven into a single conclusion.
That conclusion was expressed as a number. Their combat power.
Although not as precise as the system's readouts, Seth's calculations were good enough. They told him which goblins were worth his focus and which were nothing but distractions. That was all he needed.
Without wasting another moment, Seth launched himself upward, just as a massive fire slash tore through the spot where he had been hiding. The attack split the ground apart in a molten trail, but Seth was already airborne, his body twisting violently as he spun in midair.
Flames erupted along his blade, bursting to life with every rotation, until the weapon blazed like a torch in the night. With a thunderous battle cry, he brought the sword down in a devastating arc, pouring every ounce of his strength into the strike.
The region boss's eyes widened in alarm. Reacting on instinct, it raised its greatsword and swung, desperate to intercept the incoming attack. But Seth's fire slash was too strong. The instant the weapons met, the goblin's blade shattered like glass, fragments scattering in every direction.
The blazing arc didn't stop there. It slammed into the boss's silver armor, smashing into its chest with overwhelming force. The massive creature was hurled backward, crashing through its own ranks as it howled in pain, flames licking across its body.
Seth hit the ground hard, his body already weighed down by layers of debuffs. Every movement felt heavier, slower, as though chains were dragging against his muscles. His lungs burned from the strain of his last attack, but he forced himself forward anyway. With a burst of speed, he rocketed toward the goblin mages.
They saw him coming. Some had already begun chanting healing spells for the wounded boss, but most ignored him, trusting in the protective guards and one supporting mage who cast spell after spell to slow his advance.
But Seth didn't care. He crashed through their defense with raw force, his figure blurring as he appeared before them. Letting out a fierce roar, his sword ignited once more, flames raging along the edge as he swung in a wide arc. The guards who had thrown themselves in his way were cut down in a single strike, their bodies hurled backward into the mages they had sworn to protect.
The effort cost him. Seth stumbled, his knees nearly buckling as his body threatened to give out, his vision blurring for a split second. But he refused to stop. He surged forward and finished the job, cutting the mages down one after another. Up close, their frailty was laid bare—no matter how dangerous their magic was at range, in melee they were nothing.