Leona drew in the boss villain's aura, feeding it to her vomeronasal organ. Before the system window with his exact stats appeared in front of her, goosebumps raced across her skin. She could already feel the difference in their strength. Still, the fact that she could see his numbers meant there was a chance she could catch up to him with Omens. He wasn't on James's level.
It wouldn't make sense for the final boss of a hero exam to be as strong as the glasses tyrant.
When the boss chose not to go after Leona, he turned on his heel and went back to his room. With his gaze no longer on her, Leona finally took a full look at the system window displaying the final boss's stats.
[The Boss Villain (A Humanoid Engineering)]
[Attributes:
Strength: 82
Vitality: —
Agility: 76
Dexterity: 58
Stamina: —
Perception: 80
Willpower: —
Intelligence: 20]
His stats make him a really strong opponent for hero candidates like me. Maybe he's meant to be taken down by a group, but I hate the idea of asking others for help.
Recalling the hero candidate who had brushed off her intel, Leona couldn't see herself teaming up with others to defeat the boss villain, regardless of whether he was meant to be beaten by a group. That didn't matter to her. Working with others had never been her way. For as long as she could remember, people had stayed away from her because of her boorish and gloomy appearance. Leona had learned to capitalize on that, using it to deter unwanted attention, and had turned into quite an introvert as a result.
Perhaps some people would have loved to learn more about her because of it, but Leona had never given anyone the chance. It would be a different story if she became a hero.
I'll need a talkative, good-looking sidekick on my team when I become a hero.
She had never seen heroes working alone. Phrases like hero groups or hero-and-sidekick teams were so common that Leona couldn't imagine going solo or breaking that norm. Someone who could cover her weaknesses would make the best sidekick and be the answer to all her future headaches.
Leona didn't usually think far into the future, though. Just seeing herself as a hero was already a big step—and it wore her down mentally. She needed to focus on her enemy, and her attention quickly shifted back to him.
I'm closest to his dexterity, so if I double my dexterity with Omens once or twice, I'll be able to press an advantage in close combat, even with his high perception. His intelligence is low, so he can't use that teleportation skill many times… Do I make him spend all his mana, or do I find a clue to his skill?
Because of the boss's high strength and limitless stamina, Leona didn't want to go with the former idea. She'd suffer a lot before he spent all his mana on her. Finding a clue to his skill and learning how to prevent his teleports felt like the right way to go against him.
The door to the Boss Villain's room loomed before Leona. She could see him standing far across from her, monitoring the battlefield. The entire chamber was wide and unfurnished, like an empty arena, yet his broad shoulders still seemed to make the space feel smaller. He once again looked exposed, but Leona now knew his high perception let him act like he had eyes all around his head.
Even with more information than anyone about the Boss Villain, there was only so much she could do.
I can't spend any Omens until I learn about his skill.
Gritting her teeth as her body protested, Leona lowered herself onto all fours. She stretched her back. She swallowed back blood and locked her eyes on the boss. A moment later, she lunged forward and sprinted toward him.
The world around her blurred into a single line from her to her opponent, right up until he used his skill. A crack split through Leona's tunnel vision as a heavy presence pressed in at her side. She couldn't see him, but she knew he would appear there whenever he teleported, and this time was no different.
Twisting herself, Leona raised her arms and pressed her forearms together to make a shield. The boss lashed out with a kick, but her guard blocked most of the blow. She was still knocked out of her charge, but not as far as before. Instinctively, she landed on her feet. Her arms felt heavy and numb, but adrenaline kicked in and she quickly planted her splayed fingers on the cold floor.
Without hesitation, Leona sprang forward again. She closed the distance in a flash and threw a punch at the boss's face, but he avoided the blow. He easily swatted away a quick follow-up from her left fist. Leona didn't give up and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. The boss tore through her offense and caught her wrist, squeezing it hard. He then punched her straight in the stomach, making Leona double over and spit a mouthful of dark blood. He let go of her wrist and kicked her away. Leona tumbled and rolled into the shadows of the room.
I must… keep going. That's not enough!
He hadn't even used his skill again.
[You have increased your vitality for fifteen seconds.]
[Vitality: 32]
A sudden increase in this attribute began knitting her internal injuries back together. She couldn't feel those changes through the adrenaline, but the strain on her body eased. With that sudden relief, Leona wasn't about to waste those precious fifteen seconds. She lurched forward and charged after the boss.
"Tenacious girl," he whispered as he danced around Leona's attacks. He then caught her wrists again and stared deep into her eyes. "But heroes like you die first. Just how much would you be able to achieve against me if you had a few hero friends right now?"
Leona stared back. "You wouldn't talk back, at least."
The Boss Villain chuckled and delivered yet another punch to Leona's solar plexus, sending her back into the shadows. By then, the fifteen seconds had passed, and the damage inside her flared back up. The pain came rushing back in an instant, making her swallow down her blood and go ghostly pale.
I… should just give up… I don't know why he's not using his teleport, but he doesn't even need it to defeat me. If I use Omens, he'll teleport away and make me spend my trump card for naught. I'm done for.
For a girl with fifteen points in her willpower, Leona had done pretty well against the Boss Villain. She had far more mental tenacity because of her trump cards, but even those wouldn't really help her against him now. That realization crumbled her confidence and wore her down. Leona closed her eyes. She was moments from giving up.
Until…
[Your bloodline of a Black Cat has unlocked a new trait—Nightstalker(F)]
[You have obtained a new bloodline from Cat Lineage Evolution System—Nekomata(F)]
[Your bloodline of a Nekomata has unlocked a new trait—Copycat(F)]
[Your Cat Constitution(E) allows you to have two different cat bloodlines flowing through you at the same time.]
[You have equipped Black Cat and Nekomata Bloodlines.]
[Your stats have been updated.]
As those changes took hold, a surge in her attributes jerked her back to life. Her eyes snapped wide open, her willpower reinvigorated, shining within her catlike slits.
The new bloodline settled into Leona, and her internal wounds quickly mended. She felt much lighter and her external injuries hurt her less. The sudden boost of hope seemed to flood her muscles, making her want to spring up. She didn't, though; she had sensed the Boss Villain closing the distance with a swagger.
Our perception is at the same level now!
[Leona Schnee (Black Cat and Nekomata)]
[Attributes:
Strength: 24
Vitality: 28
Agility: 70
Dexterity: 62
Stamina: 44
Perception: 80
Willpower: 21
Intelligence: 37]
Not only was her perception now matching the Boss Villain's, but her dexterity naturally topped his. She believed her chances in close combat were much better than before, but there was still the issue of his high strength, the same perception, and his skill.
But attributes weren't the only things Leona had gained from the Villain Hunt Quest and her constant struggle against the Boss Villain.
The boss loomed over Leona and raised his foot to stomp her, but it crashed into the floor instead.
[Nightstalker(F)—allows you to blend into blankets of night itself. Shadows and darkness are where you're least conspicuous.]
That meant Leona could trick the careless Boss Villain into missing her; he had thrown her into the room's shadows and didn't expect her to move at all. Their perception was on the same level now as well, which made this feat much easier to pull off.
As soon as he missed, Leona was back on her feet and thrust her hand forward. Her phantom claw unsheathed her nails, and she dragged them across her enemy's face, clawing out one of his eyes. Jets of artificial blood splashed across the room's ceiling.
Half of his vision gone, the Boss Villain contorted his face and roared. "You little!"
Instinctively returning to his punching stance, he threw a straight punch at Leona's face. However, she stepped to the side and slid another claw across him, this time cutting into his forearm. Two white feline slits opened in Leona's eyes—the eyes of a Nekomata, a copycat.
In Japanese folklore, those cats mimicked humans and others, taking their forms and sometimes replacing them.
Leona had been closely watching and instinctively reacting to the boss all along. She had even realized he would kick her again with his dominant leg, which had allowed her to block his powerful teleportation kick and mitigate a lot of damage. Now she reacted just as cleanly to his sudden fit of anger, slipping past his dominant right-hand punch.
And while she had done it on instinct before, Leona now began copying the Boss Villain's combat style and coming to understand it. James had taught her how to kick and punch, as well as the concepts behind those movements. All that information and experience combined, bringing Leona to the next level, where she could trade punches and kicks with an experienced adult.
I can do this!
[Your willpower has been increased.]
[You have received +1 willpower.]
Leona circled around the Boss Villain's right side and jabbed at him. He craned his neck and turned his whole body to follow her, just so he could locate Leona and catch her. She was clearly exploiting the blind spot she'd created. Given that information, the Boss Villain predicted her next attack.
But when he lurched, he hit empty air. Leona was already on all fours, slamming a kick into his calf.
Catching her was becoming downright impossible.
And that was why…
[Your comprehension of the Boss Villain's Combat Style has expanded.]
[You have received +1 Perception against his Combat Style.]
[Your comprehension…]
[You have received…]
[Your…]
[You…]
She'd gone from exposed to equal to advantaged. With her perception bonus against his combat style growing, she was starting to take the upper hand in melee. Combining that with her newly obtained trait—Nightstalker—Leona dodged her enemy and made him miss again and again.
Still not using his teleport?
It then dawned on her.
When she first saw him, the Boss Villain hadn't moved. Then he'd appeared beside her and kicked her. The second time was the same.
He only teleports when he's standing still.
There was no definitive answer. If she was wrong, it could cost her the final battle. That said, something in her gut told her she was right. She believed in herself. There was no more holding back.
With a silent, decisive step forward, Leona shifted her weight and put her whole body into a single punch!
[You have increased your dexterity for fifteen seconds.]
[Dexterity: 124]
[You have increased your perception for fifteen seconds.]
[Perception: 160 (200 against the Boss Villain's Combat Style).]
[You have increased your agility for fifteen seconds.]
[Agility: 140]
[You have increased your strength for fifteen seconds.]
[Strength: 48]
[You have increased your strength for fifteen seconds.]
[Strength: 66]
[You have increased your strength for fifteen seconds.]
[Strength: 78]
"HA!" Leona let out a sharp, almost cute shout as she drove her punch into the Boss Villain's stomach.
His broad frame lifted slightly off the ground. An artificial liver exploded into bits within him. His head stretched forward as he coughed. Leona welcomed that unguarded head and delivered an uppercut from below, forcefully arching her enemy's head back. With him totally exposed now, Leona unleashed a barrage of punches and phantom claws at his stomach and chest. Bursts of air from the blows mixed with the sound of Leona's little fists and paws sinking into the Boss Villain's flesh. He stood still for the first five seconds before his heart exploded. Afterward, he remained on his feet solely because of Leona's explosive strength keeping him up.
Since he was a humanoid mecha and had unlimited vitality, he naturally couldn't really "die." Still, various red flashes appeared within his consciousness, telling him that his organs were gone and that he had been utterly defeated.
Once fifteen seconds passed, Leona jumped backward, and the Boss Villain finally hit the floor on his back.
"You… are… not—" His words were cut off by the system shutdown.
Leona stared at him in solemn silence before the backlash from using Omens hit her. Her wounds opened again, her body became heavy, and her head felt like it was being crushed from within. She dropped onto her knees and vomited a mouthful of blood, shaking as though she'd been dumped into snow.
Her eyes half-lidded, Leona cursed her father.
A nap after hard work will suck.
***
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