As I closed my eyes, I delved deeper into my mind, Looking for the memories needed to make me Desperate enough to wanna live, to survive. And I found Them. the memories I'll have to use are...
'Why ? Why did you do it?'
'it should've been you!'
'your grandpa has passed away'
'He is no more in this world, he took his own life!'
'you won't see him again!'
'ahh...ahh! My son! my son!'
'He is gone!'
'Be happy, Nickhil...'
'Live a good life, Son...'
One by one, Fragmented scenes of Old time passed through my mind like screens running all around me in full speed. But I could still see all of them. I could see what they were showing me.
The scenes flickered across my mind like a film strip caught in a projector fire. I saw the gray highway, the funeral flowers, The eyes full of resentment of a girl who had lost her Lover, the hollow eyes of a mother who had lost her world, The remorse and regretful eyes of a couple who Left the world without finishing their Unfulfilled Duty.
I have never been Afraid of death itself. Dying once have given me the hope to live again but at the same time, A part of me has given up on Living.
That's the reason, I am not desperate enough even with death at my doorstep.
I looked through all my memories and remembered what I had forgotten or perhaps my brain had erased the information by itself for my own Good.
Huu... Yeah.. How can I forget ? It's never easy. The end of your suffering might become the start of someone else's suffering.
And I refuse that... I won't allow her, allow them to go through such pain! Not because of me!
I refuse to let this life end in a pathetic C-rank dungeon! And that too in the hands of an Ugly Ogre! Under a fucking Club of an ugly, mouth-breathing Ogre! Right in front of my teachers! Never!
****
I opened my eyes, locked them onto the Ogre and started my calculations.
Distance: 70 meters. He was sauntering now, his steps heavy and arrogant, fueled by the smug satisfaction of having finally swatted the fly. At his current pace, I had Around ...Sixteen seconds before he reached me. So, At this rate, I have exactly Sixteen seconds to pull it off.
I flooded my blade with Zes, the energy shimmering across the steel like a restless oil slick.
The character trait of Nick that I wanted to use this time, is that while most people mess up their work when they are overly anxious or when the deadline is closer, Nick was the exact opposite. Nick was just built different. He was the undisputed king of the 'Last-Minute Clutch'. He was the student who only found his genius when the exam was the next morning.
Whether it's learning or finishing some work, That guy would always bring the best results only when the shit is about to hit the fan, when only the Last days are left. When he is filled with Worry, desperation and Anxiety.
A very useless and yet, an extremely useful trait to have, when necessary.
So, current me has checked all the requirement boxes. I concentrated all my attention on the Zes, Trying to enter into the Flow state.
I know that It's a suicidal move to ignore your opponent in the middle of a death-match, but fortunately I wasn't alone.
I have my little Aqua to alert me in case he gets close before my success and attacks. I don't know how much mana will it waste. So, I have to work on the minimum mana output possible.
'Zes Concentrate' is basically just the art of concentrating Zes in one single area of the weapon, instead of the entire weapon. It isn't about adding more power, it's about controlling the already existing power to Maximize the output damage.
For example, right now, the entire blade of my sword is covered in Zes but with 'Zes Concentrate', it will cover only the sharp edge or the end point. So, It is like Pressure. The lesser the area, the greater the Impact.
What's the benefit ? The mana which is used, will lessen once you master it. But, the main benefit is that The cutting power of a Zes covered sharp Edge is higher than a Zes covered Whole sword. By concentrating that same energy solely onto the microscopic edge of the sword, the cutting power doesn't just increase—it multiplies.
It might sound easy and simple but Zes is not exactly Mana itself, but rather another form of Mana. Controlling Zes is far harder than controlling mana itself. The difference is like Water and Mercury.
Anyone can Hold and swing a sword, but how many can actually wield and swing it properly like a Swordsman.
But if a newbie uses 'Zes Concentrate', a lot of mana will be wasted. That's why I gotta be even more careful with the Mana usage.
I visualized the energy sharpening, thinning, and hardening until it was a singular, vibrating wire of absolute lethality.
The Zes that was covering my blade started to waver.
[[SKILL [MANA CONTROL] LEVEL INCREASED]]
Success!
The Zes that was covering most of the blade disappeared or rather moved to the edge and only the Zes that was covering one side of the sharp edge of the upper half of the blade remained.
I opened my eyes.
The Ogre was two seconds away. I could see the yellow rot in his teeth and the smell of his rancid breath. A smile formed on my lips.
I don't know what kind of expression i am making. But, I have a feeling that my smile must look like the smile of a crazy guy.
It wasn't the heroic grin of a savior or the confident smirk of a warrior. It was the distorted, jagged smile of a man who had successfully pulled an all-nighter and finished the project with a second to spare.
"Heh... Now let's see who comes out on top, you ugly bastard! I want to see what color you bleed! Hahaha!" My laughter rang out, jagged and wild, bouncing off the dome walls like a threat. I was shouting and Laughing like a crazy guy.
-Roar!
Perhaps Provoked by my taunts, the Ogre's smugness vanished, replaced by a localized storm of fury. He pulled his club hand back, the muscles in his shoulder bunching like knotted ropes, and unleashed a massive horizontal sweep. The ironwood whistled, a low-frequency hum that signaled a 'One-Shot death' blow.
Flash!
I used the same move of running around and attacking his Lower body Again. I used the same circling patterns as before, my body a blur of motion, but my intent had changed. All my past attempts were failures.
-Slash! Slash!
-Roar!
But this time ? It's different.
It's different! Because This time, the sensation was different. The resistance I felt through the hilt wasn't the 'thud' of striking rubber; it was the 'zip' of steel parting meat! I could see the Green liquid, coming out the fresh cuts that I made. I watched, fascinated, as lines of dark, viscous green liquid erupted from the fresh gashes in his thighs and calves.
And I am sure as hell! It's not blood plasma! It's blood! Alright? It's that bastard's Thick, filthy, Ogre blood!