Ch 145

  "Nothing personal," mocked Matt, feeling insulted. "Really, you can't even accept responsibility for your actions. Fine, just attack me so I can cut you down with a clear conscience."

  All ten of the men seemed to be hesitating. Matt had to hold in a laugh, convinced that none of them wanted to go first or that, in fact, they were many levels below him. Either way, none of them seemed ready to make the first move, and Matt started to grow bored with the situation. He turned to speak to Rudan.

  "It looks like none of them are planning to do anything."

  "They are likely here to ruin you by stealing your levels," commented Rudan. "Then, there are probably another 100 weaklings ready to attack once your level has been reduced as much as possible. Whoever is behind this has likely promised them something for someone they care about if they die or is holding hostages over them."

  "I thought you said that family bonds are typically weak in this world," replied Matt. "I don't see them being the kind to wish to leave a lover behind either."

  "It is likely that the threat is on all those who live near where they do," stated Rudan. "While you are right that they will not die for a few individuals, being a sacrifice to save thousands plays into the dreams of a few. They think that they will be remembered as heroes once everything is said and done. It is likely that this is the only chance they think they have to leave a mark on history."

  "Fools, in ten years they would be forgotten in all but deed, as none would remember them for simply dying at my hands. Plus, I will only attack those who attack me first, so it seems that we can leave and simply ensure this city is razed once you are free to do so."

  "Yes, it seems that they will have a chance to run and hide, though I will remember these ten at the very least. After all, I don't much care to have my morning ruined with an explosion. Not that anything on this world could harm me, and I don't mind risking a second penalty period by sending a message once the current one ends."

  Matt smiled as he observed the ten men, each appearing as if someone had just kicked their puppy. He waited a few extra seconds to see if any of them would dare to attack before extending an offer. "Now, if you were to simply tell me who it was that organized this pathetic attempt on my life and point me in their direction, I will happily kill them and save you all from your current fate. Though, you and all those involved will still be punished, but at least you'll have a chance to live."

  It took a mere three seconds for one of the men to drop to his knees and begin begging for mercy. Eight of the other nine quickly followed suit, leaving only the one who had claimed that it was nothing personal still standing. With the other nine looking utterly defeated, Matt found himself focusing on the lone standing man, curious to see what would transpire. It was evident that he was the only one among the weaklings worth anything. This thought caused Matt to frown at himself, as he felt that the arrogance he exhibited towards the men before him was misplaced. Sure, he was more powerful and could kill those above his own level by manipulating his essences correctly, but he despised others who regarded those weaker than them as mere trash.

  "Fuck, someone is manipulating emotions or something," Matt growled in frustration. "They are lurking in the shadows, waiting for us to lose our composure and slip up. I'd even wager they're using their abilities to provoke others into attacking us."

  "They must be B rank or below," Rudan replied calmly, his gaze steady. "And they know better than to try it on me, because then I'd have no hesitation in retaliating. Fortunately, spirit is your main stat, and you seem to have a stronger resistance to just about everything compared to others."

  "Can you locate them?" Matt asked, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of the culprit.

  Rudan just pointed off to the right, and Matt saw a hooded figure turn to run as their illusion or camouflage skill was disturbed. It was clear to Matt that he would be unable to catch the fleeing figure himself—the stranger's legs blurred with unnatural speed. Matt sent a questioning look at Rudan, who just sighed before giving chase, his powerful frame moving with surprising grace. Matt waited, muscles tense, scanning the perimeter. It was now that he believed the true attack would arrive, as the one running was likely just skilled enough to force Rudan to be cautious in capturing them. After all, Rudan had to ensure he dealt no damage, as even if the person killed themselves after he damaged them, or if another did it, he would be hit by the penalty for killing something below his level. At least, that was the assumption they were operating under, as Matt had been warned about even using his skills through his clone to aid his party.

  It was a full 30 seconds after Rudan left before anything changed. Matt simply chalked that up to the four birdmen who were rushing in needing to be sure Rudan was too far away to save him. Still, Matt made sure to let each of their initial attacks hit an arm or a leg as he needed the system to register them as the aggressors, but he didn't need to waste any more HP than he had already lost. That was another thing—Matt had over one million HP already and yet, it meant nothing as the amount of damage attacks dealt at higher levels increased proportionally. Even with the steady increase in his durability stat, he realized that most of what he gained from leveling up was just the increased HP pool rather than true damage resistance.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  A fact that he lamented as he purposefully let the incoming attacks land and saw a tenth of his health vanish in crimson numbers floating above his head. Still, he smiled at seeing all four opponents gain injuries where they had hit him, their skin splitting open in mirror images of his wounds as his own injuries healed with a faint blue glow. Unfortunately, this didn't stop any of them, and it was clear to Matt that he was very much outclassed in strength and dexterity. All that made him able to deal with their attacks were his instincts that allowed him to move in ways that he felt defied the system's rigid calculations.

  Through this, Matt found himself dodging most attacks while shifting his arms into their weapon-like forms, the flesh rippling and hardening into gleaming blades. This made counterattacking easier, as simply waving his arm was enough to attack, though the fact remained that he was having to deal with weapons. The four who were attacking all wielded rapier-like swords with thin, flexible blades and seemed to be focused on winning a battle of many little cuts rather than landing a single devastating blow. Matt could only frown as he realized that it meant that information on what to watch out for when fighting him had been leaked to his opponents.

  If there hadn't been four of them, Matt might have opted for a strategy involving taking a crippling blow that he could heal from and transfer to one of his opponents. The primary issue was that with four adversaries fighting him, he was certain that if he attempted that tactic, the remaining three would inflict more damage than he could withstand during his recovery. No, Matt understood that he was engaging in a very dangerous game. Even though he was aware that he possessed more essence for each aspect of his path, he still felt that each was severely limited in how much he could utilize them. To exacerbate the situation, all the skills that allowed him to transfer wounds to others were extremely costly for him, and he had already employed them excessively without achieving any significant results thus far.

  So, Matt decided that it was time to get serious about his fight as he let go of almost all thought and just allowed his instincts to take over. The first thing that changed was his arms, which transformed from being blade-like to fluid and whip-like as they stretched unnaturally, resembling serpents ready to strike. A moment later, he scored a hit right to the neck of one of his attackers, the sudden shift catching them by surprise. At the moment of impact, Matt felt his hand harden once more and shift to a sharp point as he cut open the man's throat, a precise and deadly maneuver.

  Unfortunately for Matt, the other three adversaries quickly pushed him back before he could capitalize on the injury, while the wounded man concentrated on healing. Nevertheless, each of the remaining three began to take minor hits left and right, while Matt endured one for every three he dealt. Yet, that was still a losing trade for him, as he was likely at a lower level and had less than two-thirds of his HP at the time they attacked. Despite this, Matt wasn't worried as he didn't truly care about the fight beyond surviving it, his mind already anticipating the real show to begin.

  Rudan frowned as he looked down at the decoy he had pretended to fall for. The figure of an owl-man, who was well known to him, came into view. The creature's feathered head tilted slightly, amber eyes gleaming with intelligence.

  "Are you truly willing to go along with the foolish plans of that idiot who thinks he can rule over us?" the owl-man asked, his beak clicking softly between words.

  "He's not so bad, all things considered, but no. I simply want to see how him meeting either Tempormr or Radoznaormr in the flesh plays out before I die," Rudan replied, shaking his head.

  "That's right, you're dead no matter what happens, and so you would seek out entertainment over anything else."

  "Just as you are simply focusing on delaying me as you think the four fighting him right now will be enough to finish him off."

  "All of them are at least ten levels above him, as they have reached nearly the peak for this trash world."

  "Yes, this world is capped at B rank for progression. It is why I find it odd that I am not the only S rank that is here. Tell me, are you here on orders, or did you just happen to be here when the gate was shut?"

  "Do any of us who are not members of the Godfrey family dare move without orders if we wish not to become experience for their next son?"

  "Yes, but not without some kind of cover, so what was yours?" asked Rudan, frowning as this encounter hadn't been part of the plan. His hand tightened imperceptibly around his weapon.

  "Simple, you've been deemed too problematic, and I was supposed to kill you when an opportunity presented itself before the penalty period started. After that everything was put on pause, but that changed the moment you actually started to go along with the fool's plans."

  "I see, then what good is it to talk? Attack me so we can get this started."

  "I'll let you have the first strike," retorted the man, spreading his feathered arms in mock invitation.

  Rudan smiled before bursting into laughter as he responded. "You should learn the mannerisms of the one you are imitating better. If you were truly Wislis, this entire conversation would have occurred after you had attacked me. He wouldn’t bother trying to buy time, and he certainly wouldn’t ask questions. Now, reveal yourself and surrender."

  A moment later, the details of the man standing before him shifted. Though he remained an owl-man, it was evident that he was not anyone of significance to Rudan. This indicated that he was just another among the many A or B ranks that Rudan couldn't care less about.

  "You can't blame a guy for trying, and you're right—I am terrible at impersonating Wislis. But that doesn’t matter when I’m dealing with those who don’t know any better."

  "So this entire attack was carried out under the assumption that an S rank was behind it. I must say, I am disappointed. For a moment, I hoped that you were truly Wislis, as then I could have actually gained some experience for all my troubles. Now, I’ll just have to capture you so Matt can decide how to deal with you."