The battle that followed completely shattered Ais's understanding of the world.
Lynn was no longer just dodging. He began to proactively meet the Minotaur's attacks. Every time the axe blade was a hair's breadth away from his body, he used that tiny buckler to knock it aside, time and time again.
Clang!
Shield Parry. Thrust.
A deep, bone-deep wound was carved into the muscle of the Minotaur's left arm.
Dong!
Shield Parry. Upward Slash.
The sword tip grazed the Minotaur's jaw, sending blood spraying into the air.
Dong!
Shield Parry. Riposte!
After another precise parry, the Minotaur fell into a massive stagger once more. Lynn's figure closed in like a ghost; the straight sword, carrying the full weight of his body, was driven ruthlessly into the monster's heart.
Again and again.
The creature's roars shifted from fury to agony, and finally, to raw terror.
Finally, after the seventh parry, Lynn's straight sword pierced through its eye socket.
The powerful monster let out one final, unwilling wail of despair. Its massive frame crashed to its knees before dissolving into a cloud of black ash, leaving behind a fist-sized, glowing purple magic stone.
[+3,500 Runes]
Lynn slowly stood straight and gave his sword a casual flourish, flicking off the foul blood clinging to the blade. He leaned over, picked up the sizeable magic stone, weighed it in his hand, and nodded with satisfaction.
This should be worth quite a bit of money, right?
On the other side, Ais Wallenstein—the genius hailed as one of Orario's strongest swordswomen—simply stood there. Her golden eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Lynn. For the first time, her doll-like face showed a complex expression: a mixture of confusion and intense longing.
Wasn't this exactly what she had been chasing? A "strength" that was pure, transcending the limits of status values? But why, when this strength actually appeared before her, did her own swordsmanship—the speed and power she took such pride in—suddenly feel so... crude and clumsy?
An unprecedented impulse drove her body forward.
Ais gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist and began walking, step by step, toward the man who had just completed an impossible feat.
Lynn noticed the movement behind him. He turned around and saw the blonde girl approaching.
It was the beauty from before. Ais... something?
Her pace was steady, but Lynn could see the inner turmoil in her slightly tightened jaw and pressed lips.
Ais stopped three paces away from him. She looked up, her brilliant golden eyes staring at him with a level of focus and intensity she had never shown anyone before.
"You..." Her voice carried a trace of dry hoarseness she didn't even notice. "What is your name?"
"Lynn," he replied, casually stuffing the magic stone into the cloth pouch at his waist.
"Lynn..." Ais repeated the name in her mind. Then, she asked the question that had been circling her thoughts a thousand times: "Your way of fighting just now... that technique. How do you do it?"
Her tone was filled with bewilderment and a desperate need to know.
Lynn looked at her. He looked at that young, beautiful face clouded by confusion and obsession. He thought back to a long time ago—to the version of himself that had been slaughtered hundreds of times by Margit the Fell Omen, the version that couldn't even time a roll correctly.
He smiled. Beneath the shadow of his hood, the smile seemed profound and enigmatic.
"Death is the best teacher."
That single sentence caused Ais to freeze in her tracks.
Death... is the best teacher?
For an adventurer in Orario, death was the end. It was the ultimate fear, the conclusion that everyone fought with everything they had to avoid. Yet, in his mouth, death was actually a means of learning?
Has he... really died before?
Looking into Lynn's golden eyes, which seemed to flicker with a faint flame, Ais suddenly felt as if she were staring into a bottomless abyss built upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Lynn didn't say anything more. To him, he was just telling the plain truth.
Just as she was about to press for more details, a set of hurried, heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the passage, accompanied by a coarse, arrogant voice.
"Hey! Ais! Finally found you! You're wandering off on your own again!"
A tall, agile figure burst around the corner. The newcomer had short grey hair and upright wolf ears—Bete Loga, a Level 5 adventurer from the Loki Familia.
He immediately spotted Lynn standing in front of Ais, as well as the traces left behind after the Minotaur had turned to ash.
Bete wrinkled his nose, scanning Lynn's pathetic equipment with undisguised contempt. His eyes were full of scorn.
"Hey, Ais. Did you save another reckless rookie who's in over his head?" His tone was sharp and biting. "I keep telling you, you're too soft-hearted. Trash like this, who doesn't even know their own weight, deserves to die in the Dungeon. It's the best lesson for them."
Bete's voice was incredibly loud, and his harsh words echoed through the tunnel.
Ais tried to explain: "No... that's not it, Bete. Lynn, he did it himself—"
"What?" Bete didn't even hear her, or perhaps he just didn't care. He waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. Stop speaking up for weaklings. Hey, you! Trash!"
He pointed his chin at Lynn and grinned, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth. "Since you were lucky enough to be saved by our Sword Princess, get lost. This isn't a place for small fry like you."
Lynn looked at him, expressionless.
This guy is incredibly rude.
However, back in the Lands Between, the standard procedure for dealing with someone who liked to talk big was usually quite simple.
Seeing Lynn remain silent, Bete assumed he was paralyzed with fear, and the mockery on his face deepened. But before he could get another word out—
Lynn's right leg lashed out in a brief, efficient arc. With his toes pointed, he delivered a crisp, clean kick straight to Bete's shinbone.
Thud.
A dull impact echoed.
It felt like kicking an iron plate wrapped in leather. Lynn's kick only caused Bete's body to sway slightly; it didn't even make him retreat half a step. Not even a scuff mark was left on the metal greaves Bete was wearing.
"Whoa. Those are some high stats."
The tunnel fell into a sudden, dead silence.
Ais's golden eyes widened. She had never expected Lynn to take such a reckless action.
As for Bete Loga, he looked as if someone had hit a pause button on him. He looked down, staring in disbelief at the shin that had just been kicked, then slowly raised his head to look at Lynn. His wolf-like eyes were momentarily blank before they were replaced by a volcanic, exploding rage.
"You... little... trash..."
He squeezed the words out through his teeth, his voice low like the growl of a beast.
He had been attacked by a Level 1 rookie—a piece of "trash," as he called him—in such a humiliating fashion? This felt worse than being killed!
"I'm going to tear you to pieces!!!"
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (25 Chapters, Ongoing)
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