The blade that aimed for his eyes sliced through empty air.

Every battle for a Magic Swordsman begins with a Blink.
He didn’t move close to me, so he intends to cast a spell.
Without hesitation, I closed the distance.

‘A deep blue effect. As expected, it’s a lightning-based spell.’

In the place where the storm sleeps, it’s hard to dodge lightning magic.
The rain on this battlefield never stops, and the floor of the wreck is always so soaked it nearly sloshes with water.
All lightning-based magic gains significant bonuses in both attack range and power here.

However, that doesn’t mean the unique drawbacks of lightning magic disappear.
The casting speed is inversely proportional to the speed of the projectile. And the caster is also susceptible to getting hurt.
Unlike other spells that you just need to step out of range from, with lightning, even the target has to create distance.

So, if I doggedly close the distance, I can pull off something like this.

I grab Cerberus’s sword with my hand.
My flesh was sliced by the sharp blade, and the current that climbed up from the floor wrapped around both of us.
The dizzying shock of electrocution. My muscles instinctively contracted and trembled.

[You are affected by ‘Status Effect: Shocked’.]
[For 120 seconds, all movement speed is…]

Damage inflicted on both sides.

The cost of underestimating an assassin’s speed.
If he’d used an ice-type spell with a faster casting speed, it might have been different.
It wouldn’t have worked with a standard shadow build, but now, I can barely keep up.

Even Cerberus didn’t account for the speed of a hand-to-hand assassin.
It’s not a popular build, and not many people can handle it.
In the end, he’s only human, after all.

[You are affected by the ‘White Moon Contract’.]
[All hand-to-hand related skills are enhanced. All movement speed is…]
[All shadow-based skills are unavailable.]
[Remaining Duration: 19 minutes 58 seconds.]

The dynamic between a Magic Swordsman and an Assassin is predictable.
The Magic Swordsman uses Blink to attempt an outfight, while the Assassin uses shadows to follow and accumulate damage.
Normally, it’s a battle centered around spatial awareness.

But… what if the Assassin is confident?
Confident enough to respond to a Magic Swordsman’s Blink without relying on the long invincibility window unique to shadows.

You can then go for a hand-to-hand build like this.
The fastest build an Assassin can use.
With countless dashes and sharp attacks, at the cost of severely reduced defensive capability.

‘Trying to test the waters in front of me?’

The outcome of the attack is decided within a mere 0.1 seconds.

This is a literal duel of blades.
It’s not about complex thoughts; it’s about raw reaction speed, peripheral vision, and innate instincts.
Forget any superficial thoughts and fight like an animal.

A faint white aura rose around my body.
Usually, this effect is hardly visible, but in the darkness, it stood out starkly.

A kick aimed at my side was blocked at my elbow.
I warded off the hand trying to grab my leg with a dagger, then shifted my grip to slash downward.
I threw a throwing dagger at Cerberus as he Blinked away.

And as I leapt toward him—the distance between Cerberus and me closed at a speed even I found hard to adjust to.
I used my right dagger to restrain his longsword, then crouched as if to sink down.

There, in front of me, was his ankle.
Holding the overwhelming advantage in speed—there was no reason not to target it.
After successfully landing the attack, I pushed off the ground with my hand to retreat.

“Ha…”
“Not bad, huh?”
“I miscalculated. This will be the last time I use a Magic Swordsman today.”
“If only you’d realized that sooner.”

I laughed in disbelief.
The guy seemed oddly pleased, as I lunged at him again.

Cerberus’s spells shifted from offense to defense.
A shield in his left hand, a sword in his right. He seemed to be leaning into his Dark Knight playstyle.
An accustomed playstyle can reduce thinking time.

The moment I moved to flank him, Cerberus’s form suddenly vanished.
A silhouette flashed at the edge of my vision. Upper left. Targeting the rear?
The angle made counterattacking difficult, so I dodged. As I relentlessly pressed inward, I targeted his lower half.

I deflected his blade with my dagger, then aimed low.
I threw another dagger to draw his gaze, then aimed low again.
Dodged his spell, attempted a ground strike, failed, then aimed low again.

At this breakneck speed, each move stirred up loud gusts of wind.
The rain splashed onto my face with a sharp sting, while the incoming projectiles seemed almost like flashes due to my approach speed.
I even had to be cautious with my breathing to avoid breaking my concentration.

But the pressure from this grueling speed duel was also bearing down on Cerberus.
Finally, after relentless attacks, I severed his Achilles tendon and other tendons.
My back was heavily strained in return, but it was a worthwhile exchange.

When there was a brief lull, a smirk escaped my lips.

“Say it again. What did you say about my low attacks?”
“I wasn’t wrong. The technique itself still lacks…”
“Still what?”
“Relatively lacking. But that makes it all the more aggressive. How did you end up with this form?”
“No need for you to know that much.”

It wasn’t some grand secret.
Using low attacks aggressively makes it harder for opponents to target my legs in return.
It was a necessary choice to conceal the fact that my left leg is a weak spot.

It stung my pride a bit… but it was also due to my small build.
With a massive height difference against hulking knights like Cerberus, lowering my stance made it harder to target me.
Of course, I wasn’t about to tell him that.

In any case, Cerberus had lost his mobility with that last attack.

The Blink unique to a Magic Swordsman remained, but footwork is as essential to a swordsman as his weapon.
If he couldn’t advance or retreat freely, it would lead to a critical disadvantage.
In our exchanges, Cerberus started showing signs of faltering.

[‘Enhanced Paralyzing Poison’ successfully applied.]
[All enemy movement speeds are…]

A Magic Swordsman may be versatile, but he’s not as tough as a knight.
And certainly not as fast as an Assassin.

Even if he attempted long-range attacks, he wouldn’t escape my speed.
Smashing through an ice spike that sprang up, I used the broken surface as a platform to jump behind him.

I shattered his hastily summoned shield with a blow to his forearm.
Taking the unavoidable counterattack, I drove my dagger into his thigh.
Retrieving the weapon I had earlier embedded, I aimed for his collarbone, then seized a chance to reclaim my original dagger.

As I retreated, I took a prime opportunity to slash at his ribs.
In return, I sacrificed a good chunk of my right shoulder.

[‘Vital Attack: Internal Organs’ effect triggered successfully.]
[‘Enhanced Bleed Poison’ is now stacked.]
[‘Enhanced Bleed Poison’ evolves into ‘Unstoppable Bleed’.]

The battle tilted significantly as time passed.
It seemed I was more of a beast than Cerberus.
As we squared off, the quiet as we probed each other’s defenses felt almost serene.

“Ever thought about going pro?”
“…Not really.”
“Pity. Reach out if you change your mind.”

A remark that complicated my thoughts.
Not now. I consciously dismissed it from my mind.
I couldn’t afford to let any distractions interfere against this opponent.

It would be better to end it quickly.
As I continued to target his lower half, something caught my eye.
Behind Cerberus. The edge of the wreck had no railing.

If I pushed him, would he fall into the sea?

“Now that I think about it, we made a promise.”
“Promise? I don’t recall such a thing.”
“It’s fine. I’ll remind you.”

The drawback of this speed duel is the impossibility of steady maneuvering.
You have to constantly create dizzying variables that defy your opponent’s calculations.
So I got a little bolder. No holding back.

I struck the flat of his blade with my sword point.
Dodging his spell with a skill that had teleportation properties, I feigned a leaping strike—and then canceled it.
As I plunged my dagger into a rising ice spike, I halted midway.

No need to pause for long.
Springing off the pillar again, I spotted a colossal opportunity.
His upper body was exposed. I could strike a vital point like his neck or heart.

But.

‘A trap?’

My reason assessed it as a bait.
Cerberus was gambling just before the match crumbled.
If I broke through head-on, I could end the fight, but the minimum damage I’d take would be from the abdomen to the heart.
It would definitely be fatal.

Conversely, my instinct whispered it was a worthwhile chance.
There was no time to think long. The time pressure of this gruesome speed battle was no exception for me.
So I made my decision. It was a gamble worth taking.

Who cares about the risk, as long as it works?
I immediately closed the distance, and both our blades tore into flesh.

“Khh…!”

My dagger drove into Cerberus’s neck.
And yet, the tenacious bastard didn’t die.

Cerberus’s sword plunged into my abdomen.
From below, aiming to rip through my organs and bones alike.
But I didn’t black out, and my character was still alive.

I used my already ruined arm to block. Then he aimed with his knee.
If that rises any further, it’ll reach my heart.
Could I stop it with my strength alone? It was hard to say.

Even though my strength stat wouldn’t fall behind, it would come down to a battle of blocking his leg with my arm.
I wasn’t confident. Once again, time was running out.
I decided to get a little bolder. My health was still holding.

I decided to pull the embedded sword out myself.
Using my dagger as a hook, I tore the sword out of my own body as if I were ripping myself open.
My health bar was horrifically reduced, but I wasn’t dead.

The bloodied sword rolled across the ground, extinguishing Cerberus’s last hope.
Now that it’s come to this—

“I won.”
“…Seems that way.”

A thrilling sense of satisfaction masked the pain.
I drove my dagger into Cerberus’s neck again, and for good measure, lodged the remaining dagger into his forehead.
Finally, I kicked the limp body.

As the system message appeared, his corpse plunged into the sea.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’d make sure you get a dip in the ocean.”

The first set ended with my victory.