CHAPTER 54: POOR YOU

Lanz lowered into a wide stance, his left foot was forward, and his left was angled back for balance.

Both of his knees were bent just enough to keep his weight centered, every muscle set like a spring.

His sword hovered near his helmet, both hands gripping the hilt, blade tilted back at a diagonal.

Shoulders squared, gaze locked forward, he looked less like he was posing and more like he was already imagining a victory... but let’s be honest here, he was probably just posing to f*cking show off his drip.(Shameless bastard)

Suddenly, an axe immediately came at him in a heavy horizontal swing, the axe-hobgoblin stepping into the motion like he meant to split Lanz in half on the first strike.

But Lanz ducked just in time, the weapon cutting through air with a loud snap as it passed inches above his head, but he didn’t wait to admire the dodge.

"Nice try, big guy," Lanz said as he pushed to the side to reposition, only to catch the spear motherf*cker charging in from the right with a spear aimed dead center at his chest.

He jumped back mid-motion, the spear’s edge gliding underneath him with barely any space to spare, but the second his boots left the ground, a fresh wave of pressure hit him from above, of course it was f*cking arrows, three of them as well, falling in a tight fan pattern launched by the bow-user riding the beetle.

Lanz twisted midair with his arms snapping into motion, blade catching the first arrow with a loud spark, deflecting the second wide with a tight wrist flick, and barely managing to push the third off course before it clipped into his side, enough for the tip to miss but not enough to avoid the shock that ran up his forearm from the impact.

He hit the ground hard, but he did NOT have time to recover.

A crashing sound erupted from behind as one of the giant beetles tore through the trees at full charge, its massive body smashing over roots and low branches with legs that didn’t slow, its mandibles already snapping open in preparation to bite.

"You can have your turn later!" he hissed, pointing at the beast.

[Phantom Stride – Activated.]

And in the blink between one step and the next, he reappeared crouched low and moving again, just off to the side as the beetle’s charge missed him by less than a meter.

But without even giving Lanz a second to rest, the spear hobgoblin immediately followed after the failed attack of the beetle with a lunge.

"Please, please. One at a time, ladies," Lanz said as he used—

[Phantom Stride – Activated.]

Then in a burst, he disappeared, his body splitting through the air before snapping back into place a meter away from the spear wielder’s left side.

The spear hobgoblin had stumbled slightly from his lunge, just enough to throw off his balance, and Lanz took advantage without pause.

He sprinted forward with the momentum still in his legs, slammed his shoulder into the creature’s side hard enough to knock the hob off his feet, then slashed upward in a rising arc that tore through the upper arm, the blade cutting into muscle and joint without resistance.

The spear slammed into the dirt, followed by a dull thump as the severed arm hit the ground, and Lanz didn’t waste the moment — he followed through with a solid front kick straight to the hobgoblin’s chest, launching it backward into the legs of its own beetle.

Another step forward, and the axe came again, swinging wider this time, like the hobgoblin was starting to panic. Plot twist, it was.

Lanz dropped low and rolled through, his sword dragging across the hob’s thigh as he passed, and the hit landed deep, cutting through skin and into the muscle. Lanz wanted to stab its private part, but he just couldn’t.

Still, the hob staggered but stayed on his feet, snarling through the pain, while the beetle beside him moved in without pause.

Its legs stepped in precise sync, and its mandibles opened with full force, aiming to close around Lanz’s torso and crush him clean through.

He slid under the jaws as they snapped shut above him with a deafening crack, then twisted his body in a smooth arc as he rose to one knee, his sword drawn tight.

The blade surged with energy, all light and glow.

A hard pulse of heat through the grip as [Crimson Slash – Activated] and ignited along the edge in a flickering red trail.

He swung once, clean and low, and the sword tore through the beetle’s jaw with force behind it, splitting the armored faceplate in half and cutting through everything beneath, until the whole beast dropped in a lifeless heap with a thud that kicked up dirt and dust.

[EXP +15]

He huffed, clearly annoyed at himself. "I could’ve just done that from the start? Seriously? That poor dude got shredded by the bow motherf*cker and me ’cause I didn’t realize his face was a soft part," he said, pointing at the grotesque giant beetle he and the bow hobgoblin had accidentally tag-teamed into a tragic bug smoothie.

The bow hobgoblin clearly didn’t understand a single word, but it definitely picked up on the fact that Lanz was talking about it so it fired an arrow just because Lanz had the audacity to be standing there doing nothing.

"Rude!" Lanz hissed, diving to the side.

He landed into a crouch and then heard the sound of heavy stumps.

The axe hob was charging again, wounded now, limping but still coming, his weapon raised overhead like it was the last swing he’d get.

"I left your private part alone, and this is what you pay me with?!"

Angered, Lanz didn’t let him finish.

He rose with one clean motion and drove the sword into the hobgoblin’s gut, the Aged Blade Fragment pushing through bone and out the back, and then he pulled it free as the creature dropped forward, dead before it hit the ground.

[EXP +20]

He exhaled sharply, a burst of steam fogging up the inside of his helmet as sweat trickled down his face. "Two to go," he muttered, giving his blade a quick swing to flick the blood off.

Up above, the bow user — still flying high on its beetle — realized the fight was already cooked. It didn’t even hesitate. It just turned tail and left the area entirely, fully aware that its long-spear buddy was still down there, barely hanging on.

"Nevermind. Only one more to go," Lanz said, correcting himself.

The spear-wielder was on the ground, shrieking at the bow user to come back, but the only answer was silence and the distant buzz of wings.

He tried to push himself up with his remaining arm, blood still pouring down his right side where the other had been cleanly severed.

Beside him, his beetle let out a shrill screech, its legs twitching violently, still ready to fight even without any command.

Lanz approached slowly, every step deliberate, his sword hanging loose in one hand and dragging shallow lines in the dirt as he closed in. "Poor you," he said, voice heavy with mock sympathy. "Who would’ve thought your own teammate — flesh and blood, your precious kin — would just dip and leave you to die like this."

The hobgoblin reached out for something on the ground to retaliate, but whether it was a weapon or support, it didn’t matter, because Lanz didn’t give him time to grab it.

[Crimson Slash – Activated]

The blade lit again, a quick charge and a steady grip.

He swung once, the same as before.

The slash split the beetle from head to thorax and carved through the hobgoblin with the same motion.

Both of them dropped together and will never get back up.

The forest went quiet.

The system chimed, twice.

[EXP +15]

[EXP +20]

But Lanz just ignored it and stayed where he was, feet firmly planted, his sword still letting off faint wisps of steam in the cool forest air. His eyes stayed locked in the direction the bow user had flown off to, tracking the disappearing speck.

"That’s... toward the cave village," he muttered, already regretting the thought. "Yeah, nahhhhh— f*ck that sh*t. I’m heading back to the waterfall. I need rest."

End of Chapter 49.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 15

EXP: 39 / 150

Next Reward: Quick Sever

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 20 | AGI: 10 (Affinity) | VIT: 5 | DEX: 5 | INT: 14 | WIS: 5

[Available Stat Points: 3]

[Derived Stat — MANA: 70 / 75]

Skills:

[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]

[Phantom Stride Lv. 2]

[Instinctive Blade Lv.1]

[Predictive Guard Lv.1]

[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]

[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]

[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]

[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Training Ring (+1 VIT)

Bag :)