Chapter 9: Initiation Test (4)

The combat system of “The Brightest Darkness 4” can be categorized broadly into two groups.

It primarily features dodging and parrying used against humanoid enemies, and blocking and rolling used against monstrous enemies.

Of course, one can dodge and parry against monstrous enemies, or block and roll against humanoid ones. There was no forced system in place.

It was merely a matter of efficiency.

“Indeed, Iris does have a discerning eye!”

For instance, when faced with a boss using a brutally aggressive combo pattern that could go up to 13 hits, if one were to roll, they’d get hit during the delay after rolling, get stun-locked, and then be obliterated by the following attacks.

The twin daggers covered in ice and the red-bladed sword clashed continuously, generating sharp metallic sounds. My hand tingled painfully, even more so than when I had deflected the giant mace of the human butcher.

Her arm seemed so fragile that it could snap with a single blow, yet her strength was immense.

After I managed to parry the final 13th attack, she retreated a few steps and immediately displayed the next pattern. She lowered her body forward, crossing both arms in front of her head, and rushed towards me.

‘A seven-hit combo.’

Once I recalled what pattern it was, I prepared myself to receive it.

The 3rd and 6th attacks subtly alternated, and if one was caught off guard and tried to repel it straight on, their combat fatigue would skyrocket, leading to certain death.

Behind Iris, an icy path was laid. The path made of ice seemed to hold for a moment, then it scattered icy particles and caused an explosion. A dense fog made of frost filled the surroundings.

While being careful not to enter the foggy area, I deflected the whirling twin daggers.

Right hand, left hand, then the right hand that deviated again. Followed by two right hands and one deviated left hand. The last was a diagonal swipe with the right hand.

I parried all attacks until the last diagonal swipe, seized the brief moment when Iris hesitated, and launched my attack from my side. As the sword grazed past her arm, a light scratch was left behind, and a few drops of blood spilled out.

‘I thought it landed properly this time too.’

Despite the sword stabbing into her unprotected, bare arm, the wound was merely a light scratch. It was so superficial that it only caused a few drops of blood to flow.

Even before when I landed a few good hits, all of them resulted in light injuries. It seemed like the concept of HP in the game was applied in this way.

Iris glanced down at her arm marked with scratches, then shouted joyfully.

“Yes, that’s right! That’s how it should be! A man should have that kind of resilience, right? The more I see you, the more I like you!”

And then, she kicked off the ground and charged at me again. The expression on her face as she looked at me was filled with sheer joy. It wasn’t just the thrill of the battle she was enjoying,

It was the interest and joy she had for me.

The reality of her arm being cut felt utterly insignificant. After all, she wasn’t going to die from a single blow in the game. It was something I had expected.

A silhouette leaped high into the air before me. Frost and ice began to accumulate around its figure. Holding a dagger in each hand in reverse grip, it prepared to strike downward, the tips of the blades pointing towards the ground.

An unblockable attack.

Swiftly, I rolled backward to widen the gap between us.

A chilling sound echoed nearby as an icy meteor collided with the ground. Even though I’d rolled as soon as I saw the attack, it was still a narrow escape.

‘If this were vanilla, I would have easily walked away unscathed.’

Icy spikes erupted around the landing spot of the figure. The sharp points of the ice spikes were eerily menacing.

The originator of the attack nonchalantly broke the spikes, walking out from the midst of them. Well, if they got hurt by their own ice, that would be its own sort of comedy.

Immediately, the next assault followed. Crossing arms for a swing, another slash from lower right to upper left, followed by a four-strike combo.

I deflected all the incoming attacks, readying my sword to parry the final assault. The attacker pulled back one arm, aligning the dagger horizontally.

It was a stabbing attack that couldn’t be guarded with a weapon.

My options were to deflect in sync with the attack timing, dodge or roll away, or block with a shield. It had to be one of the three.

Of course, my choice was to deflect.

The blue blade of ice, grown to the length of a longsword, clashed against the red blade of my blood-stained sword.

My body was involuntarily pushed back by the recoil. Planting the tip of my sword into the ground, I barely managed to stop. Lize, on the other hand, looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected me to deflect that as well.

“Wow, you even blocked this one? Where on earth did Iris find such a talented newbie?”

Taking advantage of this gap, I shook off the frost clinging to my arm, and lightly rubbed the numbness from my hands.

My sword lacked a frost-resistance enchantment, so even with perfect deflections, the frost gauge would build up bit by bit. Whether I could finish this before then was the crucial point.

While Lize had quite a few minor wounds, I couldn’t verify her HP, so I had to estimate her stamina roughly.

I used to memorize such minor details when I speed-ran, but as I started focusing more on barehanded runs from level 1, I quickly forgot them.

“Weren’t you supposed to be holding back?”

“Well, I tried to go easy. But how can I when you’re blocking so well? It just makes me curious about how much more you can handle. Iris and Erika must be thinking the same, right?”

I cast a glance over at the two, who were observing our duel from a distance.

As Lize said, Iris was standing still, arms crossed under her chest, silently watching us, and Erika was looking at us with a fascinated expression.

Regardless of what happened, neither seemed willing to bring their duel to a close.

“Iris, isn’t this enough to pass the trial? Just how long do you intend to let us fight?”

I subtly nudged Iris, hoping for a possible end. From my perspective, it was a win-win situation. If it worked out, I could skip Lize’s final move and if it didn’t, I had nothing to lose.

I was pretty certain that even if it ended here, neither Lize nor Erika would deem me a failure.

Iris seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding slightly.

“The skills you’ve shown thus far prove you are more than qualified. There would be no issues ending the test here. If both parties agree, we can call it quits. Is that alright with you, Lize?”

“Huh? Wait. Are you serious about stopping here?”

“I believe we’ve seen enough of your abilities. I asked you to take the entry exam, not to fight to the death.”

“But I still have so many skills left to use! You’re completely unromantic, Iris!”

“Go find romance somewhere else. This isn’t romance, it’s an entry exam.”

“Alright… Just one more! I’ll let you pass after testing just one more skill! After taking so many hits, if a newbie can’t even land a single blow on the knight commander, where would that leave my dignity? And honestly, you’re curious too, aren’t you, Iris? About how much the newbie can take? Right?”

“…”

Iris seemed to mull over it. From my perspective, it was an utterly absurd argument.

‘She’s buying into this ridiculous excuse, really?’

“Do as you wish.”

‘She actually bought it.’

Is this like the modded clothing, where normal logic gets turned on its head? Why did that excuse work?

Regardless of my surprise, with Iris’ approval, Lize, all fired up again, raised her daggers. Resigned to my fate of another round, I took up my stance.

We were just going to test one more skill…

‘Wait a moment. One more skill?’

A chill ran down my spine. I had a really, really bad feeling about this.

“Okay, newbie! I’m a little sorry, but I need to maintain the dignity of the knight commander!”

“You promised to regulate your strength, what on earth are you doing in an entry exam? And what if I manage to block even that? You’ll have no dignity left!”

“Think you can block this? You’re a bold one, newbie! Well, fine! If you can block even this, I’ll grant you a wish! Even a naughty one is fine! Does that make you feel more prepared?”

“I’d prefer if you could just stop!”

“Sorry, that’s not possible! But remember, you can really ask for anything, so think about it!”

Lize, with a playful smile, enveloped her twin daggers in ice. A frosty aura enveloped her body, and the surrounding air rapidly cooled. Seeing this, I let out a deep sigh.

All of a sudden, my body felt extremely heavy.

It was as if something was pulling my entire body downwards, causing my legs to wobble severely. Thanks to this, the tip of my blade hesitated for a moment.

‘Battle fatigue……!’

I tried to brace my rapidly weighty body. The onslaught hadn’t continued yet, so there was still time. Just before I swung my bloodied sword again, I caught sight of a smirk tugging at the corner of Lize’s lips.

I evaluated her stance. At a cursory glance, she seemed to be standing awkwardly. But I knew what that meant.

If I attacked now, my sword would be instantly parried and I’d be hit with a counterattack.

Just before I forced myself to twist the trajectory of my sword, recognizing this fact, someone intervened between Lize and myself, leaving a blurred afterimage.

“Stop!”