Chapter 30

030. Layer Intrusion (3)

In an instant, I slowly raised my sword, feeling the intense pressure closing in on me.

This isn't a unified trial, and for someone to intrude into another's personal trial, which varies from person to person, is just absurd.

Frankly, I wanted to express my anger at how ridiculous it was, but...

"Why are you silent, barbarian?"

"......"

I couldn't do that because the system had set this guy as the target of the 5th floor trial.

'I need to find a way to survive.'

Even if there's only a 1% chance of survival, I won't give up.

I burned with determination and carefully observed the knight in front of me.

His white rapier, which contrasted sharply with his black armor, was already a bad sign.

'Not only is the rapier longer than a dagger, but the armor that covers his body is also a problem.'

Everything seemed to predict my defeat, displaying a formidable strength.

In the end, I had no choice but to rely on my personal skills.

'But that won't be easy.'

Just from the battle traces I saw while passing through the wolf den, I could guess his strength.

At my level, it would be difficult to kill this knight.

So, I needed to create a variable.

I tried to avoid showing any openings and cautiously asked the enemy.

"I've never heard of an intrusion. Where are you from?"

"Indeed, as expected of a barbarian, you don't even know the concept of 'layer intrusion.' Heh."

The guy suddenly mocked me and laughed so hard his armor rattled.

'What is this lunatic...?'

I almost faltered at his lines, which seemed to be a collection of my school days' dark history, but quickly regained my composure.

Right, at least the enemy considers me a barbarian.

'Then I should use that.'

"Can you tell me what 'layer intrusion' is?"

"Since you're a barbarian, your head must be empty."

"......"

"Let me ask you, do you think I would answer such a thing?"

Despite his adolescent-like behavior, he seemed to have some thoughts.

As expected, he wouldn't fall for such an obvious question...

"But, it doesn't matter. You'll die soon anyway."

No, he did fall for it.

'...He pretended not to tell me but easily spoke up.'

This could be a sign that he looks down on me.

"From the 8th floor onwards, there's a system called 'layer intrusion.' You can interfere with others' trials by purchasing an intrusion ticket from the shop."

The knight continued.

"Of course, it seems that the weaklings in this lower dimension can't even reach the 8th floor."

"......So, you're from another world, then?"

"Then where do you think I'm from?"

"......I understand."

I answered and then muttered to myself.

I tried to be aware of everything the black knight said.

"Eye of Truth."

「The skill 'Eye of Truth' has been activated.」

「All statements made by the target are true.」

Even the skill marked that the enemy was telling the truth.

As the real trial tower system said, he is indeed from another dimension.

'Complicated, damn it.'

Given the existence of 'dungeons' and the 'trial tower,' it's not unbelievable...

'The scale is bigger than I thought...'

Just then,

"Doing something unpleasant, huh? To dare judge my actions."

The black knight, annoyed by my activation of 'Eye of Truth,' muttered.

In response, I smiled and replied briefly.

"So what?"

I had extracted all the information I could and confirmed that he was not friendly towards me.

There was no immediate sign that he would provide more information.

So, there was no reason to try to please him.

"What, what? A mere barbarian...!"

The black knight, enraged, trembled, but that created an opening.

While speaking, he lunged forward and thrust his sword.

Whoosh, Clang!

"Did you think that would work?"

But the black knight soon glared fiercely through his helmet and parried my sword.

'...It seemed like an opening, but he's impressive.'

I had to acknowledge his ability to quickly regain his composure and counter my attack.

He wasn't someone I could easily defeat with a cheap trick.

Clang!

I swung my sword again and quickly retreated.

From this short clash, I learned something.

'The knight's stats aren't higher than mine.'

Despite both of us using one-handed swords, I had a slight edge in strength.

I was sure of this because his body had been pushed back slightly.

However, I couldn't be complacent.

He showed no signs of fatigue even after killing the monster, the target of the 5th floor trial.

He was clearly a highly skilled warrior.

'He might be more dangerous in terms of skills than in stats.'

So, I needed to use my skills to the fullest to match him.

I recalled the skills I could use immediately and adjusted my stance.

Among the skills I currently have, 'Instant Acceleration' is the most useful.

'Combat Continuation activates when I'm in a dire situation, and Physical Resistance and Rapid Regeneration are passive skills.'

There are other miscellaneous skills, but they are also passive.

So, the only one I can actively use is 'Instant Acceleration.'

'I have high agility, so I need to use that to my advantage.'

If I don't, I'll fall for his hidden move.

The black knight, clad in black armor, clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, is it just the 5th floor? Your stat limits are severe."

I had been thinking about what his actions meant.

His unnecessary muttering and retaliatory remarks during the battle were all inefficient and hard to understand.

'Is he showing off?'

To my astonishment, the black knight was indeed showing off to me.

I couldn't tell how much he looked down on me.

Of course, he might be lying about the 'stat limits,' but his actions so far suggested otherwise.

"I won't go easy on you now, barbarian."

The black knight, who suddenly said this, gripped his sword and took a stance.

His precise movements might indicate the activation of a skill, so I tensed up.

Thud.

Sure enough, the black knight lunged forward, and his rapier extended.

An attack from a distance where it shouldn't reach.

I had experienced something like this in the 3rd floor trial.

Whoosh!

The tip of the sword extended with a heavy sound.

I twisted my body, and the rapier narrowly grazed my side.

Swoosh.

"Ouch."

A burning pain made me groan.

「The skill 'Rapid Regeneration' has been activated.」

The wound disappeared quickly due to the skill's upgraded level, but the pain lingered.

'He wasn't just being overconfident.'

I narrowed my eyes as I saw the rapier's length suddenly shorten.

I understood why the system rated him so highly.

If this is just one of his skills, he would be very difficult to handle.

"Good dodge, barbarian. If you don't move properly, you'll be crushed."

The black knight, enjoying the situation, laughed and took another stance.

"......"

It was like he was slowly crushing an ant on the playground.

The black knight treated me with that level of contempt.

'What a lunatic.'

I never expected him to do something like this just by intruding into someone else's trial.

Anger surged, but it was useless in this situation.

I needed to think calmly and find a way out...

Whoosh!

But before I could continue my thoughts, the rapier lunged again.

I dodged by moving my feet this time, and the black knight looked triumphant.

"Ho, nimble. You're interesting for a 5th floor challenger."

I couldn't respond to his words.

I was too busy catching my breath and preparing for the next attack.

Ultimately, I needed to draw out more of my potential.

'I'll save 'Instant Acceleration' for the last resort, but I can use this.'

There was a reason the Hunter Market didn't sell the Assassin's Cloak for no reason.

「The Assassin's Cloak (D) exclusive effect has been activated.」

「Movement Speed +15%」

「Remaining Duration – 00:00:59」

I had saved it for moments like this.

Whoosh.

With a step, the distance between me and the black knight closed.

Of course, the black knight, seemingly expecting this, remained calm.

"Narrowing the distance... Did you think that would help you win?"

The black knight's rapier swung and lunged at me in an instant.

Despite my superior strength and agility, his attack speed was abnormally fast.

He must have used a skill that boosted his attack speed, as I could barely keep up with his movements.

But I wasn't completely helpless.

Clang!

I raised my left arm, and the shield attached to it blocked the rapier.

At that moment, a crimson aura enveloped the rapier.

The aura was clearly not a normal skill.

'No, what is this...!'

Whoosh!

The shield cracked, and intense pain shot through my arm.

I quickly pulled my arm back and moved away.

Boom.

The black knight sneered as I retreated, kicking at him.

"Too bad. If your arm had been cut off, it would have been less cumbersome."

Ignoring his words, I pressed my right arm against my left and took a deep breath.

The intense pain was about to make me scream, but it quickly subsided.

「The skill 'Pain Tolerance' is active.」

「All types of pain inflicted on the user are reduced by 15%.」

「The skill 'Combat Continuation' is active.」

「All types of movement restrictions inflicted on the user are weakened.」

Thanks to the two skills that activated, I quickly regained my composure.

Yes, the calmer I am, the better.

Pressing the cut on my arm, it started to heal due to the Rapid Regeneration skill.

Perhaps the skill's level increase had expanded the range of 'critical injuries' it could heal?

I wasn't sure, but the fact that it could heal my wound helped me regain my composure.

"Haha, you have some interesting skills."

While the black knight mocked me, my thoughts raced.

I understood how dangerous the crimson aura was, even if I didn't know what skill he used.

'...It must be a skill that enhances cutting power.'

A skill that uses mana to strengthen a sword's cutting ability.

While such skills are rare outside of magic, I had heard they exist.

Of course, I had never heard of a crimson aura like that.

'Anyway, it's a skill I can't handle at my current level.'

The result of blocking it once was this mess.

The expensive shield I bought was broken, and my arm was nearly severed.

'...Using the Assassin's Cloak is what saved me from dying.'

If I had been a bit slower, my head would have been cut off.

Trying to read his moves any further would result in my death.

'In the end, the answer was already decided.'

I glared at the black knight, moving my left arm, which had partially recovered.

His skills were indeed threatening.

I clearly understood why I instinctively felt a sense of urgency.

But that was only in terms of skill.

'In terms of stats, I'm a bit stronger.'

So, the only way to kill this lunatic knight is this.

I quickly moved my hand to activate necromancy.

「Using all bound spirits to permanently increase stats.」

「Strength increased by 2.」

「Agility increased by 3.」

「Health increased by 3.」

「Mana increased by 5.」

「Endurance increased by 7.」

Vitality surged through my body, and the lost health quickly recovered.

The black knight, sensing the change, smirked.

"Physical enhancement, interesting."

I ignored his words, which implied that even this wouldn't be enough to win.

Instead, I checked the remaining duration of the Assassin's Cloak's effect and adjusted my stance.

My left arm had recovered somewhat, and my stats had increased overall.

'Now, I've done all the preparations I can with this...'

There was one thing left.

"Instant Acceleration."

A sensation of weightlessness spread through my body as mana flowed out.

A completely different level of enhancement from the shallow boosts I used before.

The black knight, sensing something was off, flinched.

"Only a barbarian could have so many skills..."

Seeing him mutter, I quickly took a step.

And in that instant, my body exploded with speed, like a compressed spring released.

The movement was so different from what I had shown before that...

"Damn barbarian!"

The black knight, startled, wrapped his sword in a crimson aura again.

He also seemed to use a skill to become more agile, but it wasn't enough to keep up with me.

With the Assassin's Cloak, increased stats, and Instant Acceleration, it couldn't be.

I dodged the black knight's sword by a hair's breadth and kicked out.

Boom!

The impact of my foot and his armor echoed through the cave.

"......"

I smiled, seeing the black knight barely avoid falling by bending his knees.

His composure was gone, and his words became fewer.

'That means he's feeling threatened to some extent.'

If I use my higher stats to move more agilely...

I won't be caught by the aura skill the black knight used.

If that happens...

'I can definitely win.'

Finally, I could see a way out of this crazy trial.