Flynn's heart sank violently. A sudden chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his vision swim.
Matthew's presence here could only mean one thing: Young Master Brody had met an untimely end!
Staring intently at Matthew with bloodshot eyes, Flynn asked in a hoarse voice, “Where is Young Master Brody?!”
Matthew steadied himself. Not wanting to face the full brunt of the man's fury head-on, he lied, “He's inside, barely hanging on to life.”
Flynn shook his head and let out a cold laugh. His eyes, sharp as knives, swept over the Steel Chainmail Matthew was wearing.
His hoarse voice was laced with icy mockery and despair. “Inside? Barely hanging on? Heh... Kid, your lying skills are far inferior to your swordsmanship.”
After that single clash just now, he had already determined that this country kid's strength was on par with the weakest Black Iron Rank Class holder. Under such force, there was absolutely no way the Young Master could have survived.
Matthew's heart tightened. He knew his lie had been exposed.
Flynn's gaze lingered on the chainmail. It was a custom-made undergarment armor designed specifically for members of the Fiery Lion family. Unless the owner was dead or completely incapacitated, it would never change hands, let alone be worn by an outsider.
Calm was highly experienced. As Flynn shook his head and sneered, he sensed that something was off.
“He's buying time to recover!” Calm barked, warning Matthew. “We can't let him escape!”
Working together with Matthew, if they were willing to pay the price, there was a very high chance they could slay this "dying camel."
Hearing this, Matthew understood Instructor Calm's intention in a flash.
What would letting Flynn go mean?
It meant the Fiery Lion family would immediately learn of Brody's death. It meant facing the mad vengeance of a noble family that possessed unique breathing technique heritages and could equip its members with high-grade gear!
When that happened, let alone Matthew himself, even Calm—perhaps even the entire village—would be dragged into a bloodbath.
Flynn had to die here!
They had to eliminate the threat completely.
Before the words even faded, a murderous light flared in Flynn's eyes. The remaining white mist around his body boiled violently. Abandoning any attempt to charge into the cave, he spun around abruptly and swung his scythe in a fierce arc, slashing straight at Matthew!
This strike held nothing back, carrying the full explosive power of a half-step Silver Rank. He was clearly trying to force Matthew back to clear an escape route!
But Matthew was already prepared. The new insights and physical control gained from his breakthrough in 【Basic Swordsmanship】 to the Practiced rank instantly kicked in.
Twisting his waist, he swept his finely forged sword upward, the blade meeting the whistling scythe at a subtle angle.
“Clang!”
Amidst the ear-splitting screech of metal, Matthew felt a massive surge of force. However, with a slight tremble of his wrist, he guided his blade along the path of the scythe's slash, redirecting and deflecting most of the force into the empty air beside him!
He used the momentum to drift back two steps. Though his blood surged violently inside him, he successfully evaded the fatal blow.
“Huh?” A flash of surprise crossed Flynn's eyes.
Not only did this country boy possess decent strength, but he could also pull off such an exquisite deflecting technique?
In the brief instant Flynn's assault faltered out of surprise, Calm pounced like a fierce tiger!
Seizing the gap when Flynn's old momentum had spent itself and his new force had yet to generate, Calm thrust his steel longsword forward with the steady power of the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】, viciously targeting the exposed flank under Flynn's ribs!
Flynn scrambled to defend, parrying Calm's sword with his scythe, but he had already lost the initiative.
Steadying himself, Matthew immediately joined forces with Calm to flank Flynn. The two gave Flynn no room to breathe, their sword lights weaving a tight net that firmly locked him down.
Flynn grew increasingly anxious. He had already consumed a massive amount of stamina to shatter the kobold priest's shield earlier. Now, locked in a prolonged battle, his stamina drained even faster. His breathing technique faltered, and the white mist around his body grew thin and dim.
The three engaged in a chaotic melee!
Finally, when Matthew forced Flynn to dodge sideways with a tricky thrust, Calm spotted his opening. With a low shout, his longsword shot out like a viper leaving its nest, stabbing upward and piercing cleanly into the hollow of Flynn's throat, which had been exposed by his awkward dodge!
Pfft!
The blade went clean through his neck!
Flynn's entire body shuddered violently. The murderous glare in his eyes quickly faded, and the scythe in his hand clattered to the ground.
He opened his mouth, but only blood gushed out. His massive frame swayed before crashing heavily to the ground.
This greatest threat had ultimately been slain on the spot by the duo due to his depleted stamina!
Silence returned to the hillock.
Matthew leaned on his sword, panting heavily. Looking at Flynn's corpse, the tightly wound string in his heart finally relaxed.
But the relief lasted only a brief moment before a chill crept up from the depths of his heart—not from the lingering fear of battle, but from the dread of what could have been.
"Instructor Calm is indeed... incredibly experienced," Matthew thought to himself, looking at Calm, who was also catching his breath nearby.
If Calm hadn't seen through Flynn's scheme, and they had actually let him escape, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
'Winning this time was really thanks to the boost in strength from upgrading my 【Basic Swordsmanship】. If I hadn't blocked that strike, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly afterward.'
Matthew silently reflected on the lessons of this life-and-death struggle.
He glanced at Instructor Calm's pale face and his new wounds, knowing this fierce battle had taken a massive toll on Calm as well.
“Instructor, recover your strength first. Leave cleaning up the battlefield to me.”
Matthew spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of concern.
Calm glanced at Matthew. Without pushing himself, he nodded, sat down cross-legged on the spot, and began circulating his 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 to recover.
He indeed needed to recover his condition as quickly as possible, just in case.
Matthew, meanwhile, walked over to Flynn's corpse and began searching it thoroughly.
The first things he noticed were the heavy scythe lying beside Flynn and, not far away on the ground, the shattered remnants of the staff whose dark red crystal had lost all its luster.
He first picked up Flynn's scythe.
It felt incredibly heavy in his hand. The blade was broad and glinted with a cold light, and the handle was wrapped in non-slip leather.
The moment his fingers brushed against it, the familiar black text popped up before his eyes:
【Equipment detected: 【Moon Scythe】. Equip?】
【Equipment: Moon Scythe
Quality: Blue
Equipment Requirement: Strength: 25, Constitution: 25
Description: Forged from steel, heavy and powerful. The blade is curved like a crescent moon, casting a cold luster under moonlight.
Effect: Slightly increases the efficiency of 【Basic Scythemanship】. Damage against unarmored targets is significantly increased. Slashes are guaranteed to inflict a "Tear" effect (continuous bleeding).
Skills: None】
Matthew looked at the information before him, his heart shaking.
'Another Blue-grade item!'
'But it requires 25 points in both Strength and Constitution, which is even higher than the requirements for Instructor Calm's steel longsword.'
'It seems that even equipment of the same quality has different tiers, just like breathing techniques.'
'An expert at the half-step Silver Rank is indeed far beyond my current reach. Just these equipment requirements alone are enough to show the gap,' Matthew thought to himself in awe.
He didn't even have the qualifications to equip this scythe right now.
Next, he looked at the effect description.
Rate on N.U.
