Chapter 9: The Earfolk. (2) – 1/2

“Ugh, this is so annoying.”

That was my first thought as Rishiel approached me.

Even though I knew this was the best way to increase my chances of survival.

Even though I knew it was me who had set this plan in motion.

I couldn’t help but feel irritated.

Getting tangled up in such a troublesome situation was inevitable, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

I couldn’t run away.

I had to do my best to get through this.

But even knowing that, the anger bubbling inside me wouldn’t subside.

“What kind of idiotic reason makes you invade someone else’s labyrinth?”

It was absurd.

The only saving grace in this situation was that I could justify killing them as self-defense.

I raised my sword and glared at Rishiel.

“Your stance is… unimpressive. You look like a wild bird ready to flee.”

“…”

“What? No response? That’s fine—I enjoy the challenge of taming the unruly.”

What a complete and utter disaster.

I forced myself to calm down.

“This is a fight.”

I needed to keep my judgment clear and my focus sharp.

Taking her on alone was going to be tough.

If it were Erme, she might stand a better chance.

But.

Erme was already dealing with the other elves.

She was better suited for that task—her speed and skill ensured it.

Even now, she had already overpowered one elf and was pushing another into a corner.

“That means this one is mine to deal with.”

My role was to stall Rishiel for as long as possible.

Rishiel, oblivious to my thoughts, spoke in a relaxed tone.

“Have you just entered the labyrinth?”

“That’s right.”

At my response, Rishiel let out a smirk and took another step forward.

What the hell.

The silver rapier grazed my cheek in a flash.

“Too fast.”

Even though I was focused, all I could make out was a faint blur of light.

“No, focus. Stay calm.”

In the end, it’s just a person wielding the weapon.

If I concentrate, I should be able to track its trajectory.

Another lightning-fast attack came rushing toward me.

This time, I saw it.

“You’re getting more interesting by the second.”

I dodged by tilting my head to the side, but.

Snip.

A small lock of my hair fell to the ground.

“I’m certain I dodged it, though?”

Looking closely, I noticed something faintly swirling around Rishiel’s blade—a pale green, wind-like aura.

Aura Blade.

The moment I recognized it, Thief’s Pinnacle fed me information.

A power that only beings who have reached a certain level of mastery can use.

A force capable of cutting through almost anything it touches.

In this world, it was said to require at least Level 5 to wield such a power.

“This world…?”

A thought struck me.

Rishiel wasn’t Level 5.

Her movements were fast—faster than Han Ul’s—but still…

“It must be a special weapon…”

That was as far as my thoughts went.

Because Rishiel was already attacking again.

Swish!

Her blade sliced through the air, closing in on me.

I twisted my body to evade, narrowly avoiding the attack.

The pressure from her assault was immense—overwhelming, even.

As I dodged another attack, Rishiel’s lips curled into a smirk.

“As long as I can keep evading, it doesn’t matter.”

After all, my goal was to buy time.

While Rishiel was undeniably strong, the elves were steadily falling one by one.

Erme was making quick work of them.

“But I can’t just keep stalling forever.”

My mind raced.

Perhaps it was the sense of danger, but my thoughts felt sharper and more focused than ever.

Rishiel seemed to be from a high-ranking family.

If that were the case, there was a real chance reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

“Haha! How long are you going to keep running?” Rishiel taunted.

“Until you die. Or I do.”

I met her gaze with that unspoken reply, which only made her eyes glimmer with amusement.

She looked at me like a child eyeing a new toy.

“Do everything you can,” I reminded myself.

Her rapier was built for thrusting attacks, making frontal assaults especially dangerous.

I needed to keep dodging her strikes.

“Too fast.”

From the moment she retracted her blade to the instant she struck again, her movements were unnervingly quick.

It was no wonder the rapier excelled at such techniques.

“Huff.”

I exhaled deeply, steadying myself.

For now, I could keep avoiding her attacks.

And I was beginning to notice something encouraging.

“I’m starting to get used to her movements.”

Slowly, her attacks were becoming predictable.

I could now see how her strikes flowed—not just as vague blurs, but as clear, deliberate movements.

“Should I make my move now?”

I considered using Absolute Theft (S).

Its mechanics were simple: the higher the target’s affinity or interest in me, the more I could steal from them.

“Can I steal something from her?”

I asked myself silently, my mind racing with possibilities.

But there was no response.

Whether I could steal something or not remained unclear.

“Forget something useless like the Villainess’ Obsession. I’d rather steal that rapier.”

As I was lost in thought, Rishiel launched another attack.

The moment I saw her strike, I realized:

“I can’t dodge this one.”

I hated to reveal it, but there was no choice. I couldn’t keep holding back.

“The Blood-Soaked Dagger.”

Reaching into the air, I slashed downward.

From the hidden space, a crimson dagger materialized, its blade glinting with a menacing glow.

Clang!

The rapier’s attack glanced off the dagger.

“Oh, now that surprised me.”

Rishiel widened her eyes in mock astonishment.

Even as she feigned surprise, her expression remained irritatingly beautiful.

“Acting like it was some miracle I managed to block her. What a smug woman.”

Her condescending tone and demeanor grated on me.

My hand trembled slightly—redirecting her attack had taken every ounce of strength I had, yet she still managed to leave my muscles shaking.

Suppressing my frustration, I smirked crookedly and swung my blade.

Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as our weapons collided.

Thanks to the high rank of the Blood-Soaked Dagger, I could even deflect the aura-like power emanating from her blade.

It didn’t feel impossible to block her strikes.

But…

It was exhausting.

Every clash of our weapons sent tremors deep into my bones, making my entire body ache.

“She’s too strong.”

The sheer, overwhelming power of her attacks was absurd—brutally so.

If I lost focus for even a moment, her speed would overwhelm me.

All I could do was cling to her relentlessly, trying to keep up with her movements.

There wasn’t a single advantage on my side.

An endlessly unfair game.

“As if things have ever been fair.”

I smirked bitterly as we exchanged blows.

“This is fun! Let’s keep going!” Rishiel’s voice rang out, brimming with excitement as she darted around, her movements wild and unpredictable.

“When are they going to get here?”

I wanted to glance around for any sign of backup, but I couldn’t spare the focus.

Even the smallest distraction felt like it would end with her rapier buried in my throat.

But then…

At some point, I started feeling just the slightest bit more at ease.

It was a subtle difference—almost imperceptible.

Rishiel wasn’t tiring.

Her attacks were still ferocious, and I was barely managing to block them.

Worse, she still had energy to spare.

“Am I imagining things?”

No. This wasn’t a trick of my mind.

The faint blue line in my vision—the guidance of Innate Combat Instincts (B)—was growing more vivid.

It wasn’t that Rishiel had changed.

It was me.

“I’m getting used to this.”

I parried her rapier with the Blood-Soaked Dagger, and for the first time, I saw it:

A small opening.

Without hesitation, I struck with my dagger, aiming straight for that gap.

“Oh?” Rishiel exclaimed, her tone filled with intrigue.

It was a simple movement.

A quick thrust.

But it was enough to disrupt her rhythm, even if only slightly.

At some point, Rishiel began withdrawing the overwhelming pressure she had been exerting on me.