Chapter Sixty-Nine: Not Without Defeating the Dread Knight

Although I was usually able to keep my composure, this guy completely infuriated me. The flames of anger rose relentlessly in my chest. “Who are you to judge? The strongest profession isn’t for you to decide, it’s for those who bear that title! Today, I’ll show you that a summoner without a summoned beast can still beat you down!” I shouted at the terrifying knight.

Taking a deep breath, I gripped the Wishful Staff tightly, determined to vent all my fury in battle. Let this burning rage become the power to topple everything in my path! With a roar, I launched a fierce assault against the knight before me.

Cloud Leap Strike activated, and in an instant, I appeared before the terrifying knight, my staff landing a blow—450 damage. Retracting the staff, I unleashed Holy Fist Combo, whose greatest trait was its rapid attack frequency. It should’ve been impossible for anyone to withstand every blow.

“What!” To my astonishment, the terrifying knight took the full brunt of the Holy Fist Combo with his body, then with his left hand, threw a punch that sent me flying.

“Hmph! Too weak, human, and too naïve! Did you really think such techniques could defeat me? A summoner will always be a summoner, never a warrior.” As he spoke, the terrifying knight flashed before me and struck my chest with a lightning-fast punch.

Bang! At the critical moment, I feigned an attack, intercepting the fist aimed at my chest, but the impact still sent me flying six or seven meters; the shield from the feint shattered instantly.

“Ugh!” Though I managed to parry with my sword, I still felt the force behind that dreadful punch. The feint dissipated the damage, saving my life; otherwise, I’d have been half dead, even if I didn’t return to the city.

“Hmph! You managed to block my full-power strike; that’s worth praise. But your fate is still sealed—you’ll be torn to pieces. Prepare yourself, human!” The knight roared, gripping his enormous war blade in both hands, charging at me faster than before.

A tearing sound like ripping cloth accompanied the knight’s ferocious slash. This attack, without a doubt, would instantly kill anyone caught in its path, cleaving all foes before it in two.

I quickly leaped back, trying to escape the blade’s range and ready myself for a counterattack, but the knight’s other hand flicked, and three black rings appeared around me.

Ding~! You are afflicted by Weakness Curse: defense reduced by 30%, movement speed reduced by 20%, lasts 10 seconds!

Ding~! You are bound: unable to move for 3 seconds!

Ding~! You are afflicted by Darkness Curse: magical defense reduced by 30%, accuracy reduced by 20%, lasts 10 seconds!

“Damn!” I cursed aloud. The most troublesome thing about this terrifying knight wasn’t just his attack power, but those damned spells—silent, unavoidable, and oppressively cunning. At that moment, I was frozen in place, unable to dodge. I immediately triggered my substitute move, and a damage number of 10,000 floated above my decoy’s head. If that had hit me, I’d be dead twice over.

After dodging, I kept my distance from the knight, waiting for the effects to wear off before I moved in again. But when facing my attacks, the knight alternated between his war blade, left hand, and right hand. No matter which direction I attacked from, he could defend perfectly, sometimes even letting me hit him only to retaliate with a strike that left me half dead.

After more than ten minutes of grappling, I was battered black and blue all over. Just then—

Bang! The terrifying knight struck me with his fist again, sending me flying seven or eight meters.

“What now? What now? How can I possibly beat this terrifying knight?” Knocked down, I sat up cross-legged, my mind consumed by this single question. No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn’t find a breakthrough. The knight’s strength was overwhelming—his attack and defense were several times greater than mine. There seemed to be no normal way to defeat him.

Seeing my dejected, cross-legged posture, the knight scoffed, “What’s wrong, human? Moments ago you were fierce and determined to beat me, but now you’ve lost your will to fight?! Pathetic. Just accept your death!”

“Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense! Let me rest, then I’ll fight you again.” With that, I lay down. I understood that, as I was now, I simply couldn’t match him. To defeat the terrifying knight, summoning Dragon Warrior was my only hope, but the sealing spell had left me unable to summon for an hour. The thought was infuriating, but it gave me an idea.

“Roar!” The knight, now impatient, swung his blade at me without mercy. But knowing that normal attacks were useless against him, I had no intention of fighting back. I simply dodged every attack.

My plan was to drag it out, stall for time until the sealing spell wore off. Thus began the classic scene of a player being chased all over the map by a monster.

The knight’s attack, defense, and speed all surpassed mine. I couldn’t dodge every blow; those I couldn’t avoid, I had to withstand, relying on the stash of potions in my pocket to delay as long as possible. “You coward! You don’t even have the courage to fight me! I despise people who only dodge and won’t engage. And where do you get so much health? Are you a cockroach or a flea?!”

“What does it matter what I am? If you’re so tough, just finish me in one blow.” With that, I continued my shameless tactic of stalling.

Boom! The knight, furious, unleashed another black shockwave. Stones from the floor were blasted away, and this time, waves of black energy rippled out. Having been hit by this move several times, I’d learned to stay six or seven meters away before he cast it, but the shockwave still sent me flying over ten meters, my health dropping sharply.

After enduring so many attacks, I gradually understood the knight’s techniques. Lately, he favored the black shockwave, rarely using his spells—their cooldown must be long, but when he did cast them, they were a nightmare.

“Phew!” After dodging his nth attack, I took a deep breath. Unconsciously, thirty minutes had passed, and the battle continued. Though the knight was livid, roaring and wildly swinging his blade as he chased me, I paid no mind to his fury. My thoughts were focused solely on the remaining time.

After nearly forty minutes of dodging, I began to sense trouble. Monsters seemed not to have a stamina bar, meaning they possessed nearly limitless endurance. Especially undead creatures—they never seem to tire, putting players at a disadvantage in attrition battles.

After another several dozen minutes of grueling combat, my stamina was nearly depleted. I could no longer dodge the shockwave, though I could barely avoid normal attacks. Just then, the knight appeared before me again, war blade poised to strike.

Ding~! You are bound: unable to move for 3 seconds!

The knight’s spell struck again, but my substitute move was on cooldown. There was no way to dodge this time, so I didn’t bother trying. Both fists met, and I unleashed the Rending Slash Wheel at lightning speed, striking him instantly. The knight was caught off guard by this sudden attack, but he was not one to be easily dealt with. Ignoring the Rending Slash Wheel’s assault, he flung aside his blade and gripped my neck with both hands.

“Well done, human! I didn’t expect you to have such a powerful move left, but you’re finished! Prepare yourself, human!” Amid the knight’s terrible roar, I was hurled like a ball, crashing heavily into what had once been a doorway, now a wall.

Boom! The stone wall cracked like a spider’s web under the force, and I was embedded in it, unable to move, my health plummeting to its lowest point. “Damn!” I realized I no longer had the strength to struggle; I had given everything I had. My stamina was gone, my vision blurred, my consciousness slipping away.

“As an enemy, I retract my earlier judgment! You are a remarkable adventurer! Many have fought me throughout history, but you are among those I respect most. Now, take my full-power strike!” He raised his fist, enveloped in black energy, and smashed it down onto my face.

Sss—my health dropped to zero. My head exploded in an instant into a mass of blood, and my body collapsed to the ground, a headless corpse.