I glanced around to see that his followers were all bruised up. Something told me they weren't following this guy willingly.
"So, what will it be?" Yuan asked, smiling as if he were talking to an old friend.
"I'll have to pass; we're not interested in joining any faction."
"Ah, such a shame," he sighed before turning his attention to Luna. "What about you?"
His gaze made her jump. It seemed even she could sense it—there was something not quite right about this guy.
"She'll stay with me," I replied before Luna could get a word out.
His smile faded, and his gaze narrowed at me.
"I don't believe I was speaking to you. The girl has a right to decide for herself. Interrupt again, and I'll take back the few precious seconds I've granted you."
He was sharp; he wouldn't have asked her that question if he couldn't sense that she was afraid of me. No, it wouldn't take much to figure it out—she was carrying herself like my hostage, after all.
"So, what will it be?"
"N—"
Before the words could even leave her mouth, I spotted a golden object flying straight at me from my peripheral vision. Without a moment to process, I barely dodged it, but in an instant, Yuan was in front of me, a menacing grin on his face.
How did he—
BANG!!
His punch rang out like a sonic blast. The blow sent shockwaves through my body, propelling me into a cluster of trees. I tried to get up, but my knees buckled, causing me to fall back to the ground.
He got me.
It wasn't just his speed but the way he used it. He used misdirection to draw my attention to Luna. One second his spear was on his back, but the next it was heading straight toward me.
I was fully on my guard; in fact, I was planning to attack first, but in the end, I couldn't even draw my weapon.
Who is this guy?
He wasn't on the list of faction leaders Luna had told me about.
"Your suit is quite sturdy, isn't it? I was hoping to break a rib or at least cave in your chest," he mocked as I tried my best to regain my composure. "At first, I was planning to rough you up until you agreed to join me, but your suit was pissing me off."
He looked at me with contempt. "I hate guys like you—rich pricks with worthless systems who have to rely on gadgets to even get a fraction of our power."
His first attack was meant to kill me; he wasn't messing around. I couldn't match him in speed or strength, and he knew it. He intended to toy with me until my vitals dropped and I was eliminated.
Keeping my eyes on him, I slowly got to my feet and pulled out the Blade of Calamity. He saw the weapon and just chuckled at it, as if to say, 'What is that going to do?'
He steadied himself to attack, but before he could even make a move, I threw the blade at him. Its weightlessness carried it through the air like a high-speed bullet. As it was about to penetrate his forehead, he effortlessly reached out his hand and caught it.
He then shifted his focus to me, but it was too late; I'd already shattered the leg of one of his followers and was now moving on to the next.
I didn't hold back either; I planted my foot in his throat, crushing it instantly. I watched as his alarm blared and he was drowned in his own blood. That's when another one of them attacked, but he was intercepted by one of Luna's curses.
I looked at her, and she gave me a small nod. It wasn't a confident nod but it was a nod no less. To be honest, I never expected that from her.
"No!!" Yuan cried out as he lunged at me with the Blade of Calamity in his hand.
But in a split second, the blade disappeared and was now in my possession. I didn't skip a beat; I went to slash his throat, but he blocked it with his bare hands. The weapon barely pierced his flesh.
Impossible! What is his body made of?
His hand wrapped around the weapon as he landed another blow to my stomach. By now, blood was seeping through my mask, and the suit was barely holding my crumbling body together.
But it didn't matter; every blow granted me newfound clarity. It was strange—I was perfectly calm. Maybe it was because I knew I was past the point of no return.
He had to die.
It was like a weight had been lifted.
It wasn't anger; I just wanted to return every pain I felt a thousandfold. Even if it meant ripping apart the followers he worked hard to find in front of him, I'd accept every hit with the intention of shattering the bones in his fist against my body.
I summoned the Middle Finger, activating the fire essence on it at the same time. He quickly retreated as he saw the flaming blade, but I pressed him, swinging my weapon as if I were born for it. But it didn't matter what I did; I couldn't lay a scratch on him—his speed was beyond me.
He landed countless blows, each one jolting my body awake. The world was silent; everything else felt non-existent as my senses sharpened to a single point—cutting his head off became an itch I needed to scratch.
I was beginning to read his movements.
His speed and reflexes were unmatched; that's it. He had the dexterity of a child bumbling around. He was no better than those hyenas; if I left myself open, he would take it. And that's exactly what I did.
I made a broad sweep at him with my katana, purposefully leaving my lower half exposed. Next was the timing; the moron always dodged at the last second as if he wanted to prove a point.
He did exactly as I predicted and ducked under the blade at the last second. I watched him fully position for a punch to my abdomen, and just as he was about to land the punch, I sank the Blade of Calamity into his stomach.
It didn't penetrate far into his abdomen because of his thick skin, but the least I could do was twist the blade to create a bigger wound.
""AaaAAARRRGGHH!!"" A pained scream escaped his lips.
He couldn't even see the weapon as the invisibility attribute was activated. For a second, I thought I had him, but in one swift motion, he pried the blade out of my hand using his monstrous strength and plunged it into my stomach before I could react.
Before the realization even set in, he delivered another blow to my stomach that knocked the air out of my lungs.
My body crumbled to the ground, unable to support my own weight. I was bleeding from the stab wound in my stomach.
Thankfully, it wasn't deep, since I recalled the dagger back into my inventory the moment it pierced my skin.
Overall, it felt peaceful.
My mind was as clear as ever. That's when I understood my own stupidity.
Yuan stood over me with a smug expression on his face as he examined the stab wound on his abdomen.
"You're better than I thought," he said, but his words were lost on me.
I've been such an idiot all along.
The realization hit me harder than Yuan's kick to the stomach. I had been thinking about my system wrong all this time. And all it took was a couple of blows to the head and a stab wound for me to finally realize it.
"To think you actually managed to injure me, with your trash system no less, whatever it is." He crouched down in front of me. "My system is called the 'Heavenly Refining Physique System.' It basically gives me the body of a god. How that rusty dagger of yours managed to pierce my skin, I'll never know."
Yuan stood back up, and one of his remaining followers tossed him his golden spear. They had also captured Luna; it seemed she didn't put up much of a fight.
"Since you fought a good fight, I'll only take an arm for your troubles," he said, but I didn't care; I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts.
It was fascinating how I had missed it completely. My system tried to tell me, but I was too stupid to understand the weight of what it was saying. 'A blacksmith can enhance whatever he chooses.'
I had a single-minded thought of enhancing my weapons.
But what is my body, if not a weapon?
"Open Weapon's stat."
[OPENING WEAPON'S STATS]
WEAPON NAME: Liam Morningstar
WEAPON TYPE: HUMAN
LEVEL: BASIC GRADE
STRENGHT: 5
SPEED: 8
AGILITY: 6
ENDURANCE: 14
INTELLIGENCE: 12
+ATTRIBUTE
—NONE
SKILL POINTS: 10