The first monster lunged.
Cipher sidestepped, using his sword to deflect the claws that raked toward his face.
The second came from his left, he twisted away, feeling the wind of its strike pass inches from his body.
The third attacked from behind.
He ducked and rolled, but not fast enough. Claws grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.
[Status: Bleeding]
He gritted his teeth. After only a few exchanges, he realized his plan was flawed. With the difference in agility, even though his body was more flexible, he was still lacking. The monsters moved just as fast as he did, and there were three of them.
He needed to execute his plan early.
He targeted the weaker-looking monster - the one that seemed slightly smaller than the others.
Cipher charged.
The monster charged back, and the other two gave chase.
At the last moment, he leaped, flipping over the target monster. All three collided behind him with a heavy crash.
Mid-flip, he activated both Aura and Assassinate.
His blade came down on the monster's exposed back, driving deep.
He landed behind it and didn't stop. His aura-coated sword flashed again and again, carving through flesh and bone.
The monsters untangled themselves and turned, but he'd already dealt considerable damage.
He jumped away, catching his breath.
Thanks to the monsters' low intelligence, he'd been able to exploit that collision. Now he just needed the last Assassinate and he'd finish it.
The three monsters all charged at him.
Cipher raised his sword defensively. The first monster's claws slammed into his blade - the impact rattled his bones. He parried and retreated. The second came in low; he jumped back. The third circled, trying to flank.
He kept moving, kept his sword between them and him. A few seconds left for Assassinate's cooldown. He still continued to use Aura to deal a little damage on the other monsters here and there - small cuts, glancing blows, anything to slow them down.
When Assassinate finally came off cooldown, he saw his opening.
He jumped toward the injured monster and drove his blade through its head.
[You have slain D-rank Demon (Level 30)]
[+22,000 EXP]
[+40 Cheat Points]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
At that moment, his Aura was flickering off.
He put two points into Stamina and reactivated Aura immediately.
One of the remaining monsters charged. He raised his sword to block. The collision sent him skidding backward across the dirt.
He exhaled deeply.
The level-up had cleared his 'Tired' status effect, but it just cleared the status - it didn't change the actual state of his body. He would receive the status effect again soon. But thanks to the two points in Stamina, he'd increased his capacity. He could last a little longer before it returned.
"Time for round two," he said confidently, gazing at the monsters that charged at him.
As they rushed forward, he admitted he'd made some miscalculations. He might not be able to kill both with this single charge of Aura that would only last thirty seconds. If he accounted for times when he wasn't directly dealing damage - just dodging, defending, catching his breath - there wasn't much time.
He readjusted his plan. Focus on a single monster.
The two demons came at him from opposite sides.
Cipher chose his target - the one on the left - and committed.
For this, he added the other two free points into strength to increase his base damage to 140.
He ducked under its swipe and drove his aura-coated blade into its side. It roared. The other monster's claws tore across his back.
[HP: 850/1400]
He spun, slashing at his target again. Blood sprayed. The second monster tackled him from behind, slamming him into the ground.
He rolled, gasping, and came up swinging. His blade bit into his target's leg. It stumbled.
The other monster lunged. He blocked with his sword, but the force drove him back. His arms shook.
His target was limping now, bleeding heavily. He pressed the advantage, ignoring the other one. A slash across its chest. A stab into its shoulder. Every opening, every moment - he poured everything into killing this one monster.
The second demon's claws raked his side.
[HP: 650/1400]
Didn't matter. Keep attacking.
His blade found his target's throat. It gurgled and collapsed.
[You have slain D-rank Demon (Level 31)]
[+26,000 EXP]
[+40 Cheat Points]
[You have leveled up!]
He didn't waste a single second and put the two points into Intelligence.
He turned to face the last monster rushing at him.
He activated Assassinate and delivered a massive strike just before Aura ran out.
Both he and the monster staggered, falling to opposite sides.
…
Cipher pushed himself up, breathing hard. His sword felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
The monster across from him wasn't doing all that better.
His Aura was gone. Assassinate was on cooldown. His mana was depleted.
It was just him, his sword, and whatever strength he had left.
The monster charged with a roar.
Cipher charged too.
They met in the middle. His sword cut across its chest. Its claws tore into his shoulder. He screamed and drove his blade deeper. It bit down on his arm - he felt bones crack.
[HP: 400/1400]
He headbutted it. It reeled back. He swung wildly, his blade cutting through its neck halfway. It clawed at him one more time, drawing blood.
[HP: 250/1400]
He twisted his sword and pulled with everything he had left.
The head came off.
The monster collapsed.
[You have slain D-rank Demon (Level 33)]
[+28,000 EXP]
[+40 Cheat Points]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
"I won," he thought.
Then he fell to the ground.
The Heavenly Demon appeared.
She didn't speak. She just picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder, and walked away.