Chapter 24: Five Seconds (4k)

"Thud!"

A thick, bloodstained leather boot slammed heavily onto the soft, damp meadow, splashing stray droplets of mud.

"Damn it... why is there a professional here!"

A man with a fierce countenance panted heavily, his arms swinging violently back and forth like pendulums, causing the dense shrubs on either side to recede rapidly behind him.

"I fucking shouldn't have listened to that old man. This job almost cost me my life!"

"Boss, what do we do now?"

Running alongside the fierce man was a burly man with somewhat dull features.

However, at this moment, a thick layer of terror had joined the dullness on his face.

"What do we do? Do you want to take a look at what we're doing right now?"

"Run!"

"That kid has a complicated background. This River Valley Town... no, I'm afraid we can't stay in any of the towns near Neum."

*Whirr—*

A high-speed spinning arrow tore through the air, instantly embedding itself into the soil at the man's feet.

From the shadows of the nearby forest, the terrifying sound of something moving rapidly echoed.

The two men jolted instantly, their already frantic footsteps becoming even more chaotic, as if a horrific monster capable of devouring souls was chasing them from behind.

*Crackle!*

Grass clippings and fallen leaves danced in the air.

The fierce man felt the resistance from the seemingly omnipresent, annoying shrubs vanish in an instant; the sunlight, which should have been blocked by the canopy above, suddenly became intense.

The view ahead opened up wide.

An open clearing!?

"Boss, an ambush!"

The dull man's terrified shout rang in his ear.

Following his gaze, what met his eyes was a sharp-featured, black-haired youth.

Although the fierce man felt a faint sense of familiarity, he couldn't afford to care at this moment.

Blood rushed to his head, and his eyes gleamed; the surging emotions brought by the boundary between life and death allowed him to make a decision in an instant.

"Fuck it, there's only one! Let's take him! Even if I die, I'm taking one with me!"

...

Xia Nan suddenly heard two sets of hurried footsteps coming from the nearby woods.

He stood up and turned his head.

Two disheveled men, covered in crushed leaves and grass, burst out instantly.

Time seemed to hit a pause button at this moment.

The slightly pungent, fishy scent of Glow-Garlic Vines flooded his nostrils with every breath, and the "rustling" of swaying branches filled his ears.

His brain operated at high speed.

【0.1 seconds】

The first reaction that flashed through Xia Nan's mind upon seeing the two men was—

Run.

The sudden clearing in the dense forest, the deliberate and conspicuous presence of expensive plants, the lack of any abnormal search results, and even the timing of his recent Glow-Garlic Vine harvest.

Everything told him that these two were ambushers who had been waiting here specifically for him.

But he immediately realized that if he wanted to flee, he would have to abandon his heavy backpack filled with Glow-Garlic Vines, worth over thirty gold coins.

"Profit" versus "Risk"—an invisible scale weighed the two sides in his heart.

【0.2 seconds】

"Is there a possibility to avoid combat?"

The thought flashed through his mind.

"Persuasion through words, or yielding a portion of the profit?"

No, that wouldn't work!

He was alone, while the opponents were two.

Before demonstrating a certain level of strength, he had absolutely no possibility of bargaining.

Furthermore, judging by the desperate posture these two were displaying, they did not look like they were in a mood for negotiation.

Therefore...

【0.3 seconds】

He felt the friction of a blade leaving its scabbard in his hand.

The heavy backpack, which he had cherished immensely just a moment ago and was worth dozens of gold, was now ruthlessly tossed aside.

Battle intent surged.

At this moment, Xia Nan had made his decision.

【0.5 seconds】

Xia Nan stood his ground, watching the two men rapidly split to either side.

It seemed they intended to flank him and attack simultaneously?

Reality was not a game.

Being slashed by a sword wouldn't just result in a loss of a health bar.

Being maimed would leave one a cripple for the rest of their life;

Being stabbed in the throat would mean certain death.

Even with healing potions, they did not possess the power to regrow limbs or bring the dead back to life.

Xia Nan did not know exactly what he was facing.

Driven by survival instinct, he pushed his brain to the limit, analyzing the situation for the impending battle.

Two fists are hard to fight four hands.

Since ancient times, those who could face group combat and simultaneously parry or counterattacks from multiple directions were invariably master-level figures proficient in combat techniques.

Facing a multi-person siege, even in the "fantasy" kung fu movies of his previous life, the protagonists often focused on dividing the battlefield and taking them down one by one.

In an instant, Xia Nan had constructed a preliminary combat plan.

He would split the 1v2 into two 1v1s.

【0.7 seconds】

A sharp gaze swept across.

The fierce-looking man on the left held an iron sword; his expression was focused and his movements swift, marking him as a veteran at a glance.

The man on the right was sturdier, but his movements were noticeably half a beat slower; his face was flushed and dull, dragging a heavy two-handed hammer.

Target locked.

【1 second】

The tip of the sword lifted slightly, the cold, smooth texture of the hilt pressing against his palm.

Xia Nan took his first step forward.

Fighting two against one, and with both sides possessing lethal weapons capable of a one-hit kill.

He had to eliminate the first enemy with maximum speed.

Three more steps.

The distance between him and the dull man was instantly closed.

The iron-gray blade flashed in his peripheral vision.

"I've entered the longsword's attack range."

His right foot slammed into the ground, the sole sinking instantly into the mud.

"Spinning Slash!"

A power seemingly drawn from the earth surged from his feet in an instant, gathering the strength from his entire body like a tidal wave, finally transmitting through his fingertips to the hilt.

*Whirr—*

A sharp, iron-gray cold light carved a crescent arc through the air.

"Slash Expert" +5% slashing damage, "Decapitation Longsword" +5% decapitation damage, and a Strength attribute of "6" after stat point bonuses.

Xia Nan swung the fastest strike he had delivered since transmigrating to this world.

*Schlick!*

Before the heavy two-handed iron hammer could even be halfway raised, the dull man's head had already spun away from his shoulders.

【3.5 seconds】

Bright blood erupted from the hollow neck like a fountain, even splashing a few drops onto Xia Nan's face.

But at this moment, he felt no nausea.

Because he could already feel a piercing, whistling wind coming from behind him.

There was no time to sheathe the sword!

Using the momentum from the "Spinning Slash," Xia Nan pulled the blade back in front of him while simultaneously rotating his entire body half a turn.

Then...

*Clang!*

Sparks flew!

The silver-white blade slammed hard against the iron-gray body of the Decapitation Longsword.

Two seconds was enough for the other enemy on the field to close the distance to his front.

*Thud.*

Behind him was the dull sound of a corpse hitting the ground.

The four-foot-long sword, which he had cherished just hours ago and wiped clean of every speck of dirt with gauze, was now held unceremoniously across his chest by Xia Nan to block the opponent's attack.

The tip of the sword glinted coldly in the air.

At this moment, he could clearly see the fierce man's pupils trembling due to his comrade's death, the facial muscles tightening as he gritted his teeth in desperation, and even the stray bits of foam at the corners of his mouth.

【4 seconds】

Force collided with the blade.

Xia Nan was currently in a stiff state where his old strength had been exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated.

The opponent was also clearly suffering from numb arms due to the impact transmitted through the blade, making it difficult to exert force.

The battle seemed to have entered a momentary stalemate.

In this situation, the 1 point of Agility provided by maxing out "Spinning Slash" proved its worth.

Xia Nan regained his balance first.

Then, a sudden kick!

The fierce man, struck in the abdomen, grimaced in pain, his strength faltering.

Xia Nan took the opportunity to retreat two steps, creating a half-body's distance between them.

Then...

【Spinning Slash】

The iron-gray arc of sword light was fleeting in the air.

Mixed with thick red and white fluids,

A smoothly severed half-head,

Spun, and fell.

Green leaves drifted nearby, landing softly.

From the appearance of the two men to the end of the battle.

It took a total of 5.25 seconds.

...

...

"Huff... huff..."

Xia Nan panted, the lining under his leather armor soaked with sweat.

Five seconds—barely the time it takes for one deep breath.

Yet it was enough for an encounter to go from start to finish.

His heart pounded violently, and his head felt slightly dizzy.

The high concentration of attention required during the fight returned to reality.

He felt that the intensity and pressure of this fight were no less than when he faced the Bugbears.

A slight error in judgment or movement would have resulted in maiming or even heavy injury.

It was thanks to the predecessor's relentless persistence that he was able to max out [Spinning Slash] immediately upon transmigrating, reaping rewards and using them to raise his overall strength to this level.

The thick scent of blood flooded his lungs with every breath.

Standing there, Xia Nan looked at the two corpses on the ground, feeling a strange sense of emotion.

Who could have imagined that just over ten days ago, he was merely a miserable corporate drone sitting in an office all day, someone who hadn't even killed a chicken?

Now, he had become a "ruthless man" capable of cutting down two adventurers in a single breath.

Looking at it this way, perhaps he really did have some so-called "combat talent"?

*Drip.*

Warm, viscous blood dripped from the sword tip onto the ground, staining a few blades of grass red.

Xia Nan suddenly remembered something.

He quickly lifted the Decapitation Longsword, pulled gauze from his bosom to wipe the blood from its surface, and then closely inspected the blade, especially the spot used to block the enemy's strike.

Then, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The 50% durability bonus on his attribute panel was certainly no joke.

Even though the strike had produced sparks, it had only left a tiny, almost imperceptible scratch on the surface of the blade, which could be removed with careful maintenance after returning to town.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Though he still felt a bit of heartache, Xia Nan accepted the result.

And he began to happily loot the battlefield.

"Hmm... these second-hand leather armors can only be sold for half price anyway. They're heavy and not high-quality; carrying them would make it hard to even walk. Forget it."

"The iron sword is alright; it seems well-maintained. Combined with this hammer, maybe 15 gold?"

"No need for food supplies; I brought enough. The compass doesn't take up much space, I'll take it. Why are there two shovels..."

"Eh?"

While looting with a mix of disgust and satisfaction, Xia Nan's eyebrows suddenly shot up.

In his hand, he had pulled a bulging coin pouch from the fierce man's waist.

He opened it and looked inside—

"Tsk, tsk."

It was a sea of glittering gold.

"It's even heavier than the pouch I received when I collected bounties at the Association. It must be at least 50 gold," Xia Nan muttered to himself, weighing the slightly heavy cloth bag.

"Strange. Did these two carry their entire fortunes on them?"

Of course, since the opponents were now corpses, they could not answer his question.

Xia Nan himself didn't care about such trivialities.

After a thorough search of the corpses to ensure nothing was missed, he shouldered his backpack full of Glow-Garlic Vines, intending to leave as quickly as possible.

The scent of blood easily attracts danger; this was something he had learned from his time in the "Scum Squad."

"One gathering mission, a small profit of 80 gold."

"At this rate, if I save up a bit more, I should be able to buy a decent set of medium armor soon."

"Leather armor is okay, but the defensive performance is ultimately lacking."

But just as Xia Nan was about to leave with his backpack.

Not far to his side, from the direction the two men had rushed out from, the sound of hurried footsteps rang out once again.

Xia Nan was startled.

"No way, more?"

However, he quickly made a decision.

Having just survived a life-and-death struggle, although he hadn't sustained major injuries, using [Spinning Slash] twice in a row had left his arms feeling achy.

His combat effectiveness had dropped.

In this situation, even if he was sometimes a bit reckless, he wasn't greedy enough to throw his life away for money.

The moment he sensed the situation was wrong, he would immediately drop the backpack and the two looted weapons and turn to run.

Since he still had the fifty-plus gold coins from the corpses tied to his waist, even if he didn't bring back a single Glow-Garlic Vine, he wouldn't be at a loss.

At the same time, the figures approaching rapidly through the bushes appeared before Xia Nan's eyes.

*Crash!*

Leaves and branches flew.

A portly figure burst clumsily from the bushes.

Only then did he realize he had entered an unexpected clearing, causing him to crouch down and strike a ridiculous combat pose.

Following closely behind was Haian, a half-elf holding a longbow with a look of intense vigilance;

And a blonde girl, whose pale face clearly betrayed her panic.

Oh, and there was Wood, the "suspected professional," who possessed extremely low presence and guarded the half-elf like a shadow.

Silver-white strands of hair drifted in the wind. Haian gripped the bow handle with one hand and reached back toward his quiver with the other, maintaining a stance ready to draw and shoot at any moment.

His silver-gray eyes narrowed slightly against the piercing sunlight as his gaze swept across the clearing.

In the next second, he saw the two corpses on the ground, gradually growing cold.

His pupils dilated slightly.

He couldn't help but look at the only person still standing in the clearing—the wary Xia Nan.

"You..."

(End of Chapter)