Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero]

Guardian Angel Z357 watched as the blonde human engaged with the kretus boar. Based on the information he had on both combatants, it almost seemed like it should be a quick and easy battle. The blonde human was a Level 55 [Arcane Blademaster], while the kretus boar was at Level 44. There was an 11 level difference between them, which meant that the blonde human should have swiftly defeated the kretus boar. But that didn’t happen.

And that was because the kretus boar had been blessed by the Void. Guardian Angel Z357 had seen it happen numerous times before ten thousand years ago— an unassuming creature tempted into the depravity of the Fal-Deus, empowering them with a twisted magic.

The impact of such Void blessings varied greatly, and it was wholly contingent on their affinity to the Void. Those who had weak wills were often strengthened even further than those who were strong-willed. It was a simple transactional relationship. If a creature gave more of themselves to the Void, the Void would grant them more power.

And that was what was happening here. The kretus boar had become a Void-blessed being. It had been granted great power due to its desperation and its desire for revenge. Guardian Angel Z357 couldn’t ascertain the full extent of its newfound abilities, but he could estimate that it was likely equivalent to a Level 67 creature at the very minimum.

So once again, with the facts presented to him, it was evident that this would be a lopsided battle. The blonde human stood no chance with the 12 level differential. And yet, that predicted outcome didn’t happen.

Instead, the two of them were locked in combat, clashing with one another again and again. Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t understand it. The blonde human should have been defeated with ease. But she fought toe-to-toe with the kretus boar.

It was like she was fighting at least 10 levels above her Class— or at least, the Skills she was throwing around were higher-leveled than she seemed. She didn’t have the fluidity in her movements of an S-rank, so Guardian Angel Z357 couldn’t fully comprehend her abilities. His twelve eyes narrowed as he peered into her from afar… and he realized that those blasts of golden energy weren’t Skills at all.

Somehow, this blonde human was fighting without the guidance of the World System. No— it was like she was using a similar power to that of an angel’s Techniques.

But how? he wondered as he hovered high in the air.

Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t get an immediate answer. So he waited. He observed. And he carefully studied the blonde human. Because he knew it couldn’t be a coincidence— the congregation of Void-blessed beings here in this region, and now here she was fighting beyond the limits of her Class.

Something was amiss. And Guardian Angel Z357 was going to figure out what exactly was the cause of all these anomalies.

 

—--

 

Noele the Noble Spellsword leapt back as the kretus boar charged. It crashed into the thicket, uprooting the trees with the swing of its tusks. She circled around its side, moving both swiftly and elegantly thanks to [Graceful Dancing].

It was one of her newest Skills. It was a passive Skill. She gained it alongside [Dual Wielding Mastery] from repelling the Miststorm Riders a few weeks back. And it let her nimbly avoid most of the kretus boar’s wild attacks.

She thrust forward with her longer blade, stabbing the side of the monster as it reeled. But her attack barely penetrated its flesh. Noele clicked her tongue before swinging down with her shorter sword. Her blade shone with the sharp intensity of her Elegant Noble Slash, and the kretus boar’s entire body flashed.

The Void-touched monster vanished as she stumbled forward, hitting nothing but the air with the shorter blade. Noele immediately spun around and scanned her surroundings for the kretus boar. It had teleported away. It could be anywhere. But her eyes narrowed when she couldn’t find it.

“Where—” she started.

And she saw the looming shadow rapidly approach her from above. Her eyes widened as she looked up, watching the kretus boar descend upon her from the sky. Noele cursed, activating [Flash Step] as a flicker of light engulfed her body.

She appeared a hundred feet to the left of where she once stood, and the kretus boar crashed into the earth. The ground shook as a small shockwave engulfed the nearby village. Wolfater trembled from the Void-touched monster as it emerged from the crater. If the Noble Spellsword weren’t here, it would have completely destroyed her home.

But she was here. And she was doing everything she could to lead it away from Wolfwater. She backed up as the kretus boar charged her way. She led it towards the edge of the village, brandishing her two blades as her [Nobleflame Armor] wisped off her body.

“Come and get some— [Unending Dauntless Fury]!” Noele yelled, unleashing a flurry of strikes.

From the tip of her two swords, blades of light shot out. Each one shaped like the crescent moon, glowing with a white ethereal aura that almost made each seem like they were made out of a shimmering ice. The onslaught of attack bombarded the charging kretus boar.

But the Void-touched beast barely slowed. The blades of light barely cut into its empurpled skin, before quickly healing. All the Noble Spellsword’s Skill did was anger it even further. She clenched her teeth as she tried to back away. And the kretus boar reached her.

It swung at her with its tusks once more, but Noele didn’t duck out of the way. Instead, her two blades were overcome with a faint golden glow as she moved to parry the attack.

[Noble Aura Blade]. It was an upgrade to her previous [Noble Slash]. It was like her weapon was permanently coated with the effects of the magical attack. A wisping golden glow that enhanced the sharpness of her two swords.

She swung to the side, breaking through the kretus boar’s twisted tusks. The monster reeled, and she stabbed forward. Both her blades dug deep, before she twisted them. With her [Noble Aura Blade] Skill already active, enhancing her magic beyond what her Class granted her was easy. And it was only her Glorious and Elegant Noble Slashes that were capable of actually hurting the Void-touched kretus boar.

Unfortunately, the monster knew that fact as well. Before she could swing up with both those attacks at once, it unhinged its jaw. It unleashed a blast of purple energy straight into the ground. Noele’s eyes widened as the explosion engulfed both combatants.

“[Force Barri— urk!” The Noble Spellsword managed to conjure up the aura of protection in time.

And it was barely enough to protect her from the shockwave, let alone the blast itself. She went flying as her [Nobleflame Armor] was shredded off her body. She lost grip of her two blades, before crashing into a nearby large oak tree with a heavy thud.

She groaned, trying to pick herself back up. But a searing pain overcame her left shoulder. Noele looked down to see a stream of blood pouring down her arm. She pursed her lips before sweeping her gaze back up to her opponent.

The kretus boar was knocked back by its own explosion too. It was willing to hurt itself just to avoid being struck by Noele’s Glorious and Elegant Noble Slashes. Her eyes narrowed at the realization— it was smart.

Which made sense. Most higher-leveled monsters were keenly intelligent when it came to fighting. But the Noble Spellsword had assumed the kretus boar wouldn’t have been able to think clearly due to its unsightly appearance.

She was wrong. Despite being touched by the Void, the kretus boar was still just as intelligent— or even more intelligent— than it would be if she found it in the wild. Its twisted form shifted as it got back to its feet. It had blown off half of its face with its own explosion, but the depraved flesh quickly regenerated.

Noele eyed this with a clenched fist. She reached into her Bag of Holding and quickly splashed a bottle of healing potion onto herself. The worst of her wounds quickly closed, but she still found it difficult to move her left arm. Meanwhile, she was certain that unless she completely destroyed the kretus boar, it wouldn’t be killed.

Just like with the Cloying Witch and just like with the Monster of the Mist.

She sighed as the kretus boar charged at her once more. Noele didn’t have her weapons on her. The two blades were lodged onto the side of the monster. Not only that, but even if she hadn’t been disarmed, she wouldn’t be able to hurt it anyway because of its rapid teleportation.

Noele could barely keep up with it with her [Flash Step]. Unfortunately, she couldn’t use the Skill in rapid sucession unlike the Void-touched beast. Not unless…

Her eyes flickered as she glanced between her swords and the kretus boar’s enraged face. And she got an idea. Noele whispered quietly to herself.

“[Dance with Death].”

It was what she considered to be her greatest Skill. It wasn’t an offensive Skill capable of burning down a forest like [Grand Blaze], nor was it a passive Skill that permanently aided her combat abilities like [The Titan’s Strength]. Instead, it alowed her to repeatedly draw power from any of her Skills for a set duration.

And that was why it was so useful. Because of its utility in any situation. However, there was always a drawback to these kinds of Skills.

[Dance with Death] was useful, but it was limited in its actual applicability in most situations. After all, it was pretty much a last resort Skill since after its effects came to an end, Noele would be left completely exhausted and barely able to fight.

So right now, she was taking a risk. A gamble. She could draw the power for any Skills she had in her repertoire, but she chose one that wasn’t going to increase her offensive capabilities. Instead, it was a Skill that would allowed her to keep up with the charging kretus boar.

“[Flash Step],” Noele said.

And she vanished. The Noble Spellsword appeared right atop the monster’s back as it reached her. It crashed into the large oak tree, smashing it broken, before looking around in a daze. Noele reached for her swords at the kretus boar’s side, when its entire body was caught in a purple light.

She landed on the empty ground as the monster teleported a hundred feet into the air. Noele saw the growing shadow before closing her eyes.

“[Flash Step],” she repeated herself.

And the Skill took effect instantly. She found herself standing a hundred feet away from the falling kretus boar. A pillar of dust and debris shot into the air as it crashed back down into the earth. Normally, her [Flash Step] would have an even longer cooldown period the further she teleported.

But she spoke the words once more, and she vanished.

The kretus boar blinked as she appeared at its side. It tried to swing at her in a panic. Bu this time, she was fast enough to yank her two blades out of the monster, before disappearing with another [Flash Step].

“Am I too fast for you?” Noele grinned, standing a dozen feet ahead of the kretus boar.

It roared, unleashing a blast of purple energy. The explosion engulfed her figure. For a moment, the monster stared at the billowing smoke, searching for the Noble Spellsword’s ashen remains. But its eyes widened when it realized that she was now standing just to the right of the crater.

Noele strode forward as her two swords shone with her [Noble Aura Blade]. A smirk was plastered on her face as the kretus boar backed up warily. It teleported behind her, and in response, she teleported behind it.

Before she’d activated [Dance with Death], she had only been able to use her [Flash Step] once every ten seconds at the very least. And the further she teleported, the longer it would take before she could use the Skill once more. Meanwhile, the kretus boar had been able to teleport every few seconds. She wasn’t sure of the interval between when it could teleport once more. Maybe five seconds? Or maybe it was even a shorter period.

But it wasn’t instantaneous. And right now, Noele was able to use her [Flash Step] in under a second.

She raised her two blades as her magic poured into the glimmering metal edges. The kretus boar swung at her with its regrown tusks in a fury, and she vanished. She appeared once again behind it as her lips moved.

“Glorious…”

But the kretus boar refused to stay idle. It opened its mouth, sending a purple sphere into the ground beneath its hooves. A powerful explosion engulfed the monster.

And Noele easily escaped the blast with a [Flash Step]. She continued to concentrate all of her mana into the two attacks as the kretus boar emerged from the crater, slowly regenerating.

“...and Elegant—”

She appeared at the monster’s side once more with a flash of light. Its eyes darted her way, and it responded by teleporting high into the air.

But the Noble Spellsword already anticipated this. She was a step behind it, following with her [Flash Step]. She appeared on the falling monster’s back as it stared up at her in horror. She raised her two blades against each other, before swinging down with all her strength.

“—Noble Slash!”

And a golden blast engulfed the entirety of the kretus boar as Noele leapt away. The explosion rippled in the sky, before twisting into itself, forming the shape of a cross. The pillar of golden light struck the earth as Noele landed back in Wolfwater.

The battle had taken place far enough away to avoid collateral damage thanks to her efforts. But the giant golden cross could be seen all throughout the village. The vertical pillar stretched a hundred feet into the air, while the horizontal row of the cross cut across over seventy feet in length. This powerful blast ignited the afternoon sky with a brilliant glare, completely obliterating the kretus boar as Noele looked on.

And unbeknownst to her, it caught the twelve eyes of something else as well.

 

MelasD

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