World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 70: A Deal

Nox looked at the arrow pointed at his chest, then back at the three sisters. He was not impressed. He let his eyes move from the quiet archer to the one who looked like the leader. Then he looked at the one who was still angry.

A smirk touched his lips.

"You know what?" he said. His voice was casual, like they were just talking about the weather. "I’m tired of all this. Let’s make a deal."

Mela looked at him with suspicion. "We are not here to make deals, human."

"This one’s easy," he said, ignoring her. He pointed at Liesa. "You. The angry one. You think you’re fast, right? You think you can take me."

Liesa’s eyes narrowed. "I can," she spat. "You just got lucky before."

"Good," he said with a shrug. "Prove it. You get one shot. You land one hit on me, just one, and we’ll go with you. No more questions, no more fighting. We’ll walk right to your place and meet your mother."

Serian grabbed his arm. "Nox, do not be a fool. This is a trap."

"It’s fine," he said, not looking at her. He kept his eyes on Liesa. "So what do you say? You hit me, you win. Easy, right?"

"Liesa, no," Mela said, her voice sharp. "He is trying to trick you."

But Liesa was already grinning, her anger replaced with a hungry, confident look. "I accept," she said, raising her two short swords. "This will be over in five seconds."

"Liesa, I am your leader," Mela insisted. "I said no."

"And I said yes," she shot back. "It’s the fastest way to finish the mission, right? I hit him, they surrender. What’s the problem?"

Valeria lowered her bow just a little. She watched Nox, her face emotionless.

Mela let out a frustrated sound. "Fine," she said. "One hit. And if you fail, we are doing things my way." She looked at Nox. "And you, human. If you hurt her, this deal is off, and we will kill you where you stand."

"I’m not going to touch her," he said, a lazy smile on his face. He took a few steps into the middle of the clearing and stood there, his hands hanging loose at his sides. "Ready when you are."

’He’s bluffing,’ Liesa thought, a predatory grin spreading across her face. ’This arrogant human thinks he can mock me? I’ll wipe that smirk off his face.’

"Fine, human," she hissed, her short swords flashing as she shifted into a low, aggressive stance. "Don’t blink. You might miss it."

"Liesa, be careful!" Mela called out, her hand hovering over her blowgun. She did not like this. The human was too calm.

Nox didn’t move. He just stood in the center of the clearing, his arms hanging loose.

Liesa exploded into motion.

WHOOSH!

She didn’t run; she vanished, leaving a faint afterimage that dissolved a split second later. She reappeared to Nox’s left, her blade a silver arc aimed at his ribs.

Nox tilted his torso. The blade sliced through the air, missing him by less than an inch.

Before the first strike even finished, Liesa was gone again. She reappeared on his right, her other sword thrusting for his shoulder.

He took a half-step back. The tip of the blade passed harmlessly in front of his chest.

’What?!’ Her mind screamed. ’He dodged them both? No, impossible! He just got lucky!’

She didn’t stop. She became a whirlwind of steel, a storm of attacks from every conceivable angle. Her blades cut the air with sharp hisses, creating a cage of death around him. Zigzagging, vanishing, reappearing—she used every ounce of her elven speed.

But he never moved from his spot.

A slight turn of the head. A small shift of the shoulders. A barely perceptible pivot of his foot. Each movement was minimal, precise, and perfect. He wasn’t just dodging; he was making a mockery of her speed, expending almost zero energy while she burned through her stamina.

Mela and Valeria watched from the edge of the clearing. They could not believe it.

"He is not even moving from his spot," Mela said, her voice a low whisper.

Valeria’s eyes were wide. "His movements are too efficient. There is no wasted energy. It’s not possible."

He felt Liesa’s blade slice the air next to his ear.

’This is good practice,’ he thought. He let a small amount of his Corrupted Mana flow from his core. He did not form a weapon with it. He spread it into a thin, invisible layer over his skin. ’I can feel the air move before she even strikes. It is like having eyes everywhere.’

The mana layer tingled when Liesa’s sword cut through it. It was a perfect early-warning system.

She jumped back, breathing hard. Her confident grin was gone. It was replaced by frustration and anger. "Stand still and fight me, human!"

"I am standing still," he said. His face was calm. "You’re the one running around."

"RAAAGH!" She screamed and charged again.

This time she just ran at him and used her pure speed, swinging wildly.

’She’s getting desperate,’ he thought. ’How disappointing, I was expecting more for someone her-’

His own thoughts cut off. His entire body went rigid.

The wild, angry look on Liesa’s face vanished for a split second, replaced by a look of cold, murderous calm. He felt it then, a spike of pure killing intent, so sharp and focused it felt like a physical needle pricking his skin. It wasn’t coming from the swords she was swinging. It was coming from her other hand.

’A feint!’ he realized. ’The whole wild charge was a fake to cover this one real attack!’

The world seemed to slow. He saw her right sword swinging high in a wide, obvious arc meant to draw his eye. At the same time, her left hand, which had been hidden by her body, was moving. A small, wicked-looking dagger was in her grip, aimed right for his heart.

He didn’t have time to dodge.

’Fine,’ he thought, a thrill shooting through him. ’Let’s see if this works.’

He didn’t try to move out of the way. He just stood his ground and poured his Corrupted Mana into his arm. He forced the energy to condense, to harden, turning the skin and muscle of his forearm into something as strong as steel.

CLANG!

The dagger hit his arm with a sound like a hammer striking an anvil. It wasn’t a soft thud of blade on flesh. It was a loud, metallic shriek that echoed through the quiet forest.

Her eyes went wide with shock. She felt the impact travel up her arm, a painful jolt that made her bones ache.

Then her dagger shattered.

The blade exploded into a dozen tiny pieces of metal that flew through the air.

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