Chapter 94: A Victory That Should Not Have Been

The Paladin Guild Master was not one to sit idly by and wait for defeat. He was a veteran of many battles and knew he was far from reaching the end of his rope. Just as I had gathered enough battle energy and prepared to unleash another "Slash" skill, he suddenly raised his warhammer high with his right hand, shielded his chest with his left, and uttered an earnest invocation.

A holy light manifested out of thin air around me, slithering like a serpent to wrap tightly around my waist. I immediately felt my movement speed drop drastically, though my actions remained otherwise unimpaired. After casting this "Ring of Confinement," the player known as "A Life Obsessed with Dreams" retreated instantly, slipping out of my attack range. He then chanted a spell under his breath and, with a wave of his right hand, encased himself in a pale yellow, translucent dome of light.

This was the Paladin’s signature survival tactic, commonly referred to as the "invincible" defensive spell—"Divine Protection."

There are only two ways to break this magical shield: either attack with relentless, oversaturated strikes to push the defense to its breaking point, or retreat and wait for the spell’s duration to expire.

The previous rounds of blood-pumping combat had thoroughly ignited the warrior’s soul within me. My fighting spirit was soaring, and raw power surged through every vessel in my body. Why was I fighting this duel? What should I do during it? What consequences would it bring? These questions were no longer at the back of my mind; they were gone. At this moment, I was a pure fighter, chasing the honor and destiny that belonged to me with my blood and soul.

My body loosened as the holy light silently dissipated, dissolving into the air without leaving a trace.

The "Ring of Confinement" was gone.

I strode forward, heading straight for the Paladin not far away.

A "Thick-Skinned Boar Piglet" happened to crawl between me and A Life Obsessed with Dreams, sitting down on the ground and blocking my path. This level-three chubby pig was like a sturdy ball of yarn; its attack power was near zero, and it posed absolutely no threat to me. If it hadn't happened to be there, I wouldn't have given it a second glance.

But I didn't want this uninvited guest to disturb my duel. I reached it in a blink and kicked it aside.

"Ah! Such a poor little piglet..." came a sympathetic voice from behind, from Yan Zhen.

*I am so sorry,* I silently apologized, but I really couldn't afford to care about your feelings right now.

Strike!

The sharp glimmer of my sword, like a venom-soaked bolt of lightning, fell heavily onto the impenetrable dome of light. Though it didn't shatter it in one blow, the shield dimmed significantly.

A Life Obsessed with Dreams remained unmoved, immediately casting "Blessing of the Supreme God" to restore his vitality to nearly seven hundred points.

Panic surged through me. I brought my sword down again.

The shield’s radiance was reduced to a mere flicker, barely visible. Yet, this strike was still blocked.

My Paladin opponent immediately seized the advantage, swinging his warhammer in a "Holy Strike" aimed at my head. Eighty-four points of vitality vanished instantly, and my disadvantage became even more pronounced.

At that moment, I finally shattered the defense of A Life Obsessed with Dreams. My sword left a blood-red mark across his body. In the blink of an eye, the duel had come full circle, pushing us back to the intersection of fate where we fought with flesh and blood. Only this time, the scales of victory were clearly tipped in my opponent's favor.

Three hundred against seven hundred. The gap in health was heavily stacked against me. Under normal circumstances, I should have tried to create distance, downed two health potions, recuperated, and then fought again. But this time, I made a decision that even surprised myself: I did not retreat. Instead, I continued to press forward, fighting with everything I had.

Honestly, I don't know why I did that. Perhaps at that moment, the proud soul of a warrior hidden deep within me had suddenly awakened, seizing control of my body, preferring to die in battle rather than take another step back. No one knew the danger of this moment better than I did. With such a massive disadvantage, all the pride, courage, and faith in the world were useless, and even physical strength and martial skill no longer mattered. All that could save me now was perhaps a sliver of luck.

Strangely, even so, I felt no fear. The opponent’s warhammer and magic danced before me, ruthlessly reaping my life, yet I felt none of the awareness of a dying man. An indescribable confidence filled my hands with strength. I didn't know where this confidence came from, but I could clearly sense it: I would not lose this duel, and I would not die.

Fortunately, A Life Obsessed with Dreams hadn't guessed my resolve. Having finally seized this rare opportunity to face me head-on with such a massive advantage, he naturally didn't want to see me escape. He resorted to his old trick, summoning the "Ring of Confinement" once more to restrict my movement speed.

Since I had no intention of running away, the spell was rendered useless. While he was casting, I managed to land another strike on him.

The ensuing battle was a complete blur. Sword and warhammer swung back and forth between us, constantly drawing blood from one another. By this point, there was no technique left—only two men squandering primal strength, testing each other's courage and tenacity.

This head-on collision was ultimately disadvantageous to me. Soon, my health dropped to double digits, while A Life Obsessed with Dreams still had over two hundred points left. In that instant, I could only watch helplessly as his warhammer crashed down, wondering if I could survive the blow.

I heard the sound of the hammer striking my shoulder and saw a spray of blood erupt like a fountain. I had no time to check how much health I had lost; I only knew that, by some miracle, I had survived the strike. I was still alive.

For anyone else, this would be an irretrievable defeat. Given the opponent's toughness, even with the hidden stat bonuses from my boxing gloves, no skill of mine could drain nearly three hundred health points in a single turn. And with my current fragile vitality, he could probably kill me just by sneezing in my direction.

But I hadn't given up hope!

All my confidence came from a pair of boots—a pair that no one else had:

Magic War Boots: "Footprints of the Wind Spirit."

This was a reward I earned from the temple for my outstanding service during the server-merger campaign. Beyond stats far superior to ordinary boots, these boots came with an incredible spell:

Heroic Flash!

I had always used it purely as a survival escape skill, fleeing instantly whenever I encountered an unbeatable opponent. I had escaped fatal danger using it more times than I could count; otherwise, this single, fragile life of mine would have been lost in some dangerous cave long ago.

Precisely because its escape function was so exceptional, I had almost forgotten the other special property of this skill:

It guaranteed a 100% critical hit rate for the first attack following the flash.

The Ring of Confinement could hold my feet in place, but it was powerless against the effect of "Heroic Flash." Before the final blow from A Life Obsessed with Dreams could land, I suddenly vanished from before him, reappearing about ten paces behind his right side.

The Paladin Guild Master wasn't surprised by my sudden disappearance for long. In his view, no matter how incredible my skill was, I was destined for defeat—where could a dying warrior trapped by a confinement ring possibly escape to? It would only delay the inevitable.

He really should have been more careful.

Once out of combat, I didn't rush to drink those life-saving potions—their effect was simply too slow. By the time one took effect, I would likely have been flattened into a human pancake. I sheathed my sword and pulled out a crude, massive battle-axe.

As A Life Obsessed with Dreams rushed toward me, eager to finish it, I let out a roar and threw the giant axe, which was several inches wider than my own waist.

Full-Power Throw!

A Life Obsessed with Dreams had never expected me to have such a powerful ranged attack skill. He was completely unprepared. By the time he screamed and tried to dodge, the axe had already landed squarely on the Paladin's forehead.

A critical hit, of course!

In the beginning, I had indeed used "Heroic Flash" purely as an escape skill, but as my combat experience grew, I increasingly felt it was a massive waste. In the heat of life-and-death struggles, the damage from a critical hit could absolutely turn the tide of the entire situation. If used correctly, it was entirely possible to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

So I began to think: how could I maximize the effect of this critical hit bonus while keeping myself safe and distant from the enemy?

Fortunately, I didn't have many ranged options, and I soon found the answer:

Full-Power Throw! Of course, it had to be the Full-Power Throw!

This was already a high-damage skill that sacrificed the weapon itself for explosive destructive power. The critical hit attribute multiplied this terrifying power, even raising it to a level that frightened me. When I experimented on a tough snow-mountain monster, I once hit a record of over eight hundred damage, enough to one-shot a common wild monster of my own level.

...

"Squelch!" A horrific sound echoed, reminiscent of a ripe watermelon being split open and splattering red juice everywhere.

Just as I had hoped, his remaining two hundred-plus health vanished in an instant. The Paladin Guild Master, who had held all the advantages, was now slumped on the ground with his head split in two, completely lifeless.

Only then did I have time to check how much health I had left.

The result made me gasp:

1 point. I had only 1 point left.

This duel was won with extreme peril. If that last hammer blow from A Life Obsessed with Dreams had been even a straw's weight stronger, I would have been gone, and there would have been no earth-shattering comeback...

...

This bizarre, reversed battle left the audience from the Hammer of Retribution Knight Order in a brief, stunned silence, but they soon regained their senses, realizing that the one lying dead on the ground was their own Guild Master. A massive sense of collective honor turned these guild members furious; they drew their various weapons, clearly intending to avenge their leader.

Fo Xiao and the others standing behind me were already pale with shock from this unexpected victory. I stood there blankly, feeling both regret and fear, filled with annoyance:

*Oh no, oh no. Didn't I say I had to lose? How did I win in a moment of impulse? If I had known, why did I run? Why didn't I just stand there and let him hit me one more time? Why did I have to show off? What do I do now? What do I do now?*

Just as I faced dozens of menacing gazes, sweating profusely and panicking, I suddenly felt an itch on my left leg.

I subconsciously looked down. The "Thick-Skinned Boar Piglet," its own health near zero, was leaning against my left leg, tilting its head, mouth wide open, revealing two white fangs the size of pinky fingers, with a drop of crystal-clear, cute saliva dripping from its lips. Seeing me look down, the little wild boar glanced at me, its big eyes blinking; it looked very silly and innocent.

Looking was one thing, but the little pig wasn't idle. It found a spot and took a bite.

A slight sting on my left leg...