The Dreamer's POV

[00 Months: 17 Days: 10 Hours]

My vision was blurry, even though I could see clearer than ever.

My mind was a mess even though my thoughts had never been more focused.

There was only one thing that occupied me at the moment. It shackled my entire body and grated me to the very depths of my bones.

It burned and churned within that I just wanted to scream and roar in pain and rage. But… all of that was focused on the task.

A simple goal that stood before me.

Killing this man that wanted to kill me.

"Activate…" A murmur escaped my lips.

<Turbo>. <Immersion>. <Elevate>. <Elemental Attribute (Basic)>.

I abandoned all the defense-related Skills and focused plainly on offense.

It didn't help that my energy had been depleted due to using Concealment Cloak for too long, or that I had to use a great deal of <Teleportation> and <Turbo> to reach this location quickly.

I was so desperate that I decided to throw in all my extra Stat Points into my Energy Level, while also being aided by the 40% Stat Increase that <Carnage> provided.

That meant… I currently had more than enough Energy to ATTACK the enemy!

~FWOOOOOOSSSHHHH!~

Swiftly bringing out my Great Energy Rocks, I imbued them with the elemental affinity of lightning, boosting their speed and destructive capabilities by a considerable amount.

I swiftly joined them in their race towards my target, who seemed to be slightly motionless as a result of my heightened state.

In the split second before impact, I activated <Visualize>, allowing me to peer into the future, which involved my attacks being deflected by an invisible shield in his possession.

"Tch!" I clicked my tongue and leaped forward even faster, drawing more energy into my fist as I powered it with the flame attribute.

~FWIIIISSSHHH!~

As expected, my rocks were flung aside by the sheer magnitude of the target's shield, but I ignored them and thrust my fist instead, sending it rippling through the barrier and flying straight for the target.

"W-wha—?!"

Before he could say any word, I connected my fist to his chest, hardening my muscles and sending as much energy as I could into the attack.

~BOOOOMMMM!~

I felt a recoil within me, wincing as the opponent was pushed back a short distance from me.

'He's sturdier than I expected…' My thoughts echoed in frustration as I glared at him.

He was also staring intensely at me, and he also wasn't speaking. The latter was probably for the best, but I couldn't help but feel uneasy at my observation of the former.

Well… it didn't matter.

What I had to do hadn't changed in the slightest.

'I just have to kill him!'

Using <Visualize> at that moment, I saw that he would throw several projectile bombs in my direction, and I swiftly utilized <Turbo> to enhance my speed and close in the distance before he could summon the items he needed.

"Tch!" I heard him click his tongue, swiftly ducking my assault to make more distance between us.

'His barrier only works against projectiles, which explains why my Great Energy Rocks bounced off. He seems to be avoiding close combat attacks, even though he's so sturdy.' My thoughts began to calculate.

Could it be that his toughness was simply the product of a Skill, which was limited—either due to the Energy consumption, or the Cooldown period—or perhaps his durability stemmed from the effect of an Item?

The more I attacked, the more the integrity of the Item would fall. Either way, the reason he withstood my attack wasn't due to a superior amount of Stats, but simply finite resources at his disposal.

With that observation, I only needed to employ the tactic of closing the distance between me and him, using my Great Energy Rocks to serve as projectile support for any attack he could throw my way, while using <Visualize> to predict his next move.

Using this permutation, I was guaranteed to win!

~WHOOOOSSSSHHHH!~

Once again, I closed the distance, using <Visualize> to monitor the land mines he had kept in my path, evading all of them by leaping above the area of impact that would have surely damaged me if I charged straight into them.

Due to focusing on my offense, my defenses left much to be desired. Sure, <Carnage> assisted in raising my stats, but receiving damage, no matter how little, was detrimental to me.

Once again, I managed to close the distance between me and him in no time. I could see he was trying to attack with some sort of explosive projectiles, and I was very close in range to dodge the multiple assaults he was about to unleash.

"Heh!" I could see him grin in victory, his brows raised in relief that he had finally gotten me right where he wanted him.

He would have been perfectly correct if I wasn't at least three seconds ahead of him.

Remotely controlling my Great Energy Rocks, I intercepted the attacks and deftly ignored their mitigated explosions as I closed in on him.

Once again, he tried to escape my range by leaping backward, so I decided to stop him in his tracks.

Utilizing <Teleportation> to close in the distance was an option, but I decided to go for another one.

<Gravity Press>

Using this Skill, multiplied by two, I was able to root him in position, while adding additional damage by crushing his body to an extent, a feat I would never have been able to accomplish with <Teleportation> alone.

Taking this route meant dealing more damage while utilizing less Energy.

Tightly gripping my dagger, which I had now equipped with the Wind Element to sharpen the edge and grant me 'cutting' advantage, I resolved to sever the bastard's head in this strike.

Pouring the remnant of my energy to coat myself in lightning, further improving my speed, I pushed myself to the limits of both my strength and focus, targeting the position of his neck, which I wanted to slice.

The fact that this guy had been able to keep up with my speed, albeit barely, told me he was at least Ranker Level. He was far stronger than the other guy I faced before, and while I currently didn't have the luxury of using Energy to use <Absolute Appraisal> on him, I could tell that he was powerful.

Doubts still crept in my mind; for one, the fact that I still didn't know what his Exclusive Skills were.

However, in my rage and intense determination to slaughter this man, I pushed all those worries aside and went straight for the kill.

My blade was brandished, and I had already finally closed the distance.

~FWIIIIISSSHHHH!!!~

I expertly swung the dagger horizontally, literally pouring all the energy I had into the strike.

And then…

"ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!"

… I heard the sound of a creature approaching me at a rapid rate.

Distracted, I took my gaze away from my prey and gazed behind me, watching one of the floating creatures in the air lunge at me at breakneck speed.

At that moment, I knew I had to abandon my goal.

Even if I did manage to slice off the head of the enemy, the monster would strike me… most likely leading to fatal damage.

I wasn't fast enough to react to the monster and damage it before it could damage me, thus bringing me to an impasse.

There was no use considering it. There was only one choice left for me at this point.

'<Teleportation>' squeezing the last bit of Energy that had been restored thanks to my Necklace, I was able to vanish from my compromising position, thus abandoning my prey.

~FWUUUSHH!~

"Tch!" I growled silently, watching the creature, much similar if not identical to a wyvern, stop before reaching the muscular man, who was now sighing in relief.

'I missed my chance…'

Regret washed over me, but I knew I couldn't dwell on it. Any second less, and I could have ended up taking an immense amount of damage.

'I don't have enough Energy to use <Regeneration>, and I wouldn't want to waste my Elixir on the likes of these…'

"You sure took your time, Sasha. Why didn't you do anything sooner?" I watched the man utter in relief as he looked at the floating wyvern beside him.

'He's talking to the wyvern? Is the monster's name Sasha?' Did he have a Skill similar to my <Fallen Foe>, and this wyvern was its minion?

No, perhaps his was different. It would make sense that this was his Exclusive Skill. That would make his Role something akin to a Tamer of some sort.

'The way he's referring to the monster connotes some level of intelligence. What's going on here? Is it something like a bond?' My mind raced as I sought alternatives while watching the two interact and recovering Energy in the process.

"Hehe… well, watching you struggle against this guy was amusing in its own way."

'W-what?' My eyes widened as I heard the Wyvern speak.

It had a feminine voice, though there was a toughness that I sensed within. It also felt like something one would hear from a speaker, and not entirely natural.

"It's boring just controlling my pets to destroy everything while I watch from a safe distance, you know? I thought I'd let you entertain me for a bit." The Wyvern further said.

At this point, I could already figure out what was happening.

'There's someone else!'

His partner, maybe? Another person was controlling the wyvern, and they were watching the match, having the ability to intervene whenever they liked.

'Also…' I raised my head to see the twelve other monstrosities that towered above me.

"You should be able to understand it now, tough guy." I heard the voice from the wyvern say in a condescending tone.

"You're outnumbered and outmatched. You never had a chance from the start."

Clenching my fist, I glared at the man and the wyvern by his side, while taking full cognizance of the stares I was receiving from the creatures above me.

As much as I wanted to deny it…

'She's right.'

… I was fighting a losing war.

This was not a fight I could win.

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[A/N]

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