Chapter 24: Five Seconds (4k)

“Pfft!”

A thick, blood-stained leather boot slammed into the soft, damp meadow, kicking up a spray of mud.

“Damn it… how could there be a professional here!”

The flat-topped man with a vicious expression gasped rapidly, his arms swinging back and forth like pendulums as the dense bushes on both sides receded behind him at high speed.

“We shouldn’t have believed that old man—this one job nearly cost me my life!”

“Big Brother, what do we do now?”

Running side-by-side with the vicious man was a burly fellow with a dull-witted face. But right now, his expression held not just dullness, but deep, palpable terror.

“What do we do? Do you see what we’re doing right now?”

“Running!”

“That kid has a serious background. This Riverbend Town… no, I’m afraid we can’t stay in any of the towns near Neum anymore.”

Hum—

A high-speed arrow tore through the air, instantly burying itself in the mud beside the man’s feet. From the shadows of the forest not far behind, there came the terrifying sound of objects moving quickly through the brush.

Both men shivered violently; their already chaotic steps stumbled, as if they were being chased by some fearsome monster eager to devour them.

“Crunch!”

Grass and fallen leaves swirled in the air. The vicious man felt the resistance of the pervasive, annoying bushes disappear in an instant; the sunlight, previously blocked by the canopy, suddenly became blindingly fierce.

The view opened up before them.

A clearing!?

“Big Brother, it’s an ambush!”

The dull-witted man’s terrified scream reached his ears. As he looked ahead, he saw a sharp-featured, black-haired young man.

Although the vicious man felt a vague sense of familiarity, he didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on it. Adrenaline surged, his vision blurred, and the tumultuous emotion between life and death forced a decision in a split second.

“Damn it, it’s just one! Take him down! Even if I die, I’m dragging someone to the grave with me!”

…

Xia Nan had heard the two sets of rapid footsteps approaching from the woods nearby. He stood up and turned. The two disheveled men, covered in leaf fragments and grass, burst out instantly.

Time seemed to press the pause button. The faint, pungent smell of the glow-garlic vine surged into his nose with each breath, and the “rustling” sound of swaying branches filled his ears.

His brain accelerated.

[0.1 Seconds]

The first reaction that flashed through Xia Nan’s mind upon seeing them was—run.

The sudden appearance of the clearing in the dense forest, the deliberate and conspicuous placement of the expensive herbs, the absence of any other anomalies during his search, and the timing of his just-completed harvest—all told him these two were ambushers waiting here specifically for him.

But he immediately realized that if he chose to run, he would have to drop the heavy backpack, which was filled with glow-garlic vines worth over thirty gold coins.

“Profit” and “Risk” acted like an invisible scale, adding weight to both sides in his heart.

[0.2 Seconds]

Is there a possibility to avoid the fight? The thought flashed by. Reasoning with them, or giving up a portion of the profit?

No, that wouldn’t work! He was alone, and there were two of them. Until he showed some strength, he had no bargaining power. And given the desperate posture they were displaying, they didn’t look like they were in the mood to negotiate.

Therefore…

[0.3 Seconds]

He felt the sluggish resistance of his blade being drawn from its sheath. The heavy, expensive backpack he had cherished just a moment ago was now discarded without hesitation.

Combative intent surged. Xia Nan had made his choice.

[0.5 Seconds]

Xia Nan stood his ground as the two men split toward his left and right. Were they planning to flank him and attack simultaneously?

Reality isn’t a game. Getting slashed by a sword doesn’t just subtract a chunk of an HP bar. Getting a limb severed means a lifetime of disability; a thrust to the throat means death. Even with a healing potion, it wouldn’t regrow limbs or raise the dead.

Xia Nan didn’t know what he was facing, but driven by survival instinct, his brain raced, analyzing the situation for the coming fight.

Two fists are no match for four hands. Since ancient times, those who could handle multiple opponents were masters of technique. In a group fight—even in the “mystical” martial arts films of his past life—the protagonist would always isolate enemies and take them down one by one.

In an instant, Xia Nan constructed a battle plan: split this 1v2 into two 1v1s.

[0.7 Seconds]

His sharp gaze swept across them. The vicious flat-topped man on the left held an iron sword with focus and speed—he was clearly a veteran. The man on the right was burly, but his movements were a beat slower, his face flushed and dull, dragging a heavy two-handed warhammer.

Target locked.

[1 Second]

The tip of his sword tilted up; he felt the cool, refreshing touch of the hilt. Xia Nan took his first step.

Fighting two-on-one, with lethal weapons that could end things in a single strike, he had to take down the first enemy at maximum speed.

Three more steps. The distance between him and the dull-witted man closed instantly. The iron-gray blade flashed in his peripheral vision.

“I’m in range.”

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

“Spinning Slash!”

Strength like a surging tide rose from the soles of his feet, gathering the power of his entire body and channeling it through his fingertips into the hilt.

Hum—

The iron-gray, razor-sharp light carved an arc in the air like a crescent moon. [Cleave Expert] (+5% damage), [Decapitator Longsword] (+5% beheading damage), and his strength attribute reaching “6”—Xia Nan swung the fastest strike since he had arrived in this world.

“Shh-la!”

The dull-witted man’s heavy hammer was only halfway up, but his head was already spinning away from his shoulders.

[3.5 Seconds]

Dazzling blood gushed like a fountain from the empty neck; a few drops even splashed onto Xia Nan’s face. But he felt no disgust—only the icy blast of wind from behind.

He couldn’t retract his sword in time! Xia Nan used the momentum of the “Spinning Slash,” pulled his blade back in front of his chest, and spun his body halfway around.

Then…

“Clang!”

Sparks flew! His silver-white blade smashed into the iron-gray sword of the vicious man. Two seconds were enough for the second enemy to close the distance.

“Thud.” Behind him, a body collapsed.

The four-foot-long sword he had cherished hours ago—cleaning it of every speck of dust—was now held across his chest to block the enemy’s strike without a hint of pity. He could clearly see the vicious man’s pupils trembling, the muscles in his clenched jaw, and the flecks of spit at the corners of his mouth.

[4 Seconds]

Force clashed against force. Xia Nan was in a state of exhaustion, his previous strength spent. The opponent’s arms were clearly numbed by the impact, struggling to apply more pressure.

The fight stalled for a split second. In this state, the +1 Agility from reaching max level in “Spinning Slash” proved its worth. Xia Nan regained his balance first.

A vicious kick! The man groaned in pain as he took the blow to the stomach, his strength wavering. Xia Nan retreated half a step to create distance.

And then…

[Spinning Slash]

The iron-gray arc of light flickered and vanished. Mixed with viscous red and white liquid, half a head with a clean cut went spinning through the air and fell.

Beside him, green leaves swirled and drifted to the ground.

From the moment the two appeared to the end of the battle: exactly 5.25 seconds.

…

…

“Hoo… hoo…”

Xia Nan panted, the lining under his leather armor soaked in sweat. Five seconds—barely the time for a single deep breath—had been enough to start and finish an encounter. His heart pounded wildly, his head swimming.

The extreme focus of the fight began to recede, replaced by the weight of reality. He felt this skirmish had been just as tense and high-pressure as his fight against the bugbear. A slight miscalculation in judgment or movement would have meant injury or death. He was thankful for his predecessor’s relentless training, which allowed him to max out “Spinning Slash” immediately upon arrival, receive the rewards, and boost his strength to this level.

The thick smell of blood filled his chest. Standing there, looking at the two corpses on the ground, he felt a strange sense of emotion. Who could have imagined that only ten days ago, he had been a miserable corporate slave sitting in an office, having never even killed a chicken? Now, he was a “hard-man” capable of decapitating two adventurers in the span of a breath.

Looking at it this way, maybe I really do have some “combat talent”?

“Drip.”

Warm, sticky blood dripped from the tip of his sword, staining the grass red. Xia Nan suddenly remembered something. He quickly raised the Decapitator Longsword, wiped the blood off with a rag from his pocket, and inspected the blade—especially the point where it had blocked the strike.

He let out a sigh of relief.

The 50% durability bonus on the attribute panel was no joke. Even though the clash had thrown sparks everywhere, there was only a microscopic scratch on the surface, easily buffed out with proper maintenance.

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Though still a bit heartbroken over the scratch, he accepted the result and happily began looting the battlefield.

“Hmm… this second-hand leather armor only sells for half-price, it’s heavy, and it’s not high-end gear. I’d struggle to walk wearing it. Forget it.”

“The iron sword is decent, probably well-maintained. Adding the hammer… maybe 15 gold?”

“Don’t need food, I have enough. Compass takes no space, keep it. Why are there two shovels…”

“Huh?”

As he searched the bodies with a mix of disgust and excitement, Xia Nan’s eyebrows suddenly arched. He pulled a bulging purse from the vicious man’s waist. He opened it and peeked inside—

“Tsk, tsk.”

A golden glow.

“It’s even heavier than the pouch I got for the bounty at the Association… probably at least 50 gold.” Xia Nan weighed the pouch in his hand and muttered to himself.

“Strange. Did these two carry their entire net worth on them?”

Of course, they were corpses now and couldn’t answer him. Xia Nan didn’t care about the details. After checking the bodies one last time to ensure he hadn’t missed anything, he hoisted the backpack full of glow-garlic vines and prepared to leave. He had learned from the “Stinky Fish and Rotten Shrimp” squad that the smell of blood attracted danger.

“One collection mission, a neat 80 gold profit.”

“At this rate, if I keep saving, I should be able to buy a set of decent medium armor soon. Leather is okay, but the defense is lacking.”

Just as he was about to depart, rapid footsteps sounded again from the direction the two men had come from.

Xia Nan’s heart skipped a beat.

“No way, more of them?”

He made a quick decision. He had just survived a life-or-death struggle; though he wasn’t hurt, using [Spinning Slash] twice in a row left his arms aching. His combat effectiveness was compromised.

In this situation, he wasn’t going to be greedy enough to risk his life for loot. If the situation turned bad, he would drop the backpack and the captured weapons and run. He already had the fifty-plus gold coins from the corpses; he wouldn’t be losing anything even if he had to leave the glow-garlic vines behind.

At that moment, several figures burst through the bushes and appeared before him.

“Bang!”

Branches flew. A plump figure stumbled out of the brush. Only then did the person notice the sudden clearing and sheepishly strike a comical combat pose. Following him was the half-elf “Haian,” holding a longbow with a wary expression, and the blonde girl, who looked deathly pale and visibly panicked.

Oh, and the “suspected professional” Wood, who stood like a shadow beside the half-elf with almost zero presence.

Silver hair fluttered in the wind. Haian kept one hand gripped tight on his bow and the other resting on his quiver, ready to draw and fire at any moment. His silver-gray eyes squinted slightly in the bright sun, scanning the clearing.

The next second, he saw the two cooling corpses on the ground.

His pupils dilated. He couldn’t help but look at the only person left standing: Xia Nan, who was watching him with extreme caution.

“You…”