Black Ripper

"Can you stand?" She asked, looking at him with a gentle, warm smile despite the situation.

He didn't answer right away, instead proving to her he could indeed stand though his knees wobbled beneath his exhausted body, "Yeah."

"Good," another voice said, coming from his right side, "This isn't going to be easy."

It was the muscular, greatsword wielding woman from earlier with short, black hair that covered one of her eyes, while the other, magenta-tinged eye held an air of confidence within its gaze.

[Player Check…]

[Myung-Hee Yun. Level: 11. Class: [Warrior].]

"...You both are still here?" He asked, puzzled but delighted.

The silver-haired, youthful girl almost seemed offended by his surprise but looked forward as she answered bashfully, "...Of course we wouldn't leave you behind. You helped us. We're just returning the favor, that's all."

"Just returning the favor?" He repeated in surprise.

The heavy, toned arm of the black-haired woman wrapped around his neck as the tall, strong woman laughed, "She says that, but she was begging for us to come back to help you!"

A blush came over the pale, smooth cheeks of the silver-haired girl holding the barrier as those words came from her companion.

"That's enough! I'm about to let the barrier down, so get ready!" The silver-haired girl called out.

As she gave the warning, he took in a deep breath, collecting himself as he slowly removed his glasses, allowing his emerald eyes to take a certain luminescence.

Activate "Sage Period"! He thought.

[Request Confirmed. Unique Ability: [Sage Period] Activated.]

"Combine: Blink Step. Conceal."

[Combination Complete: New Spell Forged [Shadow Step] Ready To Be Used.]

"Huh? What's up with that?" The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow curiously at what he was doing.

As she looked at him, her interface displayed his level, bringing a surprised widening of her eyes.

He's only level 10?...It seems like he must've just hit that level too–so why did he come down here? The dark-haired woman thought to herself.

Without wasting a singular moment as the barrier vanished, crumbling into particles of light, he vanished with a step, utilizing [Shadow Step] to break the distance between himself and the Fallen Champion.

Due to the nature of [Blink Step] being the basis for the combined spell, it didn't require a chant nor did it cost any spirit, utilizing the aspect of [Conceal] to mask his presence whilst vanishing and reappearing.

As such–

"[Ripper]"

[Spirit: -300. Remaining Spirit: 1760/2500.]

The colossus clad in black armor was unavailable to recognize his presence, reappearing directly behind him before he unleashed a fury of swift slashes that swirled and reached around the surface of the boss' size.

As he dragged his blade along its armor, he felt the ineffectiveness of his strikes, witnessing the hollow, shadowy gaze hidden behind the boss' helmet move towards him.

Not even "Ripper" did anything to it?! He thought.

"--!"

Just before it could attempt to attack him, the Fallen Champion's attention was ripped towards a battle-cry roaring out.

It came from the dark-haired, muscular woman who yelled out. He landed back on his feet, flipping away from the Fallen Champion though its attention was no longer locked on him.

[War-Cry.]

He recognized the spell via the system's interface, informing him of its nature as he watched it, though he promptly covered his ears as the war-cry was powerful enough to vibrate the ground.

[It's a skill inherent to the [Warrior] class. Unleashing a battle-cry, it draws the attention of all enemies towards the caster. It also bolsters the user's [Constitution] temporarily.]

Did she just save me? He questioned.

"Cast: Hasten! Cast: Amplify Strength!"

The spells came from the silver-haired girl, who pointed her wooden, orb-ended staff up, bestowing the two buff spells to the black-haired woman, who was momentarily surrounded by blue and red lights before the buffs activated.

"Jeong-Hui!"

He was taken by surprise as Kamou, the silver-haired, youthful girl, called out his name, looking directly at him.

She knows my name?...oh, she probably did a player check with the system, too, he thought.

"I'm going to give you assistance as well, so attack with Myung-Hee!" Kamou called out, spinning her staff as spiritual essence gathered around her, fluttering her skirt with the seraphic winds generated.

He was distracted for a moment by her pure beauty, but picked himself up, beginning to run back into battle as Myung-Hee, the muscular, greatsword-wielding woman, rushed in towards the boss as well.

"Got it!" He nodded, shouting out.

With her buffs, Myung-Hee reached the Fallen Champion far before he did, jumping up with her amplified strength as she managed to clash evenly with the boss, meeting his colossal sword with her own.

It wasn't often he interacted with players, or saw others fight, for that matter. So it was surprising to him to see how a warrior-class fought, watching as Myung-Hee used her inherent strength as a warrior to evenly combat the boss. As each of their blades met, a shock wave propelled, picking up strong gusts of wind as Myung-Hee roared out with each and every swing.

She's amazing–no, they both are, he thought.

Myung-Hee didn't seem capable of pushing through the giant boss' surprisingly dexterous and agile wielding of his blades, forcing them into a stalemate, though it seemed her stamina was depleting while the Fallen Champion remained at tip-top shape.

"Cast: Hasten! Cast: Sharpen!"

Kamou pointed her staff towards him as he dashed towards the boss whilst Myung-Hee held it at bay.

He was amplified by her magic, feeling his body become lighter than ever, and his sword possessing a vibrant, powerful sensation to it.

This is "buff" magic? It feels amazing, he thought.

Before engaging with the Fallen Champion, having its back turned to him freely while Myung-Hee held its aggro, he flipped his blade around.

"Combine: Dark Edge! Ripper!"

[Combination Complete: New Spell Forged [Black Ripper] Ready To Be Used.]

With all of the setup complete, he didn't waste any further time unleashing himself onto the distracted dungeon boss now.

["Black Ripper"]

["Shadow Step"]

[Spirit: -300. Remaining Spirit: 1460/2500.]

In unison, he used both combined spells, launching a swift, nearly instantaneous assault that manifested an array of dark slashes across the giant form of the black-armored champion.

Kamou watched in astonishment at the capabilities of the young man who was a level lower than herself.

"Amazing…" She muttered.

That type of magic…it's something I've only seen from level fifteen and above, she thought.

The flurry of slashes etched themselves past the armor of the Fallen Champion, this time causing the once-seeming impervious foe to falter, halting its attacks as it stumbled back briefly.