To The Brink

[Enemy Class: "Fallen Vanguard" | Enemy Level: 11.]

"Eleven…?" He mumbled, keeping his guard raised as he held his longsword in front of himself.

As it turned to face him, releasing an exhale of steam from behind its dark helm, it revealed the unorthodox, tri-bladed greatsword it wielded that was engraved with verdant lights.

This looks tough, I think it's an RFB, by the looks of it. Even if there is a level gap, I can manage—probably, hopefully, he thought.

The blade it wielded caught his eye, as its abnormal structure made him hold himself cautiously, knowing full well just what type of lethality it packed.

While he was busy thinking of whatever strategy he could to take down the higher-level foe, his reflexes kicked into high gear as the Fallen Vanguard appeared directly in front of him, already midway through a swing of his blade.

…It's fast! He thought.

The wind generated by the speed of the enemy made his scarf flutter greatly as his hood nearly fell from his head.

It was only because of [Malice Sense] once again that his body moved accordingly to evade the strike of the tri-blade, jumping back as sweat dropped from his chin.

Trying to go on the offense, he used a single step to close the distance between himself and the Fallen Vanguard, utilizing the assassin class skill: [Blink Step], allowing him to instantaneously move a short distance with a step.

"Hraagh–!"

He yelled out before swiping his blade against the abdomen of the black-armored mob, unleashing an echoing clank throughout the chamber.

[No Effect.]

Huh? He thought.

Glancing back after rushing past the black-clad knight, having slashed towards the towering figure with all of his might–he saw it for himself: there was not a single nick etched onto its armor.

Witnessing his attack result in zero effect made his stomach sink, nearly causing him to have his head parted from his shoulders as the Fallen Vanguard was swift to counterattack.

"Cast: –!"

Before he could cast anything, he was interrupted as he realized there was no time for spells, being forced to duck down as his eyes widened, feeling the wind pressure of the black knight's weapon being swung over his back.

I almost died. I almost died–! I need to get out of here! He thought.

Instead of being struck by the blade, the large fist of his foe sunk into his gut suddenly, sending him flying back.

[Health Points: -250. Remaining Health Points: 1000/1250.]

He could hardly process what the system told him as he gasped for air, though his lungs struggled to reciprocate his request as it felt as if he was breathing fire into his stomach.

Before the knight could stomp down on him, he crawls up to his feet in a panic.

Breaking off in a sprint after barely dodging the enemy's attack, he glanced back, only bringing his gaze forward to realize the way he came from was now blocked off by a barrier of gray energy.

"...What?" He muttered out in terror.

After coming to a full-stop and realizing the situation, he swallowed his anxiety and turned to face the Fallen Vanguard.

As he raised his arms to guard against the knight that pursued him without fail, his attempt to block its spinning kick was only half successful. The strength of the higher level enemy sent him back even though he guarded, feeling as though a train had just slammed against his forearms.

[Health Points: -250. Remaining Health Points: 750/1250.]

I've got no choice but to fight it now, don't I? Crap…This girl better be hot–! I better get a kiss, no–I want at least to touch her tits after I save her! He thought.

For some reason, that thought supplied him with some much needed motivation. As the blood rushed through his body warmly with such thoughts, a system notification appeared.

[Notification: [Hidden Skill]: [Adrenaline] has been activated.]

"Adrenaline…?" He muttered.

He realized it then as the black-clad knight was walking towards him: it felt as if his blood was surging through his veins with unmatched vigor.

Hold on…is this because–?! He thought.

Feeling the tightness in his pants, he realized why this had happened: he popped a boner. In the middle of a life-or-death bout, he managed to pop a boner–not just that, it was the most blood-pumping erection he had ever felt.

"Huh–?!"

Why the hell am I getting hard now?! Am I a sexual deviant or something–?! He thought.

Either way, he realized the activation of [Adrenaline] was likely a miracle as it supplies his body with further amplified strength.

[Notification: Do to your status as a [Virgin], you're prone to reactions such as this from simple thoughts.]

"Thanks, but I didn't ask–!" He replied with a blush.

Amidst his interaction with the system, he jumped back as the Fallen Vanguard attempted to slam its massive blade down on top of his head.

Woah, hold on a minute–he seems…slower? He thought.

It was surprising, after only being able to dodge by the combination of a miracle and sheer luck previously, he was able to evade the black, higher-leveled enemy with moderate effort.

[Answer: [Adrenaline] amplified all stats and passive abilities. [Super Reflexes] has temporarily become [Hyper Reflexes] for the time being.]

He confirmed this to be true as the next flurry of attacks from the dark-armored knight were evaded with ease as his enhanced reflexes almost made the swings seem to come towards him in slow motion.

"Cast: Light Blade!"

[Spirit -75. Remaining Spirit: 675/2000.]

This time, he countered, allowing his blade to be swallowed in amplifying light that slid across the length of his blade.

As he swung his light-engulfed blade against the midsection of the towering, black-clad enemy, an array of radiant sparks flew out as he felt the impact actually connect with an effective strike.

Hell yeah! I damaged it! He thought.

But, he realized then as he turned back to see the armored foe still standing that "damaging" it was the prerequisite for facing it in the first place.

Suddenly, a hum resounded from within the sleek, all-black armor of the Fallen Vanguard as the emerald glow that illuminated from the grooves of its armor bolstered.

"...Oh crap," he muttered.

He realized it as the Fallen Vanguard reared its massive sword back, engulfing its blade in a verdant energy that sent a tremor through the chamber.

With a [Blink Step] he managed to evade the distant sword strike that sent a hail of emerald energy cutting a path in his direction. By the way it carved through the metallic, black flooring with a sizzling howl, he knew that if it had hit him directly, he'd be a goner.

It didn't let up, aggressively launching a fury of attacks with its emerald-lit greatsword with surprising dexterity. Each swing it launched was only a hair away from making contact with him, causing his heart to thump wildly in his chest.

[Activate [Unique Ability]?]

This time as the prompt that he rejected before reappeared after he was forced to leap back, realizing how dire the situation was against the overleveled foe, he pondered the decision.

It's risky. If this was a normal RPG, I think my unique ability would actually be pretty strong. However, this is real life–the risk is so high it's almost laughable, but…it might be my only choice, he thought.

The prompt stayed in the forefront of his vision, blinking as lines of text scrolled by in his personal interface.

"...Let's do it," he said, nodding his head as he wiped the sweat from his chin.