Reis descended from the rocky ledge with measured steps.
He pressed his weight onto each stone carefully, testing its firmness before allowing his body to move forward.
He didn't rush and slip, nor drag his pace to look hesitant.
His eyes never left the distant guardian.
It was an oppressive presence looming over the plain, like a phantom refusing to fade.
Every movement of the knight's horse stirred small whirlwinds of dust carried by the wind.
Each flicker of the long spear glimmered like lightning, enough to strike fear into the heart of any new player.
This wasn't something new.
It was a scene burned into his memory, a battle he had faced many times before along the same path.
Each time he had fallen to the same inevitable end.
It felt as if time itself was forcing a repetition.
A curse clung to him through every attempt, now taking shape before his eyes once again.
But this time his gaze didn't hold the fear of a player.
Instead, it carried a glint of defiance, the look of someone who understood this battle left no room for running or hiding.
He knew deep down that the death awaiting him here wasn't a true ending.
It was a beginning, a doorway into something greater.
A fight far longer than a single duel against one knight.
The system window blinked open before him.
Cold words glowed with their usual indifference.
[Enemy: Tree Knight – Level Unknown]
[Warning: Danger Level Exceeds Recommendation].
Reis closed the window without hesitation.mm
He had grown used to these endless alerts meant for beginners.
To him, they were nothing but background noise.
What mattered now was the battle ahead.
He tightened his grip around the rusted sword in his right hand.
He felt its roughness dig into his palm.
The short dagger stayed close to his side.
The battered shield weighed heavily on his left arm.
His health was far from full.
His energy had already been drained during the crypt fight earlier.
What remained wouldn't last long.
But he refused to let numbers on a screen dictate his focus.
In a fight like this, even a single moment of hesitation was a death sentence.
As he drew closer, the air suddenly shifted.
The plain itself seemed to shrink and tighten when his eyes met those of the dark knight.
The knight's horse froze mid-stride, as still as stone.
Then it slammed a hoof into the ground.
The tremor ran beneath Reis's feet.
With a slow, deliberate motion, the knight raised his long spear.
From the faceless helm burst a metallic, shattering cry, like a death knell tolling the start of a nightmare.
Reis didn't wait for the strike.
He dashed sideways, hoping to force the knight into missing.
Yet deep inside, he knew his life or his death would be decided by a single moment of timing.
The spear lunged with speed unworthy of its weight.
wasn't just metal being swung, it was a thunderbolt crashing from the heavens. Even the gust of wind from its passing shoved.
Even the gust of wind from its passing shoved him half a step back, though it hadn't touched him directly.
He rolled to the ground at the last instant.
The spear's sharp wind sliced past his head close enough to almost tear his neck apart.
The system flashed coldly:
[-18 HP].
Reis growled as he forced himself up.
Not a killing blow, but a brutal reminder this knight showed no mercy.
He tried to take advantage of the knight's slow pullback.
With a burst forward, he slashed at the horse's leg.
The blade bit into golden armor.
Sparks burst uselessly with a harsh screech.
The system declared without sympathy:
[Weak Damage].
No time to think.
The knight surged again, sweeping his spear wide.
It split the air with terrifying force.
Reis leapt back with every ounce of strength left in his body.'
He was desperate to escape the arc
But he wasn't far enough.
The tip tore through his shield, shredded it, and carved into his shoulder.
Pain slammed him to the ground, leaving him gasping for air.
[HP: 39/100].
Reis laughed bitterly through the pain.
It was the kind of laugh every player who had endured this nightmare before would recognize.
The start always came with a heavy price.
"The same beginning, always with blood. But this time, I won't die like a fool."
He steadied himself.
He remembered the last message the system had shown him in the dark crypt:
[Use the environment to your advantage].
His eyes scanned the field.
Shallow pits scattered the ground.
Broken stone pillars lay like ruins of a fallen wall.
An idea sparked in his mind.
The only way was to turn the knight into the pursuer, not the hunter.
He dashed to the right, running straight.
He made it look like he was fleeing, just as he had in all his failed attempts.
But this time, each step carried purpose.
His path led directly to one of the deeper pits.
The knight didn't hesitate.
He drove his horse forward like a storm, spear aimed straight at Reis's back.
At the last moment, Reis leapt over the pit.
He twisted midair and rolled to land smoothly.
The knight's horse misstepped.
One hoof plunged into the hole, throwing its balance off for a single second.
A single second was all Reis needed.
He lunged with his dagger.
He stabbed twice into the small gap between the knight's armored plates.
This time, sparks flew with a different light.
The system chimed:
[Effective Damage – Knight Staggered].
But the knight didn't fall.
Instead, it released a violent metallic roar.
It turned its horse in a sharp half-circle to slam into Reis directly.
[HP: 17/100.]
The impact rattled every bone in his body.
Air burst from his lungs as if torn away.
He coughed out a ragged breath, blood on his lips.
A smile still crept onto his face, twisted but unbroken.
"Not much left, The final drop of blood will be our meeting place, guardian".
He rose to his feet, trembling but steady.
His sword dripped with sparks as though the steel itself bled.
The dagger remained tight in his grip.
His eyes burned with a resolve that had never once surrendered.
Ahead, the knight steadied his spear again.
His horse bellowed into the air.
The battlefield itself seemed to tense for the next clash.
The system flared a new window.
It glowed like a decree:
[Final Showdown Begins Now]