The splinters of the gate flew inwards. Kael stood in the center of the small, dirt-packed square,
sword held in a low, trembling guard. His heart was a drum against his ribs. He could feel the
cold, solid presence of his [Aura of Protection], but it was an abstract comfort.
About fifteen men swaggered in. They were rough, leering, clad in mismatched leather and
steel. They fanned out, their eyes drinking in the fear of the villagers peering from behind shut-in
windows.
At their center was a man who was clearly different. He was missing one eye, a puckered scar
in its place, but his remaining eye was sharp and cruel. He wasn't dressed in scraps; he wore
dark, silken robes. He didn't carry a crude axe, but a slim, elegant-looking blade. A faint, almost
invisible energy shimmered around him. This was 'One-Eyed' Jian, the cultivator.
"Well, well," Jian sneered, his voice smooth and mocking. "What's this? The village bought a
guard?" He looked Kael up and down. "A mortal one? Did you find him in the mud? You're
insulting me, you filth."
"They're not giving you anything," Kael said. His voice, to his own surprise, was clear. [Iron Will]
was a fortress, keeping the terror from his tongue.
Jian's smile vanished, replaced by a look of utter contempt. "You... a gnat... are speaking to
me?"
He didn't move. He simply willed it.
An invisible force, a wave of pure, malicious pressure, slammed into Kael. It was the
"Qi-pressure" Elara had warned about. It wasn't physical; it was mental. It was a command to
kneel, an assertion of absolute superiority. It carried the primal, terrifying weight of a predator
telling its prey to die.
Kael's knees buckled. His vision swam. The fear was overwhelming, a desire to drop his sword,
to run, to beg.
But in the center of that storm, [Iron Will] held. It was a single, stubborn pinprick of light that
refused to be extinguished. His skill flared, not just resisting, but pushing back.
[Iron Will (Passive) Lvl 1 - Resisting Hostile Mental Influence...] [Resistance Successful!] Kael straightened, his legs shaking, sweat pouring from his brow. He was pale, but he was
standing.
One-Eyed Jian's eye went wide. The gnat had... resisted him? The other bandits, who had been
laughing, fell silent.
"Insolent!" Jian shrieked, his pride stung. "You'll die for that!"
He was fast. Inhumanly fast. He blurred, crossing the ten meters between them in an instant. He
wasn't using a technique; this was just the basic speed of a body reinforced by Qi. His slim
sword was a flicker of light, aimed straight at Kael's heart.
Kael had no time to block, no time to parry. He only had time to brace.
The blade struck his chest.
Kael had expected a sharp, piercing pain. Instead, it was like being hit by a sledgehammer. The
force of the blow was immense, lifting him off his feet and throwing him backward. He slammed
into a wooden water trough, shattering it.
[HP: 65/100]
Pain, raw and explosive, rocked his entire body. His ribs screamed. But... he wasn't dead. He
looked down. His tunic was torn. There was a bloody, horizontal gash across his chest, but the
blade hadn't run him through. It hadn't even gone deep.
His [Aura of Protection] had held. The "negates a small amount" was the understatement of the
century. It had taken a blow powered by magic, a strike that should have skewered him, and
reduced it to a (very painful) shallow cut.
Jian stared, his jaw slack. He had put Qi into that strike. Enough to split a log. The mortal... was
bleeding, yes, but he was getting up.
"How...?" Jian whispered, genuinely confused.
Kael didn't have an answer. He only had his Vow. He pushed himself to his feet, his sword still in
his hand, his entire chest a symphony of agony. He spat blood onto the dirt.
"I said... you're not harming them," Kael panted.
That was the breaking point. For Jian, this was no longer about tribute. It was about an ant
defying the natural order.
"I'll peel you apart!" he roared. He charged again, his blade a flurry of strikes.
What followed wasn't a sword fight. It was a beating.
Kael was too slow, too weak, too mortal. He couldn't land a blow. He could barely track Jian's
movements. But every time a killing blow came, Kael would either get his own sword in the way,
or, failing that, just take it.
[HP: 51/100] (A slash to the arm) [HP: 40/100] (The hilt of the sword to his face, breaking his
nose) [HP: 32/100] (A Qi-powered kick that sent him tumbling)
He was a bloody, broken mess. But he kept getting up. Every. Single. Time.
The bandits were silent. This wasn't a fight; it was a monstrosity. The cultivator was panting
now, his silken robes damp with sweat. He was wasting far too much Qi on this... this thing.
"Why won't you die!?" Jian screamed, his composure completely gone.
"Because I... made a promise," Kael wheezed, raising his sword one more time.
Jian saw it then. The man in front of him wasn't a fighter. He was an unmovable object. He
wasn't winning. He was just not losing. And in the process, he was draining Jian, humiliating
him.
With a snarl of frustration, Jian stopped. "Fine! Fine! Keep your worthless village! It's cursed!
You're cursed!"
He glared at Kael, who was swaying on his feet, barely conscious. Jian's pride would not let him
stay. To continue would be to admit this... thing... was his equal.
"We're leaving!" he roared at his men. The bandits, now genuinely spooked, scrambled to obey. They dragged their wounded and fled the village, not as a conquering force, but as a routed
mob.
The second the last bandit was out of the gate, Kael's strength vanished. His [Iron Will] released
its hold. His sword clattered to the ground. His legs folded.
[HP: 32/100] [Stamina: 5/100]
He fell face-first into the dirt, the world going black just as he heard the frantic cries of Elara and
Mila.
[Vow Upheld.] [Evaluation: Desperate. (S-Rank)] [Massive EXP Gained.] [Level Up! Level 1
-> Level 2] [Level Up! Level 2 -> Level 3] [All Stats Restored. All Wounds Healed.] [Aura of
Protection (Passive) Lvl 1 -> Lvl 2] [New Skill Unlocked: [Guardian's Stance (Active)]]
[Guardian's Stance (Active) - Lvl 1]: Consume Stamina to drastically increase
defensive-minded actions (blocking, parrying, enduring). While active, all pain is
suppressed.]
But Kael didn't see the notifications. He was already unconscious.