I Don't Need To Log Out-Chapter 235: Floor 50 (2)

The battlefield lay silent for a moment.

Arlon stood at the center of the ruined stone chamber, his grip firm on Aetherion's Edge.

Dark blood dripped from the blade, pooling at his feet, the remnants of the 299 monsters he had already cut down.

But his focus was entirely on the one remaining enemy.

Kurge.

The towering mantis-like creature stood at the far end of the chamber, its body covered in thick, emerald-green chitin.

Its segmented arms, razor-sharp and gleaming, moved with unnatural precision, clicking together as if it were testing its weapons before the fight began.

Its black, soulless eyes locked onto Arlon, unblinking, watching, calculating.

Arlon flexed his fingers around his sword hilt. This one's different.

Unlike the previous enemies, Kurge wasn't rushing in blindly.

It didn't snarl, didn't screech, didn't charge forward in a mindless attempt to overwhelm him.

It was waiting.

Testing him.

Smart.

Arlon shifted his stance, lowering his body slightly, preparing to move at any moment.

A quick glance at the timer in the corner of his vision:

[Time remaining: 0:59:37]

One hour. He had plenty of time.

He exhaled slowly, his muscles tensing.

Then, without warning—

Kurge moved.

A blur of green and black shot toward him.

Arlon barely had time to react as one of its scythe-like arms came slicing down.

He twisted his body, pivoting on his back foot.

The blade whistled past his ear, cutting cleanly through the air where his head had been a fraction of a second earlier.

Before he could counter, Kurge's second arm slashed toward him.

This time, he raised Aetherion's Edge.

Clang!

The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber.

Sparks flew as the sword met chitin, the force of the clash sending Arlon sliding back several meters.

Heavy.

The strength behind each of Kurge's swings was monstrous.

If he had taken a direct hit, even with his defenses, it wouldn't have ended well.

He steadied himself and narrowed his eyes. I'll have to break through its joints.

Kurge didn't give him time to strategize.

The mantis lunged again, its speed nearly impossible to track. Its movements were erratic and unpredictable.

One moment, it was slashing from above, the next, it was striking from the side with its elongated limbs.

Arlon's body moved on instinct, dodging, weaving, and parrying when necessary.

For the next few minutes, the two danced across the battlefield, neither landing a decisive blow.

Then—

Now!

Arlon ducked under an incoming slash and launched forward, closing the gap between them.

His blade flashed.

Slash!

Aetherion's Edge struck true, cutting into Kurge's joint.

A crack formed.

Not deep enough.

Kurge screeched and retaliated, spinning mid-air and lashing out with its back leg.

Arlon saw it coming.

He blocked, but the sheer force sent him skidding across the stone floor.

Before he could move further, he used Blink to stop. It was a move he had learned from Agema.

He checked the timer.

[Time remaining: 53:20]

Six minutes had passed.

He rolled his shoulders and exhaled. Time to get serious.

Arlon took a step back, Aetherion's Edge still humming with energy in his grip.

Kurge watched him, its head tilting slightly as if recognizing that something had changed.

Arlon lifted his free hand, channeling mana.

A deep, dark aura coiled around his body, shifting like living shadows.

Dark Enhancement.

It wasn't a grand spell—just a simple reinforcement. A surge of dark magic wrapped around his blade, strengthening its cutting power while giving it a weightless feel.

It was a good enhancement, but it wasn't enough.

Arlon wasn't just going to rely on a basic enhancement.

Instead, he was going to combine it with a warrior ability.

His grip tightened.

Shadow Slash.

Darkness condensed along Aetherion's Edge, the energy pulsating through the blade.

The air crackled with latent power, the magic blending seamlessly with the precision of his sword technique.

This was a Fusion skill he created. By combining a dark attribute magic with his slash, he created Shadow Slash.

Arlon didn't hesitate.

Dash.

His body flickered forward, faster than before.

Kurge moved to block—too late.

Arlon's enhanced strike cleaved straight through one of its forearms.

CRACK!

The severed limb fell to the ground, twitched once, then lay still.

Kurge shrieked.

Arlon smirked. It's working.

He checked the timer.

[Time remaining: 47:55]

Still plenty of time.

But he wasn't done yet.

Arlon stood firm, his blade humming with residual energy from his Shadow Slash, while Kurge reeled back, screeching in fury.

Its severed forearm twitched uselessly on the ground, black ichor oozing from the stump where Arlon had struck.

But instead of retreating, the massive mantis-like creature adapted instantly, shifting its posture to accommodate the loss.

Arlon narrowed his eyes. It's still fast.

Even with one arm missing, Kurge's movements didn't slow.

If anything, it moved with even sharper efficiency, adjusting its attack patterns to compensate.

The monster's soulless black eyes gleamed as it lunged, its remaining scythe-like limb slashing downward with brutal force.

Arlon reacted immediately.

Blink.

His body flickered, vanishing in an instant.

He reappeared three meters to the right, Kurge's blade slamming into the ground where he had just been standing.

The impact shattered the stone floor, sending debris flying in all directions.

Arlon didn't waste the opening.

Dashing forward, he swung Aetherion's Edge in a precise arc, aiming for the joint on its other arm.

CLANG!

The strike landed, but instead of cutting clean through, it met unexpected resistance.

It hardened its defenses at the last second.

Kurge twisted violently, forcing Arlon to retreat before it could strike back.

Arlon clicked his tongue in annoyance, resetting his stance. He quickly flicked his gaze toward the corner of his vision.

[Time remaining: 43:21]

Seventeen minutes had passed. He still had plenty of time, but this thing wasn't going down as easily as he had hoped.

He flexed his fingers, tightening his grip on Aetherion's Edge.

If targeting its joints wasn't enough, then he would simply increase his reach.

Mana Surge.

The ability he received together with his title, Magic Swordsman.

It made his mana-coated sword's reach twice as long.

Aetherion's Edge pulsed with energy as a translucent layer of mana extended outward from the blade, doubling its length.

The new, ethereal edge crackled with power, carrying the same cutting properties as the real sword.

Kurge hesitated, its alien mind recognizing the change in Arlon's attack range.

Arlon smirked. Let's see how you handle this.

With Blink, he closed the distance in an instant, slashing at Kurge's remaining scythe-like limb.

This time, the monster wasn't fast enough to harden its defenses.

SHRRRK!

The Mana Surge-enhanced blade cleaved straight through the joint, severing its last primary weapon.

Kurge shrieked in pain, its monstrous body writhing as it stumbled backward, black ichor spraying from the wound.

Arlon stepped back, exhaling. That should make things easier.

Then—without warning—Kurge lunged forward.

Even with both of its scythe arms severed, it wasn't defenseless.

Its massive mandibles snapped toward Arlon's head, its jagged teeth gleaming with sickening sharpness.

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Arlon barely had time to react.

Blink.

He vanished again, reappearing just behind the beast.

But Kurge twisted unnaturally fast, slamming its hind legs toward him in a brutal counterattack.

Arlon barely managed to cross his sword in front of him, absorbing the brunt of the impact.

Even so, the force sent him skidding back, his boots grinding against the stone floor.

It's more durable than I expected. Even with both arms gone, it still has its legs, mandibles, and—

His eyes narrowed.

Kurge's wings twitched.

Arlon didn't need to see them fully unfurl to realize what was about to happen.

He dashed backward just in time to avoid the sudden gust of wind as Kurge launched itself into the air.

The massive mantis-like creature hovered high above, its damaged body still radiating a monstrous presence.

Then—without hesitation—it dived toward Arlon.

Its entire body became a massive, rotating blur, its severed stumps and razor-like hind legs twisting into a lethal drill-like motion.

The sheer speed of the attack was far beyond anything it had shown before.

Arlon's instincts screamed at him.

Dodge? Block? Counter?

He had a split second to decide.