Eliam was back on the second floor of the cathedral, hanging off the side, trying not to kill himself.

  By then, he had tried nearly a dozen different methods in gaining Nemina’s trust, but they all failed. Every time, she came up with an excuse as to why he was dangerous. He was beginning to think there was no way to convince her and that she would forever attempt to end his life.

  Yet, he knew there was one thing he hadn’t tried or at least hadn’t been capable of trying. He needed to defeat her. He didn’t know how, but he did know that he would at least have some leverage if he managed such a feat.

  He stood up and went back down to the dungeon. He wasn’t sure how he could even level up further. There was no longer enough essence to level up unless he tried to go against that death trap of a horde. Unfortunately, he didn’t think it would be remotely possible to win when he had dozens of projectiles and enemies coming his way.

  He assumed that was where Nolmus was keeping his skeleton army for when he found the sword. Presumably, he would then overwhelm Nemina with numbers rather than skill.

  Ultimately, the main issue was that Eliam had no idea how he could go about winning against Nemina. She was incredibly strong and faithful to her beliefs. He could go into the labyrinth; however, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do that. Truthfully, that place gave him the chills. Although, there was a good chance he would find some stronger enemies there.

  He groaned as he jumped down the hole and into the sword room. Surely, there was something he could have done to defeat her. Maybe she had a weakness somewhere.

  Moments later, she jumped down and stared at him. “Why do you look so dejected?”

  “Huh? The hell do you mean?” he hissed.

  “Were you not looking for the sword? You look like you're disappointed,” she said.

  “I’m not looking for the sword; I am trying to think,” he explained.

  “About?” she asked.

  “How to convince you not to attack me.”

  She gave him a weird look. “Not possible.”

  “But why?” Eliam asked.

  “Well, because you know where the sword is. I cannot risk Quarlak finding it. A single person leaving, even if innocent, can easily relay that location and have it destroyed.”

  “It’s too late, Nimena. There was already a necromancer here before I even arrived. They’re already close.” Eliam said.

  “What?” her eyes widened.

  “The sword isn’t even safe here anymore,” Eliam said.

  A sad look came over her face, one that he hadn’t seen before. “Then it will be safe nowhere. I will make my final stand here, starting with you,” she said solemnly.

  Nimena yanked the sword out of the altar and pointed it at Eliam. He readied himself and watched as she flashed across the room and swung.

  He nimbly dodged and pulled her forward, getting an easy first strike. He quickly jumped backward as if to avoid being frozen. Her first attack was always incredibly predictable, which made it easy for Eliam to counter. After her first attack, things typically got much harder and much less consistent.

  There were a plethora of different attacks she could use, and which one she chose depended on a variety of factors. It was random. He had also learned that her aura needed time to work, and if he pulled away in time, it reset. As long as he didn’t get stuck near her for an extended period, he would be fine. Unfortunately, this meant he could not initiate a flurry of attacks. He kind of got one attack each time he neared.

  She sheathed the katana and inched forward. This was one of the more difficult attacks to manage since she could perform two in this state. She could either get up close and use the powerful and very unblockable slash, or she could send a beam of ice magic at him. He could tank at least one of the magic attacks, but only one. It also left him slightly dazed, and typically, she finished him off from there.

  Eliam disappeared from view and maneuvered himself behind her. As soon as he neared her, she turned in his direction and unleashed a powerful slash. It barely missed him, which was a first, and he stabbed her in the stomach.

  She cried out in pain as she rapidly sheathed the katana to attack again. Eliam used the Unseen skill again, barely managing to get away before his head was sliced off.

  Her face was warped with pain from his aura and his attacks. For the first time, her health bar displayed her as being below half HP. She growled as her eyes went blue, and the sword glowed subtly.

  She charged at Eliam with no sign of any of the previous skills she had used before. He raised his dagger to block her attack, but her swing shattered it. His aura was still doing damage, but she had gained more HP when she activated whatever it was she was doing.

  She swung again, barely missing Eliam’s neck. She immediately swung back, grazing it this time. Whatever she had done had increased her endurance as well because she had not been able to attack this much or this quickly before.

  Without a weapon, it was only a matter of time until Eliam fell. He wasn’t sure what he could do, but he still had to try.

  He dodged her next swing and then shouted, “Why? Why must you sacrifice everything for this?”

  She glared at him. “This is my everything! I have nothing else! My master is gone. My life is gone! Everything is gone but this sword… and I will be damned if that is taken from me too!”

  She swung at him, and this time, he wasn’t quick enough to dodge. It connected with his arm, and it went flying off. His HP was practically zero, and he fell to the floor.

  “It doesn’t have to be like that,” he muttered.

  “Yes, it does,” she said almost sadly.

  “We could have found a way…” he muttered as she stood before him, seconds away from ending his life.

  Nemina shook her head. “You cannot find what does not exist. There is no way.”

  She sliced his head off, and he died. It was odd, she had never killed him that way before.

  ***

  Eliam sighed as he entered the labyrinth. He had decided to venture off into it and at least see where it went. He needed a break from trying to defeat Nemina, and he assumed that he might be able to earn some levels as well. He also acknowledged that once he entered, he would probably not be able to find his way out.

  Perhaps that was what worried him. The idea of being lost was never fun, even if he knew he would always be able to escape through death. With a deep sigh, he entered the labyrinth.

  It was only after a couple of turns that he felt lost. What was worse was that there was no life or noise. It was dead silent.

  Sure, that meant there was less danger, but it also meant no chances for leveling up. For Eliam, that was half the point of coming here.

  He continued to walk for hours, feeling as if he was getting nowhere. Not once did the scenery or noises ever change. He felt like he was trapped in an infinite loop.

  More time passed, and it wasn’t getting better. He was completely lost and beginning to regret every step. This place was not meant for people to wander around in.

  Finally, he heard a shuffle from not so far away. He grinned, excited that there was something else.

  He sprinted to the location of the noise and gaped in horror. In front of him was a large floating eyeball. It turned to him, and its pupils dilated in reaction. Eliam wasn’t sure what to do, but he figured it wasn’t friendly.

  He quickly rushed it, but not before he started to feel his HP draining fast. He groaned as he threw his dagger at it, hoping to make it falter. The dagger hit its target, but all it did was bounce off the eye harmlessly. There was some sort of magic shield surrounding it.

  Moments later, Elaim felt the last of his HP drain, and he collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from all his crevices. He died a few seconds later.

  ***

  Whatever the labyrinth was, it was not to be messed with. That was what Eliam had gotten from exploring it. Not only was it beyond massive, but the one creature he had seen was on a whole other level from the ones in the cathedral. Why was it even connected if there was such a big gap?

  He sighed as he remembered that the tunnel was not even supposed to be there. It was likely that Nolmus had been the one who created it. He also would not have been surprised if he had some sort of way to navigate the labyrinth. Considering Nolmus worked for Quarlak, it probably had something to do with him.

  Truthfully, he was feeling rather depressed right now. He had worked so very hard only to end up in the same position as when he first started. He was stuck with nowhere to go.

  He could visit that nun thing again, but he doubted he would have a much better time against it than Nemina. He still recalled how horrific that scream was, and it scared him. Out of all the torturous things he had gone through, that was one of the worst ones.

  He walked through the cathedral, glancing up at the location where the Novafrost armor was. It was true that he would be able to yield it for at least a minute, which wasn’t a long time, but it was still some time.

  It would give him a boost in his attack, his MP, and his HP. Also, it would give him a whole new aura. It seemed very similar to Nemina’s, which meant that it might not have even worked on her.

  The other issue was how he would carry the armor. He wouldn’t be able to wear it there, as that would quickly drain his HP. If he managed to bring all the pieces to the boss's room, he doubted Nemina would give him enough time to put it on. Overall, it seemed like a hopeless endeavor.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He couldn’t even wait to see what would happen if Nolmus attacked since there was no trace of food or water anywhere. He wasn’t even sure how Nemina survived.

  He dragged himself back to the entrance of the sword room and sighed as he entered. Nemina dropped down shortly. Eliam didn’t even acknowledge her.

  “Uh, hello?” she said.

  He glanced at her emotionlessly. “Take the sword and fight me.”

  She narrowed her eyes and did as she was asked. “I’m not sure who you are or what your intentions are, but know that I will not allow this sword to fall into your hands.”

  “I don’t want it,” Eliam said as he prepared himself.

  She looked taken aback. “Huh? Then why did you come here?”

  “To fight.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes,” Eliam rushed her as soon as she pulled the sword out, not giving her a chance to use that teleport attack of hers.

  She parried his first swing and tried to take advantage of the opening he had provided. All the while, she took minor damage from his aura. He used his Unseen skill to disappear and moved behind her. Of course, she knew he would be doing that, so she was already ready for his next attack.

  She blocked it and quickly sheathed her katana. Eliam fell to the ground, dodging the powerful strike that she promptly released. All the while, he was still close enough for his aura to activate and damage her.

  She hissed in pain as she teleported backward and out of his range. They glared at each other before Eliam rushed in.

  She blocked his strike and sheathed her katana again. He used his Unseen skill again to get out of range, and since she was still sheathed, she could do nothing to stop him from stabbing her in the back.

  She cried out in pain as she hunched forward. She turned to him, her eyes now blue and her stats boosted. She sliced through the air with her sword, barely missing him by an inch. His aura was doing heavy damage, and she was beginning to become desperate.

  “This damn aura!” she cried.

  Eliam ignored her and dodged her next strike. She was becoming more predictable, more flustered, and an easier target.

  Soon, she made a critical error. She blocked one of his attacks, and she went to swing, but her arms failed her. She was out of stamina.

  Eliam kicked her to the ground, and the katana spiralled out of her hand. She panicked, crawling to pick it up, but Eliam pulled it closer to him with his foot.

  She turned to him in terror as he neared her, his dagger out. “No! Please, you can’t destroy it!”

  “Destroy it?” he asked.

  “Please don’t! I don’t care what happens to me, just… not the sword! My master, it's the last thing he ever gave me. He entrusted me with something so special. So, please just don’t…” she sobbed.

  Eliam moved his dagger back, prompting her eyes to widen in fear, and then sheathed it. He held out his hand.

  “I don’t want to destroy it,” he sighed.

  “What?” she asked with wide eyes.

  “I want you to get off the damn ground and come with me, out of here. This place is compromised; there’s a necromancer here,” he explained.

  “A necro… but that’s impossible!” she cried.

  Eliam shook his head. “He came from the Nircozonian Domain. He is aligned with Quarlak.”

  “Impossible,” she muttered. She looked at Eliam strangely. “And how do I know you aren’t leading me into a trap?”

  He felt his chest tighten. This was it, she was going to become hostile.

  “Because I would have simply brought the sword to them myself or destroyed it,” Eliam said.

  “But what if you’re trying to…” she paused. “No, you’re right… I apologize,” she whispered.

  Eliam wanted to jump for joy. Finally, he had done it! After who the hell knows how long, he had finally convinced Nemina not to want to kill him!

  A whooshing noise sounded, and Eliam turned back to look at her. There was this green burn mark covering her head. Her eyes became hollow as she slumped over, dead.

  He felt emptiness at first and then anger. A lot of anger.

  “Ah, I must thank you for finding this for me,” Nolmus said. He motioned to the sword that was lying on the ground, right in front of Eliam.

  Eliam didn’t even bother glaring. He glanced at the sword and picked it up. A deep chill emanated from it, one that threatened to overpower him. However, once he pointed it at Nolmus, the feeling silenced as if it knew its existence was in danger.

  “Oh? Are you trying to hand it to me? How kind of you,” Nolmus smiled. “I’ll have my little pet retrieve it.”

  The same beast that Eliam was never able to defeat rose out of the ground. Eliam cracked his neck as he prepared himself.

  The beast wasted no time in rushing him in the same unstable way it always had. This time, Eliam was ready.

  He pulled the sword back and sliced right down the middle, where the beast was running. It easily sliced through the first half of its structure.

  The beast howled as it started to fall apart. Eliam jumped on its head and stabbed it four times, bringing it down.

  Nolmus scowled as he sent a wave of that sickly green energy at Eliam, and his aura easily sliced it apart. His scowl only deepened further.

  “Why must you get in my way? Do you not understand the will of Quarlak?” Nolmus screamed.

  Eliam ignored him and pushed forward, the katana feeling perfect in his hands. Nolmus’s face contorted into rage, seeing that his end was near.

  “Answer me, fool!” he yelled.

  Eliam would be giving him the satisfaction of an answer. As soon as he neared Nolmus, he brought the katana back and swung. Nolmus tried to block with his staff, but the katana went straight through and sliced Nolmus in half.

  Somehow, he felt the katana absorb the essence from Nolmus. This was confirmed when he didn’t receive any. He pulled up his status to see why that was.

  Stat points available: 0

  Eliam Edward

  Level: 50

  HP: 370/370

  MP: 65/65

  Life: 27 (37)

  Mind: 13

  Endurance: 12

  Strength: 3

  Dexterity: 30 (37)

  Intelligence: 3

  Equipment:

  Ring of the True Hero→A ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence.

  Frostlight Katana Level 1→ Instantly freezes all who dare to touch it, besides a chosen few. Absorbs the essence of evil to upgrade. 50 dexterity damage, 50 intelligence damage are added with both dexterity and intelligence.

  Blink→ Teleports across the battlefield to reach your enemies.

  MP Cost→50

  Unsheathe→Instantaneously unsheathe the blade for a devastating blow that does 100% more damage.

  MP Cost→ 100

  Frostbite→Send out waves of frost that deal purely intelligence damage.

  MP Cost→ 50

  Unholy cloak→ +10 life, -10 damage intake.

  Unseen→Temporarily makes the user invisible while out of combat.

  MP cost→25

  Aura:

  Razor Sharp→Air itself is sharpened, damaging foes and projectiles around you. Bypasses defense.

  Sure enough, his status explained quite a bit. There was no bar for the katana’s level like there was for his. Instead, he could kind of innately feel how much more it needed to level up. Basically, it was a lot.

  Still, this weapon was utterly insane, and the fact that it could get better made it even crazier. It was a shame that he would have to lose it when he died. He glanced at Nemina's corpse and sighed. Everything he did to save her failed.

  Eliam glanced back at the katana and raised it to his neck. Time for another round.

  ***

  It was his fourth attempt at trying to defeat Nemina again. He died in all the others. Two times to Nemina and once to the bronze statue. He did not want to talk about it.

  Nemina rushed Eliam, her next swing barely missing him by a hair. He was becoming quite good at predicting how she fought. When he had first seen her, it seemed random and unpredictable. That was no longer the case.

  He maneuvered himself around her next strike and used his dagger to block the next. The katana shattered it, but he won in the end.

  He grabbed her wrist, holding the katana. She tried to pull away, but it was too late. Her eyes reverted to their normal yellow color, and she panicked.

  “Relax, I just want to talk,” he said as he let her go.

  He was taking a risk by doing this since the katana was still in her hands. However, it didn’t leave her at the brink of death so that she could be one shot by Nolmus.

  As soon as he did, she jumped away and pointed the katana back at him. He was about to sigh when she voluntarily lowered it.

  “Why did you let me go?” she whispered.

  “Because I don’t believe you’re a bad person. Am I wrong?” he asked.

  She paused. “I am neither bad nor good. I must simply protect.”

  “And I think that’s a noble cause, but staying here all cramped up in this place ain’t doing you any favors,” Eliam said.

  “Wrong. I am well hidden here. You are the first person to have ever found this place,” she explained

  Eliam shook his head. “Second. There was one before me,” he said.

  “What?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

  As if on cue, Nolmus walked out of the tunnel and revealed himself. Nemina gaped at him while Eliam narrowed his eyes.

  “I’m not sure how you knew that boy, but no matter. I will have both of your heads, unless, of course, you hand over the sword,” he said.

  Nemina growled as she readied the sword, but Eliam shook his head. This was a bit of a stretch, but he was going to ask her if he could use the sword. With his dagger gone, he would be useless, and he wasn’t exactly confident in Nemina defeating him with how weak she was after their fight.

  “Let me use it,” he said.

  She glared at him and was about to give a rebuttal when she froze and looked at the sword. “What?”

  She wasn’t looking at Eliam but the katana itself. It was almost as if it had spoken to her.

  She looked away before handing the katana over to Eliam. He felt a smidgeon of a presence in the weapon. Yet, something caught his eye even more than that. The katana was still far from leveling up, but it had maintained whatever progress he had made during his last run.

  “If you even scratch it, I swear I will end you,” she muttered.

  Eliam was already off, ready to defeat Nolmus.

  Nolmus wasted no time in summoning the beast thing. Nemina visibly paled when she saw it, but Eliam didn’t hesitate to push forward. He dodged its first strike and rammed the katana into its spine.

  It screeched as it tried to pry itself away, but Eliam wouldn’t have it. He ran the katana through the beast and split it in two. He smirked, having killed it in record time.

  Nolmus froze at the sudden death of his little pet. Eliam already knew that was the strongest summon in his arsenal. Such a quick death for it only meant a quicker one for Nolmus.

  “That’s… how are you so strong?” Nolmus panicked.

  Eliam shrugged, obviously not going to relate to him his loop abilities. Instead, he opted to approach menacingly without giving a proper response.

  “Stay away!” Nolmus cried, falling backward. He shot out a green spell at Eliam, which was promptly torn apart by his aura.

  This only served to worsen Nolmus’s state of mind until he was nothing but a blabbering mess in front of Eliam.

  “Pathetic,” Eliam snickered. He raised his katana over his head and moved.

  In a flash, Nolmus’s head slid off his body, and he fell over, dead. It was done, finally. He turned to Nemina, who was gaping at him.

  “So? Wanna get out of here?” He held out his hand, and surprisingly, she took it.