Refusing My God’s Advances

The first started to slow down more, but even as they did, I knew that I needed to be faster. I needed to be able to fight like this as a child, but even then I wasn't sure if that would be enough. I had never felt so uneasy about a fight before.

The last two stages had both surprised me, but more than that was the creature's intelligence. I had watched the vampire rat fight, but I didn't learn anything from the girls' attacks as they fought. It filled my mind of just how smart it might be in the final stage, but then something happened.

Just as I deflected a strike, the blind seer threw itself into my fist. I had gotten to the point where I could casually deflect the strike and had been lost in thought. I tried to avoid hitting the creature, but my fist contacted its chest just as I jumped back.

Pain ripped through my arm as the red cloth cut through it at my elbow. I bit my lip, and used Restore as I flew back, then darted to the side as the two red blades of cloth came for me. I tried to dart forward from there, but the four-armed creatures got in my way.

Suddenly I was in a battle from all angles, unlike anything that I had ever been in before. My body and mind were pushed to their max as I was forced to defend myself from the creature's strikes while also avoiding the deadly red blade of cloth.

The onslaught was relentless, pushing me beyond the limits of what I thought possible. Each strike from the Blind Seer of the Abyss was faster and more precise than the last, something that I didn't think was possible. The red cloth blades whirled through the air like deadly serpents, each slash aimed with lethal intent. My senses were heightened to their peak, adrenaline surging through my veins as I navigated the tempest of attacks.

In this maelstrom of violence, a clarity settled over me. The battle was no longer a sequence of separate actions but a continuous flow of movement and counter. The Seer's attacks, once overwhelming in their ferocity, began to take on a rhythm I could anticipate. My body moved on instinct, dodging and weaving through the barrage with a grace I hadn't known I possessed.

It was in this moment of transcendence that I saw my opportunity. As one of the cloth blades sliced through the air towards me, I sidestepped with a hair's breadth to spare, closing the distance between the Seer and myself. I channeled all my physical and magical power into my right fist, preparing to strike with all the force I could muster.

Time seemed to slow as I launched my attack, targeting a gap in the Seer's defenses. My fist connected with the fabric that bound its form, tearing through the layers with a burst of energy. The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, and for a moment, everything was still.

The Blind Seer staggered back, its bindings unraveling further to reveal its true form. The cloth fell away to expose a figure not entirely human nor beast, but something in between. Its many limbs moved with a grace that belied their number, each one poised to resume the battle.

But then, the creature smiled at me, and disintegrated into sand, leaving nothing more than a small pile on the ground.

*Ba-dump!*

Suddenly I was on the ground clutching my chest, in the fetal position. All the muscles in my body were tensing up.

*Ba-dump!*

"AHHH!" I screamed out as it felt like every muscle in my body tore at once.

The excruciating agony that tore through my body was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Each heartbeat was a thunderous echo in my ears, reverberating through my very being. It felt as if my muscles were being shredded from the inside, reknitting themselves only to be torn asunder once more. My breaths came in ragged gasps, each inhalation a Herculean effort against the spasms wracking my form.

At that moment, time lost all meaning. There was only pain, an endless cycle of suffering that threatened to drown me in its depths. But amidst the torment, a sliver of clarity pierced the fog of agony. This was no ordinary physical reaction; it was a transformation, a crucible of pain forging something new within me.

As the spasms gradually began to subside, the pain receding like the tide, I dared to open my eyes. The cavern around me was unchanged, the pile of sand that had once been the Blind Seer of the Abyss remained as the sole testament to the battle that had transpired. Yet, within me, everything had changed.

"Leon!" Scarlet cried from beside me as her voice finally reached my ears.

I pushed myself up and took her hand which was gripping me. "I am okay, mostly. I didn't think that that monster would have given me enough to level up this much, but this happened last time I rushed the last ten levels. If I am lucky, I will have made it to at least 200 so I don't have to go through that again."

"I am just glad that you are okay. I didn't know what was happening. I wasn't sure what I could do to help you," Scarlet explained, wiping tears from her eyes, and I patted her head softly.

My movements were still tentative as if testing the limits of my new reality. My body felt different, lighter yet imbued with an unfamiliar strength. It was as if the very fibers of my being had been rewoven, enhancing my physical and magical capabilities beyond their previous bounds.

With shaky hands, I opened my status screen, the glow casting a soft light in the dimness of the cave. The numbers that greeted me were beyond my wildest expectations:

Level: 201
Physical Power: 27000
Magical Power: 39500 (+30 from Cursed Grimoire)
Agility: 28000
Technical Knowledge: 37000
Arcane Insight: 38300 (+30 from Cursed Grimoire)
Resilience: 29400

"See? That is why I was in so much pain! Good lord! Look at these stats! I am so glad Daryle isn't here, or he might fall into a permanent depression!" I laughed and Scarlet helped me up.

I did a bit of stretching, and then moved around a bit to get used to my body. It was like a completely different me.

"Leon?" Scarlet called, and I stopped, turning to her.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?" She asked, and I nodded. "How are you able to fight the way you do?"

I put my finger to my chin, trying to think of how to explain it. "It is like a hidden skill or something. I can read the flow of battle somehow, and my body slowly becomes in tune with the enemy. I don't really know much about it, but it allows me to gain an edge on whoever I fight, as long as they aren't too much stronger than me."

"Interesting, but that is not the only amazing skill you have. I see you return your arm right after it was cut off. I was surprised that you did it so fast, but I wasn't able to see much of the last fight. I was only able to see the area getting destroyed," Scarlet explained, and I looked down at my hand with a smile.

"It is pretty cool, right?" I asked, looking up with a grin, and Scarlet returned my smile and nodded.

"That it is, Leon. You have grown so much since we first met a few days ago," Scarlet said as she walked over to me, and we headed to the next and final cave.

"The world doesn't like for me to sit still, and that is fine. All of this war bullshit is just fuel for my fire to get stronger. Soon, I will be stronger enough to slap any problems away, including the annoying god watching over me," I explained as we walked, but a light suddenly filled the tunnel.

As if on cue, Garland's transparent form appeared on the side of me that Scarlet wasn't on. "Did you miss me?