Chapter 9 THE GOTHIC KID

"Well that would be my pleasure" The gothic kid said in a mischievous tone before he suddenly vanished. "Kaelen step back, you can't handle him!" Morris exclaimed with a panicked look on his face, but Kaelen didn't give him any response as he fully concentrated in the battle he is about to face. And in a flash of a moment, the battle began with a swift clash of steel. Kaelen, wielding the Blade of Eternity, found himself immediately on the defensive. The gothic kid's movements were fluid and precise, his strikes coming at Kaelen from all angles. Kaelen parried and blocked as best he could, but the relentless assault was overwhelming. "Is this all you've got, Kaelen?" The gothic kid taunted, his voice low and mocking. As soon as Kaelen heard him, he gritted his teeth, feeling the strain in arms as he deflected another rapid series of blows. The blade of Eternity pulsed with blue light, but it's power seemed insufficient against the gothic kid's relentless onslaught. Kaelen's breaths came faster, each one a struggle as he tried to find an opening to counterattack. Slash!!! "Kaelen!!" Suddenly, the gothic kid feinted to the left and then struck from the right, his scythe slashing a shallow cut across Kaelen's arm. Kaelen winced in pain, his grip on the Blade of Eternity faltering for a moment. The gothic kid pressed his advantage, driving Kaelen back step by step towards where Morris stood with a worried look on his face. 'No, I can't let it end like this' But through all this, desperation surged through Kaelen as he realized he was losing. His mind raced, searching for a way to turn the tide. As another strike came dangerously close, he summoned every ounce of his remaining mana, feeling the Blade of Eternity resonate with his determination. "What you are trying to do is pointless" The gothic kid said indifferently as he quickly launched his next attack. But in a burst of speed, ducked under the gothic kid's next attack and rolled to the side, putting some distance between them. Not giving him any time to catch his breath, the gothic kid quickly turned and launched an attack at where Kaelen now stood but Kaelen himself seems to have ignored the gothic kid entirely as he focused his mana into the Blade of Eternity, the runes along it's length flaring brightly. With a deep breath, he charged towards the attack the gothic kid sent head on, swinging the sword with a newfound strength. The gothic kid's eyes widened in surprise as Kaelen's blade met his scythe with a force that sent shockwaves through the forest. The power behind Kaelen's strikes was now undeniable, each swing pushing the gothic kid back. Kaelen's attack became a blur of blue light, the Blade of Eternity singing with each strike. "What in the world...." Morris muttered as he watched battle with a look of disbelief on his face. "Yeah, you are right" "Congratulations on completing the hidden quest: Face the Dark Sage" "Reward- 2x level up" "Congratulations on Leveling up to Level 5!" "Attributes increased" "New technique learned- Fleeting Slash" "Acquired new title- The Hollowing Swordsman" "W-Woah..." Kaelen muttered in a daze as he struggles to take in the continuous information that keep popping up in a screen right in front of his face. "Is there a problem Kaelen?" Finding Kaelen behavior strange, Morris asked with a curious look on his face. When Kaelen heard him, he quickly brush off all this things while he thought before he gave Morris a reply. 'I will deal with you later' "Oh no, there isn't a problem. Am totally fine" "Well that's good. Now you can tell me where you got that sword from and how in the world you got so strong!?" Morris asked with an intense curiousity on his face. "Hehe I was just lucky since I coincidentally stumbled on this sword in a cave. And this sword is the reason am this strong, without it, I will still be useless" Kaelen answered with a wry smile on his face. "Oh don't say that. For you to be able to find such a formidable sword shows that you aren't useless in any way so stop being a pessimist" Morris said with a dissatisfied look on his face. "Well ok then, I won't" Kaelen replied with a helpless look on his face. "Good, now let's go get ourselves on the exams leaderboard" Morris said as he suddenly grabbed Kaelen hands and went deeper into the forest excitedly. 'You always know how to work me out huh?' Kaelen thought with a bitter smile on his face.