A Weakling (III)

"I'm grateful to you for putting on such a flashy fight but my word, you look awful Cyril."

Angelica turned towards Cyril with a look of concern on her face. Pushing through the pain, he gave her a weak smile out of reflex. "Thanks Angelica. That's some timing you've got there; I really was in a bit of trouble just now."

"Only a bit?" Angelica countered instantly. "It looked to me like you were on the verge of getting pummeled to death. Can you even fight like that?" Her brows arched with the question as she tilted her head, the worrisome look she had on her face became even more pronounced as she did so.

Apparently, Cyril's phony smile had done nothing to reassure her.

"I've been better, but this is nothing to fuss over." Cyril replied calmly.

Angelica's eyes centered on Cyril's right arm seconds after hearing his reply, as though she were about to challenge his claim. Her lips parted as she prepared to respond, but at the same time a message formed in Cyril's mind.

[Cyril, as a result of prioritizing your combat capabilities, the damage to your right arm has been largely restored to normal levels. However, your overall recovery rate has sharply declined to preserve your remaining thoughtput. Proceed with caution—further regeneration times will only increase from this point onward.]

Got it.

[Linking to archetype structure. Accessing ideal state data... Status replicated. Damaged sectors will be rewritten according to the archetype. Initiating self-restoration.]

As soon as Cyril processed Aria's update, a surge of vigor lit up his expression. Exhaling a deep breath, he straightened his body and flexed his right shoulder a few times.

Angelica observed him in shock, she heard a low snapping sound, as if something had slipped back into place. Then, her attention returned to the damaged arm Cyril had been so desperately clinging to a moment ago. She could no longer find any traces of where his skin had been ripped, torn or punctured, it was as though his injuries up until now had largely been a mirage.

"Okay, let's try this again." Cyril said aloud as he approached Angelica. After flexing his right arm a few times, he nodded to himself as though he was pleased with something.

Finally noticing her wide-eyed expression, he turned toward the stunned Angelica.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Y-your hand...is it alright!? Are you alright Cyril? What just happened?"

It was his first time seeing Angelica look so stunned, and rightfully so. Cyril's recovery skill was entirely passive; he had little control over when and how it activated. For damage on this scale, the healing process itself was frighteningly quick. It was to the point where any average person would have a hard time registering it, but having seen his earlier state, it made sense for Angelica to question his sudden recovery.

However...

I really should learn how to control these skills better....

Cornered by the girl's intense glare, Cyril could only look away half-heartedly. Truthfully, he had no answer for Angelica's rapid-fire questions, and calmly explaining to her that he possessed numerous skills wasn't an option either. At best, the only thing he could do was describe the vague sensation he'd felt moments prior—akin to that of a 'reset'.

"This is...uh...I just needed to catch my breath, that's all."

A doubtful look crossed Angelica's face, and she was clearly readying a retort when the minotaur's roar once again thundered through the forest.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

When the tremors subsided, a large figure slowly rose to its feet off in the distance—emerging from the wreckage, it was the same monster Angelica had sent flying earlier. It's steps unsteady, the beast advanced, tracing the path of destruction its massive frame had carved into the forest.

As it approached, Cyril sensed the obvious shift in the minotaur's focus. It no longer held a great deal of interest in him anymore. Instead, its focus had shifted over to the girl at his side—the deviant responsible for cleaving off its arm.

The spray of crimson fluids sputtering from its missing limb somehow subsided on its own. Perhaps the monster possessed the ability to mend its wounds on the fly.

"And here I thought I'd landed a pretty solid hit back there. I must admit, I'm impressed." Lifting her blade, Angelica aimed its tip at the approaching calamity.

"Cyril, do you mind if I take over from here? It seems this one has a vendetta against me now."

"Be my guest, we've got a lot more than that minotaur to worry about. The ones controlling it are here too."

"The impostors you mentioned?"

"Well, they're more like assassins, but yes, the ones who attacked us earlier."

Angelica sharpened her glare after hearing that. She began amassing a vast reserve of magical energy, which soon coalesced into a radiant silver aura. Watching Angelica reinforce her aura to that extent made Cyril realize that she was preparing to take on more than just the giant minotaur.

"Hey, Cyril, Angelica!"

At the same time Arden came running on to the scene, his footsteps clanking on the ground like heavy lead weights.

"Perfect timing Arden. I was just wondering where you were." Cyril's nonchalant wave stopped the man dead in his tracks. Skidding to a halt, Arden drew his warhammer as soon as he regrouped with them.

"That things huge!" He gawked, "Have you two been fighting it by yourself this entire time?"

"Well, I only just got here myself." Admitted Angelica. For whatever reason, she sounded deeply disappointed by the fact.

"To keep a long story short, we're about to come under fire from those guys again, can you and Angelica hold the small fry off. I need to handle the leader by myself."

"Huh? Those guys?"

Turning on behalf of Cyril's words, Arden and Angelica soon took note of the three other people that had emerged alongside the minotaur. At some point, the monster had halted its advance on the order of its master.

Victor appeared once more, standing atop one of the great oaks. With a simple, almost careless gesture, he calmed the creature, then fixed his gaze on Cyril and spoke with crisp, commanding clarity.

"Severin. Let's continue this elsewhere—away from these hindrances. Follow me."

His words rode the wind itself, carrying cleanly across the gap by magical means. Then, without hesitation, Victor sprang from the tree and vanished into the distance, borne on a violent surge of wind.

He's not retreating so it must be because Angelica is here.

"Hmm...." Cyril curled a finger to his chin. "You guys, four against two isn't exactly an even match, so my request might be a little unreasonable. If only Percy was here...."

As Angelica watched him mulling over the odds to himself, she began to giggle.

"Heh-Heh, well I'm sure you have your reasons and whatnot. I'll be sure to inquire later, so you don't need to worry about us, right Arden?"

"Yeah, I'm not too sure what's going on here, but we'll manage Cyril. Don't worry about us and go do what you need to do." Arden held out his massive warhammer as he spoke, he turned the weapon on its flat edge and lowered himself to one knee.

Quickly catching on, Cyril nodded and stepped onto the massive weapon. The air shuddered around them as Arden unleashed his magical energy.

"It's a bit late to point this out, but you know this is probably a trap, right?" Arden shouted over the wild churning of the wind.

"Definitely! But I've fought him before—I can handle whatever he throws at me!"

"Heh, if you say so, kid!" A bold grin split Arden's face. His muscles bulged as he slowly lifted his body off the ground. Amid the thrashing winds, Cyril caught a quick glimpse of Angelica flashing him a confident thumbs-up.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Cyril's mind. Inhaling a deep breath of air, he blurted it out instinctively.

"Oh, one more thing you two! Watch your step!"

His message was received loud and clear, even if his teammates had yet to truly grasp the meaning behind those words.

"Alright! Here we go!"

With that, Arden shot to his feet, channeling a surge of strength into his arms. He swung the colossal Warhammer and hurled Cyril across the forest.

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