Chapter 17: Chapter Seventeen: First Kill (3)

Chapter Seventeen: First Kill (3)

Talent Ability: Abyssal Bind!

Pitch-black chains, exuding purple smoke, shot up from the ground, coiling tightly around the flying creature and yanking it down onto the glistening marble floor with stunning force.

"SCREEEEEEEE!"

The magical beast screeched, struggling violently as it plummeted from the air.

However, its efforts were futile — the Abyssal chains refused to budge.

Yet, despite his success, Twilight wore a bitter smile as the mounting mental strain threatened to overwhelm him.

Earlier, when he had used various techniques, they had placed a burden on his mind. Now, with the Abyssal chains amplifying that burden severalfold, he was barely clinging to consciousness.

Then, a sound like shattering glass echoed through the hall and the Abyssal chains vanished a second later.

'It... shattered?' Twilight thought, dumbfounded. The night wing was known for its speed, not its strength, but the difference in cultivation and level was just too far to breach.

"HUMAN! HOW DARE YOU BIND ME?!"

The magical beast's enraged roar shook the air, its eyes turning bloodshot.

'Oh... no.' Twilight's heart sank and he immediately dashed backward, but the creature was faster.

In the blink of an eye, it was upon him, massive claws swiping toward his head.

Gritting his teeth, Twilight scrambled to evade, but he wasn't fast enough.

The claws slashed his left shoulder, sending a torturous pain through his body as his bone shifted. His left arm went limp, rendering it useless.

"Argh!" He couldn't stop the agonized cry from escaping his lips.

But the beast wasn't finished. Its mouth opened, revealing a small green orb within.

'Crap!' Twilight cursed inwardly. No longer willing to hold anything back, he activated his techniques.

Silent Steps!

Charging Flare!

Although he wished he had more movement techniques, he didn't.

In seven days, he had only managed to learn two martial techniques, two movement techniques, and one cultivation technique and his current situation proved that it was far from enough.

The moment he activated both movement techniques simultaneously, his speed soared. Spinning around, he dashed backward.

"Damn it! If only I'd used the pauldrons!" he cursed out loud, feeling the sharp sting radiating from his wounded arm.

If he had known this would happen, he would have worn the shoulder piece of his leather armor instead of dismissing the thought. Now, he was paying for his indecision.

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Moving at breakneck speed, he crashed into several bookshelves, further slowing his progress.

Suddenly, powerful winds kicked up as the creature flapped its wings and shot toward him like a bullet.

"Damn it!"

Twilight tried to increase the distance, but his mastery over the techniques was still shallow.

He couldn't unleash their full potential unless he had firmly grasped it.

Before he could react, the night wing appeared above him, launching dozens of poisonous slime balls.

'Curse it all!' Twilight roared in his mind, pushing himself to his absolute limits. He tried to escape the attack's range, but it was futile.

He managed to dodge a few, but the rest rained down on his location.

Gritting his teeth under the relentless barrage, Twilight knew there was no hope. But he refused to give up just yet.

'If I'm going to die anyway, what's the point of preserving my mental strength?'

Determination burned in his eyes.

Using his talent ability would put even more pressure on his mind — but if death was inevitable, then holding back was meaningless.

Winding Slash!

Talent Ability Activation: Spirit Manipulation!

Twilight unleashed a flurry of rapid slashes, cutting through the air and sending razor-sharp winds flying at the incoming slime balls.

At the same time, the spirit qi in the air surged toward his attacks, amplifying their cutting power.

The wind blades tore through the poisonous slimes, splattering green liquid across the ground.

The effectiveness of Spirit Manipulation astonished Twilight — but his triumph was short-lived.

A sharp pain stabbed through his skull, making his nose bleed.

The mental strain of using his talent ability was no joke. His consciousness strayed on the edge of collapsing.

As if that weren't enough, some of the poisonous slime had splashed onto his exposed skin, burning into his flesh, making agony overwhelm him.

Forcing himself to endure, he deactivated Spirit Manipulation and raised his right hand.

From the marble floor, dozens of black chains erupted, aiming for the night wing.

Above him, the magical beast stared down with disdain, its intelligent eyes gleaming with mockery.

Flapping its pitch-black wings, it effortlessly dodged the smoky Abyssal chains.

Twilight gritted his teeth, his vision growing blurry as green slimes filled his sight.

'Is this... how I die?'

No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't see a way out. He was utterly powerless.

Unless...

Unless he broke through and became a first-stage magic apostle.

But breaking through wasn't easy.

Before one became a cultivator, using techniques or abilities required immense mental strength. Afterward, only spiritual energy was needed.

If he could step beyond mortality and become a cultivator, his abilities would no longer drain his mind. Instead, they would draw from spiritual energy.

Even so, breaking through in the middle of battle was nearly impossible as he couldn't pause for a moment to cultivate.

However, defeating the magical beast would be tens of times more difficult, unless he had external assistance.

Twilight's blurry gaze remained locked on the incoming wave of poisonous slimes as his thoughts raced.

Acting quickly, he commanded the Abyssal chains to intercept the incoming slimes while he retreated, ducking behind one of the large bookshelves.

Using the terrain to his advantage, he tried to recover what little mental energy he could.

"HUMAN! YOU THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME?!"

The night wing roared in fury, diving straight for his hiding spot.

'Crap!'

Twilight rolled to the side just as the beast crashed into the bookshelf, sending hundreds of books and splintered wood flying.

Without hesitation, he sprang to his feet and sprinted forward.

By now, he understood one thing: defeating the night wing in a direct fight was impossible.

Glancing at the magical beast, his lips curled into a bitter smile. The creature had already regenerated 3,260 life points.

"So... I have to rely on external tools in the end." Twilight muttered, shaking his head as he waved his hand.

His space ring glowed, and a small blue pearl materialized in his palm.