Tower of Paradise

She eliminated monsters from left to right with high-level swordsmanship that made everything seem incredibly simple. It was like watching a flurry of steel as she jumped from one creature to another. Each step, each blow, had a defined purpose in her choreographed dance of death and precision against the skeletons.

The ease with which she eliminated these undead reminded me of someone crushing mosquitoes, not facing terrifying monsters. Each time I saw her fight, I couldn't help but be amazed by her skill. In comparison, I barely managed to kill a zombie after multiple cuts and thrusts.

KathyIn was quick, serene, and precise. Each of her movements was meticulously calculated and perfectly synchronized, causing countless bones to fly in all directions. She seemed to innately understand the flow and logic of combat, which gave her the ability to roughly predict what actions these mindless beasts would perform in the following seconds. Then, it was just a matter of applying her extraordinary physical prowess to evade them and even manipulate them to some extent.

I had always known that skill and experience were more determining factors than brute force, but watching KathyIn, I clearly understood the magnitude of the difference between us. Although my statistics and abilities allowed me to exert more force and speed than her, in a real confrontation, I would never have any chance of defeating her, as had been demonstrated in that friendly duel we had when we met.

Of course, I also played an important role in each battle. Although I was unfamiliar with elaborate techniques, I was still a fighter with some experience. I had good physical coordination, combat intuition, and, most importantly, a cold mentality that allowed me to make quick decisions even in the most chaotic situations.

—Guuuuuuuh... —A zombie with a half-split head roared, emanating a stench so unpleasant that it turned my stomach.

Surprised by its sudden appearance, I kicked it hard in the chest to gain some distance. Unfortunately, my soul sense proved useless with the undead, preventing me from anticipating their attacks as I could with living enemies.

They were monsters insensitive to pain; no matter how much I cut their arms and legs, even while enduring broken bones, they continued their relentless advance. After falling, they rose again as if nothing had happened. I looked with disgust at the unbreakable zombie that stood before me once more.

I swung my lance in a wide arc, cutting several zombies in a single movement. I couldn't contain a bitter laugh at the endless number of enemies that continued to surround me, emerging from the shadows like a relentless tide of death and putrefaction.

I refrained from using my private attribute and opted to hack my way through the zombies, improving the effectiveness of my lance with each blow. Their thick muscles provided them with some resistance against spells and conventional attacks, but it didn't require too much effort to kill them if I knew where to strike.

What became a growing problem were the corpses of the skeletons, which began to pile up more and more around me, hindering my movements and hampering the trajectory of my attacks.

I pierced and cut the bony bodies of the skeletons with each precise thrust. Even if one survived the first impact, the second pulverized it without remedy.

In contrast, I easily dodged the long, rusty swords they wielded thanks to my exceptional agility and relatively small size. Although I was wounded on several occasions by attacks I couldn't fully anticipate, none of these wounds managed to be fatal.

Among the corpses scattered on the ground and the enemies still standing, the number of undead I had personally eliminated amounted to approximately more than twenty. It was more than double what I had faced at the beginning, a figure that evidenced both the increasing difficulty of our mission and my own ability to adapt to increasingly adverse circumstances.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity of blood and steel, the battle came to an end. We had managed to defend with tooth and nail the enormous stone that stood about five meters from my position. As I surveyed the battlefield strewn with shattered bodies, I felt deep relief to confirm that the first wave of the day had concluded without us suffering irreparable losses.

I turned to observe my companion. KathyIn showed small scratches and bruises distributed across her body, but she was in much better condition than I was, whose deeper wounds were beginning to manifest now that the adrenaline was decreasing.

I breathed deeply and brokenly before letting myself fall to the ground, completely exhausted. A groan escaped my lips as I felt the pain spread through every fiber of my being.

My entire body seemed to have gone through a meat grinder; not even the large amounts of adrenaline still circulating through my veins could completely mitigate the searing pain and overwhelming fatigue that invaded me. And, yet, I experienced a strange feeling of euphoria, a mixture of pride and relief for having survived one more day in this hell.

—Are you okay? —KathyIn asked, her voice startling me slightly.

I hadn't noticed the moment she had approached me, so absorbed was I in my own pain and fatigue.

—Better than I've ever been. —I joked with a tired voice, trying to downplay my injuries.

Looking up, I found a bright smile on her doll-like face, as radiant as a bouquet of fresh flowers in spring, which I couldn't help but reciprocate with a slight curve of my own lips.

—Uh-huh. You said the beginning would be the hardest part.

—I thought that might be the case. —I avoided looking directly at her, who was now lying on the ground complaining.

I smiled ironically as I remembered my words. They were nonsense; I had just passed the third day and it was twice as difficult as the first day.

Together, we watched the sunset in a comforting silence.