POTLS - Chapter 18: Defiance

A bone-shattering punch sent Paul crashing to the ground, his sword flying from his grasp. Blood flooded his mouth like a breaking wave. Several tooth fragments shot out from between his lips.

His vision blurred as curses rang in his ears. He swung blindly forward, trying to push his attacker away.

A sickening crack answered his effort. His left arm had broken. The pain was little more than a mosquito bite compared to what he'd already endured.

How many seconds has it been? Paul wondered.

He hadn't activated [Last Stand] yet. Not yet.

This pain needed to be endured. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

The crucial moment approached. He couldn't afford to miss it.

Another punch crashed down. His chest seemed to cave inward. Then another blow—his heart was about to be pierced by his own ribs.

He raised his right hand and fired [Lunar Flare]. The flash disoriented his opponent, who struck Paul's arm instead of his heart.

And that was enough. It was over.

His opponent's [Last Stand] had expired. The toll of the skill had sapped the strength from the attacker's blow.

Paul slammed his fist against his sword's hilt, making it bounce upward. As it hung suspended in the air, he grabbed the blade and drove it at an angle through his attacker's neck.

Thunk!

The body collapsed to the side. Paul could barely breathe. His lungs felt like they were exploding inside his chest. His enemy's blood covered his face, seeping into his nose and mouth. He coughed violently, aggravating his internal injuries.

Groaning, he shoved the lifeless body away and seized the Crimson Shard that emerged above it.

A notification briefly flashed before him. With only one evolution option, he didn't need to read it.

After confirming the information, he immediately activated [Immortal Defiance].

//

[Immortal Defiance] Level 1

• Cannot die while active

• Strengthen all aspects and stats

• Automatically regenerate

• Double all healing effects

• 50% Damage Reduction

• 100% Damage Increase

• Duration: 10 seconds

//

A strange surge of power flooded through Paul like a tsunami. Similar to activating [Last Stand], his pain diminished considerably, making everything feel lighter. His mind cleared of chaos.

This was why he hadn't used [Last Stand]—he wasn't sure if its cooldown would affect [Immortal Defiance], so he had to save it. The automatic regeneration effect was already showing results.

He could feel his ribs shifting back into place. Small clicking sounds accompanied their healing, while his broken arm mended itself. Even his teeth regrew in his mouth.

The effectiveness was enhanced by the stat bonus to Constitution. He vaguely noticed it had increased by 30%, reaching 14 points. Even his stamina benefited, steadily climbing higher.

Within just ten seconds, his body was almost completely healed. His vision returned, clear and bright.

He sat up as [Immortal Defiance] ended.

He flexed his hand, still unable to believe he'd just danced with death and survived. He couldn't imagine how much worse things would have been if he'd had to wait hours for [Immortal Defiance] to become available after using [Last Stand] first.

This gamble had been worth it. He'd acquired one of the rarest evolutions according to the Survivor community. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to test the damage potential of this skill.

And more unfortunate still was the price—a human life.

Paul turned to the corpse beside him, his sword still piercing its throat. The blood had stopped flowing when there was nothing left to pump it out. The eyes remained wide open, fixed in an expression of disbelief at defeat.

Paul felt no guilt for what he'd done. Violence was not his taste, but he was ready to chew it if the situation demanded. Growing up on the streets, bullied and robbed in a dangerous neighborhood, he was no stranger to such situations. Outside, he wouldn't dare kill. But in here, where law couldn't reach, he wouldn't pull his punches.

Still, disgust rose within him. Killing had never been something he wanted. True, his opponent might have lives remaining to resurrect with. But what if they had used a token to rank up like him? Then he had truly killed someone, with no excuses.

So what? Paul thought. This bastard wouldn't have spared me either.

His opponent hadn't considered this might be Paul's final life. So there was no moral dilemma for him. Those who aim to stab others must be prepared to be stabbed themselves. That's how it worked.

With his conscience settled, Paul thought no more about it. Whether this man lived or truly died, he could face either outcome without faltering. He had work to do, vengeance to exact, and a promise to his friend to keep.

Don't die.

Paul checked his status notifications. Besides the evolution, he had leveled up to 27.

All this hassle for only one level.

After level 25, the experience threshold had doubled again. He now needed 1600 experience points to level up.

He had reached level 26 thanks to the Crimson Shard automatically increasing his level (as long as he was below level 30). Killing his pursuer had given him over three thousand experience points. He needed 165 more to reach level 28.

After deciding to put another point into [Immortal Defiance], Paul departed, leaving the corpse to be torn apart by monsters.

He found a tall, thick tree where he had sheltered some nights before. Climbing up, he retrieved a makeshift flask from among the branches and took a drink. Looking up at the strange red moon still hanging in the sky, he smiled.

"Guys, I've come so far now," he raised his water flask as if toasting with friends who weren't there.

The nightmare of the sixth night had ended. Only one day remained.

He was too exhausted to do anything more. The psychological and physical burdens carried him into sleep.

Paul jerked awake when sunlight hit his face, stretching with satisfaction.

This was perhaps the first time he'd felt excited since being chosen as a survivor. First came fear, then hope of earning money by selling gold, only to be crushed by reality. Nightmare after nightmare until today's peaceful sleep.

Still, he would have preferred this peace in his own bed, in his own room.

The fact that he hadn't been attacked during the night could only mean one thing: someone was nearby. The Blood Bats leaving him alone was a warning sign.

From his high perch, he cautiously looked down, scanning the surroundings while making as little noise as possible.

Through the tree canopy, he spotted a faint column of smoke not far from his position.

Could be a team, Paul assessed.

He wouldn't bet his luck on the opposition being just one person. Typically, teams were the most eager during the sixth night, even after facing difficult monsters.

Their goal was likely one of the four Lords that would appear tonight.

Paul remained still, evaluating the situation for any movement. When he detected no patrols, he jumped down from his hiding place.

His landing created a sound loud enough for them to hear, so as soon as he touched ground, he ran in the opposite direction.

Right now, he was no different from a Crimson Court Noble with two Crimson Shards. He absolutely couldn't lose his advantage. Even if he was stronger now, facing multiple opponents was impossible. Just one archer would be enough to give him trouble.

Paul heard rustling behind him. The others had decided to investigate.

He immediately changed his path, moving into dense foliage for cover.

At one point, he glanced back and saw a shadow flitting across a branch.

An archer with appropriate mobility skills.

Alarm bells rang in his mind.

A whistling sound cut through the air as an arrow embedded itself in a tree trunk beside him.

He heard a curse behind him, and his heart grew cold.

The enemy had spotted him. He tried to focus on detecting signs of others, but all he could hear was his own heavy breathing and racing heart. At best, he caught the sound of breaking branches as the archer moved.

With no other option, Paul deliberately slowed down, hoping to trick his opponent into thinking his stamina was poor.

His footsteps became heavier. Then he took cover behind a tree trunk, gripping his sword tightly. He still carried the whip as a trophy from last night, but having no idea how to use it properly, he merely kept it with him.

He heard a soft thud. His opponent was very close, perched on a sturdy branch nearby.

"Do you really want to do this?" Paul called out.

No answer came. Paul's face darkened.

He had never survived this long before. Was this the mindset everyone developed? Or was it simply the consequence of his initial bad luck, choosing a time when too many groups were participating in this map?

His ears detected the tension of a bowstring being drawn.

He hastily thrust his hand to one side, releasing a [Lunar Flare].

Though the skill wasn't as effective during daytime, it would still be enough to disorient his opponent.

He leapt from his hiding place, turning his head. Looking up, he saw a young woman sitting on a branch, her eyes narrowed from the flash of light.

Startled, she shifted her bow, trying to aim at Paul's blurry form.

He lunged forward, and the arrow whistled past his ear. He was now directly beneath her branch.

With a single jump, he swung his sword and cut through the branch, leaving her with no footing.

The female archer nimbly kicked off the trunk, propelling herself toward another position.

Paul swung the whip toward her. He wasn't used to it, but with his Dexterity stat, he managed some degree of accuracy.

The whip didn't wrap around her leg as he'd hoped, but its silver thorns cut across her calf. She cried out and tumbled to the ground, missing her intended landing spot.

Not missing a beat, Paul swung his sword, deploying [Daybreak Executioner]. The explosions carrying holy power blasted the girl backward, as he hadn't managed to close the distance in time.

With a crash, she slammed into a tree trunk, coughing violently. She looked up fearfully at the young man approaching her.

At that moment, Paul heard the sounds of her teammates converging on their location.

Without wasting a second, he fled. Staying to kill the girl would only put him in an even more difficult position. The wound he'd inflicted had already immobilized the archer. Unless the opposing team had another archer, he had little to worry about.

With powerful strides, he eventually lost his pursuers. His analysis had been correct. According to the Survival Guide, teams rarely needed multiple rangers. When monster numbers grew dense, archers revealed their fatal weakness—ammunition. Without a skill to refill arrows, a run would become much harder.

Paul's stomach growled after twenty-four hours without food. He found a resting place, his mood returning to yesterday's tension after the recent encounter.

He planned his next moves. At this rate, he wouldn't rank high enough in the assessment to earn sufficient essence.

If he wanted to reach rank E immediately after this run, he would need to participate in fighting a boss—a lord wouldn't be enough.