The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

Neraxis appeared right behind one of the ghouls, and to no one's surprise, they were very fast.

The ghoul didn't even budge as Neraxis brought his sword down. Then, it simply twisted its body at an unnatural angle and tried to bite his neck.

However, before it could, he brought the sword up and pierced straight through the ghoul's lower jaw, then headed up to the brain.

He expected it to die then and there, but instead, it clamped down on his sword, trying to break it.

Of course, that didn't work, as the sword was unbreakable. Instead, Neraxis merely desummoned the Arksteel sword and then kicked away the ghoul.

But before it could get too far away and alert the others, Neraxis took one step forward, summoned his Arksteel sword, and then slashed vertically.

Immediately, the ghoul's body separated in two, the black blood exploding outward.

Just as he thought he could get a moment of peace, Neraxis ducked, avoiding a slice from one of the ghouls.

At the same time, another ghoul approached and tried to grab Neraxis.

He didn't panic as he kicked off the ground and launched himself high up into the air.

And of course, he didn't hesitate to activate his horizontal slash skill.

[MP -100 150/250 (Advanced Horizontal Slash)]

Immediately, a glowing arc expanded from the tip of his sword and covered all three of the ghouls that had approached him, severing their bodies in an instant.

Neraxis finally landed, and just like before, more ghouls were coming. After all, he had made a lot of noise this time.

Since he managed to kill four already, only seven remained. But despite that, he could tell the rest of the ghouls were in slightly better condition.

Therefore, Neraxis changed his approach, and instead of a sword, he turned his Arksteel weapon into a spear—the same one the lizardmen had.

—Arksteel Bronze-tipped Spear (Common)

Durability: Infinite

Damage: 22–25

+18 Strength

+22 Agility

It was a bit better than the sword damage-wise. However, there was also the downside of him not knowing how to wield it properly.

Despite that, its range was a nice addition to have. Therefore, Neraxis steadied himself and waited for the ghouls to get close.

They were surprisingly holding an arrow formation, which made it a bit difficult to deal with. However, with each step they took forward, he took half a step back.

Finally, he arrived by a tree, and at the same time, the first ghoul had reached him.

The moment it did, Neraxis thrust his spear at full force, penetrating the head of the ghoul, then twisting the spear to cause maximum damage.

The ghoul dropped to the ground, clutching its face in pain. However, another two ghouls soon appeared in its stead.

That was when Neraxis finally decided to utilize the tree behind him.

Just as the ghouls were about to bite him, he jumped up and then stabbed his spear into the tree itself before standing atop it.

It was wobbly, and he felt like he'd fall at any moment, but still, he held on as the ghouls tried their best to climb up.

Neraxis simply stared at them for a few moments and then jumped up, desummoned his Arksteel Spear, and just as he was about to land, stuck it into the tree again.

He continued doing that for a few moments since he was trying to figure something out.

And finally, after five more jumps, he saw the ghouls slowly start to lose interest in him and head back to where they came from.

After that, several notifications appeared.

<DING!>

<You have slain: (x4) Rotten Ghoul [Enraged] [Level 12]: High Experience increase. Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level!>

<You have leveled up!>

<Level 8→ 11>

<+7 Free Stat Points Obtained!>

So 25 meters. I see... Neraxis nodded to himself.

That was a test to figure out at what point he would exit combat, and now he knew.

Nonetheless, with these extra 7 stat points, he put them all in Mana Capacity.

Name: Neraxis Valen

Age: 18

Level: 8 → 11

Class: Sun Vampire (Mythic)

—Stats:

HP: 110/110

MP: 150/250 → 220/320

Strength: 17 (+12) → 23 (+18)

Agility: 17 (+12) → 27 (+22)

Stamina: 11

Mana Capacity: 25 → 32

Free Stat Points: 7 → 0

—Skills:

Arksteel (Legendary)

—Fragment of Calamity Skill Tree (4/???)

Advanced Horizontal Slash (Epic)

Expert Stab (Rare)

Atomic Stab (Rare)

Illusion Slash (Rare)

+-----+

They give a lot of experience at least, Neraxis thought with a hum as he turned toward Elena, who was still staring at him with interest.

Though I can't say I like her watching me like a hawk... it's a bit off-putting.

Despite that, he waited a few minutes for his MP to fully restore, and the moment it did, he jumped back down and dashed toward the ghouls.

But unlike last time, he couldn't sneak up on them, as they were immediately alerted.

Yet he didn't panic as he stepped to the side, causing their formation to slightly break apart.

The moment it did, he didn't hesitate to chain three Advanced Horizontal Slashes in one go.

[MP -300 20/320 (x3 Advanced Horizontal Slash)]

It felt a bit strange performing those slashes with a spear, but Neraxis didn't mind much, as the damage was more than satisfactory.

The same arcs flew out. With each, the ghouls were cut, deformed, and practically obliterated.

Eventually, the arcs stopped, and the moment they did, Neraxis finally noticed the mayhem of black blood.

He whistled in amusement and glanced toward the pop-ups.

<DING!>

<You have slain: (x7) Rotten Ghoul [Enraged] [Level 12]: Medium Experience increase. Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level!>

<You have leveled up!>

<Level 11→ 13>

<+6 Free Stat Points Obtained!>

Not too shabby at all. I'm probably higher level than Eris and Amara now.

Soon, he heard someone plop down beside him, and of course, it was none other than Elena.

"A spear and a sword, huh? Don't tell me you can do magic too?"

"..."

Her eyes widened. "You can...?"

"Doesn't matter..." Neraxis trailed off as he looked to where he had come from.

I guess it's about time we meet up.