The Devil's Cage

Kieran’s left hand had been stabbed.

Just as the tip of the sharp blade had approached his throat, he had extended his left hand to block the lethal blow.

Of course, he had not been able to block the iron sharp blade with his flesh, but he had slowed down the stab.

That was enough for him, as it had created a window for him to dodge the lethal blow and counterattack the masked man.

Kieran struggled hard to move his body and palm.

Ultimately, the blade pierced through his left palm and chafed his neck a little, landing a couple of inches deep inside the wall behind him.

The masked man panicked. He had never thought Kieran would use such a sacrificial way to avoid his attack.

The masked man instinctively wanted to move his blade to the side. Even though he had missed on his first try, Kieran’s neck was still just beside the blade. A small slash would achieve his goal easily.

The man did not care about Kieran’s left palm. The cut was big, spreading from the dorsal interossei between Kieran’s ring finger and middle finger up to the middle of his left palm.

Even if it could heal, it would still be disabled. The masked man was certain of it.

Of course, his goal was to take Kieran’s life, not just cripple him.

A bloodthirsty smile formed on his face beneath the mask, but it quickly froze in place.

Just as the masked man was about to slide his blade towards Kieran’s neck, Kieran’s left foot, which had been saving strength, jumped up like a rocket and kicked the man’s wrist.

Its exploding speed was too fast for the man to react. He had not been ready to dodge the kick, so his wrist was hit hard.

The immense power of Kieran’s kick produced a clear bone-cracking noise.

The man’s wrist was broken, and he released the blade, staggering back a few steps.

Kieran’s next kick followed like a shadow.

His left palm was torn apart, but he did not care anymore.

Clenching his teeth, he endured the pain. All he could see was his target, the masked man.

Kieran followed up with a series of kicks.

Two of his kicks hit the masked man’s right leg hard. Kieran wanted to take advantage of his higher agility.

When the masked man’s knee made a clear noise, the man’s body staggered down. Kieran’s fourth kick was already there.

He was using his Musou Level [Hand-to-Hand Combat, Musou Combat Kicks] as a base for his attack, plus the [Barsical Kick]’s special effect [Bide] along with the explosive power of [Blade Kick].

A half-moon qi wave was fired out from Kieran’s right foot. It was like a blade with a cold glint, tearing the space before Kieran apart. [Blade Kick] whipped up a dazzling metal halation and swept past the masked man’s neck before he could even react.

Blood gushed out from his neck like a fountain as the masked man was decapitated, his head falling to the ground.

The mask covering his face was broken, revealing a young face.

The man’s arrogance and pride had been replaced by shock and astonishment.

Until his last breath, he still could not believe what had happened to him.

An orange item slowly appeared on his headless body.

The long sword that had been nailed on the wall also emitted a faint green glow.

A Rare and a Magical item.

A quick glance told Kieran his rewards’ rarity, yet he did not have the strength to check them yet.

Using [Blade Kick] had drained most of his remaining energy and made him pant heavily.

Other than his physical exhaustion, he was also mentally tired.

The fight had happened really fast, and it had taken the most out of his body.

Considering the wounds he had already been suffering from, the fact that he could still stand up was a display of indomitable willpower in itself.

[Cutting: Target inflicts 50 Damage to your HP, Targeted limbs, Your palm has been crippled…]

[Kicking: Inflicts 35 Damage to Target HP, Targeted limbs, Target’s wrist has been fractured…]

[Kicking: Inflicts 40 Damage to Target HP…]

[Kicking: Inflicts 45 Damage to Target HP, Targeted limbs, Target’s knee has been fractured…]

[Blade Kick: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 500 Damage to Target HP (250 Hand-to-Hand Combat, Musou Combat Kicks) X2, Target dies…]

...

Battle log notifications popped up one after the other in Kieran’s vision.

"Were [Barsical Kick] and [Blade Kick] calculated automatically? Were both skills categorized under [Hand-to-Hand Combat]?" Kieran guessed when he saw the last notification.

It was the only explanation for the huge damage his last attack had inflicted.

[Hand-to-Hand Combat, Musou Combat Kicks] alone was not capable of achieving that number, not even at his current Musou Level.

"500 Damage to HP… Musou Level [Hand-to-Hand Combat, Musou Combat Kicks] raised my Strength and Agility by 3. After the fourth attack triggered [Bide] from [Barsical Kick], my kicks gained another boost of Strength and Agility. This means that my previous Strength and Agility reached A- and B+ respectively! [Blade Kick]’s attack and sharpness were above average, and only the half-moon qi wave could cause such a huge damage!"

Kieran was silently admiring the huge damage he had inflicted.

Only he knew what he had been through to achieve such high-damage combo attacks.

It was not just a simple combination of various skills, but countless simulations and planning ahead of his enemies.

In fact, the moment Kieran had seen the scene inside the Church Hall, he had known that his speed would be no match for the masked man, so he had started planning how to counter his attacks.

Kieran had been calculating in his mind how he would beat the man if he had to face him.

The answer was his speed. Kieran’s only chance was to beat the masked man’s speed.

After everything had been planned, Kieran only needed to think about how to put his plan into action. It was a difficult obstacle that he had to overcome without his equipment. It would have been easier if he had been fully equipped.

The [Spectre’s Grip]’s [Shadow Chain] and the [Primus Arm]’s [Primus Scale] would have easily achieved such a feat.

The former had bindings, and the latter had a tremendous defensive power, which would have allowed him to trade his wounds for his life.

However, Special Dungeon restrictions had removed all those options from the equation.

Kieran had to change his way of approaching his enemies. After all, all he could muster up was the [Deceiver’s Key], the [Rebel Leather Armor], and a dagger.

None of those items could help him beat the masked man’s speed.

That was when he’d come up with the idea of using his own body to slow down the man’s sword.

It was a risky thought, and it had scared him for a while.

After more thought and delicate planning though, Kieran had realized that it could work.

Using his body as a lure, he could beat the masked man’s speed and pack a punch by using the element of surprise.

With the element of surprise in the mix, his chances of victory had gone up even more.

He needed to choose carefully which part of his body he would sacrifice though.

That body part had to not be a burden on his current wounds or affect his future mobility or fighting strength.

He would use his palm. His left palm, to be exact!

After excluding all his weak spots, Kieran had decided to sacrifice his left palm.

He was right-handed after all, so his right hand was faster and stronger than his left hand.

Kieran had chosen to use [Hand-to-Hand Combat, Musou Combat Kicks], so his legs did not just represent his mobility, but also his fighting strength.

The [Rebel Leather Armor] might be able to act as a minor defense, but once the sword stabbed his body, his wounds would only increase.

All that was left was his left hand.

He had started to plan how to beat the masked man with his left palm, but he was caught off guard when he had to use his plan so soon in the dungeon.

"Thank god I came prepared!"

He knew very well that if he had not planned ahead, he could not have taken down the masked man easily.

After drawing a deep breath, his Stamina recovered.

Kieran turned his attention to his teammate, and a crucial factor in winning that battle, Hanses.

Hanses, who was still gagged, looked dispirited. He was tied down on a chair, looking at Kieran with his eyes open wide and his face full of admiration and shock.

He was overwhelmed by what he had just witnessed, but when he sensed Kieran’s gaze on him, he pulled himself together.

He started struggling even harder.

Kieran used his intact hand to remove the gag from Hanses’ mouth. Hanses released a long breath before he started talking nonstop.

"Ughh! I almost died of suffocation! If you had not come in time, I think this dungeon would have ended prematurely! I have to say, that kick was really beautiful! Giving you [Blade Kick] was the right choice!"

Hanses looked like he had turned into Lawless for a moment there.

"I’m really glad you’re still this energetic, considering you’re lethally wounded!"

Kieran quickly untied Hanses and headed towards the wall the sword was nailed on.

He pulled out the sword.

It felt very light. Definitely not iron. More like a wooden material.

[Name: Sharp Stinger]

[Type: Long Sword]

[Rarity: Magical]

[Attack: Common]

[Attributes: 1. Armor Penetration lvl 1; 2. Nimbleness Lvl 1]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: None]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: It was a favorite amongst swordsmen, but it ended up being popularized by an assassin.]

...

After a quick glance over the [Sharp Stinger]’s details, Kieran turned to the orange item that had popped up on the masked man.

The Rare Equipment.

Translator's Thoughts

Dess Dess

Anyone thought of King of Fighters combo?

here's a little early Christmas present for you best readers out there.

See the weekly-ranking-energy-stone-whatever-it-is thingy? If it could reach top 30 by next week, 17th December, I'll do a 5 chaps upload, or maybe even more. We'll start at next monday 11th, December since we are half in this week, just so to be fair. :)

Top 30! Guys!