There was a difference between a man who did something for fun, and a man who did it to survive.
One swung his blade to chase the thrill of victory, to feel the rush of adrenaline, to prove himself to an audience that might cheer his name. The other swung because his life depended on it. One could afford mistakes, knowing a loss would only wound his pride. The other… had no such luxury. A single mistake meant blood on the ground, his blood, his breath stolen forever.
So what if the enemy was stronger? Strength alone meant little to the starving wolf with its back against the wall. So what if he was outclassed, outskilled, outnumbered? A man who fought for survival didn't measure the fight in skill or odds—he measured it in breaths left, in heartbeats stolen from the inevitable.
The one who fought for fun thought in terms of winning and losing. The one who fought to survive thought only in terms of living.
And when desperation hardened into resolve, when fear was burned away by necessity, survival became its own weapon. Men who fought for glory often forgot what it felt like to be cornered, to feel that primal fire that refused to be extinguished. But Lucius hadn't forgotten. He never would.
It didn't matter who stood before him. Stronger, faster, better—it didn't matter. Because the man who fought for fun stopped when it ceased to entertain him. But the man who fought to survive… kept going until one of them no longer breathed.
He once held a grenade to a hero's face, and he didn't feel fear.
Whatever it takes, whatever it takes...
Lucius raised his sword against the black knight. Behind it was nothing but a wall which should be the end of the dungeon.
'Its mana is way stronger than the others. And it's not making a move yet.' Lucius felt the tension in the air get even more serious.
He didn't want to be the first one to make a move here.
"Woman, do you know what this thing is?" Lucius asked, not taking his eyes off of the dungeon boss.
"It's a C-class boss. And its major ability is... to blind through darkness. And it can summon chains with an artifact on its arm."
"What?" Lucius felt the winds change, he raised his sword only to be met by nothing but a gush of wind.
He looked forward to see that the knight had brandished its sword, holding a long chain in its second hand.
The flames on the torches flickered in the dimly lit space. Lucius stared at the knight as he calculated his odds of winning.
All of a sudden, a thought surfaced in his mind and his serious face relaxed, turning into a creepy smile.
"How do I know I won't win? I have to break the armour first." Lucius ran back into the cave before, rushing past the skeletal structures lying around.
He quickly located the stack of bone spears he didn't use and he grabbed a bunch of them and walked back.
The small centipede crawled up his arm and he looked at it only for a second, looking forward again.
...
Brah!
Lucius dumped the bunch of bones on the ground, and then he looked at the boss, stabbing the silver sword into the ground first.
'Let's see if this works.' He picked up a bone spear from the ground, launching it forward with all his strength.
The bone flew, and while it was close to the boss, it slashed the projectile instead of dodging it.
"What the fuck?" Lucius frowned.
'The way it swung its sword, it was so fast.' He frowned, picking up another spear.
Swoosh!
More spears flew towards the boss, Lucius maintained a good distance away from the boss, enough for him to see and target it.
The spears themselves were being struck down each time by the boss, and he paid keen attention to its moves.
He threw a spear, letting it go towards the knight.
Lucius grabbed his sword that was impaled in the ground. As the spear got close to the knight, he vanished from his spot.
He appeared over the creature, striking downwards with his sword.
BANG!
"Tsk." Lucius trembled as he backed away.
The knight had its sword up to block his attack, while it let the spear stab into its shoulder.
Lucius didn't give it time to rest, rushing in with the sword in his hands.
"Lucius, let me guide your eyes." The goddess' voice came through to him and he frowned, moving in.
The knight pulled out the spear in one motion, pulling its cape forward.
The knight's cape unfurled like a curtain, swallowing the world in absolute black. The torches were gone, the walls gone, even the faint glow of his centipede vanished. Lucius couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.
'Shit! What the hell is this now?' he panicked.
He heard footsteps coming towards him rapidly from a side and he turned to there.
He instantly teleported five meters to his side and he panted hard as he struggled to see anything inside of the black space.
'Is this what she called Blinded by Darkness?' he thought.
This space was eerily similar to a black space where he met a peculiar goddess a while ago. But this one only had a predator, not salvation.
In the next moment, his vision began to clear and become bright once again.
Seeing a projectile coming towards him he raised his hand, blocking the black blade of the knight right before it hit his shoulder.
"Grrrr..." Lucius dug his feet into the ground, stopping the sword with all his strength.
He now stood face to face with the knight, and it was even uglier than he thought. The helmet had only two holes with red lights inside and a blank surface.
On the helm were two horns that stuck backwards, like a demon's.
Lucius kicked the chest of the knight, pushing it backwards. He didn't know how he was seeing right now, but he had a suspicion.
'Is this the goddess' doing? She removed the darkness.' he thought, getting close to the knight once more.
And then, he let out a stream of black fire.