Chapter 56: The Poisoned Advantage

The dwarf winced and immediately punched me away.

The blow caught me across the face, forcing me to release his arm as I staggered backward.

Pain spread through my cheek, and my vision blurred momentarily from the impact. I nearly lost my footing, but I managed to steady myself before I fell.

Despite the pain, I couldn’t help smiling.

I could still taste the blood in my mouth, and I found myself relishing it more than I cared to admit.

However, the real reason for my smile had little to do with the taste.

[Venomous Bite] had taken effect, and the dwarf had just made the mistake of allowing me to sink my fangs into him.

He might have been stronger than me, more experienced, and better equipped to handle a direct confrontation, but that didn’t mean he was immune to everything my goblin body could do.

The dwarf raised his injured arm and stared at the bite marks near his forearm.

At first, he seemed more annoyed than concerned, as though he considered the injury little more than an irritating scratch. Then his expression changed. His fingers twitched, and he flexed his hand as if checking whether he could still move it properly.

He flinched when he noticed something was wrong.

His eyes snapped toward me.

"What did you do?"

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand, unable to suppress my grin.

"Poisoned you. Why? You don’t have a counter against that?"

"Damn you."

The dwarf charged before I could say anything else.

I immediately leaped backward, activating [Enhanced Legs] to put some distance between us.

My legs propelled me away from his incoming strike, and I landed several steps back, my feet scraping against the ground as I struggled to absorb the impact.

My ribs protested, but I ignored the pain and kept my eyes on him.

He was moving faster than I expected, especially considering that the poison had already begun affecting him.

I couldn’t tell how much of his strength remained, but I had no intention of finding out by letting his axe connect with my body again.

Before he could close the distance, I drew in a deep breath and activated [Thunderous Roar] once more.

A thunderous roar erupted from my throat, carrying a concentrated burst of mana toward the charging dwarf.

The pressure struck him before he could complete his next step, disrupting his forward momentum and forcing him to brace himself against the force.

I laughed and charged at him without relenting.

The dwarf raised his long axe just in time to meet my first strike.

Our weapons collided, and I immediately followed with a second swing, putting as much strength behind it as I could manage.

He deflected both attacks with practiced movements, but I wasn’t trying to overwhelm him through brute force.

I wanted to keep him occupied while making sure he couldn’t land another clean hit on me.

The moment he tried to close the distance, I leaped backward using [Enhanced Legs], putting several steps between us before he could bring his weapon around.

The dwarf’s expression darkened.

He charged again, seemingly growing desperate as he tried to force me into another close exchange.

However, I refused to cooperate.

Whenever he approached, I attacked just long enough to make him defend himself before retreating out of his reach.

I wasn’t interested in engaging him in another prolonged bout of weapon clashes.

Every exchange carried the risk of him finding an opening, and I had already taken enough damage to know what would happen if I gave him one.

He swung at me, and I sidestepped before striking at his shoulder. He turned his axe to intercept the blow, but I was already moving away.

When he tried to follow, I used [Enhanced Legs] to retreat again, forcing him to cover the distance between us while I conserved my strength.

It was a frustrating way to fight, but I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

I was trying to survive.

[ Rage ] had ended some time ago, leaving exhaustion in its wake.

However, [Thunderclad] helped reinforce my body, allowing me to push through the fatigue and remain standing despite the strain.

The dwarf’s breathing grew heavier as the fight continued.

His shoulders rose and fell with each breath, and the movements that had once seemed effortless were becoming increasingly strained.

He tried to hide his exhaustion, but the poison was beginning to take its toll. His injured arm had become less reliable, and he occasionally struggled to adjust his grip on the long axe.

I could see it in his movements.

The poison was spreading through his body, weakening him little by little.

I didn’t know exactly how long it would take before he succumbed to it, but I knew I had an advantage as long as I avoided giving him an opportunity to finish me first.

I just had to wait.

I glanced at the system display and checked how much mana I had left.

The number wasn’t encouraging.

My lightning abilities were consuming mana quickly, especially when I used [Thunderclad] to reinforce my body or relied on [Lightning Step] to escape his attacks.

Even [Thunderous Roar] demanded enough energy that I couldn’t keep using it without consequences.

I had to be careful.

If I exhausted my mana before the poison finished weakening him, I would lose one of my greatest advantages.

My physical strength had improved considerably since acquiring the legacy, but I was still injured, and the dwarf remained a dangerous opponent even in his current condition.

He stopped advancing.

For a moment, I thought he was preparing another attack, so I tightened my grip on the Doom Axe and watched his hands. Instead, he loosened his fingers and allowed the long axe to slip from his grasp.

The weapon struck the ground with a heavy clatter.

I blinked in surprise.

The dwarf swayed slightly, then straightened as much as his weakened body would allow. He looked at me for several seconds before a tired smile appeared on his face.

"Fine. You win."

I stared at him without lowering my weapon.

Was he serious?

After everything that had happened, he was simply giving up? He had spent the entire fight trying to kill me, and he had repeatedly demonstrated that he was willing to use every advantage available to him.

I couldn’t understand why he would suddenly surrender when he still appeared capable of moving.

Perhaps the poison had finally reached a point where he could no longer continue.

His breathing was ragged, and the arm he had bitten hung awkwardly at his side. If he was struggling to control his own body, admitting defeat might have been the only sensible choice left to him.

Even so, something about the situation bothered me.

I had learned the hard way that the dwarf was full of surprises.

He had already revealed more than one way to counter my lightning, and he had repeatedly changed his approach whenever I found a weakness in his fighting style.

I wasn’t going to assume that he had suddenly become an honorable opponent simply because he had dropped his weapon.

I kept the Doom Axe raised and watched him carefully.

"You’re giving up?" I asked.

The dwarf’s smile widened slightly.

"What else can I do? You’ve poisoned me, and I can barely feel my fingers. It seems I’ve lost this time."

His voice sounded tired, and for a moment, I almost believed him. Almost.

I shifted my footing, keeping enough distance between us to react if he tried anything.

My muscles ached, and my mana was running low, but I forced myself to remain alert. I couldn’t afford to let relief cloud my judgment now, not when victory seemed so close.

The dwarf lowered his gaze.

Then he moved.

His body shot forward with...