Splurt was merely putting on a show of strength.
With six decades of battle experience, he firmly believed in one principle: “A person’s psychological state greatly influences their performance in battle.”
In any level of confrontation, negligence in battle could be fatal. 𝗈𝗏𝐞𝔩xt.𝗇𝓔t
What Splurt had just said was intended to shake Oleg’s resolve.
— (Serpents in hiding!)
Seizing the moment when Oleg was distracted, Splurt quietly used a skill.
Unlike Oleg, who would shout out the names of his skills, Splurt always employed them silently to achieve maximum effect.
Splurt’s magical power flowed through his cane and into the floor, then swiftly “swam” towards Oleg!
“Hmph, Splurt, with your timid nature, you think you can go head-to-head with me? Your lies are far too obvious!”
Much to Splurt’s surprise, Oleg remained completely unfazed and even…
“STOMP!”
With an angry bellow, Oleg lifted his foot high and then stomped down heavily!
The magical impact from the stomp not only shattered the floor but also shaken the entire wooden cabin!
— (Damn it, his intuition is as sharp as ever!)
Forced to reveal his summoned snake swarm prematurely, the serpents formed from solidified magical power emerged from the floor, continuing their assault on Oleg!
Meanwhile, Splurt stealthily retreated, planning to escape from the cabin first; fighting in such a confined space was far too disadvantageous for him…
“Don’t think you can escape!”
However, Oleg showed no fear of the encircling snake swarm.
He swung his fists, swatting the venomous snakes lunging at him, forcefully breaking through the swarm and charging towards Splurt with lightning speed!
Gazing at the ferocious Oleg, who was just as formidable as before, Splurt once again lamented how his combat occupation was severely countered by Oleg.
Presumably, Oleg knew Splurt’s weakness in close combat, which was why he continued to advance recklessly despite the risk of being bitten by venomous snakes.
Left with no choice, Splurt had to use his second skill prematurely.
— (Serpent King’s Call: Phase One!)
Splurt slammed his cane onto the ground once more, and immediately, a swirling, deep purple summoning circle appeared beneath his feet!
A gigantic snake’s mouth shot out from the circle, swallowing Splurt whole in a single gulp. Then, an enormous snake’s body continuously surged from the circle, and the colossal serpent ferociously burst through the cabin’s roof, making its way outside!
Oleg, who was a moment too late, attempted to hammer his fists onto the snake’s body several times to little effect. He then turned around and withdrew from the wooden cabin.
.
Beneath the moonlight, the once small wooden cabin within the withered grove lay in ruins. Nassar crawled out from the wreckage, eager to escape amidst the chaos. However, the sight outside the hut shattered any hopes of fleeing.
Nassar saw Splurt, somehow emerging from the serpent’s mouth, confronting Oleg across a distance of about thirty meters in the clearing of the withered grove.
Perplexingly, countless mouse demons surrounded the trio!
“How… How could there be so many carrion rats?!”
Nassar gasped, but upon witnessing Splurt’s confident demeanor, he understood that these demons were part of Splurt’s ambush.
Not long before, Nassar had encountered carrion rats—the corpses discovered around the garbage heap in the Sunny Town’s impoverished district all belonged to their kin.
—(Could it be… Splurt is responsible for the carrion rats roaming Sunny Town?)
Nassar shuddered, realizing that the carrion rats were Splurt’s backup plan.
The cunning old man intended to unleash the demons upon Sunny Town if Nassar failed to obtain the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed, seizing the opportunity to steal the magical sword amidst the chaos.
—(What kind of monster have I allied myself with…)
Nassar fell to his knees, powerless and unsure of what to do.
His future no longer belonged to him; his fate would be decided by the victor between Splurt and Oleg.
.
“Ha ha ha ha! Bet you didn’t expect this, Oleg! This trap was set especially for you!”
Surrounded by a multitude of carrion rats, Splurt gloated triumphantly.
“Heh, no wonder Sunny Town has seen an increase in rats over the years, all orchestrated by you, old man.”
Oleg’s expression was grave but unflustered.
“Oleg, in consideration of our past, I’ll give you an opportunity: hand over the Blaze Steed, and I’ll spare your life.”
Splurt continued to pressure Oleg, but in truth, the surrounding horde of carrion rats was not a trap but a standard defensive measure to protect himself.
As an “elderly individual” living alone in the withered grove, he couldn’t leave himself defenseless.
“How ridiculous, Splurt! Do you really think you and these rats can stop me?!”
Oleg raised his fists, appearing as if he could crush any number of carrion rats.
At this point, Splurt could have commanded the carrion rats to attack, but he wanted to stall for more time.
“Oleg, Oleg, don’t be so arrogant. Over these decades, I’ve undergone a complete transformation… Let me guess, even now, you haven’t dared to challenge the trial, have you? You’re still level 50, ha ha ha!”
During his years of hiding outside Sunny Town, Splurt had investigated Oleg and learned that after advancing to the second-tier profession, Oleg never challenged the trial again, and his physical condition had deteriorated with age.
Splurt, however, was different—he had challenged and succeeded in the trial.
In the current battle, Splurt, as a third-tier professional, was fighting against a second-tier opponent.
Even though Oleg’s occupation countered his, as long as Splurt gave his all, victory would likely be his.
Confronted with Splurt’s taunt, Oleg exposed the old man’s cunning intentions with a single sentence.
“What does being level 50 matter? You think I don’t know your personality? If you were confident about winning, you would have stepped on my head by now! Do you really think I haven’t noticed you’re stalling for time to prepare something?”
Although Oleg saw through his plan, Splurt remained unshaken.
He knew Oleg understood him well, and it was only a matter of time before the stalling tactic was discovered.
What Splurt was waiting for was the maximization of his second skill, “Demons Control.”
With each passing minute, the number of carrion rats under Splurt’s control would increase by ten.
His verbal sparring with Oleg aimed to maximize the number of controlled rats.
As for being exposed, Splurt didn’t mind, knowing Oleg would prefer negotiation over confrontation when faced with the uncountable carrion rats.
Time was Splurt’s ally, and each passing second increased his odds of victory.
However, what Splurt hadn’t anticipated occurred once more.
“Let me tell you something, Splurt…”
Oleg glanced at the moon’s position in the night sky and flashed a mysterious smile at Splurt.
“Actually, I’ve been stalling for time as well.”