(Calculation Boost: Overclock!)
Reflexively, Tyler swiftly assessed his present circumstances.
(The ambush approaches from my rear)
( The slender shaft of red light suggests a longsword aimed at my heart. )
(I am hemmed in by a wall to my left, but the expanse on my right is unobstructed, ideal for evasion.)
Through the time-dilation effects of “Overclock”, Tyler could accomplish more observation and contemplation within the same time-frame.
Although his physical movements would slow down accordingly, his cognitive speed remained unaffected.
In fact, under the combined influence of Calculation Boost and Overclock, Tyler’s thought processes accelerated beyond their usual pace!
Having rendered a judgement, Tyler acted accordingly. He waited for the opportune moment to terminate the skill, rolled to the side to evade the assailant’s sneak attack, then rapidly raised his head to get a clear view of his adversary’s face for identification.
(So it is you…!)
━━━━━━━━━
Albert, Male, 56 years old, Chief Attendant to Viviana of the Scarlet Family
Production Occupation: Hunter – Lv11
Manufacturing Occupation: Brewer – Lv9
Combat Occupation: Cursed Swordmaster – Lv73
Skills: 3/3
━━━━━━━━━
The person who had attempted to ambush Tyler was the middle-aged man from the “Future Death Scene”.
The man, whose cloak bore the emblem of the Scarlet Family, had already killed Tyler twice in the “Future Death Scene”!
At the moment, his unsuccessful stabbing motion mirrored exactly the one that had taken Tyler’s life the first time within the “Future Death Scene”!
(Calculation Boost: Overclock!)
Tyler reactivated his skill to aid his cognition. He now noticed three incongruities.
Firstly, the man’s identity – it was shocking to realize that such a man was Viviana’s Chief Attendant. Tyler genuinely felt concern for Viviana.
Secondly, the time – there were still two hours until “11:17 PM”. Did this mean he was to engage in combat with this man for so long?
Lastly, the man’s level – Tyler had assumed his adversary was not a formidable character, only to discover he was level 73, six levels higher than even Granny Kasi!
According to the ranks of the Combat Occupation, levels 1 to 20 were Tier 1, 21 to 50 were Tier 2. This man, Albert, was already a Tier 3 profession. 𝑜𝑽ℯ𝐿xt.𝗇𝓔t
Furthermore, the title “Cursed Swordmaster” hinted at a mysterious Combat Occupation, compelling Tyler to be extra vigilant.
Anything associated with the concept of a “curse” was unquestionably difficult to handle.
·
“How did you manage to dodge… How did you detect me?” an astonished Albert questioned, sheathing his sword after a swift arc in the air.
“Before soliciting answers from me, don’t you think you should explain your actions… Mr. Swordsman from the Scarlet Family? As far as I’m aware, I’ve never had any disputes with the Scarlet Family.”
Tyler slowly rose, continuing to assess Albert’s status information while taking advantage of the conversational opportunity.
━━━━━━━━━
Albert
Life Energy: 4936 / 4936
Endurance: 2651 / 2964
Magic Energy: 3670 / 3670
━━━━━━━━━
In terms of the three basic attributes, Albert’s capabilities were slightly superior to the Flame Dragon, especially in terms of attribute balance.
However, Tyler was well aware that in this Prison Star World, the basic attributes were underpinned by a complex calculation method. He couldn’t simply compare Albert’s strength to the Flame Dragon’s based on attributes alone.
For instance, with nearly 5000 points of Life Energy, Albert’s resilience would definitely not match the Flame Dragon’s.
This brought into play concepts like physical and magical defense. Tyler believed that as the “Divine Eye of Transcendence” leveled up, he would be able to perceive these attributes as well.
“You recognize the Scarlet Family emblem… Impressive for a pariah,” Albert remarked, noting Tyler’s attire which revealed his humble status.
This recognition instantly kindled a sense of class superiority in Albert.
Typically, Albert wouldn’t deign to converse with pariahs. However, Tyler’s successful evasion of his initial attack had piqued Albert’s interest, prompting him to offer some “special attention”.
“Given your commendable skills, I’ll indulge you with an explanation,” Albert said, raising his sword to point in the direction of Mayor Gideon’s mansion.
“Listen up, my actions tonight have nothing to do with the Scarlet Family. It is Mayor Gideon of Sunny Town who seeks your life.”
Upon hearing this, Tyler burst into laughter.
“Um, didn’t you notice the blazing inferno consuming the mayor’s house? He’s dead. You don’t need to bother with this anymore.”
Normally, with the employer’s death, the contract would end, but to Tyler’s surprise, Albert was not one to play by conventional rules.
“Once I’ve accepted someone’s money, I see the job through to the end. I don’t take promises lightly, unlike you pariahs.”
Albert’s words were lofty and noble, claiming the moral high ground. But his inner thoughts were far from virtuous: this rare, legitimate opportunity to kill could not be wasted – he would not let this young man escape.
— (Give it your all to entertain me… young man…)
— (I’ll make you understand the joy of combat… the pleasure of being killed…)
·
Observing Albert’s inner thoughts, it dawned upon Tyler that he was dealing with a psychopath who reveled in killing.
Such an individual, even if currently loyal to Viviana, would inevitably pose a latent threat.
However, even without these complications, Tyler would still eliminate him.
After all, since the man harbored murderous intentions towards Tyler, there was no reason for Tyler to let him live.
(Silly Nissen: Unless you can’t beat him.)
(Tyler: Did I ask for your opinion?)
·
At first glance, it appeared that Albert held the upper hand, his towering stature exuding an intimidating aura.
On the other hand, Tyler, clad in black, seemed disheveled, as if he had just rolled in the mud, despite his handsome features.
But this was merely a superficial observation. Behind the scenes, Tyler had, during their conversation, thoroughly scrutinized Albert, not only his basic and status information, but also his equipment.
Firstly, the longsword that Albert wielded, his only weapon, was named “Scarlet Steel Rapier: Gale”. This sword could enhance all attributes by fifteen points for the wielder and could further increase the endurance limit by a hundred points during combat.
Next was his fine silver chainmail, which could absorb 30 points of physical damage in place of the wearer each time they were attacked. However, if the damage absorbed surpassed 500 points within a minute, it would be destroyed.
Then came the combat boots. Like Tyler’s, Albert’s were also of the lightweight variety, providing a bonus of 20 points to the agility attribute. Additionally, he wore a “Ring of Swiftness” on each hand, each augmenting agility by 15 points.
Lastly, the cloak, which had a slightly different attribute. Its effect was to increase the wearer’s fire damage resistance by 20 points.
The only unknowns were Albert’s three skills.
As Tyler was contemplating how to coax out information about these skills, Albert suddenly launched an unexpected attack.
(Calculation Boost: Overclock!)