Halmae stared, transfixed by the arc of the scimitar.

  Unlike most of the weapons monsters wielded, it was a beautiful work of art. Even in the dimly underground, she could pick out the details of a custom crafted hilt and the folded steel of the curved blade.

  But it was massive. Far larger than any scimitar she had seen, but then again so was her opponent. Standing well over six feet tall and with shoulders that fairly rippled through dull armor, it looked human but only just. The shrouded figure brought the sword around and while Halmae could appreciate the craftsmanship of the weapon, she brought up her own greatsword to block the blow.

  Clang!!

  The sound rang in her ears, but Halmae was only dimly aware of the sound. Her attention was on her own arms which were splayed out. It was a simple attack and yet it had completely broken her defense.

  Her opponent moved quickly, taking a step forward and readying its next swing while Halmae was still trying to regain her balance.

  Her hands came together and she regained her stance just in time to raise her sword against the next attack.

  Clang!!

  It was just as strong, not even a hint of variation. Before the monster could come back around, Halmae kicked off the ground and sent herself tumbling away.

  …mae!

  The clan chat crackled in her ears, but she needed to focus on her opponent.

  When she first saw her opponent, she mistook it for another player. Halmae even waved until she realized that it was far too large to be human. The monster had a torso, legs, and arms like a human but in proportions that no human could match. Pale white hair or fur peeked out from under a hood and cloak with heavy armor that would’ve weighed near a ton on their own. There were only glimpses of pale whiteness of skin. Its hands were also pale and white, but almost as if they were covered in close lying fur rather than skin.

  In comparison, the barbie upstairs looked like a child.

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  While he took stock of her opponent, she had the vaguest feeling that it was doing the same.

  Halmae readied her sword in her hands and accessed her System menu.

  “Let’s see how you handle me at my best, beastie,” she whispered.

  [Stoneskin] activated.

  [Battle Senses] activated.

  [Steel Grip] activated.

  Almost on cue, the hulking figure raised its own sword with one hand and swung.

  [Battle senses] sharpened Halmae’s eyes enough that she could nearly see the molecules of oxygen being carved by the sword cutting through air. [Steel grip] would make sure she kept her grip on her weapon, but then there was the force behind the blow to contend with. Instead Halmae lunged forward and crouched low, letting the sword sail overhead.

  Instinctively, she tensed her muscles, readying to counter attack, but her eyes picked out the kick before she shifted her weight. Even with [battle senses] Halmae only barely blocked the attack with the flat of her blade.

  The kick landed with a boom, but aside from bending her elbows to absorb some of the force, Halmae remained unmoved. [Steel grip] and [stoneskin] absorbed the majority of the blow, but she had to be careful to distribute the force. None of her skills would strengthen the steel of her blade and she suspected that her opponent was more than strong enough to shatter steel with a single blow.

  “My turn,” she said.

  Her counter swing came in wide but swift. Halmae had caught many an opponent unawares with the speed at which she swung her greatsword, but this one was different.

  Halmae felt the blade reverberate as the scimitar deflected the blade upwards. But she’d expected this. She let the momentum carry her around and shot out with her fist landing a glancing blow across the monster’s head. It wasn’t enough to cause any serious damage, but more than enough to stun.

  The attacks that followed were a volley of thrusts and slashes, all of which were perfectly timed and executed only to be easily blocked or turned aside.

  This is wrong, Halmae thought.

  Monsters were capable of dexterity, but it was unheard in monsters of this size. This thing was the size of a small van, but it moved faster than even Halmae was capable of.

  After yet another thrust that was easily parried, Halmae twisted the sword around and brought her sword around sideways.

  Sweat was pouring down Halmae’s face.

  It’s a weak blow, but it’ll draw blood. For now, that’ll be enough.

  The sword slipped past her opponent’s defenses and came in just under where the ribs would be for a human. With her keen sight, she could see that her aim was true. The blade cut in just below the armor and then nothing.

  It was as if her sword had impacted a solid surface and not flesh.

  She was so stunned that she barely noticed when her opponent used its bare hands to push her sword aside.

  “Let’s try this again, beastie.”

  Halme brought the sword back to ready position and pushed in again. Likewise, the encounter ended with Halmae dealing another blow to an exposed region that should’ve ended in a flesh wound but the blade did not pierce.

  Halmae brought the heavy greatsword back to a defensive position and took too large steps back.

  “This isn’t possible,” she whispered.

  Mae! We’re nearly there!

  She could hear Grim clearly, but she was too preoccupied with what she was seeing. The impossibility of it, but there was nothing else it could be.

  She lowered her sword and spoke directly to her opponent.

  “You… You’re using [stone skin], aren’t you?”