Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I had about an hour left until I could pick up my clothes from the [Tailor]. Which was rather fast honestly, considering the designs I had given came from Earth. But the [Tailor] was supposedly Level 30— the highest-leveled currently in all of Windrip. Garron was the one who recommended the shop to me, and I trusted the burly man enough to not be scammed.

For now, I waited, relaxed. I lay atop the roof of my inn, watching as the clouds passed overhead. I thought one of those floating cotton balls looked like a dog, for a second. A big fluffy dog. But I knew that it was just pareidolia— my imagination running wild and seeing images in mundane objects. I was probably just reminiscing about Rover. My first ever pet. I did miss him quite a bit.

“Maybe I should get a dog,” I said as the idea crossed my mind. But no— it didn’t feel right to just replace Rover like that. “A cat, then?”

I wasn’t even sure if getting a pet was a good idea. These were simply idle thoughts. Nothing substantive. For now, I was supposed to be mentoring Noele.

I looked up towards the sun’s position in the sky. It trickled down the blue dome like a single drop of water snaking across a burning saucepan. So slowly. But it was reaching the very fringes of the horizon.

“It’s going to be evening soon.” I closed my eyes. “That means I have to check up on Noele.”

I let out a heavy sigh. I really just wanted to lie down for another hour. Why did time have to pass by so quickly? It felt like I had barely even gotten anything done. I got up and shook my head.

“First, I’ll pick up my clothes. There’s probably still an hour till sundown, and Noele can wait a few extra minutes, right?”

—--

“Shit—” Noel cursed as she leapt back, raising her free hand and pointing.

The titan centipede hissed. Its undulating figure moved quickly, despite its size. It had to be a hundred feet in length and half a dozen feet wide. But it was fast— barely anything Noele threw its way hit. And the attacks that did barely did any damage. Case in point—

“[Scintillating Arrowfell]!” she yelled, and a volley of glowing arrows shot out.

It was a rain of magical projectiles. Ones that could even pierce through rock. The attack filled the entire cavern. There was nowhere for the titan centipede to escape. But the monster just reeled back, coiling into itself as the arrows bounced off its chitin.

Noele gritted her teeth. This was her chance. Right now, when the monster was distracted, she could strike with a stronger attack.

[Flash Step]. She vanished with a golden light. The entire world blurred around her as she crossed the distance between herself and the titan centipede in a split-second. The monster couldn’t react in time. It had just unfurled itself from its defensive position, and she appeared right before it with her sword raised.

“[Noble Slash]!” Noele swung down with her blade.

The entire cavern lit up as the attack clashed with the titan centipede’s shell. The monster shrieked in pain, and she heard a crack. The chitin shattered as green blood splattered out. In that single motion, she tore through to the other side of the creature.

It reeled back, its lower half dismembered. The Noble Spellsword stumbled forward, watching as the titan centipede split into two halves. But she wasn’t done. She already knew the monster was preparing for a counterattack.

The titan centipede whipped down at her, even with nearly half its body gone. It still moved with the same nimbleness as before. She managed to move out of the way with a second [Flash Step], but it rapidly skittered after her.

Noele blinked as its mandibles clicked open, pouring out a spray of yellow acid. She raised a hand, whispering.

“[Ice Wall]. And—” The acid landed on the barrier, quickly melting the ice as she pointed at the titan centipede with her sword. “[Fireflower]!”

Three petal-like bolts of flame shot out in succession, heading straight for the titan centipede. It wove around the attack, but another blast of fire came. It took the shape of a giant flower. Crimson, like a rose. And it engulfed the titan centipede, knocking it back.

Noele panted as she lowered her weapon. She watched as the monster crashed into the cave wall, writhing in pain and burning from the crimson flames. The Noble Spellsword was completely exhausted.

She was running out of Skills. Already, she was using lower-leveled attacks just to survive this fight. Perhaps she could wait out the cooldown for her other abilities, but until then, she would have to fight with her sword alone. And she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to keep it up.

This had to end now. Noele strode forward, moving to finish off the titan centipede, when she paused. A flicker caught her eye. She spun around just in time to see a sharp tail lashing out her way. But she wasn’t fast enough to parry it.

The attack struck her across her stomach as she leapt back, tearing through her enchanted armor. It sent her flying, rolling on the ground as her blood spilled on the dirt ground. Noele gasped as the sharp pain overwhelmed her body. Looking up, she stared with wide eyes at an impossible sight.

“W-what…?”

The lower half of the titan centipede was crawling across the cave wall. It had no head. It was bleeding. But somehow, it was still moving. The upper body managed to snuff out the flames burning away at its chitin by rolling on the ground. It got up, joining the dismembered lower body as they surrounded the Noble Spellsword.

Noele’s mind reeled. She didn’t understand what was happening. Was this some kind of Skill? It didn’t look like a regenerative ability. It was as if the titan centipede was puppeting its own severed half from afar.

“How am I even supposed to beat that?” She pursed her lips as she tried to get to her feet.

But the titan centipede struck out. Both bodies. They came at her from both sides, and she swung up with her blade, barely parrying the attack. But she was still knocked back. She staggered up, running back as the monster didn’t let up.

“[Flash Step—”

She vanished, narrowly avoiding another double attack. But as she re-appeared, she dropped to her knees. Noele coughed out blood as the wound on her stomach weighed her down. It hurt— and the [Flash Step] didn’t help, only invigorating the injury even more.

The Noble Spellsword stumbled back as she bit through the pain. The titan centipede hissed, rising up high as its antennae twitched. Its lower half shot forward, and Noele gripped her sword with both her hands. She blocked the attack as she was pressed against the rock wall.

“How about this— [Grand Fireblast]!” she yelled.

And a blast of golden flames shot forward. Enough time had passed, and the Skill was made available again. She put in everything she had into that spell. The blast of magic drained everything she had left in her.

It consumed the lower half of the titan centipede. This was an attack that even hurt the Goblin Lord. It was all Noele had left— it had to be enough to take down that dismembered body.

Her eyes widened as the spell dissipated. Some of the golden flames remained. Yet, the lower half of the titan centipede remained standing. It loomed over the blonde girl as the upper half joined it. She looked up as her knees trembled, threatening to buckle beneath her.

“How…?” Noele asked as both halves of the titan centipede encroached on her. “Why won’t it go down?”

The titan centipede’s antennae twitched, and the lower half of its body slowly skittered forward. There was nothing she could do. It was over. Her last efforts dashed. All she could do was hope— pray or accept her fate.

“I failed my first lesson…” she trailed off. “I’m…” Then the Noble Spellsword caught herself. Was she going to die here? Maybe Amelia would save her. If Noele just hoped, maybe Amelia would… maybe…

But the blonde girl remembered a figure saving her. A young woman with flowing golden locks. It was something that happened when Noele was still a child, yet the memory was so vivid. She remembered being so helpless. Unable to fend for herself. And the regrets. How she was so weak.

No— she couldn’t allow that. If Amelia had to intervene already, what was the point of this? Noele was supposed to prove herself here. She couldn’t give up just yet.

Her eyes flickered, and in that moment, she saw the way the two halves of the monster moved. She saw the twitching antennae. And she understood.

“I see now.”

The lower half of its body had no mind of its own— commanded by the moving antennae of the upper half. There was only one way to win, and it meant getting close to the head of the titan centipede.

Noele warily eyed the lower half as it drew closer. She waited until the very last moment before sidestepping the attack. With a thrust, she pierced through the broken chitin of the armor and pinned the lifeless body against the rock wall.

It struggled, thrashing and trying to break free, but it would take a moment. And Noele capitalized on this. She spun around, glancing up at the upper body of the titan centipede. At its twitching antennae.

The Noble Spellsword sprinted forward, even as her wounds ached. She refused to falter. She leapt to the side as the titan centipede spat out a ball of acid her way. The acid exploded, splattering all around her, sizzling and eating away at her armor.

She grimaced, but she didn’t let up. Noele vanished with a [Flash Step], appearing mid-air right next to the titan centipede’s head. The monster snapped its gaze her way— too slowly.

The Noble Spellsword crashed into its face, avoiding the snapping mandibles. She struggled. Noele fought back as it tried to bite her hands off. She landed a few good hits before gripping its antennae tightly. With all of her strength, she ripped them off.

Back at the rock wall, the lower half of the monster stopped moving.

Noele raised the sharp antennae and began to stab down with them. The titan centipede hissed, and her eyes narrowed. She saw droplets of a glowing yellow liquid spill from its mandibles as she gritted her teeth.

Acid. She had to keep it off her. Noele reached within herself, burning the last of the magic left within her. Quite literally. Her entire body was lit ablaze. An aura of golden flames wisped off her, burning her armor as the liquid evaporated before it could even get to her. She was quite literally burning herself to avoid the acid spray.

Noele continued stabbing as the titan centipede struggled. But it couldn’t get her off it. It crashed into the ground, violently flailing and smashing her against the earth. She refused to let go. The Noble Spellsword wrestled with the monster as she continued to impale it with its own antennae. Until, eventually—

It stopped moving. Its body went limp. Noele peeled herself off the monster, collapsing in the dirt as her golden flames slowly flickered out. She panted as she lay there, raising a burned hand.

“I-I survived…”

And a flurry of notifications flashed before her eyes.

[You have defeated a titan centipede!]

[You have cleared a colossal centipede nest!]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 49!]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 50!]

[Skill Evolved: A Warrior’s Power -> The Titan’s Strength!]

[Skill Gained: Nobleflame Armor!]

[Class Advancement Now Available!]

“I am finally A-ranked…” Noele managed to muster. “I—”

She tried to speak, but her lips ached. Her entire body was overcome with a numb pain. The world began to grow dark. The Noble Spellsword watched as her vision began to fade.

But right before the darkness could take hold of her, a cloaked figure descended from the sky. Noele raised a hand, whispering.

“I did it, sister.”

The cloaked figure cocked her head. And everything went dark for the blonde girl.

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