A Survivor's life in the dungeon (A Danmachi Fanfic.)

Chapter 136

Hyakinthos didn't even get to finish his words as August suddenly vanished in front of his eyes and reappeared right in front of him. He could feel his hairs standing all over his body as the air started to pause, as if to give way to August and his attack.

August slashed his spear vertically, making a whistling sound as it sliced through the air, heading straight for Hyakinthos' neck.

The captain of Apollo familia quickly raised his sword to block August's spear. The two metals clashed with their mana battling for dominance, sparks of red and black flying all over the air, the very space itself protesting at the power the two were releasing right now.

Hyakinthos clicked his tongue; he could feel himself getting pushed back by August. He quickly pulled his sword back and spun left, his goal was to use August's momentum to get him off balance.

August, though, had full control over his body. He could feel the loosening of Hyakinthos's sword in a fraction of a second, so instead of pushing forward, he gripped his spear by the end and spun right.

Hyakinthos widened his eyes at the move; not only did he fail in making August lose his balance, he also spun right into where August unleashed his next attack. The blade of August's spear, heading straight for his eyes.

He tilted his head left, dodging the slash, yet the blade still nicked him on his left cheek, a crimson line appearing as a drop of blood trickled down his face.

August did not stop; he continued his attack, following up the slash with a powerful front push kick straight at Hyakinthos's abdomen.

The captain of Apollo familia raised his right knee to block the blow and, using his still free left, he jumped up, allowing himself to be carried by the momentum and gaining space away from August.

He skidded through the ground, stabbing his sword on it, using it as leverage to stop his momentum. As soon as he came to a halt, the ground beneath his feet cracked as he charged forward towards the spear user.

August stared coldly at him, calculating his trajectory like a hawk. He moved his right grip to the middle of his spear while the left stayed at the end. He stood low to the ground in a wide stance, prioritizing his stability and core strength.

Hyakinthos smiled and raised his sword above his head. Within the next fraction of a second, he brought it down, his sword whistling, slicing through the air straight for August's head.

August took one step forward and swerved his whole body to the right, dodging the slash by mere inches. He then stabbed his spear forward, aiming for Hyakinthos's throat.

The sword user parried the blow; he then countered with a vertical slash. August kicked the flat of his spear's blade, which made it twirl in the direction of the slash.

Metal hit metal once again, their eyes locked as they continued their mutual assault. Their weapons clashed over and over again as they tried to rid each other of their lives. Every blow was a death sentence waiting to hit, lethal at every strike, their blades glistening under the high noon sun that passed over the treelines. The air seemed to move with their every strike.

Their slashes were so sharp that every second, a wild slash would cut off a tree or mark the ground where they were fighting. A deadly stalemate between the two captains quickly formed, with neither one giving an inch.

Yet slowly but surely, one of them could feel like they were being pushed back. Hyakinthos could feel that the longer the fight went on, the more he was pushed onto the defensive. It was as if August had this sort of premonition of how he would attack next and had a counter ready for it, which made him lose balance momentarily.

Hyakinthos clicked his tongue, frustration starting to creep in, as his every attack was returned with two or three times the intensity. Until the only thing he could do was defend against the relentless onslaught of August's spear. He couldn't even get a chance to form a counter of his own. Slowly but surely, he was being pushed back.

'Damn it!' he cursed to himself. 'Our levels are equal, and I could feel that my strength is even above his, yet how am I getting pushed back?' Hyakinthos couldn't understand how, theoretically, he should be the aggressor here, especially after catching August off guard earlier. His stats should be even greater than August's as the orb pushed him near level 7 in stats alone. But what he failed to account for was the skill level between them.

How August was the much better fighter than the two, and it wasn't even close... The only reason he could keep up with him was due to his superior stats because of the orb he had consumed. If they were equal, he would have been a stain on the ground by now.

He's lucky August just reached level 6, so his stats didn't even reach a hundred yet. With Agility being his highest stat right now at 22-I. Yet despite all that, he was being pushed back, and slowly cornered.

And they made another miscalculation... They sent a horde of monsters to tire August out. It was a mistake. Especially since August has the skill *Beowulf's call*. A skill that allows him to grow stronger, the more blood Beowulf consumed... And right now, August had killed over a hundred monsters using Beowulf.

Their tactic to tire August out with multiple hordes of monsters had, in fact, boosted him. Making him even stronger than what his stats may suggest.

But that's not all... *Lethal tempo* is also at play; the more hits he dish out, the faster he becomes.

To put it shortly... Apollo familia's tactic was a huge error on their part. And who can blame them? They have no idea of August's skills; the guild never made them public. And Heracles had strictly ordered August to not reveal his status to anyone, not even towards the other members of the familia.

For the public, all they know is that August grows stronger the more he fights. They attribute that to a skill, but they do not know the specifics of said skill.

As famous as August is, he is still a mystery for everyone in Orario. Five months. August arrived in the dungeon city five months ago. And with that short of a time, he had made a name for himself as one of the strongest adventurers in the city and the hero of Orario. Yet even with all of that, he is still an anomaly, an unknown. His skills, status, etc., none of that is known to the public. Hell, three months and a half ago, only his name and alias are known... His face only became recognizable after the tournament and after he became the hero of Orario.

So it's understandable how Apollo did not know that feeding August's endless monsters would do them more harm than good.

But still, a mistake is still a mistake. And right now...

They still aren't aware of it... But they will... Soon.

They will learn that sending a horde of monsters towards August to tire him out will do more harm than good.

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Chapter 136 is now complete. How are you all enjoying the story so far?

Sorry about the late upload. It has been a pretty busy week for me. I quit my job and is currently been busy setting up my business. (A coffee/milk tea shop) It has been my dream to own my very own coffee shop ever since I worked part time at one. And now that I have raised enough money to make my own one, i did just that.

So I would probably stay busy for the following weeks to focus on the business, but I'll be sure to post 1 chapter per week at the very least. I hope you guys can understand.

Btw, if you haven't yet, please check out my other work. *Avatar: the Journey of Kai* if you have any time. I really would appreciate it.

Anyway...

Please leave a comment, review, and feedback to help me improve this fanfic. Every little thing helps me understand your preferences and will contribute to writing a better fanfic for you all to enjoy.

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Have a good day, everyone. Love y'all.