Lower level and with meagre defences when compared to that big ass shield and sword. No doubt one swing or two would end me in a second. Fighting this dude was betting my life. Not exactly where I had expected my life to end up. But life has a weird way of being weird.

  Yet despite all this crap, in this moment. Facing a literal incarnation of death. Oddly, I have never felt more alive. All those years sitting behind a desk, obeying rules and doing my job. When it turned out I needed to go a little rogue.

  I couldn't help but smile, chuckling even. To an outside observer, I probably looked like a madman. And as expected, the incarnation of death looked at me, probably perplexed why I wasn't pissing my trousers.

  "What is humorous?" He questioned in an odd, regal manner of speech.

  "It's nothing." I tried to shove the idea away. "It's just the absurdity of this situation. I mean, I was just an office clerk a short while ago. Never even thought of doing anything as crazy as this." I gestured at the insanity that surrounded us. "Despite it all, I don't think I will ever go back."

  Narrowing my gaze, I firmed my resolve to steel, ready and willing to fight with everything I have. Tightening my grip on my sword, I readied several skills, isolating them to the forefront of my mind.

  The sound of stone cracking as the death knight slammed his mighty greatsword into the floor. Point first and with no effort on his part. He just casually slammed the weapon onto the floor.

  "The call of battle — what is your name, warrior?"

  "I'm not a warrior, but the name is Joey." I answered with a chuckle.

  "Joey." He seemed to test the name. "Be honoured that my sword will see you fall, for I am Argathoth the undying."

  Oddly, I felt kind of honoured. This guy wasn't a max-level, overpowered dude. But he looked wicked cool and to die in battle against him. Well, that wasn't too bad, if I had any intention of dying today.

  With no further words, I charged with blade in hand, preparing to put my all into this fight. He withdrew his sword from solid stone and immediately swung at me. The giant slab of metal nearly grazed my neck as I deftly dodged to the side.

  Digging in my heels, I leapt atop his tower shield, over the defence and struck down with my blade. I barely nicked his face before he bashed me away like a toy. A giant tower shield raised and slammed against me.

  Negating much of the impact with a quick kinetic strike. Still launched me across the floor and into a wall. Dazed and confused, I shook it away as seeing multiple death knights meant bad stuff happened to the brain.

  The death knight didn't remain idle this time. His all defence strategy had changed, and soon he was charging at me. Every booted footstep shook the ground and cracked stone. Death was coming for me and, sadly for him, I had no intention of dying. Oh, that sounded cool.

  "Play me some tunes, Jen, and share the love with all." I requested.

  Smooth jazz and a piano solo slowly engulfed the room, confusing a few of its denizens. The voice of an energetic singer with epic talent came in like a wrecking ball. The Queen made her debut, and you can't stop her now. Music had always been a comfort, and it seemed only fitting for me to spread across this poor world.

  "What is that sound!" The death knight demanded.

  "It is pure beauty, that's what that is." I answered, only confusing him more.

  Not letting any chance pass by, I launched myself forward, giving myself a push with a short and concentrated kinetic strike. For a second I was flying until the sudden stop at the end. Utilising my reflexes, I dodged the backhand tower shield. Getting over him was akin to a certain Persian video game character.

  Now behind him, I struck true into his spine, severing anything in reach. Instead of falling over, cut in half, the undead body slowly regenerated, bones and flesh stitched back together. The undead entire body spewed an ominous aura. High-level dudes and their cool healing skills.

  "Jen, add getting a healing skill to the to-do list." I quickly added before dodging another bitch slap.

  The familiar prompt resounded in my head as I backed away. Assessing my options, I tried to come up with a tactic that could work. He had a healing skill or repair skill since he is undead. I could overtax it, but that would overtax me. So, I should return to the tried-and-true method, killing blows with kinetic strike.

  The lumbering corpse of steel and bone turned to me, a glowing glint in its fiery eye. He sliced down at a speed far quicker than before. The darkened blade descended like death itself. Barely able to dodge, the sword sank into my shoulder, pulverising my meagre kinetic barrier and delivering a shallow cut.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  I still had my arm because of my exceptional reflexes, which I will hype until the day I die. Since they are one of the few things keeping me from getting a sword in the skull. Backing away, delivering a few wild strikes with my sword, I checked my wound. Not that bad, merely a flesh wound, but it was stinging a lot.

  Suddenly raw and unyielding pain lashed my shoulder until thick black veins bulged underneath my skin. Suffering greater than anything I had experienced nearly brought me to my knees. In scrutinising the wound, the truth became clear.

  "Poison!" I roared, half in pain, half in madness.

  "Not poison, but a curse or a blessing depending on your perspective." The death knight corrected.

  "Doesn't feel like a blessing to me!" I spat back with gritted teeth.

  "You will see it as a blessing once you have come back from the veil of death."

  "Oh, come on, undead conversion!"

  I now have less time; soon I will be a walking corpse if this crap finishes its job. Sending a mental command for Jen to analyse this crap. If I am to die and become one with death, perhaps Jenny can pull a miracle out of somewhere.

  But in the meantime, I will destroy this bastard with everything I have left. Given time was becoming a factor, it was time to go all out and kill this prick. Ignoring the pain as much as my meagre pain tolerance would allow. Mostly just relying on the crazy amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

  Bursting out with explosive speed, I sliced him across the body, not caring for his impressive durability. Slicing back and forth with reckless abandon, infusing every ounce of power into my weapon.

  Strike after strike, the undead endured every blow. And as time passed, the pain in my shoulder continued to spread, clawing its way across my flesh. Who knows what it will do once it reaches my heart or head.

  "There is no point in this. Let the blessing take you, you will become like me and serve a higher purpose."

  "I'm not a joiner, asshole!" I spat as another strike was blocked.

  Stamina draining, I frantically kept up the pace. The mad belief that somehow I was weakening him enough to make a lethal strike. It was all for naught as not one of my attacks did any damage. He was practically chilling while I exhausted myself.

  "You defence is insane!" I wheezed out between harrowed breaths.

  "I was made to defend my master." That was all he said in response.

  [Touch of Undeath. You have been cursed with the power of death. Time remaining until death and resurrection: 5 minutes and 40 seconds.]

  Thanks for the prompt, Jen; at least now I know exactly when I am going to die. Knowing that, I could feel my resolve faltering with every futile strike.

  Would this be my end? Killed from exhaustion while a death knight towered over me. Undeath infected my body and turned my soon to be corpse into a zombie. Not exactly where I saw myself in five to ten years.

  Minutes passed by without success, and the time until my death grew near. Jenny sadly had no solution, and a glance at the veins with the eye of the system revealed it was a magical effect. I couldn't see any trace of the system maintaining it.

  The system was tricky that way; some spells it practically governed and others held no trace. It could relate to the difference between true spells and spells crafted by the system.

  Haggard and worn, I barely got a slash out before he backhanded me again with that shield. Sending me to the floor, I dropped like a sack of bricks dipped in pain. Naturally, he stepped over me to gloat. My inevitable death seemed certain, and I couldn't blame him for seeing that.

  "I grant you this remaining time to say your goodbyes to the realm of the living." He said oddly, with a sympathetic tone of voice.

  Laid out and spent, I pondered accepting my death. Letting the curse take me to the necromantic promised land. Maybe it will be cool to be a zombie. But I rather doubted it. Glancing to the side, I noticed a piece of fractured armour surrounding his left leg. The idea came to me like a light bulb of destiny. There was a way out, and I would take it.

  [Touch of Undeath. You have been cursed with the power of death. Time remaining until death and resurrection: 2 minutes and 23 seconds.]

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