You Never Know Until You Try

"Charname's Adventures" belonged to a famous Western game series called "Dungeons and Dragons." The mages in those games wielded tremendous power and had a wealth of tricks, but their staying power was poor. They had to count every Spell and ration them carefully, or they would run out halfway through a fight and be left with nothing but a little dagger or light crossbow, taking potshots from the sidelines and fading into irrelevance.

Gorion was certainly a powerful mage, but even the strongest mage had a limited supply of Spells. That was why Pan Long had taken on the Goblins and Gnolls himself: to help Gorion conserve his magic.

Now the Goblins had routed and the Gnolls had been wiped out. That left Sarevok, a formidable villain, and two powerful Ogres. They were beyond what Pan Long could handle, so he retreated toward the carriage, pulling Imoen along with him.

Imoen had never had the chance to show what she could do. Backstabbing a single Gnoll had not satisfied her. "I think I could backstab one more. My Backstab hits hard!"

Before Pan Long could dissuade her, Charname spoke.

"Can you reach an Ogre's back, where its heart is?"

Imoen gauged the difference in their heights and shook her head.

She was only about five foot three, while those two Ogres had to be nearly ten feet tall. She could not reach the spot even on tiptoe!

"I could backstab that bald man," she said, plainly trying to sound brave. "I can reach his back!"

Charname's expression turned serious. "Are you really sure you'd survive after stabbing him?"

The moment Imoen heard the change in her brother's tone, she drew her head in and said quietly, "Maybe... if I'm lucky."

Charname smiled and said nothing more.

He knew his sister had given up on the idea.

As they spoke, Gorion tapped his staff lightly against the ground. Silvery-white light spread around them, and a translucent silver owl appeared above each person's head. The apparitions lasted less than half a second before dissolving into falling sparks, but everything before their eyes suddenly brightened. The pitch-black night, in which they could barely see their hands in front of their faces, became no darker than an ordinary dusk.

Dimness like that did nothing to hinder movement or combat.

Charname hurriedly gave Pan Long a healing potion. The moment the green liquid, infused with sacred power, reached his stomach, Pan Long felt the ache of his many wounds ease. They barely bled anymore, and even the fatigue left by the fierce battle lifted somewhat.

He opened his character panel and, sure enough, saw that his health had recovered considerably.

His Experience Points had risen as well.

The five Gnolls had given him 300 Experience Points each, and the thirteen Goblins had given him 100 each. That came to 2,800 Experience Points—an astonishing amount. It meant this battle alone had earned him enough to raise his character level.

He did not hesitate. He raised his level from one to two.

That single level gave him 15 more health points, doubling his total outright.

His injuries seemed to improve almost instantly. After all, he had lost nine of his original fifteen health points, then recovered four thanks to the healing potion, leaving him at ten. That put him somewhere between "lightly wounded" and "moderately wounded"; he could hardly be called well.

But with thirty health points and only five missing, he no longer even counted as "lightly wounded." At most, he had a few minor injuries.

In practical terms, his wounds had been gaping cuts that had spared his tendons, bones, major blood vessels, and organs. Now he merely had a few broken patches of skin and had lost a little blood—nothing worse than nicking his hand while making a model with a craft knife.

The next level would require 4,000 Experience Points.

If I remember right, there's no experience penalty before level three. The Experience Points from killing monsters won't drop off... So I can reach level three, save up another big batch of Experience Points, then gain several levels at once.

Besides... level three gives me an extra weapon proficiency point and an auxiliary skill point.

Ah, I get an extra attack at level seven, but that's still so far away...

The level-up had done more than increase his health and heal his wounds. It had noticeably changed the impression he gave off. Charname and Imoen looked at him with envy. Both rookies were still level one, and neither was likely to level up from this battle.

Gorion, who had seen far more of the world, showed no surprise. He merely glanced at Pan Long and nodded.

This lost warrior, "Pan," who had stepped in to help strangers in trouble, was indeed a dependable ally. But in a fight at Gorion and Sarevok's level, Pan and Gorion's adopted son and daughter were still too weak.

Given a few more years, perhaps they could grow strong enough to change the outcome of such a battle. For now, they could not.

Gorion sighed inwardly, though his face remained calm. "In a moment, I'll use a Spell to knock down the two Ogres. Finish them off, and be quick about it. I can't waste high-level Spells on creatures like them. That would play straight into Sarevok's hands."

"No problem." Pan Long nodded. "If you can put them down, give me five seconds and I'll make sure they're both dead."

Ogres were not trolls. They were somewhat stronger and smarter, and occasionally a mutated one could even cast Spells, but they recovered from wounds no faster than other creatures.

If Sarevok had brought two trolls instead, things would have been more troublesome. Those loathsome monsters would not die even with their heads cut off or their bodies hacked to pieces. Only fire or strong acid could kill them for good.

Gorion looked at the three young people and smiled. Then he raised his staff toward the two ogres, now close at hand.

"Go!"

At his command, golden light as brilliant as sunlight appeared at the tip of his staff. It shot forth and struck both ogres squarely.

The towering monsters swayed twice, then crumpled to the ground. Their eyes rolled back and their expressions went blank as they fell into a stupor.

Monster Stun? Isn't that Spell only supposed to work on weaker monsters? How did it affect ogres?

Pan Long charged forward, puzzled, but soon worked it out. Gorion was no low-level mage. He was a powerful wizard who moved among the leading figures of the righteous side, and even a villain of Sarevok's stature had brought a crowd of expendable fighters to drain his spells before daring to face him.

A master like that naturally had ways to strengthen his magic. Or perhaps it was simply an advanced version of Monster Stun.

In this world, distinctive Spells were as numerous as hairs on an ox. What was so strange about one more?

In moments, Pan Long reached the two ogres lying on the ground. He was about to kill them when warning flared in his heart. He leaped on instinct, narrowly dodging a stone hurtling toward his chest.

The stone weighed at least a dozen pounds, yet it flew with terrifying speed. It gave off a heart-stopping whistle before smashing into the nearby woods.

With a muffled crash, it snapped a fairly thick tree. The tree toppled and came to rest against its neighbors.

Pan Long's eyelid twitched. He doubted he was tougher than that tree. If the stone had struck him, he would have died on the spot and been blasted straight back.

He looked toward the source of the throw. Sarevok was smiling easily, though his grin was savage.

"Oh, you dodged it. Not bad," Sarevok said. "You'd make a useful subordinate. Interested in working for me? I can offer you far more than that penniless old scholar Gorion."

Pan Long landed lightly and watched him warily, ignoring the two stunned ogres within arm's reach. "Your subordinate? If I remember right, you just stood there and watched your own men die all over the place. I don't think a leader like that can be trusted."

"Cannon fodder like goblins and gnolls hardly qualifies as 'subordinates,'" Sarevok said without concern. "The ogres barely qualify, but even they fall short. If you joined me, though, you'd be worthy of the name. Well? Interested? I command no small force."

Pan Long gave a Cold Snicker. "An elder of mine once warned me never to trust what those in power say. Judge their intentions by what they do. What do you think your actions mean? I certainly don't believe you truly care about some young nobody who's barely set foot in the world!"

"So you mean to reject my generous offer? Perhaps even fight me?" Sarevok burst out laughing. "What gives you that kind of confidence? You struggled against a handful of gnolls, little man. You have a long way to go!"

"You never know whether you can win until you try," Pan Long replied. "Even if I lose, that's better than being deceived by you and casually killed once I'm no longer useful!"

"How clever of you." Sarevok stopped laughing. "But clever people don't live long!"

Before the last word had left his mouth, he accelerated sharply. Faint afterimages trailed his body as he hurtled straight toward Pan Long.

Charname and Imoen had just arrived and were using their weapons to kill the two stunned ogres. Sarevok's charge brought all three of them within his reach.

Watching the bald villain rush toward them at astonishing speed, Pan Long knew there was no dodging this time.

He drew a deep breath and roused every scrap of True Qi within him. Instead of retreating, he charged to meet Sarevok and struck with all his might.

The palm strike drove straight down the center, without a single feint. It was speed and crushing force taken to their limits: Heart-Shattering Form, the killing move of the Pan Lineage's Iron Palm.

Boom! Pan Long felt as if his right palm had struck solid steel. Not a bit of his force went through; instead, it rebounded into him. The bones in his palm cracked, and his entire right arm went numb. He could not keep his footing. The recoil sent him flying backward, the world spinning around him, and he had no idea how far he traveled before he slammed into the ground.

Only then did he feel pain everywhere, worst of all in his right arm. He looked down. It had twisted into a grotesque shape; the bone was clearly broken.

"This is bad!"

He tried to speak, but instead of words, a great mouthful of blood came out.

He had given it a try, and the result was just as he had suspected. Against Sarevok, that formidable villain, his current strength was not enough.

At least his effort had not been for nothing. Charname and Imoen had killed the two Ogres and leaped into the woods to either side for cover. Even Gorion had finished preparing his Spell.

Gorion swept his staff, and torrential rain fell from the sky. His preparations for the fierce battle were finally complete.