The Broom Witch kicked out with her right foot, striking Dick squarely in the abdomen.
With a whoosh, Dick was sent flying, smashing through the wooden wall behind him and landing inside the house.
A clatter rang out; there was no telling how many pieces of furniture he had knocked over.
Dick felt an unbearable, twisting pain in his stomach, as though a huge hand inside him had tangled up his intestines and was twisting them hard.
His whole body was drained of strength, and his vision began to double.
Another crack came from ahead as the Broom Witch kicked the door to pieces.
Dragging her cleaver behind her with a scraping sound, she slowly walked up to Dick and looked down at the witcher lying on the floor.
Naturally, Dick would not wait helplessly for death. He swiftly drew the small crossbow at his waist and fired twice, aiming straight at the Broom Witch's head.
But she keenly jerked her head left and right, and both bolts missed, embedding themselves in a wall beam with a hum, their tails quivering.
Dick's silver sword had fallen into the courtyard, and he had no time to draw his steel sword. He pulled the dagger from his waist and hurled it forward.
This time, the Broom Witch casually blocked the dagger with the flat of her blade, sending it flying out of sight in an instant.
Dick thrust out his palm again, sending a translucent current of air spiraling forward.
But this time, the Broom Witch merely raised her thick arm in front of her head and took the Mind Shockwave head-on.
After all that, Dick had almost exhausted his energy and stamina, seemingly unable to struggle any further.
"Witcher, you're a grasshopper at the end of autumn. You won't be hopping around much longer."
With those words, a large foot stamped viciously toward Dick's chest.
Dick raised both arms, trying to withstand that tremendous force, but it was all in vain.
A crunch of shifting bones rang out. Though Dick's arms were unharmed, several ribs in his chest snapped completely under the impact.
He spat out another mouthful of blood. Now his vision was not merely doubled; it was beginning to darken.
This was a sign that he was about to pass out.
No, I can't die. I've finally gotten another chance. How can I be defeated by such a minor enemy?
As he silently rallied himself, he suddenly felt someone grip one of his ankles.
Accompanied by a dragging sound, a dark red trail of blood wound from the house to the center of the courtyard.
After strolling leisurely into the courtyard, the Broom Witch released Dick's ankle. "I gave you a chance, but you refused.
"But your physique really is exceptional. A mutant freak indeed.
"Nothing should go to waste. At the end of your life, serve as my experimental subject and advance the progress of magic!"
With that, the old woman felt in her pocket again and took out a small gray bottle. She flicked its stopper off with a finger, and a foul, bloody stench wafted out.
The Broom Witch began talking to herself. "This contains the blood and tissue of Rock Trolls and Forest Trolls. I also added Leshen tissue and plenty of other unknown materials, then combined them using my eldest sister's magical formulation ratios. I'd call it Gargoyle Third Generation.
"I haven't tested this Gargoyle Third Generation yet. Congratulations, you've become my first experimental subject."
With that, Dick felt his mouth forced open, and a foul, bloody liquid poured inside.
He struggled desperately, but to no avail.
Then he felt as though his entire body were burning.
Pain, weakness, an unbearable itch, as though countless ants were gnawing at him.
Dick roared, trying to vomit the liquid out, but achieved nothing. He could only writhe on the ground in agony.
After an unknown amount of time, Dick lowered his head, pressed both hands hard against the ground, and stood up.
Looking at his hands now, he felt that they seemed a size larger.
When he lowered his head, the wounds on the skin exposed through his damaged armor were slowly healing.
What... is happening?
Dick suddenly felt some swelling at his right temple. Touching it, he found a small, bulging lump growing there.
No, the lump seemed to be growing still, and it was not just his temple, but the surrounding skull as well.
Dick cried out in agony again. He turned and picked up the silver sword he had dropped on the ground.
Though he did not know what was wrong with his body, he was now brimming with strength and seemed to be in much better shape than before. Even though his temple hurt fiercely, the pain was bearable.
The most pressing matter was still dealing with the monster before him.
"Ah, another failed experiment."
She watched the right side of Dick's skull continually expand and contract, expand and contract, with no telling when it might burst.
The Broom Witch sighed regretfully and swung her cleaver, ready to dispose of the experimental subject and retreat.
But a momentary look of astonishment flashed through her eyes, because the witcher before her had actually withstood her tremendous strength.
"Not bad. It seems my experimental reagent does have some effect. As long as I keep improving it, I'll succeed eventually. When that day comes, those arrogant sorcerers at the Magic Academy will pay for expelling me."
Seeing that one strike had failed, Dick shifted his feet and twisted hard, drawing strength from his feet into his waist and from his waist into his shoulders. He spun and slashed at the monster again.
The old woman held her cleaver across her body and blocked the blow.
Now her gaze was serious. She clearly regarded the witcher before her as an equally powerful opponent.
A short while later, weeds lay churned up and the entire courtyard was in shambles, the aftermath of their battle.
Apart from Dick's heavy breathing, the courtyard was utterly silent.
Ignoring the sweat dripping from his forehead, he looked at the Broom Witch opposite him.
She looked rather wretched, with several wounds of varying sizes on her body.
By contrast, even when the old woman had struck him earlier, his wounds had not been very deep, and they quickly scabbed over and healed. This was clearly the effect of the experimental reagent.
But Dick felt no joy, because the area around his temple hurt more and more, and his entire body was swollen, as though some monster were about to burst out of his bodily shell.
The time I have left...
Is running out.
"Witcher, I admit you're strong, but unfortunately for you, that potion was flawed. Otherwise, you might really have been able to defeat me.
"Now, I've had enough fun. In a little while, I'll be flying out of the city on my broom. Next, you can just die in peace! What a waste of such superb material."
With that, the old woman attacked again...
On the road to Dick's residence, Xiya gave an enormous yawn. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked utterly exhausted.
Yet she wore a satisfied smile, for in her right hand she held a round object covered by a cloth bag: the Dimeritium Bomb she had rushed to make overnight.
Earlier, Xiya had told Dick to go back first not because the Dimeritium Bomb took a long time to make, but because she could not guarantee she would succeed on her first attempt.
She certainly did not want the witcher to seize the chance to look down on her.
Fortunately, luck had been on her side this time, and she had actually succeeded on her first attempt.
Looking at the full moon in the cloudless sky, Xiya seemed to feel a little better:
When Dick sees how much effort I've put in for him, he'll definitely feel even more grateful.