I almost fell to my knees.
Almost.
Greedily sucking in sharp breaths, I felt the pain burn through my chest and gut.
Those two hits I took from that summoned Essent — one in the sternum, the other in the stomach — would have put anyone else out of commission.
In fact, I think most C-rankers wouldn't have survived.
Thankfully, my Essence Circulation technique had strengthened my body just enough, giving me the monstrous endurance needed to tank those killing blows.
But even then, I was so outmatched that the fact I survived at all felt like a miracle.
A perfectly planned miracle — one I pulled off myself with a carefully crafted and well-timed strategy.
But a miracle nonetheless!
I mean, I took all the necessary precautions for this moment — getting the Divine Sword Aurieth in my possession, taking the secret Essence Circulation technique from Michael, and using Essence Stones to expand my Essence pool, even if only slightly.
And despite all that, I barely scraped by.
