Chapter 29: Poisoned
The shadowy figure, now revealed in the dim light, had a hood and cloak concealing most of their features. Lawrence's comment seemed to have irked them further.
"I'm not here to engage in a conversation with you, noble," the figure hissed, their voice tense with unease.
It was clear that the figure hadn't anticipated Lawrence to appear behind, especially when they had just seen Lawrence leaving the vicinity.
Lawrence raised an eyebrow, his demeanor still casual despite the tense atmosphere. The shadowy figure, as usual, imposed a mysterious vibe in them, but Lawrence knew.
Underneath the hood and cloak, was a cowardly person that refused to show their appearance because of their inferiority complex.
Because only those with inferiority complexes would not want to be seen by others and pretend to be mysterious or wickedly strong.
"You're not here to engage in a conversation with me?" Lawrence repeated the shadowy figure's words and felt hurt, faking a pained expression.
The pained expression was as if he was a man who had just been rejected by his crush or was dumped by his hot girlfriend. It was very convincing but irritating at the same time.
"But what if I want to have a conversation with you? Do you not want to converse with a handsome man like me? You don't have to feel inferior, my friend. Only I am the most handsome in this world, so there's nothing to feel bad about." Lawrence added, seemingly wanting to tease or taunt the shadowy figure.
"Hmph, ridiculous," The shadowy figure snorted coldly, seemingly disregarding Lawrence's nonsensical remark.
At the same time, the shadowy figure was beginning to conjure a powerful spell with its hands behind the cloak.
Lawrence kept a smile on his face, seemingly nonchalant from the situation, but inwardly, he was hoping to find some hints of the shadowy figure's identity.
He had truly intended to leave the vicinity earlier, but his intuition was screaming at him crazily, almost as if it was trying to warn him that he would regret his decision to leave.
Thus, Lawrence purposely faked his exit and wrapped it around.
Who would have thought he would spot a little rat hiding in the outskirts of his mana earlier?
Just how long was the person waiting for?
Lawrence had no idea either.
He wasn't an omnipotent being that would instantly figure out the truth. He needed context clues and some hints to piece the information together.
As Lawrence was busily deducting the opponent, he sensed an impending danger. With his brows knitted, Lawrence quickly flung his sleeve, creating a mana blast to deflect whatever was coming at him.
The crackling energy surged from Lawrence's fingertips, forming a protective shield against the impending spell. The force from the mana blast created a barrier, deflecting the magical attack directed at him by the shadowy figure.
The impact caused a sudden disruption, echoing through the dimly lit space. Debris scattered around as the spell's remnants dissipated into the air.
The shadowy figure was taken aback by Lawrence's swift reaction and shifted uneasily but didn't retreat.
"Wow, not only do you have an inferiority complex, but you are also a coward that does sneak attacks. Do you have no shame?" Lawrence was appalled as he judged the shadowy figure on the spot.
And before the shadowy figure could even respond, Lawrence continued to answer his own question.
"Ah, sorry, you clearly have no shame, and you're probably hideous-looking as well. So it was definitely my fault for hitting every correct point, prompting you to commit a sneak attack."
Although the shadowy figure remained silent, its body's movement proved to Lawrence that his taunt and sneering were working quite effectively.
'Hmm, it got agitated when I mentioned hideous-looking. Does that mean this person cares about their appearance? Oh dear, time to trash talk!' Lawrence exclaimed inwardly, having found a point that could provoke this mysterious person to no end.
"Hideous-looking person! Are you mad that I'm handsome and are jealous of me? Well, I'm sorry that god or goddess made you look like an asshole. Blame it on them." Lawrence snickered loudly.
"Courting Death!"
The shadowy figure growled, clearly riled up by the taunt, and launched another barrage of magical attacks at Lawrence.
Having expected that he would be attacked again, Lawrence easily dodged the magical attacks, which proceeded to crash upon the rooftop he was originally standing on, shattering it in the process.
"Ouchie, there goes the owner's insurance." Lawrence shook his head and glanced at the shadowy figure again.
"And can you be any more original? Courting death? What are you high on? Who the hell uses such a statement aside from fools?" He then taunted, poking fun at its statement.
"You talk too much!"
Angered, the shadowy figure gave up the long-range assault and turned to close combat. Within a few seconds, it had already closed the gap between them as it proceeded to punch Lawrence.
Narrowing his eyes, Lawrence easily deflected the punch but noticed something was amiss.
'How weird…' He felt an abnormality, but there wasn't an opportunity for him to think properly when the opponent didn't plan on stopping its relentless barrage of attacks.
Finally, after a few minutes of relentless close-combat attack, Lawrence managed to spread the distance between them.
"Geez, why are you so mad?" Lawrence shook his hands as if they were aching in pain from deflecting so many punches and kicks.
"Did I really poke your sore spot?"
"You're one annoying cockroach." The shadowy figure hissed coldly, clearly irritated by how slippery Lawrence was.
"Annoying, yes." Lawrence nodded his head in agreement.
"But cockroach? Bitch please, you are not only hideous-looking, cowardly, but also blind as well? What part of me looks like a cockroach? Your eyes must be terrible."
If words could truly kill someone, then what Lawrence did was super fucking effective.
The shadowy figure's body seemed to be trembling from rage. It was clear that it didn't plan on losing its composure, but with how shameless Lawrence was and how venomous his words were, it felt as if it had been poisoned.
Author's Thought (If you still got trolled in believing there's more content, I deserve a like/comment/review)
Author: Geez, just how much stalling can this Lawrence be? Just unleash a powerful spell and end the battle. Why so many trash talks?
Lawrence: Look at you author, this is pure comedy and strategic approach. Just step aside if you can't understand me.
Author: I created you...
Lawrence: Yes, you created me, but this is my story, my rule, my playstyle.
Author looking at his readers: What kind of abomination have I created?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone