NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70 - Primal Roar
With a sharp intake of air, Archie's eyes shot open, looking around warily. The red, slitted eye was gone from sight, and so was the oppressive presence that surrounded it. "What the fuck was that?" Archie breathed, his voice hoarse.
He felt exhausted, far more than he ever felt before. Checking his pools, he saw that not a single one dipped below full. He was feeling exhausted from something else. I need to meditate; my brain is fried. Way too fried to deal with a boss right now.
Activating Nature's Meditation, Archie funneled the nature mana in his surroundings to flow into his body. He then activated Forgesmith's Flame, which helped him when he was going through a tough time mentally, so hopefully, it would do the same now.
Deactivating Nature's Meditation and Forgesmith's Flame, Archie released an exhale, his previous exhaustion gone. Looking around, he confirmed that the only thing around him was the statue that took him to that enormous, red, slitted eye.
Giving it another Identify attempt, Archie was rewarded with a prompt.
Miniature of Primal Wrath (Legendary) - Empty:
A miniature created from Starforge Steel by [Redacted] depicting Primal Tyrannous, the Primal Wrath of Dragons. Touching the miniature will permanently increase Strength by 100 as you have touched upon the Primal Wrath of a Draconic God. Can only be used once per century, but due to the intervention of Primal Tyrannous, all energy with the miniature has been depleted forever. The permanent depletion of the energy within the statue has now made it a husk of what it previously was, thus degrading its rarity.
"The hell?" Archie mumbled as he looked through his notifications and status page.
*You have touched the Miniature of Primal Wrath – Points allocated*
Skill Evolution: [Taunt (Rare) → Primal Roar (Radiant)]
Primal Roar (Radiant):
Your presence on the battlefield alone has a weight that garners the attention of all, your existence on the battlefield is a deliberate challenge that no foe can ignore. With a guttural roar that reverberates across the battlefield, you shatter the will of weaker individuals and enrage all those around you. Forces all enemies within a Perception-USM radius to focus solely on you, killing those with weaker wills, and briefly stunning stronger opponents. The records of the skill have been heavily touched by the records of Primal Tyrannous.
Archie Gracefield
Race: Human E-Grade Lv 70
Class: Nature-Attuned Pugilist Lv 71
Profession: Novice Forgesmith Lv 66
Health: 6187/6187
Mana: 2629/2629
Stamina: 6532/6532
Stats:
Vitality: 583 (618)
Strength: 838 (1047)
Endurance: 568 (653)
Agility: 368 (404)
Intelligence: 286 (314)
Wisdom: 239 (262)
Willpower: 170 (204)
Perception: 269 (295)
Free Points: 78
Class Skills: Leeching Strikes of Fury (Uncommon), Savage Charge (Rare), Adrenaline Rush (Legendary), Pugilist's Grit (Rare), Retaliation (Uncommon), Relentless Flurry (Rare), Primal Roar (Radiant), Thornscourge Expansion (Epic), Spirit Bond (Rare), Last Stand (Rare)
Profession Skills: Forgesmith's Flame (Uncommon), Mana Smithing Mastery (Common), Advanced Runic Mastery (Uncommon), Material Insight (Rare), Gaze of the Forgefather (Radiant), Core Resonance Forging (Uncommon)
Bloodline: Adrenaline Junkie (Unique) [+10% to Strength and +10% to Willpower]
Affinity: Greater Nature Affinity (Epic)
Blessing: Blessing of the Forgefather (Moderate) [+5% to Strength and +5% to Endurance]
Titles Collected: Bloodline Progenitor [+10 Vitality and +5% Vitality], Flawless E-Grade Evolution [+10 all Stats], Legendary Innovator [+20 to all Stats and +10% to all Stats]
Tutorial Points: 427,945
Archie released a soft chuckle under his breath as he read through the notifications and finished looking through his status page. "So, this statue is considered to be a miniature…How large was the guy I just saw?"
As shit as that was, I now have over one thousand Strength and gained a skill evolution, Archie smiled as he stared at his status page. But mulling over the statue's description, his hunch was that there were rarities past Legendary. How many were there? He didn't know.
What he did know was that he just got up close to a T-Rex dragon god, one whose eye was large enough to block the horizon. Was it wrong that Archie's heart was still racing at the thought of wanting to fight it? He knew he would instantly be killed right now, but when he would become strong enough, wouldn't that be fun?
Looking back at the miniature's description, it said that it lost all of its energy and is essentially a normal statue made from Starforge Steel…And Archie was looking for metal that could handle mana really well for the engine of his bike.
Looking at his surroundings once more, Archie slowly made his way in front of the miniature and grabbed onto it. Gritting his teeth, Archie lifted the giant miniature and tried to shove it into his spatial storage, but it did not have enough room to store it. Shit, Archie complained. He always knew that eventually, his hoarding tendencies would get the best of him.
Looking through his spatial storage, Archie sighed as he tried to find what to throw out. Hmm, forging equipment – I need that, table, bed – really need that, guns, staff? No, I'll need it eventually. Ninety-nine pounds of frostiron? Eh, I guess I can toss a couple pounds, Archie mumbled as he dropped fifty pounds of frostiron onto the ground.
Oh! I have quite the collection of cores, Archie realized. I can get rid of the Magma Hound Beastcores and the majority of the Resonance Bat Beastcores, since I can just use the raptor beastcores instead of the Magma Hound ones.
With that done, Archie crammed the Miniature of Primal Wrath into his spatial storage and grabbed a Magma Hound Beastcore before placing it in his potion satchel on his back.
Continuing down the pebble path, the pebbles grew into bricks the further Archie went along the path. As he went along the path, fog started to slowly emerge around him, until he could no longer see in front of him. Archie had since activated Vital Sight the moment the fog emerged around him, but found nothing.
Something was about to happen. Archie quickly funneled mana into the Magma Hound Beastcore in his satchel, blanking out for a moment before releasing a steam full breath. His body heat rose significantly, as well as a relatively moderate increase in his stats.
Just as he exhaled steam, a gust of wind passed over him, blowing away the fog that surrounded him and revealing his surroundings.
Archie found himself within a field of flowers. Flowers of all colors surrounded him, and the stone walls that towered over him vanished from sight. It was quite a beautiful sight to behold: Tulips, Lavender, Blue Bells, and many other flowers that Archie didn't know the name of, surrounding him.
The only thing that really stood out from the sight was the giant seven-foot-tall reptilian creature in front of him.
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[Stonejaw Primalsaur Lv 92]
The Stonejaw Primalsaur's stocky, muscular frame was supported by massive, tree-trunk-like legs. Its body was covered in a jagged, granite-like hide, giving it a rugged, stone-like appearance. Its head was dominated by a massive, square-shaped jaw lined with stone dagger-like teeth. The club-like tail bore a striking resemblance to that of the Scolosaurusi Archie had slain earlier.
Archie quickly activated Adrenaline Rush at 40% and Thornscourge Expansion, enveloping his body in a light-red-hued steam and corded vines that covered his body before sharp vines jutted out of them. He was about to fight a level 90 beast, twenty levels his superior.
The Primalsaur zeroed in on Archie, its Stonejaw clenched momentarily, before its stocky frame exploded into motion, barreling down towards Archie.
This is going to be fun, Archie smiled at the sight of a ten-ton dinosaur barreling towards him. Goosebumps covered his back as he kicked off the ground and charged toward the Primalsaur, activating Savage Charge.
Meters before Archie was about to collide with the Primalsaur, he leaned backwards and lowered his body, sliding under its massive form, using the rich grass to easily slide over.
Just as Archie was sliding under the Primalsaur, he took notice of its hide; it looked just as tough as the hide on its upper body. Meaning getting cheap shots below would be nothing more than an increased risk.
Just as Archie passed under its form, he surged nature mana into his arms, exploding the vines from his arms, wrapping around its club-like tail, and locking his body.
Archie jerked forward slightly as he dangled in mid-air from the Primalsaur's club-like tail, as the Primalsaur continued to charge forward. Righting himself, Archie dug his heels into the flower-filled meadows below, kicking enough dirt to create twin rivers.
Archie's legs locked into a squat as he flooded his nature mana into the vines wrapped around the Primalsaur's club-like tail. Gritting his teeth, Archie pulled back.
The Primalsaur swayed slightly as it charged forward, unbothered by its sudden movement and more focused on its talons being unable to properly grip onto the soft soil below. Suddenly, it noticed its speed decrease significantly, before jerking backwards.
Archie groaned as he funneled more stamina into his arms, pulling the Primalsaur backwards. With a twist of his hip and gritted teeth, Archie slammed the Primalsaur onto its side.
The Primalsaur's diminutive eyes widened in shock as its world tilted and its breath was knocked out of its lungs. Its body crashed onto the grass below, producing a burst of air that pushed back the flowers and grass surrounding it.
Archie kicked off the ground, leaping towards the fallen Primalsaur and releasing a flurry of blows, activating Relentless Flurry alongside Retaliation. His thorn-covered fists were coated with light orange hues that tore into the Primalsaur's hide and ripped into its flesh. With each strike, he leeched vital energy from the Primalsaur and enhanced his vital regeneration.
As the stolen vital energy surged through him, Archie felt his fractured bones—damaged during his effort to stop and toss the Primalsaur aside—begin to mend rapidly. As well as enhancing his next attacks, as he was able to now put more power into his blows.
Suddenly, a huge surge of mana erupted from the Primalsaur, blasting Archie backwards. Archie flipped himself upright mid-air, his eyes locking onto the Primalsaur as it rose to its feet, chunks of stone levitating around it.
Kicking off the ground, Archie charged at the Primalsaur, bobbing between the chunks of stone fired at him. Suddenly, a huge surge of mana spiked from under Archie, making him leap into the air, dodging a large cluster of stone spikes that jutted out from the ground.
But Archie was not alone in the air, the Primalsaur created spears of stone that levitated in the air before firing at him. Each stone spear was the size of Archie's torso and was fired directly at him. Archie's eyes darted to every stone spear, reminiscent of when the Giant Frostiron Turtle made a similar attack, only this was far greater in magnitude.
Flooding mana into his bracers, Archie activated Material Carapace, transforming them into Sentinel Platiniteshell shields. But unlike how they were when he defended himself from the Scolosaurusi's bone plate barrage, these shields were narrower and shaped like a downward-pointing heptagon, with the heptagonal head covering his knuckles.
Archie exhaled as adrenaline rushed through his body as he felt the hundreds of stone spears rush towards him with speeds that would make a supercar jealous. Archie's smile widened as he activated Relentless Flurry mid-air, smashing any spear that came close.
His arms became a blur as he smashed countless stone spears, shattering them and scattering the pieces. He felt his arms start to very slightly tremble after the three hundredth punch, the force of each spear akin to that of twenty bone plates the Scolosaurusi fired at him.
Not to mention, he was teetering on the line of Adrenaline Rush's limiter. His prolonged use of the skill had developed blood clots across his skin, but he kept smashing every spear that was fired at him; he had no choice, really, for every spear that was shot his way, three more came…Fuck me!
By the seven hundredth spear he shattered, the blood vessels in his arms burst, escaping from the armor from the numerous cracks that formed and dropped onto the stone shrapnel-covered flowers below.
But Archie soldiered through, he had already faced something that almost killed him earlier today, something far stronger than this dinosaur.
This was nothing.
His gauntlets had started to show signs of cracking, they had been full of kinetic energy, well before his two-hundredth punch. But he had no time to activate the skill before another spear skewered him.
His stamina was now under 2000 points and his mana was under 800 points, and his Spirit Bond's timer was now under four minutes.
Suddenly Archie saw movement head towards him, larger than the spears. The Primalsaur, seemingly bored of seeing Archie pummel through his attacks, decided to take matters up close and personal as its stone spears were amounting to nothing other than dust.
Its body was now covered in stone, but it didn't hinder its movement as it barreled towards Archie with its seemingly endless stone spears still firing at him, but now at a slower pace. Its ripped-up underside was healed over and covered by pieces of stone armor. Is that Stone Shroud?
Archie kicked off the ground, dodging the charge of the Primalsaur while sending a burst of nature mana into his back. The vines on his back exploded outwards, grabbing onto the many stone spears that flew at him before using their momentum to fling them at the Primalsaur's stone-covered rear.
Activating Savage Charge, Archie charged toward the Primalsaur, uncapping the mana potion that he took from his spatial storage and spinning its contents before draining it in less than a few seconds, uncaring of the stone spears that flew at him from behind.
With Archie's active buffs, he was able to catch up to the Primalsaur's speed and sent a large burst of nature mana into the vines around his fists, sending an explosion of vines towards the Primalsaur's hind legs. The vines corded around themselves tightly before splitting mid-air and binding themselves around their tree trunk-like hind legs.
The sudden restriction unbalanced the Primalsaur and sent it tumbling forward, crashing onto the ground below and ruining its concentration on stone spear creation. The stone spears that chased after Archie endlessly crumbled mid-air before falling onto the trampled flowers below.
Archie was also affected by the Primalsaur's tumbling as his arms were ripped out of their sockets from the force, barely attached to his shoulder.
He soldiered on, after all, pain was temporary, but the rush… the rush was…euphoric. Enough to make him disregard the pain moments after he felt it.
Archie kicked off the ground and released a flurry of blows to its stone-covered side, already flooding his arms with vital energy he sorely needed to repair his ruined arms. With every punch, he grew stronger, his muscles regenerated.
The stone around his side shattered after the 10th blow, allowing Archie purchase to tear into his rugged, granite-like hide. His thorn-covered Relentless Flurry blows ripped through its hide, but something happened that Archie did not see.
The Primalsaur's club-like tail extended, growing seven meters in length and smashing into Archie's unguarded right side.
The spiked club smashed into his shoulder initially, severing the still-healing muscle fibers and bones with ease, before hitting his side.
However, just as the last muscle fiber in his right arm severed, the adrenaline that flooded throughout his being, erasing most of his pain, filled him with enough clarity to move his fist and activate Impact Dynamo.
Impact Dynamo released an explosion akin to a hundred bombs, sending Archie flying through the air, leaving a trail of blood flowing behind him, before tumbling to the ground, ruining the flowers under him and staining the ground with his blood.
The Primalsaur's club-like tail exploded, showering the once beautiful flower field with chunks of flesh and blood. The Primalsaur's roar of anger and pain filled the gore-filled flower field.