Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/SPLATTER!/

Expecting aggression from this unusual foe, Dale pierced the air before him, penetrating the beast's head effortlessly as it didn't even try to evade it.

/SCREECH!!/

Yet, with its dying breath, the creature vibrated its body, creating a loud noise akin to a cicada's chorusing that reverberated throughout the land, attracting more of its kind to deal with the threat at hand, himself.

[DING]

Followed by the System notification of its death, adding a meager amount of Experience to his progress bar.

Now that his Level was finally that of the creature he was facing, and with the fact it was nothing but a fodder monster, it would be a surprise if Dale even got as much as 1% progress to his next Level.

But what they lacked in strength they made up with numbers.

"HUPP!"

/SLASH!/

He pulled back his spear, knowing he had no time to rest, cutting through the creature's body with ease as he got in position to strike again, his vision already blocked by a new wave of incoming foes.

Like a torrent, a sea of monsters dashed from within the dust cloud, scattering it away as they ran, enraged.

Hundreds of creatures, each the size of an adult white wolf if not larger, some were wider and larger than brown bears…

Chitinous, brownish-yellow body, full of bumps and small spikes, together with a pair of flexible horns that went down the length of their bodies like two sharp edges…

Large, sharp fangs, excellent for shattering rocks, two thick and large appendages made to hold and carry heavy weights, strong enough to crush most metals raw…

Built like spiders, but they moved like ants. Their sight and sense of hearing were terrible but their other senses were extraordinary.

Monsters of the underground, stirred into madness as outside forces threatened their nest.

For the sake of the brood and their queen, nothing would stop them, not even death as their bodies twitched even after their heads were smashed into a pulp.

[Kresor Ant

Challenge Level: 55-65

*Fodder*

Affected by:

#Unrest

]

/BAM!/

Dale punched forward, projecting his energy outward before jumping back to give himself some room to breathe and think.

Right now, he was fighting within the ever-approaching dust cloud, greatly impairing his vision, while for the insects, it didn't matter if they could see or not.

Even if his training and senses were there to reduce his reliance on sight alone, Dale preferred to fight while maximizing his boons and reducing his disadvantages.

/Land…/

Dale landed atop a sand hill a few meters back from his previous position, carefully adjusting his footing so the cascading sand would not wash him away.

"Arg… Pfft! Just… What are these creatures?!" David questioned in a hurry as he spat out a mix of sand and dust from his mouth, flabbergasted by the sight of these unusual insects

"Kresor Ants, highly territorial, they used to be a common sight in the area, you know, before everything got covered in sand. Just one of the many reasons the South was deemed a forbidden zone." Dale replied as he scanned the battlefield

Upon hearing the name, David had a moment of enlightenment as a memory flashed in the corners of his mind.

From decades ago, he remembered hearing about such creatures.

"Somehow, they lived, or better put, they were never threatened by the sand, given they were predominately an underground dwelling species."

"... Tsk, I know now why you did that now…" David replied as he smacked his lips

"Right, at the end of the day, for the mines to be reopened, I'll have to push its current tenants out, and fighting them underground isn't a smart endeavor." Dale replied as he sharpened his gaze, looking at the dust cloud making its way to him

'This is the bulk of the Quest, to complete it, I'll have to clear the abandoned Drula Mines Dungeon, which is quite difficult given their numbers...'

"If I fought them down there, I would only end up destroying the tunnels or taking my sweet time holding back as I take them out one by one…"

'Even two months in the future, I only partially eliminated them after carefully making my way down the old mineshafts and tunnels they dug.'

'All the while using solely my spear… Caladbolg is too big to be used down there.'

'I took down three queens and dozens of egg chambers, yet it wasn't their end. It's an impossible task to try and hunt them down like that, I was foolish and when I realized I was using paper cups to extinguish a fire, it was already too late for more "radical" methods.'

'Not anymore.'

"Fighting underground is not an option, besides, I would eventually only get myself buried, these guys on the other hand are expert diggers…"

"So even if I destroy a few mountains and bury them in the rubble, they'll just dig out another entrance, one that is perfectly stable, aren't they nice?"

"... Alright. I got the gist of it. So? What's the plan?"

"By the rate they're rushing at us right now, I don't think they'll run out of numbers anytime soon, even an ordinary Ant Hill will have dozens of thousands of Ants."

"Even if you cut down every single one of these in droves with that slash of yours, it would take you well over a few tries to cut their numbers in half."

/Smile…/

Dale smiled under his helmet, pointing his sword forward.

"Don't worry about those details, they'll run out eventually, that's all that matters."

'Before, I tried being smart and considerate. I won't try to act like that every time anymore... Not that I'll follow the Karkavan way of doing things...'

"You're planning on doing a battle of attrition with them all? Just how long is that going to take? I thought we were in a rush…"

"Just relax and enjoy the show."

"..."

'What show? I'm barely holding myself from puking from all the nausea!'

'... Well… If I could throw up that is…'

/Stomp!/

Dale smashed his foot against the dune, causing a landslide as he hung onto Caladbolg.

/Jump!/

While the sand swept away the horde of bugs back onto the valley he had created, Dale got on top of his sword before jumping straight into the source of the madness!

/SLAM!/

He crashed amidst a pile of Kresor Ants, splattering their guts and limbs all around as he charged his sword again, ready for another disastrous slash.

'I planned to remove at least five of these mountains, create enough space for a small town to be constructed, a mining sight of sorts, all the while eliminating these bugs and leveling up.'

'But I'm worried I'll fail to last that long if I keep doing this… Still...'

'I can still do it one more time! My armor effect is still active and I have enough strength to slash again!'

/Crack!/

Dale took a deep breath as he tensed his muscles.

The world around him turned dark as everything became meaningless, only his target mattered now, the center point of his attention.

Even as the torrent of bugs jumped down on his, ready to tear him apart, he focused solely on the path ahead.

/Shine.../

This time, at his command, his Aura manifested instantly, fusing seamlessly with his movement, unimpeded.

It even seemed to aid him, strengthening his movement, and easing his burdens.

The arc of his sword was wide but it did not deviate.

/SLASH!/

/FLASH!/

The catastrophic sight repeated itself once more as everything before Dale became dust, blowing away the bugs into pieces.

In the distance, the arc spread, reaching its target faster than an eye could blink or even process.

/BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!/

/TREMBLE!!/

The echoes of his strike soon spread, delivering further mayhem onto the land!

[DING]

[DING]

[DING]

[You have slain…]

[+5105% XP]

[You have Leveled up]

[You have Leveled up]

[You have Leveled up]

[You have Leveled up]

[+12 to all Basic Stats]

[DING]

[Your current Level is 77 (21%)]

"... Phew…"

/Splatter…/

It was as if time had slowed down.

At this very moment, Dale stood still, his sword sideways as he exhaled loudly, compressed steam exiting his nostrils like two mist dragons, his armor shining as his Aura began to recede.

Around him, fragments of the mountain and the bloody remains of the bugs began raining down on the carbonized sand, paining a heelish vista for any onlooker.

'Another four Levels down… Leveling Up is really not a problem when you're overqualified… It would've been even better had I entered the Dungeon and activated its first-time discovery bonus.'

'But the requirements for each Level are getting harsher... The Experience I get from each insect will diminish over time as the difference in our levels widens.'

Dale had the urge to laugh as he saw the empty land in front of him, but he had greater worries to tend to.

/SCREEEECH!/

Behind him, one of the bugs remained upright, resilient and determined, it had not been blown away by the air pressure of his swing, moving forward with bloodlust in its four pairs of eyes.

It was considerably bigger than the others, possessing four thick legs in front of its body instead of the usual two, they were larger and wider, and when together, they became akin to a vault door.

Its jaws were also significantly larger, enough to split one of the ordinary bugs in two… And more than enough for it to do the same to him.

Although a tad slow, it was relentless.

A Soldier Ant…

(Image? You know I won't post this in a while...)

[Kresor Soldier Ant

Challenge Level: 70-80

*Elite (Copper)*

Affected by:

#Unrest

]

This kind of creature would be the kind of monster the young Misgurd would have difficulty fighting one-on-one, the kind of monster adventurers in the mainland would stay away from, a monster that despite not being special in any way, was brutal enough due to its own biology.

Not that any person in their sane mind would approach a nest of giant monstrous ants...

/SMASH!/

Dale took no chances, slamming his right fist directly onto the creature's limbs, shattering its sturdy armor as it was sent away, thumbing back like a rock falling downhill.

"Huff…"

Immediately after he punched outward, Dale dropped his head slightly, breathing quickly as he tried to recover some stamina, his recovery items, Skills, and special Traits, working in tandem to their utmost efficiency with each breath.

Despite not being apparent, they were what made Dale's recklessness viable.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… Just need a moment to breathe."

"Then breathe quickly. They're coming." David said with a smirk as he looked away, trying to imitate Dale's tone as he said that

"..."

'For all annoying that he is… I much prefer this over nothing.'

After a very short rest, Dale rushed forward into the fray once more.

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Notes