NOVEL NEXT Chapter 413: Confrontation
Taking a deep breath, he activated his Eye of Revelation ability to look at the details of the wolfkin ahead. In the past couple of weeks, Orion had frequently relied on this ability to identify treasures as well as test the danger level of mana beasts.
To check the details of same level of beings, Orion had to spend 100 SP, while one grade above was 1,000 SP and two grades above was 10,000 SP. Before, he couldn't even look at the details of Tier 9 beasts, and neither did he dare to look at the details of Tier 8 beasts due to the significant cost.
But after breaking through to the 7th Tier, he was able to bear the cost of looking at Tier 8 beings, but he still wasn't willing to waste 10,000 SP to look at Tier 9 beings' details as that loss would far outweigh his gains.
Soon, four screens materialized in front of him, showing the cost it would take to look at the details of the four people in front of him.
[SP cost- 1,000]
[SP cost- 1,000]
[SP cost- 1,000]
[SP cost- 10,000]
Orion's lips curled into a smile as he deactivated the Eye of Revelation ability, this was the trick he had found after using the ability a few times here.
[Nuuuuuu!!! You always abuse Lumi like this!! (＃＞︿＜)]
'What? I'm just using what was mine to begin with. You stole this from me,' Orion innocently said to her.
[Hmph! You wouldn't have been able to afford the consumption if you had used it yourself. And the ability was also destroyed before so it was even more useless. If it wasn't for Lumi, you wouldn't even have this ability! (ノ｀Д´)ノ ]
Orion inwardly chuckled, 'But I'm playing by the rules, I only want to know their levels, I can take care of the rest.'
[Hmph! 凸(￣ヘ￣)]
Orion inwardly shook his head and focused on the approaching wolfkin, three of them were at the 8th Tier while the man in the lead was on the 9th Tier.
No doubt these were the geniuses of their tribe. And even Orion felt great pressure from the man at the front, in his current situation, it was nearly impossible for Orion to defeat him.
Orion took a deep breath, concluding inwardly that facing the group directly was far too dangerous in his current state. Quietly, he began to move backward, his movements silent and cautious, fully intending to avoid confrontation.
However, just as he shifted his body to retreat, an unexpected event shattered his careful plans.
A small pendant worn by Rokar, the powerful Tier 9 Wolfkin leader, suddenly released a vibrant glow, illuminating the darkened corridor briefly with its brilliant, silver-white radiance.
Rokar's eyes widened sharply, immediately filled with alertness. Without hesitation, he turned towards Orion's previously concealed position, roaring fiercely as he brandished his weapon, a massive, ornate battle-axe shimmering with ferocious mana.
"Bastard!" Rokar snarled, his voice echoing powerfully through the corridors. "Someone was spying on us!"
Orion's instincts screamed urgently, surging through him like lightning. Without hesitation, he instantly activated his [Nine Steps Quake], shifting position explosively just as Rokar's heavy axe descended where he stood mere moments ago.
The devastating strike tore through solid stone on the ground, pulverizing it and sending jagged cracks sprawling around, yet the walls of the maze remained intact.
The three lower-tier wolfkin jumped back, momentarily stunned by the abrupt escalation. Orion, however, didn't miss a beat.
Recognizing the disadvantageous situation, he immediately seized the opportunity to disrupt the wolfkin formation.
His gaze flickered rapidly, locking onto the weakest link of the wolfkin group—a slender male wolfkin armed with twin short blades, clearly at the early stages of Tier 8, yet his aura was enough to contend with peak Tier 8 mana beasts that Orion had fought.
Decisively, Orion lunged forward with blinding speed, his Realm Guardian sword erupting with fierce Advanced Grade Thunder Sword Aura.
A crisp crackle of electricity resonated as Orion's blade cleaved forward, aiming directly at the weakest member.
The startled wolfkin frantically raised his blades in defense, fear flashing clearly across his eyes as the overwhelming force slammed against him.
A deafening metallic clang echoed as the young wolfkin was thrown backward, crashing painfully into the corridor while spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Kaelen!" The female wolfkin shouted, immediately attempting to help her fallen comrade. Simultaneously, Rokar roared furiously, his immense mana surging forth in violent waves.
"You dare attack my people!" Rokar thundered, his body glowing with potent energy as he closed the distance in mere moments, his axe swinging relentlessly toward Orion with overwhelming killing intent.
Yet Orion remained composed despite the enormous pressure. Swiftly sidestepping Rokar's attacks using his unparalleled martial skills which he had trained after fighting Valerian daily, he skillfully maneuvered around the corridor, repeatedly placing the remaining two wolfkin warriors between himself and the furious Rokar.
Every time Rokar's axe swung down in frustration, he found himself forced to halt at the last second, unable to risk harming his companions.
"Stop dodging and fight me directly, coward!" Rokar bellowed, rage and frustration filling his voice as he struggled to land a decisive blow. He was so angry that he wanted to spit flames from his mouth in frustration.
Orion inwardly smirked coldly, thoroughly ignoring Rokar's provocations. "Heh, you think only you know how to provoke others?"
Just as he finished speaking, a magic circle formed above his head as the flying salmon came out of it, and without missing a beat it said,
"Where did this wild mutt come from? Your elders didn't teach you to kneel down when facing your superiors?"
Rokar's eyes turned red as the fish dared to call him a mutt, he wildly slashed the battle axe towards the salmon, yet it passed through its body as if the salmon was a ghost.
"Heh, this young master is not something you wild mutts can attack at will. Kneel down and lick my feet—oh I don't have feet, anyways kneel down and lick my tail, I might spare you."
Even the other three wolfkin couldn't help but gnash their teeth looking at the hateful fish flying in the air.
"AHHHHHHH!!" Rokar lost all reason as he began thrashing his battle axe everywhere to attack the flying salmon. The voice of the salmon seemed to contain a bewitching effect, making even Rokar at the Ninth Tier confused.
Orion, seeing the situation and realizing he was not the opponent of Rokar, quickly and decisively activated [Nine Steps Quake] once again, rapidly consuming a large chunk of his mana as he bolted into another corridor, distancing himself from the group.
His figure flickered, fading briefly from sight as the concealment ability from his Shadowveil Band blended him with the shadows.
"Don't let him escape!" Rokar shouted furiously, releasing a devastating blast of mana in Orion's direction.
However, Orion was already gone, vanishing into the maze's labyrinthine darkness. His heart pounded heavily within his chest, adrenaline surging wildly through him.
Even with his swift actions, Orion felt the strain of exhaustion and significant mana depletion beginning to creep into his limbs. The flying salmon also returned inside Orion's SoC.