NOVEL NEXT Chapter 124: The Chaos!!
Oh crap. Lucian recognized the signs of an AOE attack. He immediately leaped off the Wyrm's back, using another burst of [Crimson Shadow Step] to put distance between them.
KA-BOOOOOOM!
An explosion of fire, magma, and razor-sharp obsidian shards erupted outwards from the Wyrm's entire body, engulfing the area where Lucian had been standing. The ground melted, rock vaporized.
Lucian landed lightly fifty meters away, watching the aftermath. That would have hurt, even with his defenses.
The Wyrm uncoiled, shaking its head, its armor slightly scorched but largely intact. It glared at Lucian, then charged again, seemingly unfazed.
"Stubborn beast," Lucian clicked his tongue. He met the charge, but this time, he didn't try to overpower its armor directly. He danced around it, using his superior speed. He stabbed at joints between the plates, deflected its snapping maw with the spear shaft, kicked debris into its eyes.
He was faster, more agile. He chipped away at it, targeting the cracks he'd made earlier with the Mountain-Cleaving Slash. A thrust here, a quick slice there.
The Wyrm grew increasingly frustrated, its attacks becoming wilder, less controlled. It launched another Magma Beam, which Lucian easily dodged. It tried another Eruption Burst, but Lucian was already well clear.
Finally, after several minutes of this deadly dance, Lucian saw his opening. The Wyrm lunged, maw snapping, leaving its neck exposed for a fraction of a second.
Lucian didn't hesitate. He poured energy into his spear.
"[Sovereign's Devastation]!"
The phantom dragon roared, focusing into a piercing point of annihilation. He thrust forward with blinding speed.
PUCHI-CRUNCH!
The spearhead, bypassing the remaining armor through sheer force and the Primordial Rending effect, punched clean through the Wyrm's thick neck vertebrae.
The massive creature shuddered violently, its eyes dimmed, and it collapsed onto the volcanic rock with a ground-shaking thud.
[You have killed a Level 43 Magma Wyrm. +500 XP. +43 Kill Points.]
[SS-Rank Skill: Blood Devour Activated!] → +2 Physique, +1 Strength
[Item Acquired: Wyrm Obsidian Plate (Rare)]
[Item Acquired: Magma Core (Epic - Crafting Material)]
[Kill Points: 1326]
Lucian retrieved his spear, examining the Magma Core. It pulsed with heat, a valuable Epic material used for enchanting fire-based weapons or armor. "System, reroll Magma Core."
[Reroll Activated: 1 Use Consumed | Remaining Rerolls: 1]
[Target: Magma Core (Epic)]
[Rerolling...]
The die spun... 255x. Decent, but not amazing for an Epic target.
[Reroll Success! Item properties enhanced!]
[New Item: Heart of the Infernal Core (Epic+)]
[Properties: Vastly potent fire/earth energy source. Enhances fire enchantments by 50%. Can be used to empower fire skills temporarily when held. Radiates intense heat.]
Better than nothing. He stored it. He was now down to his last Reroll charge. He'd have to be very selective about using it.
He continued pushing forward, feeling more confident. The 45km zone introduced new horrors: [Level 47 Ash Golems] that could dissolve into clouds of choking, burning ash, and [Level 49 Brimstone Demons], winged creatures wreathed in green fire that hurled explosive projectiles.
Lucian adapted his tactics. He used wide sweeps of his spear to dissipate the Ash Golems' clouds before closing in for the kill. He used [Shadow Pounce] combined with precise spear throws to knock the Brimstone Demons out of the sky before they could bombard him.
His kill point tally steadily climbed past 1500, then 1800. His level remained 19, but the constant influx of stats from Blood Devour made him feel significantly stronger than when he first entered this zone.
He reached the 55km mark. The environment here shifted subtly again. The intense volcanic activity lessened slightly, replaced by jagged mountains piercing a perpetually stormy sky. Lightning flashed intermittently between dark, heavy clouds. The ground was littered with shattered rock and the occasional massive, bleached bone of some long-dead leviathan.
He saw a creature perched on a high peak, silhouetted against a lightning flash. It looked like a massive, predatory cat, but its fur was the color of storm clouds, and arcs of electricity crackled between its whiskers and along its spine.
[Level 56 Thunder Cat]
[Skills: Lightning Claw, Thunder Roar (AOE Stun), Static Charge Dash]
The Thunder Cat spotted him. Its eyes, glowing electric blue, narrowed. It crouched low, muscles bunching, electricity gathering around its paws.
ZZZZZT-CRACKLE!
With explosive speed, it launched itself off the peak, descending towards Lucian like a living thunderbolt, aiming to shred him with electrified claws.
[Skill Activated: Static Charge Dash!]
Lucian braced himself, spear held ready. This looked like a proper fight.
(Parallel POV SHIFT: LORRAINE & EMILY - Approx. 20km Zone - Earlier)
Lorraine coughed, spitting out dirt and blood. Emily helped her sit up against the base of a large, moss-covered tree. The adrenaline from defeating the Crystalhide Ape Boss was fading, leaving behind exhaustion and the sharp, throbbing pain from Lorraine's broken ribs and torn shoulder.
"Just... just need a minute," Lorraine gasped, clutching her side. "My mana's almost gone."
Emily knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her uninjured shoulder. Her own breathing was heavy. "Mine too. That Sacred Ground takes a lot out of me." She looked around nervously. "We need to find a safer place to rest, Lorraine. We can't stay out in the open like this."
They had just finished collecting the loot from the Ape – a tough Crystalhide Pelt, a fist-sized Ape Strength Crystal that pulsed with raw physical energy, and three basic healing potions. Emily immediately used one on Lorraine's shoulder, stemming the bleeding and closing the worst of the gash, though the deeper muscle damage remained.
"Okay," Lorraine nodded, wincing as she tried to shift her weight. "Just... give me one more minute."
It was then that the figures emerged from the trees. Five of them. Students, judging by their age, but their gear was a rough mix of worn leather and dented metal, and their eyes held a predatory hardness that didn't belong on freshmen. They fanned out, casually blocking any escape route.
The leader, a tall young man with greasy black hair and a cruel sneer, leaned on a rusty-looking greatsword. His eyes flickered between the dead Ape Boss, the Ape Strength Crystal in Emily's hand, and the two girls.
"Well, well," he drawled, his voice mocking. "Look what we stumbled upon. Two pretty little freshmen managed to take down a Boss all by themselves? Impressive." He took a step closer, his companions shifting with him, hands moving towards their weapons. "Or maybe," his sneer widened, "you just got lucky."
Emily immediately stood up, stepping protectively in front of Lorraine, her hands instinctively gathering faint holy light, though she barely had any mana left. "What do you want?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady despite the tremor of fear she felt.
"What do we want?" the leader chuckled humorlessly. "Isn't it obvious? You killed a Boss in our patrol zone." He gestured vaguely around him. "Protocol dictates a 'contribution' is required. A finder's fee, you could say."
"Your patrol zone?" Emily scoffed, trying to project confidence she didn't feel. "This is the academy's Secret Dimension! There are no 'zones'!"
"Oh, but there are," another member of the group, a burly girl with a scarred face and a heavy mace, chimed in with a rough laugh. "The zones claimed by those strong enough to hold them. And right now, you're in ours."
The leader's eyes fixed on the Ape Strength Crystal Emily was holding. "That crystal looks nice. And the kill points for a Level 20 Boss... quite substantial. Hand them over, along with any other loot you found, and we might let you walk away relatively unharmed." His gaze lingered on Emily and Lorraine in a way that made their skin crawl.
"Never!" Emily retorted, raising her glowing hands slightly. "We earned this! You have no right!"
"Right?" the leader laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "Strength is the only right that matters in here, sweetheart. And right now," he hefted his rusty greatsword, "we have the strength."
The other four moved forward, surrounding the two girls more tightly. A wiry boy drew a pair of wicked-looking knives. A sullen-looking youth began gathering faint magical energy. The burly girl hefted her mace.
Lorraine struggled to her feet, leaning heavily against the tree, ice starting to form around her good hand despite her depleted mana. "Stay back!" she warned, her voice weak but defiant.
Emily glanced back at Lorraine, fear warring with determination in her eyes. They were injured, low on mana, and outnumbered five to two. This looked bad. Really bad.
"Last chance," the leader snarled, taking another step forward, his sword scraping against the ground. "Hand it over, or we take it. And maybe," his eyes roved over Emily again, "we take a little extra for your trouble."
The air crackled with tension. Conflict seemed unavoidable. Emily braced herself, preparing to unleash what little holy energy she had left, while Lorraine desperately tried to form a defensive ice shard...
(Scene cuts back to Lucian)
(POV SHIFT: LUCIAN - Approx. 55km Zone)
ZZZZZT-CRACKLE!
The Level 56 Thunder Cat descended like a bolt of blue lightning, claws crackling with electrical energy.
[Skill Activated: Thunder Cat - Static Charge Dash!]
Lucian didn't back down. He met the electrifying charge, Dragon Soul Devourer held diagonally to deflect rather than block head-on.
"CLANG-ZZT!"