Rise of the Limitless One

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"Heh, I guess you can say dude's arm is a cannon," Olov smirked before smashing his shield downward while simultaneously activating his «Instantaneous» ability. Depending on how he moved, this ability could turn into a frightening possession.

A large fissure formed due to Olov's actions, causing the surface beneath the remaining wolves to crumble. Once they lost their footing, Lucian moved forward to end them with direct attacks.

In under 3 minutes, they dealt with the 100 wolves located in this outer area. Measured against their earlier runs, this was already 10 times faster. By having Sylvia attract all the wolves, it reduced the delay between each kill by shortening the gaps between their positions.

Not to mention, the significant agility increase to the team's offensive members allowed them to transverse the remaining distance much quicker. After realizing how efficient this run was, Ahri couldn't help but look toward Lucian's focused visage with respect.

With his Hypervigilance perpetually active, Lucian sunk into a state where everything before his eyes fell under his scrutiny. At the same time, estimations entered his mind as he recalled the distance between their current position and the entrance of the wolf's den.

"6 minutes. We have that much time to reach the entrance of the wolf's den. However, I sense a subtle change in its surroundings. I'm guessing it has something to do with my earlier shout," Lucian revealed before glancing at his screen.

Because of his actions, Lucian had amassed a frightening number of Enhancement Points.

[»Enchancement Points: 66.6]

Compared to the Knolls, the Infernal Dire Wolves rewarded 1 complete point upon death. Since Overseer Vohr learned of his "re-awakening" he alerted the system of his updated ranking, which in turn revamped the point ratio Lucian received.

Since the rank matched the wolves, it returned to a 1:1. However, even then it wasn't entirely correct. After all, a Guardian of the same rank shouldn't be able to eliminate a similarly ranked monster in one strike. This type of difficulty meant Lucian could plow through this floor while allowing most of the team to retain their energy for the boss!

Once he realized this, Lucian smiled. 'Everything is coming along perfectly. However, it isn't the time to become complacent. Even the slightest error can interfere with our chances of accomplishing that task.'

A few moments later, Lucian looked up towards Sylvia, "You can take that breather now. We'll increase it from 2 to 6 minutes. It'd be best to save your ability for any unforeseen circumstances with in the wolf's den."

Unlike the rest of the map, the core of the floor, otherwise known as the wolf's den was wholly unexplored. Therefore, Lucian felt it was best to keep Sylvia's ability on reserve.

Instead, Lucian called Desmond by his side before informing him of their next course of action.

"You want me to create a smokescreen in front of the wolf's den?" Desmond muttered with surprise. From what he saw, the entrance to the den spanned at least 10 meters in diameter. If Lucian wanted him to create a smokescreen that large, it'd require him to consume at least 50 percent of his Mana Quotient!

"Yes. Are you capable of doing that?" Lucian questioned with a gaze filled with skepticism.

When Desmond noticed that look, he frowned slightly. 'Damn, don't look down upon me. I can pull my own weight!'

"Of course! I'll accomplish it without fail. You'll see," Desmond responded in a firm tone.

"Mm, seeing is believing," Lucian nodded.

Desmond choked, but could only smile wryly. Until he proved himself, Lucian wasn't able to place his complete trust in his word. After all, trust was a virtue earned not given away freely. While intangible, trust worth more than gold in Lucian's eyes. Especially so because of his prior experiences.

As long as he formulated the proper team, it was only a matter of time until he could accomplish his ultimate goal and cultivate people worthy of his trust.

Shortly after this conservation, the roles switched and Desmond took the lead with Adonis following behind with just 3 steps separating their body. Once Desmond prepared the smokescreen, the next course of the plan relied upon Adonis.

"Just how did you think of such ingenious uses for our abilities this quickly? You're intending to merge the use of Adonis and Desmond's abilities, aren't you?" Ahri questioned while running alongside Lucian.

Lucian admitted his plan before looking ahead once again. With the wolf's den just 1 kilometer away, Lucian could distinguish the entrance.

"Remember, don't use your ability too often. It wouldn't be ideal for you to damage your body. We should consult with Overseer Vohr about your ability first. Perhaps there's a disagreement between its power and the strength of your vessel."

"I think so as well. I'll try to not use it. But, should the team be subject to danger, I am willing to risk its use," Ahri responded with the bearing of a leader. Lucian knew it was a lost cause to try to deter her from doing so based on her expression.

As a result, Lucian could only nod while thinking to himself, 'I just won't allow the team to fall into danger. I think I hold the strength to help us at this level.'

Finally, after the estimated 6 minutes of traveling, Adonis and Desmond were the first to reach the den's entrance. While drawing closer, Desmond held his hands together with a vacant space between his palms.

A condensed orb of black smoke coalesced in that gap as he walked forward with a slowed gait. The consumption of this action was great, but it was also worth it. The smoke he produced was denser than any he had ever formed.

"Ready!" Desmond exclaimed. However, he made sure not to be too loud. While Lucian was confident enough to alert all of his presence, Desmond wasn't. Regrettably, his cautiousness was futile.

Several low growls blending into one sounded from within the depths of the cave. Unlike the other wolves, these wolves possessed senses that were twice as keen. In other words, the party's presence entered their reader far before they arrived here.

However, the wolves didn't move under the order of their alpha. Although Lucian and the others were intruders, the safety of the den's inner structure took precedence over the outside area.

"Go!" Lucian ordered.

In response, Desmond clapped his hands together, dispersing the smokescreen one meter in front of him.

Afterward, Adonis switched places with him and summoned two air springs in his palms before condensing their radii. Once done, Adonis displaced the smokescreen to block the entrance as far as one meter inside. Concurrently, he manipulated the airflow to restrict the smokescreen from dispersing further.

"If you do use it, minimize your output. There are too many wolves to operate it at full capacity," Lucian said while giving Sylvia a faint warning. However, Sylvia wasn't too sure of her capacity to accomplish this.

Nevertheless, she still nodded and tried it.

All of a sudden, Lucian's pupils constricted. 'Danger!'

"Adonis, Desmond! Fall back!" Lucian ordered.

However, his warning appeared ill-timed as many figures darted through the smoke. Simultaneously, orangish waves of Mana pierced through with a faint heat signature.

"That's a damn Mana attack!" Desmond exclaimed.

Szzt!

"Ngh," Adonis clenched his jaw when he felt a searing pain on his shoulder and thigh. The attacks of these wolves were dangerous. So much so, Lucian was left with no choice but to put Sylvia down.

After doing so, he reinforced his legs with an extreme amount of Mana before sprinting forward. The ground splintered under the obscene propulsion, and Lucian turned into a blur matching the color of the smoke.

Lucian reached Desmond and Adonis in mere seconds before grabbing their collars and pulling them back. He then pierced through the smoke rather than retreating himself, only to find wolves at least 50 percent larger than the prior ones.

Different from before, Lucian used both his palms and performed the cannon attack.

Contrary to what he expected, these wolves worked together. Each of them executed a howling sound attack that merged into one reinforced sound wave.

With the added pressure of three howls, it shattered Lucian's attack, yet he didn't seem fazed by this.

Contrarily, Lucian retracted his hand before condensing the Mana right before his knuckles.

BOOM!

Lucian flew back after executing this strike. His body shot out of the smokescreen as he flipped and recovered himself. After catching himself, he looked over to his right, only to witness Quinn's flippant actions.

〈Alert: Possible «Duplication» target located. Target: «Recovery» D Rank. Assessing chances of success… Probability: 100%. Do you wish to duplicate this ability? [Y/N]?〉

This news surprised Lucian. It turned out Quinn's ability was indeed a D Rank ability. This was the icing on the cake! Another possibility surfaced in Lucian's mind because of this development.