Scorching Ascension - [Progression Litrpg Apocalypse]

The elemental lifted a heavy foot up, its eye-less face looking down at the dog-sized rat that was trying to bite through his ankles and stomped hard enough for the asphalt to crack, sending bits of blood and viscera flying, at which point the surviving rats seemed to realize that they were not going to win this and so, they scrambled away. Only a handful of the rocky humanoids had been dealing with the rats, while the rest were standing still, spread out across the parking lot.

It was an eerie sight, seeing them standing there, like some sort of malformed statues. The abandoned cars still in the parking lot were helping give the scene some semblance of familiarity, alleviating the creepiness. If the cars had not been there, it would have been a scene right out of a thriller. Or from something about an alien invasion.

Alright. Enough stalling.

Floating lower, Ethan noticed how the dark color of asphalt was slowly creeping up the still elementals. Below them, the asphalt—or what it was becoming—looked bleached, with spider-web like cracks that were growing wider with every moment. Then, in unison, all the heads slowly looked up as he approached. While they didn't have eyes, it seemed they all had jagged-like mouths with quartz-like teeth that glittered in the sunlight.

Creepy, he thought, then he called out. "Hello there. Do you guys understand me?"

It would be good to know, though he was under no impression that this would be a peaceful encounter. After all, they were coming out of a rift, and if his last experience of a rift was of any indication, these things were probably going to feed on his home with no regards to what might object to their presence. While these seemed to be only after the pavement and asphalt, Ethan could see them becoming a problem if left to their devices. What else would they go after next?

The closest to him began to chew—curiously enough—but none answered. "If you don't say anything, I might have to—"

Without warning, the one who'd been chewing spat, and a shower of sharp, glowing rocks shot up at him. Ethan barely had enough time to raise his hands before the painful projectiles hit his bronze scales. With a flap of his wing, he flew higher, wincing at the pain. None had broken skin, but he absolutely would not enjoy being on the receiving end of those things for long. Not from the dozen elementals staring up at him.

"Dumb rocks. Oh well."

More of the rock elementals started spitting at him, but he was high enough for them to harmlessly bounce off his scales, though they were still a bit painful. Mana rushed out of him and into the glowing, inch-wide bead of intense, swirling flames. The first Overloading Fireball kept growing larger and larger as the seconds went by, and when it reached the size of a soccer-ball, he started working on the second.

Let's give the Elemental Crown a test, he mused as the second fireball finished prepping, and as the third formed, he realized something as he looked down at the eye-less, spitting elementals; he was going to hit level 70 here.

Damn. Should I head back to camp in case it's as debilitating as last time?

A comforting, burning heat wafted down over his shoulders from the three glowing fireballs hovering above his head. He didn't really feel like heading back. Now that the rift was right in front of him, he wanted to get in and have some fun. So for the tier-up, he might find an abandoned building and hide in there while he got it done.

Eh. That should do it. Then I can see if this rift's like the last one. Get myself a new riftcore and maybe even a few drops from Harvester's Flames.

With the third fireball ready, Ethan circled around the rift for a few seconds, taking in the layout of the parking lot and the general levels and positions of the elementals. Unfortunately, none were clumped or standing close enough for him to be efficient with the fireballs, so he decided to start with the weakest individuals and get them quickly out of the fight.

Swooping lower, Ethan commanded the first one to shoot at the first empty-faced creature. The soccer-sized fireball flew down like a comet, homing on his target right as he took aim at the second elemental and began recharging another one.

The fireball detonated with a thunderous roar, instantly obscuring the elemental as a blooming sphere of intense flames swallowed the creatures and sent a nearby SUV careening a couple of times before it came to a stop, tires already alight with fire.

Ethan sucked the air between his teeth.

Maybe I should hold back on these things lest I burn down the city.

He stopped channeling mana into the new fireball and instead targeted a few isolated elementals. With the fireballs sent toward their targets, Ethan swept back toward his first victim and instantly, he grimaced.

Where the fireball had hit, there was now a five-feet deep crater of torn asphalt and burst pipes. There wasn't much water coming out of them—confirming further that the city had no running water—but the damage of the fireball was substantial. As for the rock elemental, it clearly had seen better days.

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The monster had been blasted off of its feet. Literally. Its legs were still merged with a torn section of the ground, but the rest of it was slowly pulling itself up the side of the crater, crawling with its hand and when he approached, it turned toward him and began chewing before spitting more of the stony shards at him.

Ethan shielded himself with a wing, grimacing as a few of the sharp projectiles managed to tear through.

I don't know how the claws would do against these things, but it doesn't seem like they're that resilient against explosions. The fire didn't do much, though…

Extending his right hand, Ethan summoned the lance, and the black and red pommel landed in his open palm. He took a step forward, then lunged, the dark-gray tip aimed at the creature's chest. He assumed it was either that or the head, and well, he had a few seconds to test it out.

The lance-head barely managed to sink a half-inch into the surprisingly tough torso, and Ethan raised a brow. He was pretty sure he could have pierced regular rock with how much power he was putting into the stab.

Yeah. The claws would have struggled here, I'm pretty sure. Unless I wasted the Zenith state.

The elemental gripped the lance with an arm, hoping to immobilize him, and opened its mouth. Ethan only smiled down at it. Then detonated the charge.

You have defeated [Rock Elemental (I) - Level 62]

Huh. Not the head, then. Good to know, he thought as the dust cleared, a few pebble-sized bits falling at feet. He could hear the thuds of the others slowly stomping their way toward him, but he still leaned over and touched the golden haze emanating from what remained of the creature's chest.

Shardpurse: 86 fragments collected.

Pylon E-G12: 86 fragments withheld to be delivered when within range.

Withheld, huh. I guess I'll have to drop by eventually, then. After I clear the rift.

The first heads appeared over the rim of the crater, with a few missing limbs—and one even a head, so it wasn't chewing like the others—but before they could deliver their payloads, Ethan shot up and out before he primed the lance once more and came back down.

Let's collect some fragments, then, shall we?

***

Ethan stood over the cratered and still smoking parking lot and took in the destruction around him as he rolled his painful shoulder. Inert boulders littered the ground, with a couple still glowing red from the intense fire he'd used to kill them. While explosions had been the most effective, he quickly realized he couldn't go around spending essence on chaff, so he tried some alternatives. The good news was that a powerful enough flame—held on for a while—was enough to superheat their chest and kill them, which also allowed Harvester's Flames to get some work done. The bad news was that he had to figure out a better way of holding them still. The bastards were strong, and they hit hard.

I should try to customize the fireballs a bit. Lower the flames and add to the concussive blast…

Ethan had tried playing around with fire-spells in the past, but it was more difficult than it seemed. Basic fire control was easy, but changing how fireballs? A bit more challenging, and though now that there was no big timer rushing him, he should be able to explore those options a bit more.

For now, let's see the haul.

Shardpurse: 412 fragments collected.

Pylon E-G12: 412 fragments withheld to be delivered when within range.

Essence: 71

Ethan looked down at the two stone-like primagems in his hands. They weren't crystalline or shiny, like the previous one he'd collected. At first sight, they looked like two average-sized gray pebbles, until you compared them to regular stones. The primagems looked realer, somehow. Something about them drew the eye, and Ethan knew, even if he'd dropped them in a truck full of shattered stone, he would still be able to find them. Plus they were heavy. While each was barely the size of an olive, Ethan was almost straining to keep his arm up.

"Alright. Into the pouch you go. I got a couple of things to take care of," he said, then turned his attention to his notifications.

You have reached Level 70. 1 stat point awarded.

Side quest completed!

Reach level 70 and upgrade the Prime Arcanum to tier-2

Reward:

25 stat points

1 custom trait

Body Reforging (II)

Already, Ethan could feel the air ripple and shudder around him as the energies began to swirl about, collecting and building up to rebuild his body and so without further ado, he glanced around the shopping strip that bordered the parking lot, and one building in particular caught his eye.

He wondered if the safe had been left open.