NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: Fate-breaker's First use!
Before the Drake could release the attack,
she vanished— appearing above its head,
her dagger slashing downward in a perfect, clean arc.
Blood burst out— thick and dark— as her blade sliced into the joint of its wing,
forcing the massive beast to roar in pain and stagger back.
Ethan, watching from within the barrier,
felt his scalp go numb.
This wasn't normal. This wasn't Rank 3 strength— the gap between rank 3 and rank 4 is extremely big, it was shocking that Mia was going toe to toe against the Drake of such level.
The ground shook again as the Drake spun with its tail, a whip of lightning-charged muscle that could turn boulders to dust.
Mia caught it. Both her blades crossed,
blocking the tail mid-swing. She was pushed back but she was able to hold on nevertheless...
The impact was cataclysmic— a shockwave erupted, flattening everything in a wide radius,
sending a hurricane-like blast that tore trees out by the roots.
Ethan gritted his teeth as the barrier around him flickered — holding, but only barely.
He couldn't help but stare at Mia's figure amidst the chaos, his heart pounding louder than the roaring winds.
—She's... actually holding her ground against a Dread Stage Drake...
—No— more than that— she's injuring it.
His thoughts spun wildly. All this time,
he'd assumed Mia was around Rank 3— strong, yes, able to handle Dire Beasts— but now?
Seeing her force a Rank 4 monster back, matching its speed and power, deflecting blows that should've shattered stone and steel...
Though it was a good thing that she was this strong, still he was extremely shocked
'She's been hiding even more strength than I imagined…'
'If she's still not using her full power… then that would be really scary…'
Meanwhile, Mia's breathing deepened,
her expression sharp and cold as ice.
The Drake wasn't finished— its wounded wing flared with lightning again, desperation mixing with fury as it lunged once more, jaws wide to bite down and end this in a single chomp.
But Mia— her eyes narrowed— and her body flickered again. She ducked low, her dagger slicing upward— catching the underside of the Drake's maw. Blood sprayed again— and the beast recoiled with a thunderous roar.
But it wasn't alone— from the skies above,
the remaining Thunderwing Drakes began circling again, their scales flashing as they prepared to dive once more.
Ethan's chest tightened. His fists clenched. Mia was overwhelmed, she's only one person, there's only so much she could do... Her focus was locked solely on the Dread Drake before her, her aura rising even higher, thicker, heavier— like a storm gathering force. It was clear. She wasn't done yet.
As the Dread Stage Thunderwing Drake clashed mid-air against Mia, their every impact sent shockwaves through the air, shaking the clouds themselves. The Rank 3 Drakes, now left without their commander's direct control, turned their bloodthirsty attention toward Ethan.
They dove in, wings slicing the wind like blades, and unleashed volleys of crackling lightning breath toward him in tandem.
BOOM-!
BOOM-!!
BOOM-!!!
The translucent red barrier surrounding Ethan flared, rippling like disturbed water as each powerful strike hammered against it. Sparks flew as the barrier groaned under the pressure, but it held—strong and unyielding.
Inside, Ethan stood still, teeth gritted so hard his jaw ached. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
Watching the furious attacks of the Drakes from within the barrier, he felt it deep in his bones—an ugly, bitter truth that stung more than the lightning crashing around him.
No matter how fast he thought he was progressing... No matter how many beasts he'd slaughtered today... Against this level of raw power, he was still—
"I'm still weak. Very weak..."
The words echoed inside his chest like a heavy drumbeat. His heart pounded—not from fear, but from frustration that burned hotter than fire.
His body trembled, not from the threat outside, but from the sheer urge to change this reality. To break past this wall.
Clench. His fists tightened harder.
His breathing grew heavier.
"I can't just stand here and wait for them to breakthrough this barrier."
His eyes sharpened with resolve.
"I need to know… what my skills can really do."
His heart raced. His instincts screamed.
All this time, he'd been fighting without fully understanding the true potential of his abilities. But now—now wasn't the time to hesitate.
'With what I've killed so far… I should've amassed enough Fatebreaking points.'
His pulse quickened at the thought. Excitement flickered in his chest, mixing with the raw tension. This was his chance—his path forward.
"System… show me my total Fatebreaking point."
A prompt appeared before him...
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
•──────────────────•
[TOTAL FATEBREAKING POINTS: 7,025]
[Confirmed Kills:]
[Grass Fang Jackals: 5 killed = 25 points]
[Bloodhowl Wolves: 500+ killed = 5,000 points]
[Skyrazor Crows: 300+ killed = 2,000 points]
→ [7025 points total]
•──────────────────•
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
Ethan's lips curled into a tight smile, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
"7025 points… yeah, that sounds right."
His mind flashed through the chaos—the jackals, the endless wolves, and the crows he'd cut down like falling leaves.
He exhaled slowly. The storm of battle raged outside, but inside, a different storm brewed—his awakening.
"With this much… I can get stronger. A lot stronger."
His heart pounded, not with fear now, but with raw anticipation. This was his moment—to push beyond his limits, to seize power with his own hands.
His eyes lifted, locking onto the silhouettes of the Drakes battering the shield. No. He wasn't going to let them dictate his fate. Not anymore.
Fatebreak. Rise. Evolve.
'System, Activate Fate-breaker and Unfated Scion!'
The prompt flared before his eyes:
[Fate-breaker Activated]
Before Ethan could even react, his vision was swallowed by darkness. Something thick, warm, and suffocating wrapped around him — a cocoon. It closed in from all sides, sealing him away from the outside world.
And then, the pain began.
It was like his entire body was melting from the inside out. Muscles liquefied. Bones dissolved into sludge. His skin crawled as though thousands of invisible insects burrowed through it. At first, it was unbearable. A raw, searing agony that made him want to scream — but his mouth wouldn't move.
But then, just as quickly, the pain vanished. And what replaced it was far stranger.
He wasn't feeling the pain anymore… it was as if he was watching it happen from outside his own body. Like a detached observer, hovering in a void, witnessing his own form being torn apart and rebuilt.
It was horrifying. It was fascinating. It was… exciting.
---
First, he felt the surge.
Molten liquid — no, mana — poured through unseen pathways beneath his skin. His mana circuits expanded, stretching wide like rivers in flood season. The sensation was electric and hot, crackling under the surface. His body throbbed in sync with the flow, as if every inch of him pulsed with energy.
At his core — his heart — a deep, rhythmic thrum echoed. It vibrated through his entire being, sometimes smooth and harmonious, other times painful and off-beat. Each beat sent a ripple through the circuits, testing their newfound strength.
Then, the nodes began to light up.
One by one, like stars in a midnight sky, the mana nodes scattered across his body ignited. Flashes of blistering heat alternated with icy cold. He could feel each one bloom, brimming with raw, condensed power. It was strange — alien, yet thrilling.
His bones creaked and groaned next, as if they were being forged in invisible flames. A low, grinding ache settled deep inside, like steel being tempered. They were changing, hardening, becoming something more to bear the load of what was coming.
His muscles tore apart — strands ripping like paper — only to weave themselves back together, tighter, stronger, denser. The sensation was sharp at first, then gradually dulled into a steady pulse. He could tell: they weren't just muscles anymore. They were conduits, primed to channel and control mana.
His bloodstream flared.
Hot, then heavy, then light — his blood no longer felt like simple liquid. It was infused with mana, thick and glowing like liquid ether, rushing through him in powerful tides. Every beat of his heart sent another surge flooding through his veins.
His skin itched, tight and unyielding, as though it was shedding old layers and reforging itself. Toughening. Adapting. It became resistant, an armor in itself, forged by the sheer pressure of the mana coursing underneath.
His senses went haywire.
Ringing in his ears. Vision blurred with bursts of color and light. Every touch, every sound became sharper, more intense, then collapsed into chaos. His body was struggling to keep up — evolving faster than his senses could adjust.
His breathing turned strange.
It wasn't just air anymore. With every breath, he drew in ether — raw mana essence from the world around him. It filled his lungs and spread through him, lighting every nerve on fire with energy
****
A/N:
For the next two days, 5 chaps would be released to make up for the days I've missed, the chs will be used to fill a new privileged tier... Pls bear with me...