I watched the beasts who had attacked me. They were strong, and their chitin armor was thick. Their higher level should have allowed them to rip through the dark webs, but the unholy aura emitted by the altar sapped their strength. And now they were going to die.
There was no real hurry. My health slowly ticked down due to the poison, but my mana was rapidly refilling. I walked steadily toward the captured scorpions, channeling more mana into the webs to make sure they wouldn’t break free. I waved my staff, pouring my consciousness into my shadow. It rose from the ground, transforming into a three-dimensional clone of myself. With my armor set bonus coupled with the clone’s autonomy, I could cast three spells at the same time.
Then, I let myself go.
The clone and I raised our identical staffs and launched three volleys of drilling arrows at a trapped, uninjured monster. Fifteen spinning drilling arrows impacted the scorpion, blasting huge holes through its body, and reduced it to a pile of minced scorpion meat and broken shell.
Another volley and another scorpion fell dead, then the third.
I stopped in front of the last scorpion, the injured one. I could feel its insectile mind writhing in panic, and for a moment, I almost managed to dominate it, but it wriggled away from me. I shrugged and hit the monster with my two spears. My staves – one physical, one a shadowy copy – pierced the scorpion’s armored shell like it was thin paper. The monster shrieked in agony. Though it was severely injured, it wasn’t dead yet. I felt the monster in me stir with bloodlust, and it wanted more than simple victory. It wanted carnage. I channeled a Direball spell through the staves directly into the monster’s flesh. The volatile balls of energy exploded inside the scorpion’s body, showering me with arachnid bits and gore.
My victory was whole, and my inner monster purred in satisfaction.
Infernal Scorpion defeated! X 4
+4,208 XP
Dark Mana skill level increased to 46.
Mana Shield spell has reached level 51, Expert rank.
A portion of the damage of incoming melee attacks will be reflected onto the attacker.
“Not bad,” I murmured.
The new system Shiva had put into place made improving spells and skills tediously slow. The spell consolidation ‘improvement’ grouped spells under a single governing skill, assigning it the average value of said skills. As a result, my lowest spell levels increased at the cost of my highest ones. On the upside, the increase I’d just received to Dark Mana meant that all five spells under it became stronger, but skill level 46 was still far lower than what it had been before. Previously, Dark Mana would have been high enough to mind-control and freeze the higher-level beasts. Then again, thanks to the +5 bonus from my Dread Totem Greaves, Mana Shield – now grouped under Dark Mana – had just reached the Expert rank, which made the protective spell into a potentially deadly one.
Fighting higher-level opponents was still proving to be the best way to improve quickly. The four invaders had netted me a substantial boost in that direction. The XP gain alone was fantastic, putting me at two-thirds of the way to level 56. A few more scorpions would do the trick.
I was considering the possibilities when the adept hurried over to me and started casting healing spells. The scorpions’ poison was still raging through my body, but the healing – along with the altar’s invigorating effect – meant I was soon back to full health.
“Thanks,” I said.
I rummaged through the monsters’ remains, looking for loot. Unfortunately, scorpion flesh wasn’t edible, but plenty of chitin plates had been left behind. They were tougher than leather and lighter than steel, which meant they’d make great armor for my army’s light melee skirmishers. I saw no point in collecting it myself. There was more chitin than I could conveniently carry, and I did plan on harvesting more of it. I decided to leave the bounty for the wave of settlers to handle.
“When did these creatures first appear?” I asked the adept next to me.
He bowed his head respectfully. “A small one came by a few days ago, Dire Totem, but it ran away when I shot it with a drilling arrow. More came later – always bigger than before. The last shot flames at me. But this was the first time they dared to enter the master’s place of power.”
“I see.” I rubbed my chin. The scorpions were both a problem and a blessing. I intended to settle this place, but I couldn’t do that while those monsters roamed around. On the other hand, they offered an excellent leveling-up opportunity.
With the way events unfolded recently, I found myself more often in the role of logistics manager than fighter. As a result, I struggled to keep up with the strongest of our enemies. I needed to level up both my character and my skills. Dark Mana was only five short skill levels away from reaching the Expert rank again, at which point Direball – my most potent attack spell – would return to its full strength. This was a golden opportunity to reach that goal. The level 70 beasts offered little resistance, after all.
I smirked. “That’s the whole point; I have to push myself to become stronger. But don’t worry, Vic, I’m sure that together, we can pull this off.”
My cloak groaned.
“Would I do that to you?”
“See?” I tapped the cloak. “That’s why we get along so well together.”
“They’re good for now; they don’t need me. Especially with the new portal between Goblin’s Gorge and Novenguard.”
Which reminded me. I opened the Runecraft Design Mode and applied the portal schema around the altar. It took a little longer than usual to channel the entire amount of 7,200 MP into the enchantment, but the altar’s bonus to mana regen helped me fulfill it in half the time it would normally take.
I decided not to open a portal back to Goblin’s Gorge just yet. I didn’t want to risk someone accidentally letting scorpions through. I waited for a few minutes until my mana pool refilled completely, then I walked away from the shrine.
It was time to hunt some scorpions.
***
The cavern under Ogre Fort was huge. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere, so thick in some places that they formed enclosed rooms. It didn’t take me long to find my first scorpion. Thanks to their fiery nature and my Shadow-Touched Darkvision, they were easy to spot.
I noticed another level 70 scorpion clinging to an overhanging stalagmite. I paused to consider my course of action.
I didn’t want to just kill it as quickly as possible; I wanted to use it for target practice … turn it into my training dummy. And that meant using as much of my powers as possible without killing it.
I cracked my fingers. Let’s do this nice and orderly.
I breathed out steadily and organized my thoughts.
First, Shadow Clone . I called for my clone. A small amount of mana constantly drained out of me to maintain the dark apparition. Any extraneous activities it took would be even more mana-demanding. But that also meant a more effective training regimen.
Second, Shadow Hounds. I cast the spell, channeling more mana than was required. Eight huge, level 38 mastiffs appeared out of the oozing darkness, the spell costing me a whopping 820 MP in total. Though they were only half the level of my intended target, the mastiffs’ shadowy hides were impervious to non-magical attacks, and the level disparity would only serve to train the spell faster.
Third, Mana I
nfusion. I flooded my muscles with magical energy. Training this spell meant I had to physically engage my target.
Fourth, Mana Shield. A cascading, glowing bubble of dark blue energy sprang around me.
Fifth, Shadow Web. I summoned sticky dark tendrils from the ground beneath the unsuspecting scorpion.
Sixth, Drilling Arrow. I finished the sequence with my signature attack spell, prolonging the casting to pour more mana into it and make it even more devastating. The spinning projectiles soared through the air and blasted through the creature’s shell.
Drilling arrow hit Infernal Scorpion for 390 damage (base 195 X 2).
That single attack took over half the creature’s health. It dropped to the ground, right into the awaiting Shadow Web. The dark tendrils wrapped around its torso, and the scorpion flailed about, trying to find its legs.
I sent in my mastiffs. The oversized hounds pounced on the entangled creature, biting and clawing through the shadow web like it wasn’t even there.
Despite its predicament, the scorpion wasn’t helpless. The mastiffs’ attacks failed to penetrate its thick chitin armor, and in the next moment, the monster righted itself with all eight legs on the ground. Its snapping claws tore through the shadow web, and though not enough to break loose, it could now move its limbs more freely. The claws passed harmlessly through the body of one of the attacking mastiffs, and in the next instant, its stinger whipped forward. A flame jet shot out of the pointy appendage toward me. The line of fire passed through three mastiffs and banished them in a puff of dark vapor before hitting my shield and dissipating.
I watched the fight from a safe distance with a critical eye. The scorpion proved to be a tough opponent far from the altar but hardly beyond my abilities. At this point, I had spent about 2,000 MP on the battle. It was prohibitively inefficient for handling a single opponent, but it was excellent practice for training my spells. With a total of 5,421 MP, my pool was still over half-full, and if needed, a few volleys of cheap drilling arrows would put it down for good.
Operating two bodies at once, I cast Shadow Web three more times in rapid succession, entangling the creature in more shadowy ropes. It continued to tear through them, but the extra spells slowed it down, allowing the remaining five mastiffs plenty of time to gnaw and inflict some minor wounds.
The scorpion was fighting desperately now. It stopped trying to tear through the webs since I just kept casting it over and over again and concentrated on trying to get the mastiffs. The creature didn’t seem to realize its claws were ineffective and repeatedly tried to slice through their dark bodies.
That was my cue to act.
I dismissed my shield, and cautiously, with my spear-staves leading the way, closed in on the creature with both bodies. The scorpion whipped back its stinger, and I jumped away just in time to avoid another flame jet. Two of my mastiffs weren’t as quick, and I was left with three.
I dodged a snapping claw with my clone while thrusting my spear at the scorpion’s side using my real body. Despite not wanting to kill it too quickly, the Epic weapon was formidable, and the creature’s health instantly shrank to a quarter. Another hit or two would finish it off completely.
My mastiffs kept darting around, snapping and clawing, hanging onto the creature’s clawed arms to force them away from me. I continued dodging and parrying with mana-fueled muscles while my clone stood watch, ready to intervene if needed. After several long moments, the scorpion was nearly dead. The numerous shallow wounds and bites it had sustained accumulated, nearly overwhelming its sizable health pool. That was the moment I’d been waiting for.
With my shadow clone, I pointed a finger at the beaten and ensnared creature. Due to the poison, I’d lost a significant amount of health in the previous fight, triggering my unique boss skill ‘Blood Wrath’ four times. A thin, dark beam of energy erupted out of a blackened finger as I activated the special piercing attack option. It pierced the creature from one end to the other like a drilling laser. The scorpion froze then tumbled down.
Blood Wrath hit Infernal Scorpion for 940 damage(base 235 X 4).
I winced. In hindsight, I might have been better served if I’d saved that attack for a more dangerous fight. A boss’s unique ‘get out of jail’ card should be better used for a last-resort type of situation.
Infernal Scorpion defeated!
+1,102 XP
Dark Mana skill level increased to 47.
Faith skill level increased to 36.
Soul skill level increased to 29.
On the other hand, I had to use it to train it. It’d been a while since I’d leveled up my Soul discipline skill. It was hard since I only had two spells under it to train.
I made sure there were no other enemies nearby then ordered my remaining three mastiffs to spread around and guard me.
I opened my character sheet.
Title : Dire Totem
Level : 55
Race : Goblin
Type: Boss III
Religion : The Cult of Nihilator
Attributes:
● Physical 4
● Mental 64
● Social 4
Pools & Resistances:
● Hit Points: 1,652
● Mana: 5,456
● Armor: 105
● Mental Resistance: 60%
● Lightning Resistance: 20%
● Magic Resistance: 30%
Skills :
● Lucky Bastard 52 Ⓑ
● Analyze 115
● Tracking 18
● War Party Leader 40 [+5]
● Runecraft 70
● Barter 14
● Governor 14
Spells :
● Dark Mana 47 Ⓑ
○ Drilling Arrow
○ Mana Shield [+5]
○ Mana Drain
○ Direball
○ Mana Infusion
● Faith 36
○ Heal Followers
○ Shadow Web
○ Shadow Hound
○ Shadow Teleport
○ Dark Protection
● Soul 29
○ Blood Wrath [+5]
○ Touch of Decrepitude
Traits :
● Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social)
● Quick Learner +20%
● Boss Boon III (15 HP & 30 MP per level; Nihilator’s Sanction ; Damage Reflection )
● Soul Companion: Vic
● Shadow-Touched
● Mind Over Body (-50% to pain, +50% Mental Resist)
The fight had been as productive as I’d hoped. Fighting against higher-level opponents while spending a copious amount of mana was showing its worth as an intensive training regimen. I chuckled, recalling the first intensive training exercise I’d come up with. Back when my level was still in the single digits, I meditated on improving my spells with my shield on while Guba tossed a coin to check if she should hit me with her cane. I increased three skills at once thanks to that – Lucky Bastard included.
I glanced at my mana bar. Since my shadow clone was still active, it was filling up slowly and was currently at 70 percent. More than enough for scorpion hunting. I called the remaining mastiffs to me and continued to search the cavern.
The underground hall beneath the Ogre Fort was immense. The previous Ogre chief had once built an altar here in the hopes of harnessing the power of demons. Instead, he brought ruin on himself and his clan. I’d long ago taken over the altar and dispelled the infernal energies it had summoned, but it seemed that a bit of it lingered behind. I needed to track it back to its source and make sure to destroy every creature it touched.
My mastiffs growled in alarm. It was all the warning I got before two more scorpions dropped from the ceiling. They had been hiding high enough not to be seen. Warned in time, I raised a shield over each of my bodies. The two fire jets splashed harmlessly against the barriers, causing my mana reserves to dip by a few hundred points. The two scorpions dropped to the ground, ready to charge.
<
br /> I decided to play it safe. I commanded my mastiffs to attack one of the scorpions then hurled three volleys of drilling arrows at the other one. The monster’s health instantly dropped down to a sliver, but it pushed through the devastating attack and came at me. The scorpion whipped back its stinger, serrated claws slashing at me. My shield reverberated, reflecting some of the damage, and before the scorpion could lash forward with the stinger, I commanded my dagger to attack. It soared through the air, embedding itself in the creature’s tiny head and shaving off its last hit points.
The giant arachnid tumbled to the ground, and darkness spread over its body, reducing its mass into an oozing pool of blackness.
I glanced up at the second scorpion. Thanks to its thick armor, it was barely injured and had already downed two of the mastiffs. I suppressed an urge to play with the monster and drown him in webs and mana. I was exposed out here, and after so many bad decisions on my part, I had finally learned to play it safe. After a few more drilling arrows from me, my clone dropped the scorpion.
I scanned the surroundings to check for any more incoming monsters. There were none.
I breathed a little easier, ordered the last surviving mastiff to keep watch, and examined the notifications that awaited me.
Infernal Scorpion sacrificed!
+70 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator)
Not bad , I thought with contentment. The scorpion’s higher level meant I couldn’t just freeze them, which meant I couldn’t instantly sacrifice them with my dagger for some quick and easy FP. Whittling down their health and delivering the killing blow with the dagger did the trick too, but was much harder to achieve.
Level up! You have reached Character Level 56. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
Life Reset: Conquest (New Era Online Book 5) Page 6