[Lethal Augmentation has received two skill points.]
[The damage output of Lethal Augmentation has increased from level 15 (775%) to level 17 (865%).]
[The damage output of [Imitation] Savage Bite has increased from level 15 (775% of strength stats) to level 17 (865%).]
***
Eon flew around the scenery, watching the battle from above, where he was safe from the devastating attacks of the opposing mages. As it jumped on the formation of the Peasants, a chain of lethal water that resembled blue lighting but had liquid property annihilated everything in its path. The Water Chain Strike that Gerolak Caster possessed. The river dwellers were then roasted to a crisp by an explosion of burning fire that burned everything that did not have a defense stat. The Vibrant's Fire Blast.
If either of those two attacks happened to hit Eon, the damage would be devastating even for his level. The massive difference between evolved and non-evolved units was so stark that even level 9 monsters appeared insignificant in comparison to the evolved units.
Explosions could be heard everywhere as the army of peasants marched forward, continuing to construct the bridge. The Militant led the assault. Following the Militant were bands of level 7 to 9 peasants, who finally began their march to fight back against their water-dwelling enemies. However, not all of them advanced; there were still Peasants guarding the Vibrant, which was the primary source of Area Of Effect damage on the Peasants' side.
Eon knew that diving and attacking aimlessly was not an option; if he wanted to succeed in this situation, he needed to be patient rather than reckless. If he just went through and randomly grabbed units to gain experience points and was accidentally hit by any of the evolved units, he would die. Unlike previous battles, the battlefield beneath him was chaotic, with devastating attacks coming from every direction, and even one mistake due to greed would be fatal.
And, of all the participants, the two mages on opposing sides were the most difficult to approach. They were heavily guarded by their allies and were capable of annihilating him with their devastating attacks. Especially since the Gerolak Caster was just leveled up from level 12 to 13, destroying many Peasants with its attacks.
As he circled the area, Eon waved his wings. The surging almost transparent pin toward the fully guarded Vibrant caught his gooey eyes. The Vibrant that was hit by the pin roared in pain as a result of the unexpected attack.
Eon's gaze darted to an entity hidden behind the leaves, sniping the Vibrant from afar. The Gerolak Sniper used the skill Pin Shot, which dealt 34 damage. And it was a devastating attack for the Vibrant, which only had 120 HP. It was a long-range attack that allowed the user to fire sharp, nearly transparent pins from the mouth.
As a sign of its brewing rage, the Vibrant closed and opened its mandibles. Another pin was inserted into the Vibrant's bright red head, causing it to shiver in pain. Even though it was a small projectile, it could cause excruciating pain.
The Vibrant retaliated by launching a Fire Blast at the location where it believed the attack originated. The surging fireball flew straight at the Gerolak Sniper, but before it exploded, the Gerolak Sniper used its racial exclusive skill, Long Jump, to jump high and quickly. However, once the assassin revealed its location, the mission was almost certainly doomed.
Eon growled and dived at high speed, his gooey eyes fixed on the Gerolak Sniper, not because he intended to fight it one-on-one, but because he saw another monster approaching it. The Rampant, the agility variant of the Peasant evolution line, moved quickly while blending in with its surroundings. It was just lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to emerge. What was its primary function? To eliminate the most significant threats to their victory.
The stealthy Rampant made no sound as it rushed through its path; it also made no changes in its surroundings, leaving no trace for its prey to notice it. However, from above, where Eon was, the Rampant's deft and silent movement was clearly visible. They were now outside of the battlefield, and while the dangers remained, they were not as dangerous as diving in the middle of the battlefield.
The Gerolak Sniper, unaware of its approaching foe, repositioned itself above a tree, hidden behind leaves. Its green skin helped it to completely blend in with its surroundings, making it extremely difficult to spot with the naked eye. It was a different story if the monster on the hunt could see its heat signature.
Eon circled above the Gerolak Sniper, keeping a safe distance between them. The Gerolak Sniper, on the other hand, continued its mission and fired another, Pin Shot, at the Vibrant.
The needle-like pin struck the Vibrant's head once more, reducing its HP to a dangerous level. It would only take one hit of Pin Shot to kill the Vibrant at that point.
The Gerolak Sniper opened its mouth and unleashed the supposed Pin Shot that would kill the Vibrant. However, as the Pin flew toward the Vibrant, some of the Peasants purposefully jumped in its path and took the attack, saving the Vibrant from certain death.
Eon growled as he watched the failed attack of the Gerolak Sniper from above. He purposefully made his growl louder in order to draw the attention of the Gerolak Sniper. And, just as he had planned, the Gerolak Sniper raised his head for a brief moment to look at Eon, who was mocking its failure.
And that brief period of time was more than enough...
A quick slash rushed out from the leaves, just above the Gerolak Sniper. The Rampant crept through until it was close enough to the Gerolak Sniper's head to easily reach it. It used its skill, Deadly Slashed, first, which involved using its sharp mandibles as sharp weapons, dealing 34 damage.
Then, using its Savage Bite skill, it grabbed the Gerolak Sniper's mouth, effectively denying all of its offensive capabilities. Although Savage Bite was a strength stat scaling skill that was not particularly powerful when used by an agility-based monster like Rampant, it still dealt a devastating 70 damage due to its skill level of 20. And for a Gerolak Sniper with only 120 HP, the combination of those two skills could be fatal.
The Gerolak Sniper tried to flee by using its racial exclusive skill, Long Jump, while groaning in agony from the continued pain of the painful bite of four mandibles gripping its mouth. The strength of a Rampant, on the other hand, was difficult to match. The Rampant easily lifted the Gerolak Sniper, which was more than triple its size, thanks to the terrifying innate physical abilities of the Peasant evolution line.
Both of them, however, were unable to continue fighting because their mouths were locked against each other.
Both combatants were in a deadlock situation. Eon had been anticipating this moment.
Eon swooped in and landed on the two combatants as a stepping platform. His two gooey eyes were staring in different directions, one at the Gerolak Sniper, which was in the midst of great pain and suffering while attempting to save its life. While Eon's other gooey eyes focused on the Rampant's dot-like pair of eyes at the top of its head. The Rampant remained motionless while tightening its grip on the Gerolak Sniper, its instincts warning it that Eon might steal its meal.
However... Eon had zero interest in the frog's meat.
[Lethal Augmentation has been activated.]
[Lethal Augmentation has dealt 19.2 damage.]
[Lethal Augmentation has dealt 19.2 damage.]
The Gerolak Sniper roared in pain as it took damage from Eon. Eon flew out to the sky, where he was safe, before the Rampant could even recover from the unexpected attack. He fled, leaving the corpse of the Gerolak Sniper and the still-alive Rampant behind.
After claiming another prize, he flew around the area, observing the ongoing battle.
[You have received 8 experience points.]
[Deceitful Shapeshifter: a new form has been acquired. The Gerolak Sniper form is now available for use.]
[Deceitful Shapeshifter: The eliminated unit has a skill that can be imitated.]
[Pin Shot.]
[Shoot a nearly transparent lethal pin from the user's mouth, dealing 150% (+50% per level) of the user's agility stat. The user's shooting range is 5 meters (+5 meters per level). While in mid-air, this skill can be blocked and destroyed.]
[Do you want to learn Pin Shot?]
[Savage Bite will be permanently deleted, and you will not be able to acquire a skill with the same name again.]
[Imitating the skill, Pin Shot...]
[Imitation process completed.]
[Skill, Pin Shot has been acquired.]
[The damage output and range of [Imitation] Pin Shot have increased from level 1 (150% of agility stats) (5 meters) to level 17 (950%) (85 meters).]
He added another weapon to his arsenal and already had a strategy for how to use it effectively.
