Liam slowly walked through the tunnel. After leaving the entrance, he had cast Veil of Shadows so he could not only work on leveling up the ability, but also not alert any creatures he came across. He wanted to scout the monsters he was going to fight and have some time to think of how he would approach his fights. This was something Eri insisted he started doing.
The space inside the tunnel was generous. The width of the tunnel was wide enough for several people to move freely side by side and still have enough room to swing their weapons. The height of the tunnel was also high enough for anyone to swing a pole arm type weapon and not worry about hitting the ceiling. The rocky walls and the flooring looked to have been smoothed out. Not a single loose stone could be seen.
It didn’t take long for him to find his first target. Coiled up in the middle of the pathway with a head looking from left to right was a dark yellow scaled snake with full black eyes. A black line zig zagged down its back like a lightning bolt.
As he stared at it he noticed it wasn’t as small as he originally thought it would be. It wasn’t huge like the Spider Tailed Horned Viper, but it wasn’t small like its counterpart back on Earth.
He couldn’t tell how long the snake was thanks to how it was curled, but he was able to see its body was as wide as a medium sized dog. Its head looked like it would have no problem swallowing his arms whole. This was proven when it opened its jaws to let out a wide yawn.
As Liam stared at this snake’s yawn he saw two sharp curved fangs protrude from the top of its mouth. Little sparks flashed several times along the two fangs before it closed its mouth.
Liam assessed the creature where he stood through his goggles.
“Twin Fanged Adder. 140/140 HP. 50/50 MP. Level 5.”
Looks like it is by itself. Eri stated. Since you have one by itself you should test out the two new Affliction spells to test them out. I know I shouldn’t have to say this, but just in case, for obvious reasons, don’t use any Lightning based spells in this dungeon.
Liam rolled his eyes. I know I haven’t been the smartest lately, but even I know I shouldn’t waste my time using those. But thank you anyways.
Liam then slowly positioned himself in the middle of the tunnel pathway and readied himself. He made sure there was a decent gap between them in case the snake decided to strike right away. He didn’t want to get bitten and have that venom flowing through him.
Don’t channel any Shadow Mana. See how the damage works using the spell regularly. Eri started to say. Most battles won’t give you any time to channel specific mana, so you have to get used to not doing that. Now go ahead and chant your first one. After you get that off your Veil of Shadows will disappear. Make sure you jump right into chanting your next spell. You’ll have a short window between using both spells and once the snake sees you, it will rush towards you. Make sure you don’t falter and mess up on the chant.
Liam nodded. He slowly let out the air he had taken in and calmed his nerves down a bit before starting his chant in as quiet of a whisper as he could, “Hidden beneath and lying in wait, the unseen’s poison is never delivered late. Bellow out in a puff of smoke and slip into the stream. Corrupt the body, Corrupt the mind. Deliver the fear you wish to create. Shade’s Corruption.”
As soon as Liam finished the chant, he felt the shadows that were covering him suddenly disperse as a puff of black smoke suddenly shot out from underneath the snake and cover it. After a couple of seconds had passed, the Adder flung its body out from the black smoke, making it waft out and disperse.
As it landed, the long scaly body curled and coiled as its head looked around for its target. Liam started to get ready to chant his next spell as soon as it locked eyes with him. The creature’s mouth opened and let out an electrified hiss as it reared its head back. As soon as Liam opened his mouth and started chanting, the snake lunged forward.
“Radiant and majestic, we admire you in the night. Deadly and poisonous, many don’t know your terrible might. Caress my target with your light like a gentle kiss. Remind them why you’re as dangerous as the abyss. Epidermis Luminescence.”
Liam watched as the distance between him, and the Twin Fanged Adder’s jaws swiftly decreased. He didn’t think he would be able to finish the chant in time, but believed in Eri’s judgement and kept going.
The monster’s jaws were almost in striking distance as he finished the chant. As soon as the last word escaped his lips, Liam watched the flashing fangs disappear as it snapped its mouth closed and twitched its neck in a violent manner to the left.
During that motion, Liam saw a swiftly pale white flash around the neck of the monster. He also noticed a small amount of black smoke escaped the snake’s nostrils as the flash happened.
Liam turned his body to the side and jumped out of the way right in time to dodge the rest of the snake’s long body that slid across the ground.
Liam jumped back a couple more times to create some distance between them before he looked at the Twin Fanged Adder’s health.
“Twin Fanged Adder. 122/140 HP. 50/50 MP. Level 5.”
“Not bad. Almost twenty health points knocked off,” Liam stated, as he watched the neck of the snake flash again. With the flash came a sudden jerk of its neck as another puff of black smoke escaped the creature’s nostrils.
“Twin Fanged Adder. 97/140 HP. 50/50 MP. Level 5.”
“Alright, so about eighteen to twenty five points of damage over time,” Liam muttered as he watched the snake struggle with the pain that hit it with each flash of light around its neck and puff of black smoke escaping through its nose. “That’s not bad, but I’m not entirely sure if that is giving me an accurate amount. It also doesn’t help that this creature is only level five. I’ll have to test it out on more creatures as well to see how the damage is when used separately.”
Liam watched as the Twin Fanged Adder jumped forward as quickly as it could, aiming for his head, after it was hit with another flash of pale light around its neck and a puff of black smoke escaped out from its nostrils.
He grabbed two of his curved bone daggers enchanted with Shadow mana and rolled his upper body while side stepping under the snake’s body to the other side. Liam dug his daggers right into its underbelly and held his arms in place the best he could as it flew to where his head once was. Blood escaped from the two long gashes the daggers left and slowly pooled underneath it as it landed on the ground.
Liam stared at the monster and made his decision. He didn’t want to prolong the battle longer than he needed to and swiftly rushed towards the creature.
The Twin Fanged Adder coiled its bleeding body as close as it could, while hissing at Liam. Right as Liam reached within striking distance, the monster opened its jaws and lunged forward in a strike, right for his chest.
Liam slammed his feet down to try and stop his movement. He failed to stop right on the spot, feeling his feet sliding. Cursing himself mentally, he leaned his upper body back a bit while twisting his hips to the right. He positioned both arms as far right as he could while switching his grip on the daggers, making the blades face up.
He watched as the wide open jaws get closer and closer with each second that had passed and waited for the right moment. As soon as he determined it was right, he released his upper body and spun as hard as he could to the left. His daggers swiftly moved with the momentum of his arms and upper body and dug right into the snake’s eye and head. The force used into the blow was enough for him to push the rest of his body right out of the way of the jaws that were snapping shut.
Liam felt the Twin Fanged Adder’s head tilt to the right with the force of the blow colliding into it. Still holding tight to the daggers, Liam suddenly felt his body jerk with the momentum of the snake’s head.
He ended up right on top of the creature as soon as it fell to the ground. Not wanting it to counter or create some kind of advantage, Liam yanked the daggers out and stabbed down as fast and hard as he could. He kept going until he heard a chime echo in his mind and saw a notification suddenly appear.
“Congratulations! You have defeated Twin Fanged Adder – Level 5!”
Liam smiled as he felt his heart race a bit. He took in a few breaths as he stared down at the slain snake and smiled. The way he ended the fight wasn’t how he had planned it, but it worked out well for him. Especially the part where he used the Crescent Spin Nabal had him practice so much back in the Tutorial Area.
He hadn’t planned on trying the Weapon Art out on this creature. However, when he lost his grip on the ground and was about to be bitten by the Twin Fanged Adder, he thought it would be a good way to get out of danger.
The results weren’t exactly how he imagined they would be. He believed with the momentum and force caused from the spin and his daggers slamming into the creature, it would cause the trajectory of the monster’s head to shift. He also believed that he would be able to pull the daggers right out with ease. He didn’t expect to be moved out of the way as well as the daggers digging in to deep and being pulled with the monster.
He thought about how he used the move. Sure, the way he used it and the timing of when he had used it was on a theoretical level, but he had practiced the move plenty of times before.
He tried to remember how the movements felt during the fight and compare it to when he had practiced the move. The only thing he could narrow down that was different and could explain why he ended up the way he did was because of the angle he executed the attack.
Nabal had him practice the move using different angles, but he had never practiced it in the way he had just used it. In fact, he had never used it before in a fight until now. He felt that Nabal would be proud of him finally using the Weapon Art and told himself he would need to use it more to get used to it in a fight. He could write this up as an experience he needed to get used to.
He nodded and felt the test was satisfactory. He wouldn’t write it off as a completely successful test run with that single move though. He felt his left arm tingle as it felt a bit numb. Even though he did get the jaws to miss his chest, one of the fangs ended up scrapping the bottom of his elbow causing a little of the poison to take effect.
He stared at the debuff that had appeared and shook his head.
“You have been poisoned with Static Adder Venom. Slight numbing around the area the venom has entered. You will receive 5 damage every 10 seconds until venom has been removed or venom disappears. Time until Venom disperses: 30 seconds!”
At least the venom isn’t that potent. Liam thought to himself as he placed a hand over the wound behind his left elbow. He looked back at the snake to get a better look at it. Now that he was this close he could see that it was six feet long. Liam shook his head as he let out a small chuckle and thought, Fat and long.
He heard a couple of chimes echoing in his mind and was waiting for the notifications to follow until he heard something else. He quickly minimized the notifications and activated his Veil of Shadows while stepping away from the killed monster.
After making his way to the side of the tunnel, he focused his hearing to get a better idea of what the sound was.
Light steps tapped on the smooth stoned ground down the tunnel as light scrapping sounds mixed with the steps. A chittering noise echoed softly in the air as a form appeared from around a corner not too far away from Liam’s position.
It was a Praying Mantis that stood almost as tall as Liam. Majority of its body was a burnt yellow with some tan mixed in around its abdomen. The only differences this creature had from the ones he remembered from back on Earth, besides its height, was instead of having regular front arms they were replaced with serrated scythe like weapons and faint sparks of lightning arched down both them and around its antennae.
Liam assessed the creature.
“Static Clawed Mantis. 135/135 HP. 80/80 MP. Level – 5.”
This creature was alone. From where he was standing he couldn’t hear any other creatures close by or around. He watched as its head tilted and twitched to look around the area. From its head’s movements, Liam believed the creature couldn’t see him nor knew that he was close by him.
How is your arm doing Liam? Eri suddenly asked.
Liam turned his attention to it and tried to move it. The numbing sensation that tickled his elbow had diminished a bit. He looked at the timer of the Debuff and noticed it was less than ten seconds before it would go away. It feels a bit weird, but it should be gone in a few seconds.
Okay. For this fight, I want you to not use anything but Cleave and your Weapon Arts. Eri started. This should be good practice for when you have to fight monsters while having low mana and no mana potions.
Liam’s brows scrunched as he listened. He agreed with her advice, but there was something he wanted to make sure of. Doesn’t Cleave use Crafting Magic to coat the weapon to help its sharpness and precision when I strike?
Yes it does, but the amount of mana used is insignificant. Eri replied. It only takes a single mana point when you actually strike. That single mana point would quickly replenish after its used, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Fair enough. Liam said. So, I can’t use Shadow step either to get me close enough to strike?
No. You have to get used to not always using that. Eri instructed.
Alright fine. Liam stated as he slowly started moving towards the creature. We’ll do this your way then.
Liam moved as cautiously as he could, shortening the distance between him and the creature all while trying to make sure his Veil of Shadows didn’t disappear.
When you attack, make sure you aim for the creature’s joints. Eri informed. If this works you’ll have a better time successfully using the attacks there instead of trying to Cleave through the Abdomen or through its claws or any other meaty parts of its body.
Got it. Liam replied as he looked around for a part to test this combination on.
He didn’t want to appear right in front of the Praying Mantis in case it had some sort of amazing reflexes that allowed it to swing its long serrated scythe-like arms quicker than he could strike.
He decided to go for one of the leg to reduce some of its mobility. After picking its back leg on the left side, Liam made his way closer to it.
As he got closer, he tightened his grip on the talon curved daggers and prepared to strike.
Also, I must tell you that when you attack up close like this, you must do so quickly. Eri suddenly stated as the Praying Mantis’ head swiveled around and stared at the spot Liam stood at. The Lightning that flashes around its antenna helps it find stealth covered creatures and it will find you if you don’t move quickly.
“Shit!” Liam shouted as he felt his Veil of Shadows disperse while he watched the Scythe-like claws slice through the air right for his neck.
As the claws penetrated his neck, a puff of black smoke suddenly replaced his body.
Liam reappeared on the other side of the Praying Mantis. He positioned himself to use his Crescent Spin Dagger Weapon Art skill. He thought about using the Cleave ability. He wasn’t sure if the mana had coated one or both of his daggers, but he didn’t worry about that. Instead, he focused on the feeling he got as his sight narrowed as it locked on to a joint on the creature’s leg. The joint he was staring at rested against the top part of its abdomen.
Not wanting to waste time, Liam swung both of his daggers up at a ninety degree angle right for the joint he wanted to cleave. However, he felt some resistance right as he struck the joint of the creature’s leg. Instead of the leg coming right off, it only created a scratch.
Liam clicked his tongue as he jumped back a few times to not only dodge another strike from the creature, but to also create some distance between them.
I thought I said not to use anything but Cleave and Your Dagger Weapon Arts? Eri scolded.
I panicked. Liam replied with a frown. Also, why would you tell me something as important as that right as I’m about to attack? I could have lost my head.
Eri gave a small evil chuckle. That’s simple. To make you panic. I find that the best way to train is through some chaos. When a fight becomes a bit chaotic it helps you think better on the spot. It tests how focus you can get in a fight and that focus helps you resolve yourself committing to an attack even if your life is on the line.
Liam shook his head as he stared at the Static Clawed Mantis. It crossed its scythe-like claws across its chest. Lightning started to spark violently between the two. Liam wasn’t sure what was going on but had a sudden feeling he needed to dodge.
Deciding to follow the feeling, he jumped to his left right as the creature slashed its claws outwards from its body sending two flashes of Lightning right towards the spot Liam was once standing.
“Okay. I guess that’s a thing,” Liam commented as he saw the creature get ready to do the same thing again. He then cures, “Fuck me.”
Liam started sprinting to his left as the creature fired out a couple more flashes of Lightning. After the flashes were shot out, Liam redirected himself towards the monster. He watched as the creature prepared to do the same attack once again. Right as the Mantis fired out another round of Lightning, Liam stomped down with his left foot and pushed against the ground to spin his body around and out of the way of the attack.
He tried to activate Cleave once more and felt his sight locate several different joints that were closest to him within striking distance. He focused his attention right on the joint where the monster’s scythe-like claw and arm connected.
Feeling like he could do it, Liam swung both daggers right for it. He cursed himself as the attack failed and only produce a couple of scratches. He was about to jump out of the way to try again, but as his knees started to bend, a wave of sparks suddenly discharged off the creature and struck Liam.
Liam felt his body tense as the Lightning coursed through him. He panicked a bit mentally as he felt his muscles spasmed a bit. His face turned into a snarl as he watched the Static Clawed Mantis raise one of its claws up in the air and struck down.
Liam bit his cheek as he willed himself as hard as he could to push himself to move. It wasn’t much, but Liam was able to move his legs just enough to barely dodge the strike. His body suddenly fell backwards towards the ground right as the tip of the claw hit the ground.
After Liam’s body hit the ground, he felt the spasms disappear allowing him to move freely again. This was good because he instantly started rolling away from the creature as it tried to stab him like a person stabbing a cocktail weeny with a toothpick.
After feeling like he was far enough, Liam pushed himself up off the ground as quickly as he could and faced the creature once more.
Feeling frustrated, Liam questioned, Why isn’t this working? I can feel the eyesight of the skill work, but it doesn’t feel like its connecting with my daggers.
I’m not entirely sure…Wait… Eri started as she tried thinking about something. Did you say daggers?
Yeah…Liam answered, unsure why she would ask that.
That might be the issue. Your Cleave ability, at least at the level it currently is at, can only be used with one sharp object not two.
Liam jumped and rolled out of the way of a Lightning blast. As he came up he asked, Are you sure?
Yes. Eri started back up. Think about it. All the times you have used it before, was it with one or two knives?
Just on…ah okay. I’m an idiot. Liam chided himself.
You can be yes. Eri agreed without missing a beat.
Hey! Liam shouted back at her.
Eri chuckled before getting back on track and suggesting. When you activate the ability try focusing on one of your daggers instead of two.
Liam let out a sigh as he jumped again to dodge another flash. Alright. Here we go. He then sprinted forward. As he ran forward he redirected himself to an angle to his left.
As soon as he got within arms reach, the Static Clawed Mantis tried slashing at Liam in a downward forty-five degree angle. Liam planted his left foot down and juked to his right, bringing him in close enough to the monster’s left arm.
He activated the Cleave ability and felt his vision narrow in as the joints became focused. As he focused on the joint where the claw and arm connected, he focused on his right dagger. He wasn’t sure if it was working and didn’t have enough time to check, afraid it would take away the window he had created himself.
Without any hesitation, Liam swung his right arm up, slicing the dagger right through the joint of the Static Clawed Mantis claw and arm. Liam watched as the dagger cut right through it without any resistance. Blood pooling out from where the lost limb was once at.
The Static Clawed Mantis let out a loud screech as flashes of Lightning started sparking around its body. It staggered backwards as Liam felt the sparks lick his skin once again.
Liam felt his muscles once again tighten and spasm. However, this time he didn’t complain. He just stared at the creature with a wicked smile.
It worked! Liam yelled in his thoughts. I was able to cleave right through the joint!
Great! Eri cheered. Now do it again. Keep doing it till its dead.
Liam let out a yell as he felt the effects of the lightning disperse. He then continued the fight. He attacked the joints of the Mantis’ legs. He was a bit overconfident as he tried to go for two joints. He was successful but was once again struck by that lightning spark the monster produced each time he was close to it.
It took him around four minutes, practicing his cleave ability with Crescent Spin and Back Stab. He found that trying to use the combination on the creature’s neck was still out of his ability to pull off, but by the time the creature finally died, he was able to Cleave the other claw and all of its legs but one.
“Congratulations! You have defeated Static Clawed Mantis Level – 5!”
Liam placed his hands on his knees as he tried gulping for air. He had pushed himself throughout that fight trying not to get struck by that nasty spark it kept producing and was able to dodge it a couple of times at the end.
He pulled out a Weak Orange Stamina Potion and drank it. He felt his body start to relax and grow less tired as the potion swam through his system.
Great job. Eri congratulated. This is a good step on increasing what you can do. Now that we know it is possible, throughout this dungeon whenever you come across these creatures I want you to fight it using only Cleave and your Weapon Arts. If you had any Weapon Arts that weren’t in Daggers I’d have you practice those as well, but since you only trained with a Mentor in Daggers this will have to do for now.
“Seriously?” Liam asked as he stretched his arms out.
Yes. You need to discipline yourself and train more than just your magical abilities. Eri stated. The monsters in here aren’t terribly strong, so you may want to practice other weapons too. Once you get them to level ten maybe we can find a way for you to learn the Weapon Arts for them. However, don’t waste too much time on that venture. Our true goal is to gain materials. Practice is just a bonus for you.
Liam shook his head. I never took you for someone to push another to train.
You’re my Champion. Your skills and abilities are lacking quite a lot right now. Eri bluntly stated. Not only that, but there are plenty of dangers out there in this world. You need to get as strong as you can as fast as you can so you can properly defend yourself.
Liam looked at the monsters that laid on the ground dead. What Eri was telling him was right. He couldn’t argue with her. Even though he was restricting himself in this fight, he couldn’t deny that he wasn’t have a tough time. And this was a weak monster compared to the many more out there.
Liam nodded. You’re right. I have a long ways to go if I want to be able to do what I want to. First I need to get the materials for the items I need to make, train as much as I can while doing that and then pass the tests. Those are my current short term goals.
Glad to see you understand. Eri smiled. Speaking of materials. Harvest their Soul Orbs, devour both to replenish more of your Spirit pool, then skin and harvest these creatures. After that find your next opponent.
Ma’am yes ma’am. Liam said with a sarcastic salute.
