The snake coiled tightly, its massive body tensing like a spring, ready to strike again.
Bel's hands pulsed with heat as he lowered them, fingers poised in a snapping stance. His voice cut through the chaos.
"Get away from it. Now."
The party didn't think twice. Trusting his words, they imdiately scattered, retreating from the battlefield as quickly as possible.
The snake lunged.
In an instant, Bel was no longer where he had stood. He had leaped, his speed breaking past what the eye could track, and then...
Snap.
A streak of fire shot toward the monster, twisting midair before slamming directly into its open maw. The explosion was imdiate, a violent burst of flas engulfing the snake's face. It shrieked, its massive form thrashing as it crashed against the cavern wall, sending debris raining down.
Bel landed smoothly, feet pressing into the cracked stone. His crimson eyes glowed behind the slits of his mask. Without missing a beat, he snapped his fingers again.
Another beam.
Another explosion.
This ti, the blast was even larger, consuming the snake in a firestorm. The cavern trembled, the force shaking the very walls as flas licked hungrily at the air.
Silence followed.
The fire crackled, illuminating Bel. He stood, his back to the inferno, untouched, invincible.
The party could only stare. At first, nothing but stunned silence.
Then, murmurs of awe.
Then, cheers.
"That was insane!"
"Damn, that was a finisher!"
The archer laughed, clapping a hand on Garrik's shoulder.
"What did you say about breaking formation? Didn't see that coming, huh?"
Even the dwarves let out loud, boisterous laughs.
"Aye, that's a proper damn spectacle! Remind to never get on yer bad side, lad!"
The excitent was infectious, spreading through the group like wildfire. Relief, admiration, and triumph filled the chamber as they watched the fire die down.
But not everyone was celebrating.
Garrik remained frozen, staring at the battlefield with his jaw clenched. His fists tightened at his sides. Nothing in Bel was copper level, and even for an iron-rank it would be exceptional.
And he wasn't the only one who noticed.
The elf stood a little apart from the others, her silver eyes locked onto Bel, thought, her concern was different.
Through the heat haze, she caught a glimpse beneath Bel's cracked mask. A sliver of exposed skin.
White... but also...
A sudden pulse.
A deep, unnatural wave of energy rippled through the cavern, swallowing everything in an instant.
Everything turned dark and purple.
A sudden wave surged through the chamber.
The party recoiled, instinctively covering their faces. A thick, noxious mist flooded the air, dark and suffocating. The archer coughed violently, stumbling backward, while the dwarves groaned, clutching their throats.
A strange, sickly glow pulsed beneath their skin, black veins creeping up their arms.
"What... what is this?!" The swordsman choked out, struggling to stay upright.
The healer, her vision blurring, forced herself to focus. Then, her breath hitched.
"Poison!"
A deadly miasma, spreading like a storm, devouring the air itself.
The realization sent a wave of panic through the group. They clutched their chests, trying to breathe, but every inhale only made it worse. Their limbs trembled, their movents sluggish.
Bel, standing near the wreckage of fire and stone, narrowed his eyes.
"How?" he muttered, watching as the flas still flickered around the battlefield. "I blew it apart from the inside. It should be dead."
Then, it clicked. He didn't get a single experience. There was only one explanation for that, but the confirmation ca before the answer in the form of a shifting noise.
The crackle of shifting stone, the scraping of massive scales against rock.
Bel turned, only to see a flash of movent.
The snake's head lunged, its massive fangs gleaming, venom dripping.
Bel barely had ti to react before it was upon him.
A chanical snap echoed through the cavern as the beast's body twisted. It crashed through the battlefield, its massive form knocking the adventurers aside like dolls.
The healer was sent tumbling, gasping as she slamd into a jagged rock. The archer rolled to the ground, struggling to raise his bow.
Only the elf remained on her feet, pushing against the ground to steady herself. Her silver eyes flared as she lifted her hands, calling forth her magic.
A powerful wind erupted around her, swirling like a controlled storm. The poison mist was gathered and shoved back, offering the party a brief, much-needed relief.
"Hurry!" she shouted. "I can't hold this forever!"
The healer, still on the ground, groaned. The elf turned, face hardening.
"Wake up and heal them! We don't have ti!"
But before she could do anything else, a deep, bone-rattling crash.
She flinched and spun around.
The snake was in a frenzy, thrashing wildly. It slamd into walls, stalagmites, and rock formations, tearing through the battlefield. It was blind, disoriented, its massive body crashing through everything in its path.
Now's the chance.
The elf imdiately sprinted toward the healer, but as she reached for her, she froze. She turned again, realizing why the snake was in a frenzy.
Bel.
He was there, standing in front of the snake's gaping maw, both hands gripping tightly against the massive fangs.
The beast pushed, trying to force him into its mouth, its enormous body moving with terrifying strength. But Bel...
He wasn't moving.
His feet dug into the stone floor, his muscles strained, his breath ragged. Blood dripped from his forearm where one of the fangs had grazed him. A dark, blackish wound pulsed against his skin, veins crawling outward like infection.
[HP: 520/900... 505/900... 490/900...]
His health was dropping fast.
The pressure was imnse, walls breaking behind him as he was pushed further and further back. Every nerve in his body scread. The poison burned through his veins, sapping his strength, clouding his mind.
But he refused to let go.
A deep growl rumbled in his chest. Then... a new sensation.
Bel clenched his jaw, inhaling sharply. He braced himself, feeling his body coil, every muscle tensing. And then, he opened his mouth.
Flas erupted from his mouth.
A concentrated stream of fire roared straight into the snake's mouth.
The beast shrieked. It reared back, its entire head igniting from within. A burst of fla exploded from its nostrils, its scales glowing red from the heat.
Bel tore himself free, launching backward, rolling onto the ground. Smoke trailed from his lips as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
The snake coiled tightly before lunging once more, its massive jaws stretching wide.
Bel barely avoided it, twisting his body mid-air and landing in a crouch, only to spring away again as the beast struck a second ti.
He moved as fast as he could, dodging each attack by a hair's breadth, but his HP kept ticking down. A sharp pain pulsed from his wrist, the blackened wound worsening with each passing second.
[HP: 470/900... 467/900... 460/900...]
Bel's mind raced.
Damn... I'm losing too much health.
The poison, it's effect was a catastrophe. Even without being touched, Bel kept losing his health points.
He still had plenty of MP left, but he wasn't about to waste it recklessly if he wasn't sure whether fire was the best option.
His mind flicked to his skillset. There had to be a more efficient way.
[Reptilian Slayer: Increases damage against reptilian-type monsters by 15%]
[Piercing Strike: Allows physical attacks to ignore a portion of enemy defenses. The effect increases with Strength.]
Bel's thoughts sharpened.
Forget magic. I have sothing better for that.
The snake rushed toward him, mouth agape. Bel clenched his fists, muscles tightening.
Then, an explosion, but not from Bel.
The snake's head jerked violently to the side, an explosion bursting from its right cheek. Bel staggered slightly, caught off guard.
He turned, seeing the elf standing with her book raised, arcane symbols glowing in the air around her.
"Run!" she shouted, her voice sharp.
But Bel had no intention of running. Beyond the danger, there were at least two reasons why he wanted to fight this beast, one of them being the huge experience.
His breathing slowed, deepened. A low whistle escaped his lips, the sound eerily sharp. Then, steam rose from his body, swirling around him like mist.
[Burning Soul – Activated]
A surge of heat erupted from his body, his entire aura igniting in a blaze of fire.
Flas erupted around him, flickering wildly before stabilizing into an intense, flowing aura of heat.
His body glowed like molten tal, his veins pulsing with energy. Every inch of him burned, but it didn't hurt.
He dodged as the massive snake lunged at him once more. But sothing felt different. He was faster. His instincts had sharpened to an almost unnatural degree, even for him.
His movents were fluid, effortless, like his body had finally broke free from any restriction.
Mid-dodge, he twisted, his arm snapping out in a counterstrike. The back of his hand connected with the snake's scales, and an explosion erupted on impact.
The sheer force sent a shockwave through the cavern, the serpent recoiling violently as fragnts of its own armor flew in every direction.
[HP: 312/900] [Status: Poisoned]
Bel exhaled, lowering into a stance. His eyes glowed through the cracks of his mask.
[Piercing Strike]
His fingers cracked as he flexed his claws, then, he lunged.
The first strike slamd into the snake's hide. Unlike before, this ti, the scales shattered, splintering apart like brittle stone. A sliver of blood followed.
Bel's eyes widened.
Hope.
He struck again. Another deep cut. The snake recoiled, screeching.
Another. Another. Faster.
Scales flew in every direction. Blood splattered against the rocky floor. His attacks ca in rapid succession, each one deeper, each one stronger. The beast twisted and thrashed, but Bel was relentless, moving like a fiery shadow, his strikes unyielding.
The elf trailed after them, eyes locked onto the unfolding battle. But she didn't intervene.
She couldn't.
The snake screeched in agony, its massive body convulsing.
[BURN inflicted.]
Flas erupted from within the wounds, the fire licking at the monster's insides. It writhed, slamming against the cavern walls, desperate to put itself out.
Bel's aura pulsed.
His speed increased. His movents beca blurred.
Faster. Stronger. Untouchable.
He was the only one attacking now. The snake had long since stopped fighting and moved only everywhere.
Bel let out a roar, his mask fracturing apart as he brought his fist down one final ti.
A direct strike to the forehead, breaking scales, piercing flinch, digging the red.
The snake spasd, its body coiling tightly before finally collapsing.
Silence.
[LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!]
Reviews
All reviews (0)