"I am ready now."
Looking at the small peak I had spent my whole month on, I mumbled.
I had already finished preparing for the raid of the boss and removing the camp.
"Ti Guardian, huh? Certainly a tricky opponent."
A monster of a low rank-3 strength, physically. But, strange enough, its real strength didn't lie on his body but its ti-related affinity. After all, even though most of the ti, boss monsters' strength was determined by their mana wavelength and body, there were so special ones that were ranked higher thanks to their unique characteristics.
Ti Guardian was one of them. If ranked according to the orthodox thods, it would be a low rank-three monster, but because of its uniqueness, it was ranked as low rank-4.
'Then, again. If you are prepared enough, nothing can stand in your way.'
Looking at the small pebbles that I had gathered while walking around and the arrowheads I made from those pebbles, I started checking everything one last ti.
I double-checked my gear, making sure everything was set. The artifacts, potions, and supplies were all vital for what lay ahead. I thought about how far I'd co since I first arrived here. It felt like a different ti.
My body was also all rested, and I had even taken a shower to feel refreshed. Everything was set in stone, and the only thing was left to confront the boss.
Stepping out into the grove, I blended in shadows, activating [Shadowborne].
Today was a cloudy and rainy day, even though just yesterday it was scorching hot. And according to my observations, it would stay like that for one more day.
With cautious steps, I moved deeper into the grove, alert to everything around . The tension was high, knowing the final trial was approaching.
'There shouldn't be many monsters left.'
While training for the whole last month, my only object was not only to improve myself but also to trim the monsters in this place one by one.
I dragged the exploration, and since I am very good at stealth and range attacks, it was not that hard for to trim their numbers, even when I was alone.
Therefore, I was sure that no monsters would stand in my way while I would be confronting the Ti Guardian.
RUSTLE
As I ventured deeper, the shadows seed to cling to , providing a sense of concealnt that was comforting.
And, just as I expected, eventually, I arrived at the heart of the Groove, where the boss monster awaited without encountering any other monsters inside the place.
FLINCH
The eerie presence of the boss sent shivers down my spine. Its flickering form made it hard to pin down a target, emphasizing its nature of ti manipulation.
"Let's get this done."
TAP TAP TAP TAP
The rain continued to fall, setting a somber mood, fitting for the showdown ahead.
I carefully stepped forward, ready to confront the Ti Guardian.
My senses heightened, every muscle prepared for the inevitable battle that would decide my fate within the Chrono Grove.
'The first stage should be relatively easy.'
I thought to myself, readying my bow as I looked at the boss monster before .
The Ti Guardian stood before , a creature that defied conventional expectations.
Its form flickered and shifted, the spiritually-looking visage showcasing its affinity with the manipulation of ti.
The boss resembled an ancient and mystical entity, its outlines blurred and the edges seeming to dissipate into the surrounding air. It was hard to pin down a specific shape as if it was in a perpetual state of transition.
In fact, it was later revealed that the Ti Guardian was the ancestor of the [Eon Specters] and [Temporal Shifters]; both of them are the monsters habiting this place.
And because of that fact, the Ti Guardian had the characteristics of both of them.
The creature's colors were a spectrum of blues of Eon Specters and silvers of Temporal Shifters, mirroring the shifting nature of ti itself.
The hues swirled and mixed, resembling a whirlpool that drew the eye into its depths.
The Ti Guardian emanated a subtle glow as the small sunlight passed through the clouds and refracted through a crystal, setting the atmosphere.
"Certainly, an incredible scene."
I muttered to myself, admiring its form while preparing for the impending clash. However, everything would et its end in one way or another.
'Keen Eye.'
Activating my skill, I felt the mana moving into my eyes as my vision tunneled into the boss before .
Even though the skill was supposed to show the weakness of the boss, since it was a low-rank skill, it wasn't doing its job properly. Even then, my eyes wandered around the boss, my trait [Perceptive Insight] doing its work.
I observed the monster and combined the information from the ga with my observations.
I was still in the shadows, hiding from the boss, and the boss monster didn't make any move.
"Hooo…."
With a deep breath, I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked it onto my bowstring, eyes never leaving the flickering form of the Ti Guardian.
'The pattern is like this.'
My heartbeat cald down as the mont of confrontation approached. I was a hunter, not a warrior, and a hunter would never lose his cool.
I aid carefully, judging the distorted figure of the boss, and released the arrow.
SWISH
It soared through the air, finding its mark as it collided with the Ti Guardian's form.
However, instead of a satisfying thud, the arrow seed to slow down, the boss's manipulation of ti altering its trajectory.
The arrow lost speed, allowing the Ti Guardian to shift its form just enough to let the arrow harmlessly pass through.
"This won't be easy,"
I muttered to myself, quickly moving to my next arrow, preparing to fire again.
'The ti manipulation itself is changing the acceleration and its vectorial position.'
I adjusted my aim, predicting the ti manipulation aspect of the boss's abilities. I needed to anticipate where it would be, not where it was.
The boss monster had yet to even awaken from its slumber; even its natural form was hard to attack.
Applying my green-colored mana to the arrow, I supplied the arrow with the mana. Since Green colored mana was the most stable one, it was my best bet.
SWISH THUD
Releasing the arrow, it hurtled towards the Ti Guardian, and this ti, I saw a slight waver in its form, a successful hit.
With my eyes, I could see the green tendrils forming in front of , connecting my vision to the boss.
ROAR
But before I could celebrate, the boss retaliated, a ripple of distorted ti lashing out in my direction. The speed of the attack was high, as it instantly accelerated right before my eyes.
'Dash.'
SWOOSH
I activated my skill, and I swiftly dodged, feeling the disturbance in the air as the ripple missed by inches.
The Ti Guardian's powers were formidable, and I couldn't afford to underestimate them. It was a battle of precision and timing.
However, the first arrow was the most important one. While I was training with [Temporal Shifters], I was trying to find ways to counter its form change, and I found one.
My green-colored mana countered the monster, marking its 'real' part that hadn't disconnected from this dinsion.
Thanks to that, from the mont my first arrow landed, the following was going to be easy.
SWISH SWISH
I continued to fire arrows, each shot a careful calculation of the boss's probable position and its ti-altering abilities.
My eyes constantly wandered around the space, observing every bit of little ripples in the environnt.
It was a habit I had acquired while spending my ti in this ever-changing space, and I learned one thing.
'Never make sure of sothing; always be ready for sothing to change.'
At this point, the shadows were practically useless, and I was expecting that. The boss monsters have a higher sensitivity to mana; thus, from the mont I started attacking using my mana, it was going to locate easily.
Therefore, rather than moving in between shadows, I moved alongside the groove with my skill [Dash] active, constantly changing my location.
TAP TAP TAP
The sound of rain and my steps amongst the mud echoed in my ears,
The battle had just begun, and this was only the initial dance, a dance of ranged attacks and evasive maneuvers.
ROAR!
With a loud shout, the Ti Guardian started throwing a bunch of rocks to . However, if one thing was different, then it was the speed of the rocks.
SWOOSH SWOOSH, BOOM! BOOM!
Thanks to its ability to manipulate ti, in fact, the Ti Guardian has the ability to narrow the interval of ti where the rock would reach a certain speed. And, thanks to that, the rock would have a higher acceleration, resulting in a narrower interval for to dodge.
'Dash.'
However, my skill [Dash] ca in handy as my body moved around the place, dodging the rocks thrown at .
THUD CRACK
"Arghk….."
Even then,? it was impossible to dodge every attack. A rock hit from my leg, and a groan left my mouth, my body shaking in pain as I staggered.
'My bone is broken.'
I imdiately assessed the wound.
CRUNCH
And, without wasting any second, I instantly crunched the pill I hid in my mouth for the sake of such situations.
HEAL
Feeling the potion entering my mouth, I forced myself to move, as I could feel another bunch of arrows coming my way.
Just like I was adapting myself, Ti Guardian was also adapting itself to my attacks, and thanks to its unique eye, he could see my movents clearly.
Then, again, this was within my expectations.
'It should be happening soon.'
Just at that mont, as the Ti Guardian seed to be growing accustod to my strategy, the environnt threw in a new variable.
'There it is.'
Gravity, already erratic in this place, seed to shift suddenly, altering the trajectory of both the raindrops and my arrows, as well as the rocks thrown at .
As the raindrops defied gravity, falling sideways or upwards, I took a mont to observe and adapt. I had been studying this place and preparing for the raid, and now I was getting the results of it.
I adjusted my aim, taking advantage of the odd gravity to fire my arrows at unconventional angles.
In my head, I simply imagined the trajectory of the arrows according to my observations and modeled the fight.
SWISH
The arrows curved and twisted, following the bizarre paths set by the distorted gravity.
And because of that, the Ti Guardian struggled to anticipate and evade these unpredictable shots.
'This is why you are a mindless beast.'
SWISH SWISH
My arrows found their marks, and the Ti Guardian roared in pain, its form destabilizing. Each hit weakened the creature, green-colored liquid dripping from the wounds.
However, just like every other type of monster, this one also had its own trump card.
ROAR
In frustration, the Ti Guardian released a huge roar, its effects sending ripples through the space.
SWOOSH
I was thrown out as an aftereffect, as I felt my body getting pushed, as well as a weird-looking barrier covering the place where the ti guardian was.
'The second stage starts.'
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You can check my discord if you want. You can see the illustrations of characters there.
The link to the discord server is in the description of the book.
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