D rank with a water and blade type. Now, that’s something we didn’t see before. Leo commented, keeping his gaze glued to the nearest Bladeform. Each of them should technically be stronger than the Myrdrak… and there are seven of them here. Shit.
‘I’m more worried about their unsupported flight,’ Nyx said in their link. ‘If not for that, I think we could have easily taken two or three of them head-on. But if they can just fly around and hit us with water affinity…’
He grimaced at the thought. Yeah, I see your point… Damn, give me a second; I will check the Bestiary. Maybe there is something we can use there.
Race: Nightmare Voidling | Subspecies: Trench Bladeform
Expected Potential: D- to C-
Arsenal: Water, Blade form
Known Weaknesses: Lightning, Eyes
One of the more popular Nightmares found on ocean worlds. Among Voidlings of the same rank, their speed is almost unmatched upon shifting to their blade form. Their water affinity is also quite well developed for this stage, and they have no problem using it as long as a water source is nearby. Aside from lightning, their most obvious weakness is their eyes. Without them, Trench Bladeforms are completely blind to the world around them, as their other senses never developed past the mortal stage. Please note that all Trench variants can only use their full power near water sources.
Okay, it might not be as bad as we thought. Leo let out a sigh of relief. With his new class skill, they just might have a fighting chance once shit hit the fan. And he didn’t doubt that sooner or later, it would.
‘What are the odds they won’t notice us if we kill one of them stealthily?’
With our luck? I bet all of my Ether that the moment one falls, the others will jump into action. It doesn’t matter if they see us or not.
‘But if we’re fast enough, we can still escape,’ Nyx concluded with a hum. ‘Hit and run could work here pretty well. That is, if we can even kill those things with a single strike.’
We can. Leo instantly said. They might be fast and have some decent firepower, but they are not the Myrdrak. They are neither armor nor regenerator type. If we strike hard, they will fall.
‘Fine… just don’t tell me you plan to use Ruination on them. It is far too early for that if we got two more layers to go through after this.’
No. No need for that yet. Spectral Fury and our shadows should do the job well enough. Their rank might be higher than that of the Myrdrak, but I highly doubt they are stronger than that massive thing.
‘Well, it was a nest mother with special typing,’ Nyx pointed out. ‘And remember what the System said, rank is just a rough estimation.’
I guess so. He thought dismissively.
Until he could defeat a monster way above his rank with his strength alone, he would take the System’s words with a grain of salt. There was no reason to become overconfident just because some ancient entity gave him a motivational speech. They might have had a deal, but it never hurt to be careful when confronted with the unknown.
Let’s scout this entire place first. He decided as he moved toward another tunnel on the other side of the massive chamber. I’m not fighting anything without knowing what is out there. Finding this Realm Tear would be nice too…
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With only about thirty-five hours left to find and destroy the Supercluster’s core, Leo didn’t waste any time sightseeing. Yes, this place was beautiful in its own unique way, but he didn’t have time to admire it. He just ran from tunnel to tunnel, from chamber to chamber, only counting the Nightmares in his path and looking for any signs of the Realm Tear.
He had passed through about five other rooms similar to the first one without finding anything but more Voidlings. Thankfully, at least all of them were of the same subspecies and didn’t rank higher than D. Though he found a few at D- which was a relief in itself. He could definitely kill those without breaking a sweat.
This place feels different, Leo said internally, his gaze washing over the seventh and final chamber.
For one, it was much smaller, at most half the size of the other rooms. Despite that, this one definitely had the most water flowing around. Every single surface was covered in it, and the less said about the small lake floating in the middle of the chamber, the better. Leo still had no idea how that even worked.
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The Supercluster core is nowhere to be seen, but at least we found the Realm Tear…
Unlike anything else he had seen before, the way to the next layer of the Rift looked like a literal tear in reality. It stood right beneath the floating lake, sometimes crackling with blue sparks.
Realm Tear:
A crack in reality capable of transporting creatures between places in the same realm. This Tear is currently inactive and lacking power. Kill at least ten denizens of this layer to begin its activation. Status: 0/10
So pretty much what we already knew. Leo tsked. It’s time to start hunting th—
‘Wait!’ Nyx cut him off. ‘Look above the lake, between the rocks. Something is hiding there.’
He frowned but followed the feline’s order. His gaze scanned the water-covered ceiling, only to stop a moment later, his eye narrowing.
What in the…
Trench Tempest (Nightmare Voidling) | Rank: D | LVL: N/A | Type: Nightmare, Grace, Water, Lightning
Is it just me, or does this thing look like an overgrown eel? Leo asked his companion as he continued to watch the Nightmare hidden between the rocks.
‘If by eel you mean this weird serpent-like fish in your memories, then I can see your point. Only the fins don’t match… Why does it need so many?’
No idea. Maybe to move fast? It is a Grace-type Voidling, after all.
‘Just check the bestiary.’
Leo held back a snort. Yes, mom.
Race: Nightmare Voidling | Subspecies: Trench Tempest
Expected Potential: D to C+
Arsenal: Water, Lightning
Known Weaknesses: Body Structure
Unarguably the quickest Nightmare subspecies in its power range. Trench Tempest strike fast and strike hard, easily killing their enemies with a single attack. Their dual affinity makes them one of the most dangerous enemies to fight in an ocean world. However, if one can match their speed, the Tempest’s weak body will be unable to defend for long. They are the definition of a glass cannon.
And suddenly, I am happy I didn’t decide to step inside. He gulped, backing off from the tunnel exit. Pretty sure it would strike the moment it noticed the water on the ground moving without a reason. Good catch, Nyx.
‘We can probably kill it easily,’ the feline said, ignoring his compliment. ‘With your recent ascension and all enhancing skills, you should be faster.’
Leo paused, considering her words. Maybe… Let’s leave that for later, though. The Bladeforms still seem easier to kill. We can deal with this one on the way out.
‘Understood.’
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Wait for my call. Leo said as Nyx slid off his body and dived into the surrounding darkness. Even without a stealth skill like his, her smoke form made it almost impossible for her to be discovered in dark areas. Without their link, he wouldn’t know where she was hiding, either.
‘Be quick.’
After a nod toward the darkness, he dashed for the other side of the third chamber. On the way, he confirmed the position of each Trench Bladeform—five of them—and slowly allowed his other skills to activate.
Reinforcement went first, powered up to its limit. Spectral Fury followed although Leo held back the power that created the Spectral Tears. They wanted to at least try to kill those Voidlings without being noticed, and having clones running around wouldn’t help with that.
Come on, bloodlust, your turn.
At this call, the mass of rage and hunger in his mind came out on its own, slowly spreading over his body and soul. Relentless Hunger activated, highlighting every monster in sight—one of which was only a few feet away from him.
Nyx, on three. Kill it and back into darkness. Ready?
‘Always.’
Then one, two, three! Go!
Instantly, Leo disappeared from his position in a burst of speed. Still hidden beneath Stealth Shroud, he emerged behind one of the only two Bladeforms that stuck close to the ground.
His blade surged forward and slid into the monster’s large head before it could even react. For a good measure, he allowed shadows to slither along his arms and dive into open wounds before erupting from within.
Trench Bladeform (LVL: 67) slain | Experience awarded | 529 Ether gained
Congratulations! You have reached level 52. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.
Holy shit! Nice, but not now! Leo dismissed the notifications and used Blink again.
All of this happened within a single second, and once the Nightmare’s body fell to the ground, he was already far away. A second later, he received another level-up notification, signaling that Nyx succeeded in killing the weaker, D- rank Bladeform.
However, as things usually were, nothing could go according to plan A.
Above him, the three remaining Nightmares released a high-pitched wail. At the same time, their bodies changed as the blades on their tentacles expanded, claiming the entire limbs. And then, the water moved.
Shit! Leo cursed. Nyx, plan B!
He didn’t wait for an answer and instead allowed waves of Essence to escape from his body, forcing it to spread over the area. Then he pulled onto the concept of his new skill hiding within the core of his soul and allowed it to overflow him.
Moonless Night.