|Ilargia Dew (Common (B+))

Ilargia Dew is a foliar herb with deep purple, thin, and long stalks. Each leaf has a white line accentuating the central vein on the bottom. The herb thrives in damp soil. At night, it draws the essence of the Moon, transforms it into mana, and deposits it in its leaves. It is one of the ingredients used in the common mana replenishment potions.|

Bang

The barrier trembled, but Midnight ignored it. He concentrated on sustaining the structure while gnawing the grass.

The stalks didn't have taste and they were tough and non-chewable. They lacerated his oral mucosa and irritated his throat. After a few mouthfuls, his masseters were already weary. They spasmed in reluctance, but he didn't stop eating. Instead, he pulled out another handful of stalks, bit into them, and with a tepid expression persisted.

Bang Bang Bang

Bang Bang

The cycle of fracturing and amendment continued. Gaps formed, mended, and emerged once again. However, the equilibrium gradually lost its prior stability.

Under the incessant assault, Midnight's spirituality dwindled. The old breaches in the dome's surface lacked the time to fuse back. The weak, newly grown crystals couldn't bolster the walls before the next blow broke them in pieces.

The cycle was interrupted and the scale tilted toward a collapse. The initial individual clefts creaked and expanded. They bore deeper into the thick ice, branched out like the web of a spider, and slowly stretched further away from impact.

Soon, Midnight noticed dizziness and nausea bubbling inside him. At first, it wasn't too obvious. He just felt a deep and mystical sense of exhaustion. It stemmed from his mind, and out of his spirit. Later, the weakness slowly developed into something resembling the flu. The symptoms were still weak, but he was acutely aware of what they portrayed.

The initial signs of spiritual fatigue are already showing. My pool is more than half dry. When it falls under one-fourth of its current capacity, my physical state will decline further. I will fall sick. Then when it hits zero I will black out for a while...No, it won't be for a while at all! The snake is not a prince is a fantasy story. It won't awaken me with a kiss, but happily gobble me up...

Pheeeew

He exhaled slowly so that his injuries wouldn't deteriorate more. Then, he reached into the bag and used both of his hands to grab Ilagria herbs. He brought the thick stalks to his mouth and devoured them. He ate ravenously without a speck of proper etiquette or good table manners.

In his stomach, the chewy grass instantly melted away. It released plenty of energy, but only a small portion of it was absorbed. The majority dissipated and turned into heat. The heat bore out of his belly and scorched his insides. It worsened his pain; however, he didn't dare to stop and continued eating.

Consuming the Dew without proper processing greatly reduced the effects. I can digest about 30 percent of the energy. The side effects are obvious too. If I somehow survive, I may need to spend a lot of time in the toilet. Heh... He lampooned inwardly and dropped all attempts to keep a straight face.

In the beginning, he faked his composure to fool the snake and put it under some psychological pressure. It was a strategy meant for relatively intelligent creatures. If the monster was dense it would act blinded by instincts, and if it was highly insightful, it would see through his plans. The Lord's brains fit right in the green zone.

And now, with his barrier slowly but surely crumbling, this act became pointless. It wasn't stupid enough, nor was it blind. It had already noticed the problem and made his attacks roll out more rapidly and become frenzied.

Bang Bang Bang

He glanced at the time, closed his eyes, and prepared for his next action. A full minute had passed since the showdown of willpower began. It meant that for a full minute, the boss had endured the chills while exhausting his energy. On the other hand, he rested his body and tried hard to recover some of his mana. For this, he endured and munched on the grass. No matter how unpalatable it was.

A minute...That should be enough. He opened his eyes, muttered, and gritted his teeth. Then he put a hand in the bag and pulled out a black mushroom. Following, he spat out a magical spell, "Impedimentum obice venti."

Simultaneously, he expelled the structure, distributed and imbued most of his mana into this new design and the ice dome, and cut his connection to the barrier blocking the Lord. This was to protect himself from the backlash when the spell broke. One of the weak points of the link bond was that whenever a structure was crushed the caster suffered a shock wave to his psyche.

Gu Gu Gu

The ice dome lit up and all cracks were repaired. No, the walls even grew thicker and sturdier. For a short time, the snake couldn't escape!

Midnight's nascent spell flickered and activated as well. It made the chaotic winds inside the dome howl and divide. Some of the gushes followed a new order. They contracted, swirled, and covered the snake's snout. They formed a thin membrane. This new windy barrier was many times smaller than his transparent dome. It barely covered the Lord's nostrils and mouth.

Hiss!

Bang Bang Bang

The Lord trashed like a beast. It harrumphed at the annoyance that couldn't even block one of its moves and slammed into the wall.

Crack Pop Crackle

When Midnight saw the fresh fractures traversing and chipping the ice, he didn't feel scared or worried. He clenched his fist tightly around the stem of the mushroom, turned on his feet, and quickly fled once again.

Unfortunately, his speed couldn't compare to his previous records. First, he forfeited the velocity that came with his cat form. He couldn't shapeshift again in the next 24 hours. And second, his bleeding hadn't abated much even though he had used the medical salve. Too many blood vessels were ruptured. His physical shape was already borderline dangerous. Therefore, he had to make every second count and distance himself.

Bang Crackle

Bang Bang Pop

The Lord instinctively felt that the mage was about to collapse. It could sniff out the thick scent of his blood, and it could sense the wavering mana. Feast! Soon! It was invigorated and used all of the energy in its stiff and cold body to break down the dome. Its movements became even wilder.

Bang Bang

Crack Crumble

The fissures grew thick, diverged, and connected. A huge chunk of ice crumbled onto the ground, forming a hole. But the opening wasn't big enough for the snake to slither across. It needed just a bit more.

Bang Crack

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Bang

Clink

With a crisp and sharp sound, the barrier burst into pieces.

Finally! The Lord thought happily. Like a glass bead dropped from a high place, the ice that enclosed it crumbled into speckles of dust. The 'dust' rained down and instantly melted. And the piercing winds vanished as well. Only the small and annoying membrane around its snout continued its pointless persistence.

Hmph

What could this weak membrane accomplish?

The Lord hissed and hurried to chase. The last few seconds it was busy decimating the dome and it had lost sight of the half-ling. However, the mage could hide for a moment, but couldn't escape. Not under its watch. Be it the half-ling's mana or scent, they were glaringly conspicuous.

"Effluo"

Suddenly a word broke through the night.

Behind. Close. The Lord's mind whirred and it jerked its huge body. It slithered around a fallen-down tree and sped up toward the hiding place of the half-ling. It didn't even need to waste time to sniff out the target. In his last desperate efforts to struggle, the idiot exposed his location.

Swish

A small gust of wind blew out bringing with it a tiny black object. The item rode the breeze and shot out right in front of the Lord. It penetrated the membrane and gently tapped the snake's snout.

"Flamma."

Simultaneously, a weak flame flickered into existence. It lit the black object and forced it to sizzle and melt. What was left of the mushroom was just a puff of black smoke.

Hiss!

The Lord roared and locked its eyes on the mage. It saw the pitiful bastard with purple stalks stuck in his mouth turn away and flee in the darkness.

Rolling its gold eyes, The Lord inhaled deeply and chased after the mage. The next moment, it stiffened. It opened its mouth wide and wheezed out. Its tongue and the mucosa inside its sensitive airway reddened and swelled. It quivered unhappily, but this level of poison was nothing. It only made its breathing more difficult because of the airway's partial obstruction.

Unfortunately, as a snake, it was unable to cough. Otherwise, it could simply expel all of the gas and clear his system.

Foolish. The Lord thought. Its sense of smell was somehow reduced because most of its tongue was inside the windy enclosure. Only the tip that could pierce thought was useful right now. However, the irritant couldn't do anything against its large eyes. They were clad in and protected by a thick brille. From such a short distance, it could find the caster with ease.

Hiss Bang

The monster trashed its huge body, lowered itself, and sprang into action. It slithered forward and chased the fatigued mage. In three seconds, it reduced the distance from five meters to two and a half. Not only the speed of the half-ling had slowed down. Exposed to the cold for so long, the Lord was still stiff, and its muscles and scales felt heavy...

No... Suddenly, the boss felt something amiss. The chill was already gone. Yet, its body had not lightened at all. It even grew heaving by the second. Something...is wrong.

Midnight staggered and tripped in a root. He tumbled over and plastered his face on a tree. His nose broke, but he used his hands to push hard and tried to stand up. However, his legs felt like jelly, and he rolled on the ground. Countless needles poked at his injuries, and he hissed.

The Lord used this chance to reduce the distance to one meter. But its breathing was so difficult, and it felt its insides burning with pain. Invisible fog rose in its mind. It covered its thoughts and obstructed its actions. Instead of catching the mage, it wheezed drily, confused the direction, and crashed into a tree.

Bang

The scotch pine shook and rained needles but stood firm. The impact lacked the power to uproot it or break through the trunk. This was a great contrast to the Lord's previous feats. It had unknowingly grown weaker.

Huff Huff Huff

Midnight gagged, and his consciousness flickered. His muscles spasmed, and he wanted to puke. He had used nearly all of his mana in the last couple of seconds. Even so, he gave his best to crawl on the ground. Dirty, bloody, and exhausted in both body and mind. He had a sorry appearance. No, I can't... lose consciousness... A thought intermittently ran through his head. If he blanked now, even if the snake didn't kill him, he would certainly bleed until death.

Desperate, he reached into the bag, grabbed more of the Ilargia stalks, and struggled to eat them. He didn't chew and directly forced them down his sore throat.

Bang

The Lord's body shook in a seizure. It suffocated, and its eyes bulged. In an attempt to alleviate the lack of oxygen, the Lord inhaled sharply, but the expected relief didn't follow at all. N..o.. A broken-down notion flashed in its brain, but it couldn't even comprehend its own unwillingness and despair.

A few seconds later, its frantic movements died down and it slumped to the ground.

Midnight touched his mangled-up chest and rolled on his back. He felt his body turn colder and stiffer. The salve from before was too useless. My injuries are too heavy, and I didn't have the chance to properly tend them in time... He thought, and a strange smile colored his lips. It was an expression of unwillingness and repulsion, but there was no sadness in it. Do I need to use that?...

Sigh

He exhaled softly. He didn't want to die here and now. He could only give up and bear the disgust and the peculiar sense of regret.

Without further ado, he groped in the bag and pulled out a crimson and sticky balloon. No, it was a root filled to the brim with disturbing thick liquid.

|Bloody Enigma (Unique (B))

The Bloody Enigma is a medical plant that grows beneath the ground's surface. It sprouts once every 100 years, blooms, and bears a beautiful red fruit. The fruit is a legendary material that can be used in miracle drugs.|

This was one of his harvests. He just happened to find it while digging for a different herb. A chance encounter once in a lifetime.

Its appearance and scent are repulsing, but damn it! It's still better than the squirming grey caterpillars called Rubnex. They are a healing potion ingredient that I can't bear to put in my mouth. I'd rather die than chew on some bugs.

Sigh, the Bloody Enigma's fruit is a legendary-grade item. If I could plant this root, grow it, and wait for the fruit... What a bloody and enigmatic waste!...

He quipped with a pun and squeezed the slushing red root. He shivered, but for a moment he still couldn't bear to part with this treasure. If I eat it, I may be saved. However, potions made from the fruit are rumored to cure any illness inside of the game. Such a medicine can be solved for gold or even platinum coins! I may never get a second chance to find such a peculiar item. Even if I can't raise it, if I could just study it for a while...

Heh, if I die now, I will randomly lose half of my items. Besides, who knows when or if it will bear fruits? I can't watch over it for a couple of centuries, can I? And dissecting it doesn't guarantee I can gain any insight...

He shook his head and pursed his dry lips. He struggled with his complex emotions for half a second and made up his mind. Then he brought his shaking hand closer and bit his teeth into the root. He sucked greedily and his brows twitched.

Plop

The juice inside resembled old blood. It was thicker and even nastier than expected. It coated his tongue and slowly slid down his throat, all the way to his stomach.

Blergh

His guts churned and he fought hard not to vomit the rare ingredient. Some of the juice dripped from the side of his lips, but he sucked harder unwilling to waste even a drop.

A moment later, he felt his body heat up. But it wasn't the same violent heat he felt from eating the raw stalks. It was gentle and mystical. From his belly, the heat entered his bloodstream and instantly traversed to every part of his body. It enlivened his cells, made his heart thump and his brain cleared a lot.

Glancing down, he saw his wounds healing. In just a few seconds his bleeding had stopped, and the flesh wriggled and grew out filling the gushes. Even his punctured lung and his ribs seemed to mend and assemble. The small amount of blood still in his airway was resorbed and the collapsed area expanded again.

Gasp

He took a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh air passing through his airway. It was so nice to breathe freely.

As expected from such a precious ingredient. The Unique grade does it honor indeed...I just consumed cash worthy of dozens of health potions. Just because I didn't have money after buying the bag to purchase one. Talk about penny wise pound foolish...

Midnight felt the pinch and his heart winced. It would have been fine if he had wasted it while trying to craft something. Wasting materials was inevitable on the craftsmanship path. But this was entirely different! It was truly unreasonable and he felt like smacking himself.

Suddenly, his psyche stirred and he sensed something. Through his mystical senses, he felt the last bits of life in the Lord vanish.

It died... As the understanding passed through his head, even before he could snap his fingers and release his last spell, a melodious sound rang in his ears.

Ping.

|Southern Continental Announcement!

Congratulations!

Player X encountered the First Local Boss Monster in Euclex and successfully slayed it! From this day forth, The Slithering Lord of Lesotte's Norther Pine Woods is no more! Cheer and dance for the feat of this Player.|

Right after the ping, the window poked at his eyes. However, it didn't end there. The voice of the system sang the praise in the air. It repeated the message three times in a row before the silence returned. It was a notification heard by every sentient creature, native or player, throughout Euclex's whole Southern Continent and Empire.

This had never happened before. Such verbal revelations were as rare as hen's teeth.

It was proof that the Lord was a special existence. It was a true king - this forest its throne.

But at that moment, Midnight wanted to argue and strangle the AI. He grimaced and cussed, "What the hell?! Why are you saying so much? What's the point of keeping my name hidden when you told them the place? Is this a form of harassment?! What have I done to deserve such an abuse?"