"CAWWWW!!!"
Okay, this might be a bit of a problem... I’ve thrown every spell I have and avoided the [Thunder] ones that could have the [Tempest Frigate] absorb and heal its health. However, I check on its status, and...
> [Tempest Frigate]
>
> [HP: 309/550]
I’ve barely gotten its [HP] down to a red. It's like I'm fighting against a [Wild Bear], but worse! Not to mention that no one, including my big brother, is here to help me take it down. Guess fighting to get rare feathers means I have to deal with stronger monsters. What's worse is that I’ve learned that this monster can summon clouds that shoot out lightning bolts that both damage me if I get hit by one and heal its own [HP] at the same time. It may seemingly have a low [DEF], but it can absorb a lot of lightning to get back up. I'm just lucky I have one of the [Thunder] passive skills that lets me minimize any damage I’ve taken, but that's not the point. If I want to take out the [Tempest Frigate], I have to take care of its [Thunder] absorption first.
“Mana that aids me, create a blade that is sharp enough to defeat my enemies!” I chant as I let the crystal gems glow from my staff. "[Arcana Blade]!"
True to its name, a white blade made of mana emerges from the gems and mimicking Wind's sword-fighting, I rush towards the large bird with the best battle cry I have and swing the blade to one of its wings. It's a direct hit, but it isn't enough to cut it down for good. Normally, using physical attacks requires a lot of [ATK] and when it comes to that, I am the worst due to my focus on magic [Mastery]. But with [Arcana Blade], I can use [MATK] instead to gain even bigger damage to the large bird. This is very good especially when there is a disadvantage when taking a talent-type [Mastery]. For me, having [Magical Affinity] means I get a passive debuff on my physical [ATK], which I don't mind. Although, Wind might since he has [Physical Enhancement]. While it doesn't have any passive debuffs, having no [Magical Affinity] means he doesn't get any bonus [MATK], making his [Wind] spells a bit weak. Then again, I did choose it for him so he could run as fast as possible.
Wait, why am I thinking about this now?! I'm supposed to take down that bird before the lightning bolt hits it again to heal! This next attack might be stupid, but I need to confirm something before I do anything against that bird.
"Spirit of Sylph, I call the gale to my growing aura and allow me to manipulate the air all around me! [Wind Sickle]!"
I throw the sickle made of wind to the [Tempest Frigate]. I wish it could contact and damage it a little despite being half-[Wind], but no dice. The strong gust surrounding it blocks the sickle completely. It doesn't heal it (thank goodness), but that confirms [Wind] spells are no dice as well. So that limits my options to [Arcana] and [Earth], which are very small for me, unfortunately. Regardless, I decided to keep attacking with [Mana Blasts], [Rock Slides], [Arcana Blade], and [Stone Blasts] while refreshing my [Mana Enchantment] when its effects expired. It's not actually a concrete plan, but this monster is going to take advantage of my [Thunder] and [Wind] spells anyway. So it's better to be reckless than to be helpless. But just as the [Tempest Frigate's] [HP] is about to turn red as it takes more damage from my spells, another lightning bolt hits the bird and...
> [Tempest Frigate]
>
> [HP: 359/550]
Dang, this guy just won't give up! If this keeps up, then there's a chance this fight and the [Hidden Quest] will take about weeks or months to complete! That's it! The reckless strategy won’t work unless it stops throwing lightning bolts at me and itself. But how can I even stop them? It's not like I can stop it from charging itself like a smartphone.
Wait... Maybe there is! I did get a spell after leveling up my new [Mastery] and if I can hit that with it, will it not be able to absorb one of the lightning bolts? Regardless, it's the only option I have right now and I can't mess this up! Just when I make my lightbulb-turn-on moment, the bird suddenly caws as if it's laughing at my pain. Yeah, this big chicken is dead.
“Spirits that dwell the earth, heed my call! Lend me your power to manipulate the stones around me! [Stone Blast]!”
I fire the spell at the monster just to stop it from laughing. It then counters by firing several wind sickles at me, something that I can't counter in one sitting. But there's a way to block it.
“Mana of creation, hear my plea. Absorb the spell approaching me and take it as my own!” I chant as I raise my staff right in front of me, causing a portal-like shield to appear right in front of me. "[Mana Absorption]!"
The [Tempest Frigate] isn't the only one that can absorb to regain its strength. As soon as the shield absorbed all of the wind sickles it had, I watch my stats as my [MP] recovers.
> [Kazu]
>
> [Stats]
>
> [Race: Insignis]
>
> [Total Mastery Level: 16]
>
> [HP: 328/490]
>
> [MP: 129/390]
>
> [SP: 210/210]
[Mana Absorption]. It's one of the [Arcana] spells that allows me to absorb a spell from the enemy to not only negate it but also to regain some of my [MP]. While it can absorb an enemy's powerful spell, the amount of [MP] I can recover depends on a halved amount of [MP] they used to cast it. Sure, it's helpful, but it's mostly used in desperate situations because of it along with its long cooldown. And with the monster about to release another attack, I need to use another spell to stall time.
“Spirits that dwell the earth, heed my call! Lend me your power to use the earth to defend my allies! [Stone Wall]!”
I smack the tip of my staff after chanting and let it summon a large wall made of stone that emerged from the ground. As expected, the monster's next attack is another pair of lightning bolts from the sky and its beak. I manage to dodge the one from the sky and let the bolt hit the stone wall in front of me. Using that spell was the right decision for me, but it only has a limited amount of [HP], so I need to take advantage of it so I can get the right time to turn things around. First up, I need to recover my [MP] if I want to spam more spells to chip off its [HP]. Thank goodness I have an [Alchemy Mastery] and I made a lot of [MP Potions] beforehand. I do need to take a few seconds to drink it if I want the full effects, so drinking two of the bottles while staying behind the stone wall should help me out for a while.
> [Kazu]
>
> [Stats]
>
> [Race: Insignis]
>
> [Total Mastery Level: 16]
>
> [HP: 328/490]
>
> [MP: 372/390]
>
> [SP: 210/210]
Well, it's not full, but it should be enough to make this plan work. With that said, I quickly cast [Mana Enchantment] to get its buff up again.
Eventually, the wall starts to break down and since I don't need it anymore, I leave it and start casting any usable spells that work against this frigate bird. I know it might repeat what happened last time, but I have a counterattack against that annoying ability. Eventually, the [Tempest Frigate's] [HP] is almost turning red.
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> [Tempest Frigate]
>
> [HP: 291/550]
That should be enough. I can already hear thunder clapping above me, so I need to be quick. Of course, that doesn't mean I can cast it before I say anything to that jerkish bird.
"Hey, Mr. Frigate!" I called out. "You want to kill me so bad? Then why don't you try hitting yourself with another lightning and do it!"
Not my best, but I am not going to lose against this bird. But this time, it's not going to have its way anymore. I raise my staff and point it to the cawing bird. I take a deep breath and I start my chant.
“Spirits that dwell the earth, heed my call! Turn my enemy’s flesh into stone!”
I see the gems on my staff turn brown-orange and once it has charged up, I let the beam from them fly toward the [Tempest Frigate].
"[Petrify]!"
With that one single word, I watch as the beam scores a direct hit on the bird monster. According to its description, it only has about 45% to successfully inflict it with the said condition. If it fails, then game over. I have to find another [Tempest Frigate], which could take hours to find and fight again. But if it succeeds, then it will be in my favor. And the result...
> [NOTICE]
>
> [The [Tempest Frigate] is now [Petrified] for 1 minute.]
It's my win. One minute isn't enough, but as I watch the lightning bolt strike down the now petrified monster, I notice that nothing happens to it. I check on its [HP] and to my relief, it doesn’t recover from the third lightning bolt! Along with it being unable to move for one minute, its [Wind] and [Thunder] elements are replaced with [Earth]. While it doesn't mean I can hit it with the former two since both of them do little damage against [Earth], it means that it won't be able to heal from lightning again!
I have one chance. I scream as I start spamming more spells than before. My brain is too focused on defeating that bird and even if it tries to get out of it after the [Petrified] condition is gone, I can just do it all over again. But then, I see it [HP] again.
> [Tempest Frigate]
>
> [HP: 28/550]
>
> [Petrified]
It's only one hit away from those feathers. But I only have about 10 seconds until [Petrified] is gone from the [Tempest Frigate]. I am not losing to this bird and I am not going to let itself heal again! I only have one spell left as the others are still on cooldown, but I cast it anyway. This is my last chance.
“Mana that aids me, create a blade that is sharp enough to defeat my enemies!”
Once more, an energy blade comes out from my staff and I start to charge onto the [Tempest Frigate], which is about to escape from its stony prison.
"[Arcana]..."
I jump up and raise my staff to prepare for the final strike.
"[BLAAAAAADE]!!!!"
I swing the blade to the monster's neck and before long, I see the head being chopped off from its body. I can't exactly see what happens next since the [Guardian Player] feature is still on despite Wind's absence. But I know what happens next.
> [Tempest Frigate]
>
> [HP: 0/550]
The [Tempest Frigate] is no more. I did it...
Once I land back on the ground, I can't help but collapse on the floor and gasp to catch my breath just as the energy blade from my staff disappears. I’ve already exhausted most of my [MP] and all I can do is watch the large bird disappear in data. At that point, I have to find out if that monster drops the items I need for my pen. So far, all I can see from the cloud of data are a beak, normal feathers which are not as rare and similar to the ones I made for my first pen, and some stones associated with its element. Seeing all of that makes me fear that I won't be able to get them after all. They are rare and I might experience another nightmarish fight against them again.
> [NOTICE]
>
> [Congratulations. You have defeated a Boss-level [Tempest Frigate]!]
Yeah, I know. I'm only scared I have to do it all over again.
> [NOTICE]
>
> [Because you defeated it without a party, the item drop rates for the [Rare]-level items have increased.]
Increased? Just before I can ask, my eyes widen to see some of the feathers that have landed on the ground. Unlike the normal feathers, two of these glowed blue-green and golden yellow. When I pick them up after catching my breath, my eyes widen to see their info.
> [Tempest Feather]
>
> [A feather that was shed from a [Tempest Frigate]. Because of its constant use of the tornado to protect itself, some of its feathers were imbued with [Wind] mana.]
>
> [Storm Fragment Feather]
>
> [A feather that was shed from a [Tempest Frigate]. Because of how it absorbs the lightning to charge itself, some of its feathers were imbued with [Thunder] mane.]
No way. It's just like the book described. These are the feathers I need for my pen! Although, I’m worried I might not be able to succeed, so does that mean...
> [NOTICE]
>
> [As a reward for your efforts, you have been granted the items [Tempest Feather] and [Storm Fragment Feather] along with the title, [The Sole Conquerer of the Tempest].]
My eyes widen when I see another notice. I check my inventory and gasped to see another pair of feathers already there. So thanks to my reckless stunt, I got two feathers of the [Tempest Feather] and [Storm Fragment Feather] each! Man, talk about luck! And thanks to the Mana Stones the [Tempest Frigate] dropped, I got everything I need for my pen!
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you, game!" I cheer out loud. "I’ve finally got everything for my pen! Now all that's left is to create it! But I can't sit around and do nothing around here!"
That's right. Just because I’ve got the feathers and beat the boss monster doesn't mean the [Hidden Quest] is over. But before I start to make my way, I check my stats to check the damage from that fight.
> [Kazu]
>
> [Stats]
>
> [Race: Insignis]
>
> [Total Mastery Level: 17]
>
> [HP: 201/490]
>
> [MP: 19/390]
>
> [SP: 210/210]
Yeah, that's what I get for using too many spells without any breaks or an [MP Potion]. But you know what? It was worth it. I did what I could and thanks to that, most of my [Masteries] have leveled up and I’ve earned some new skills from that fight. So I'm a bit stronger than before!
But now comes the hard part. I use the book to transport me back to the altar so I can start crafting after I go on my second venture to grind some more items for another craft. But no more boss-level monsters, for now, thank you very much!
All that's left is the pen and the next phase of the [Quest]...
----------------------------------------
> Current Quest: Sign Creation Ceremony ***
>
> Type: [Hidden]
>
> Status: In Progress
>
> Party Members:
>
> [Kazu]
----------------------------------------
Kazu's Masteries
[Arcana] Level 21
[Thunder] Level 18
[Wind] Level 15
[Alchemy] Level 18
[Magecrafting] Level 15
[Magical Affinity] Level 20
[Scribe] Level 18
[Earth] Level 10
----------------------------------------
[Interesting. Those two young candidates are very innovative compared to the others.]
[I agree. While the young boy, Yur1, has used his resources wisely and hunts monsters based on both his strength and the items they possess, he also determines the former through his naked eyes, not his [Aura Perception] or any other skill he possesses.]
[He is a perceptive child. Never rushing into danger without assessing his situation.]
[And then, there is Kazu. He seems to have a certain level of patience like his friend. Yet he doesn't possess the level of perception and observation like him.]
[True. But what he lacks in those traits is his courage and determination to move forward. He did almost risk his life against a [Tempest Frigate], which I remind you, almost flooded a town years ago. Yet, what surprises us is how he cleverly used [Petrify] to temporarily nullify its ability to heal itself through lightning.]
[An odd kid, yet he's resourceful when it comes to his unorthodox fighting style. And that includes his older brother, Wind. He might be one of the prodigies coming from you-know-who.]
[Hehehe. What makes you think I'm responsible for it?]
[Knowing you, Dux, you might secretly teach him beyond the basics of magic right behind our backs before their departure as [Adventurers].]
[Haha... To be honest, I didn't do much other than the basics. They can be creative and even without my input, they might break the status quo if they keep putting their minds to it.]
[Well, don't be so modest, Earth. You are the father of those two interesting boys.]
[I can't really say that, Sentio.]
> [NOTICE]
>
> [Deactivating whisper mode for [Role-Player]
"I did say those two can be a bit wild exploring the world."