Ashley

So the very first thing I do after I climb back to my feet is to get a better read on my surroundings. Which is to say that I focus on what monsters seem to stay where, what levels each of the species of monster are, and the general land around me.

Not that there’s much land, considering most of it is nothing but red ashes.

But still.

One thing I note is the massive size of this Domain. It is just plain enormous. So big that if it weren’t for it being completely flat, I could see myself getting lost in it.

Although I can’t see what’s on the other side of the volcano.

It’s probably the same as what’s on this side, so I don’t really care. Not to mention that the boss is in the volcano itself.

Now then. First thing’s first.

Chaos? You there?

Silence answers.

Either he’s still missing, or our connection is blocked within the Unique Domain.

Putting that matter aside for the moment, I – ignoring the significantly rising number of followers in the corner of my interface – move around the ruins a bit. Slowly getting closer to the edge of it, only to pause when I see some of the monsters peeking their heads out of the fortresses and caverns and other sorts of cover. As if they’re checking to see if the boss’s rampage is over.

I narrow my eyes for a bit before coming to a decision.

Right. If I plan on surviving here, then I’m gonna need to see how strong these monsters really are first.

Also, I’m going to have to decide if keeping my Assimilate skill a secret is more important than staying alive. Because there is no fucking way I’m going to keep it hidden if I want to live through this.

I have to go all out against the boss at the very least.

So what’s most important right now is deciding if I should go all out right now, or later.

Hmm.

Well, I can decide that after or while battling a monster to evaluate its power.

With that in mind, I slowly move to the edge of the ruins before looking around at the closest monsters. Which include some of those lizardmen who are scurrying away from some rocks nearby. Three of them in total, each around level 42. Then there’s two strange spiders that I see peeking out of one of the caves. Really large ones at that. And those are level 40.

All Destruction-Touched.

I take a deep breath before letting it out and focusing solely on the spiders.

One of the spiders heads back inside when a dracoraptor approaches. With the monster looking kind of like a velociraptor from prehistoric times mixed with some sort of flying lizard that has wings.

So it’s just a velociraptor with wings.

The creature turns towards the spider that didn’t head inside before opening its mouth, letting out a loud screech, and breathing a deep crimson flame at the spider that makes the spider screech. Before it turns into naught but red ash.

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Then the dracoraptor just turns and moves away, leaving me kind of petrified over here as I hide behind a stone.

Right.

So velociraptor with wings that breathes destruction-affinity flames.

Got it.

I kind of want to leave.

For obvious reasons.

But since I can’t, I just wait for a bit longer until the other spider returns to the entrance of the cavern. Then it goes back down again upon seeing the ashes, along with the dracoraptor that is still nearby even if it’s leaving.

I breathe in a deep breath before letting it out again.

A few seconds more pass as I wait for the dracoraptor to get far away, following which I tense up to run straight for the cavern. Deciding it to be the safest place with the weakest monsters.

Only for a flood of a dozen spiders to rush out, making me stop before I even start running.

The spiders rush straight towards the dracoraptor in a stampede of meter-long spiders. And when they reach the thing, it opens its mouth, screeches again, and breathes out more flames.

But this time the flames only torch two spiders, letting the others go around to attack the dracoraptor from the side. Biting it here and there and causing venom to visibly creep through past the scales covering its flesh.

I feel slightly anxious and panicked for a moment before eventually deciding to just go through with it and send a single feather straight at the dracoraptor’s undefended eye as it sits there buried under the spiders. Piercing through it after I activate Assimilate.

It doesn’t pierce all the way through, though. Not to the brain.

But that doesn’t matter as it starts to mutate a little.

Until it dies to the spiders, and I get some messages myself.

{You have been granted 3 Skill Points for killing a monster within a Unique Domain.}

{You have slain a being while Assimilate is active. You have now unlocked the Skill Tree: Destruction-Touched Dracoraptor}

{You have unlocked a new Skill Tree, therefore the root skill of the Skill Tree, Destruction Breath, is now unlocked for your usage.}

I don’t get any time to focus on the messages, though. Because one of the spiders instantly turns towards me after I help kill the dracoraptor. Making me instinctively hide behind the stone.

Then I hear movement beginning to approach my location from that spider. Followed by even more movement from the other spiders.

After a really quick decision, I begin to move.

I use gravity magic to drastically decrease my weight, followed by Energy Blade to summon two small blades of energy in my hands that I use to stab into the stone and climb up it. And by the time the spiders arrive, looking around the stone in a swarm, I find myself damn near panicking at the top of the stone.

I pretty much hold my breath until the spiders lose interest and head back inside of their little cavern. Letting me breathe out in relief.

Fucking hell this is stressful…

If these were just regular monsters, I’d be perfectly fine with their levels.

But elite monsters are generally at least around twenty-five to fifty percent stronger than their levels would imply. In terms of monsters.

And these monsters are all already higher level than me.

Albeit not by much.

Right as I’m about to calm down and check my Skill Tree, though, I sense something approaching from behind through my Enhanced Perception skill. Something that makes a chill run down my spine as I jump down on instinct, flapping my wings once to turn around as I do so.

Making me just barely avoid having the talons of a large drake tearing through me.

Will this place ever give me a break?!

As if mocking me, the spiders that had started heading back to their cavern turn around and see me.

Well, shit.

I flap my wings and fly up into the air to avoid the spiders. Which proceeds to give the drake an opportunity to send a wave of deep crimson flames behind it that shoot it forwards, letting it dig its talons into my wings and pick me up like a damned mouse. A winged one.

Until the blood in my wings begins to mutate its talons, making it unable to hold onto me anymore since it no longer has talons.

The drake lets out a roar of pain as I fall down to the ground face first. My wings not working right now because of the gaping wounds on them that go all the way through.

Meanwhile the spiders all rush over to where I’m landing, and a dracoraptor joins the chase as well. Only to get into a fight with the spiders right when I’m about to crash amongst them.

But my wings manage to heal just enough mere seconds before I am about to land, so I flap them again to shoot me to the side, where I crash into another cavern. At which point I don’t give a shit about keeping my secret anymore. Because this is going too far.

So I turn my attention to the ceiling of the cavern and use Silver Spike to slam into the ceiling of the cavern.

Bringing it all down in front of me and sealing me inside of whatever cavern I just got stuck in for now. Until I break my way out later on, that is.

I pant in exhaustion as I finally take the moment to catch my breath.

Just to turn around and find a bunch of glowing ants marching my way.

“Oh come on…” I mutter out loud, no doubt shocking everyone again with my actually speaking. If they aren’t more shocked by the sight of Silver Spike, that is.

This is getting ridiculous.