Thunderous roars bounced off the cavern's walls, making the stalactites shake. Dust fell off the ceiling as the gigantic creature that lived within snapped and growled, trying to kill the intruders.
Numerous heads shrieked whenever a fireball torched its body, or a particularly powerful blow was directed at one of the slavering jaws. Its scales shimmered with a dark, oily sheen, reflecting the light of the torches its attackers bore in a menacing display.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the hydra's acrid breath. The beast’s every movement sent tremors through the ground, its massive body coiling and uncoiling with lethal grace.
Its strength was well above any other monster Team 0 had faced thus far, and if that wasn't enough, the hydra's saliva was corrosive enough that the very stone that made up the dungeon bore its marks from where it had slavered.
The fat drops that fell from its many mouths made holes deep enough that their legs could get caught in them if they weren’t careful. There were so many that they added another layer to what Team 0 had to keep track of, in an already chaotic battle.
Already, they had been fighting with this creature for half an hour. Every time what should have been a fatal injury was dealt, the hydra regenerated it with ease. No matter how often James crushed its bones, pulping the heads, in a minute, they were ready to go again.
At least, it seemed to fear Maria's fireballs, especially when they hit its open wounds.
That allowed James to remember that hydras, even their weakest form possible - which was what they were fighting - were known for their fantastic regeneration, which could be countered only by a few methods, chief of which was cauterizing its wounds.
Counterintuitively, that would stop the healing process, meaning the monster would be left with missing parts, its body incapable of distinguishing between the melted and healthy flesh.
This meant, however, that most of its heads had to be injured and kept occupied while the Fire Mage prepared hot enough fireballs to cauterize the monster's tough body.
James jumped between the stalactites and stalagmites like a bouncing ball. His Empowerment had grown by leaps in the last few weeks. He had spent them coming to terms with what he was capable of and what his limits were and pushed through them, forging his mind into an even more resilient bastion.
That had granted him a significant boost to his skills, since they were all tied to his personal willpower.
He focused on delivering devastating blows to the hydra's heads, severely damaging them when he managed to properly hit them, and keeping the Boss' attention to himself. His Thakinetic Awareness, fine-tuned and sharp, gave James an almost prescient ability to predict the hydra's movements, allowing him to strike with deadly accuracy while avoiding retaliation.
Ezekiel, usually the team's steadfast healer, had evolved into a more dynamic presence on the battlefield. His buffs were now not only limited to helping the others but also enhanced his own mobility, allowing him to dart around the battlefield, evading the hydra's venomous attacks while providing crucial support to his teammates.
His newfound agility was a game-changer, transforming him from a stationary target to a nimble combatant, which added another person to the mix. That, by itself, allowed his teammates much more space to maneuver around, increasing the group's overall ability.
Daniel, the team's shield, drew the monster's attention much more easily. His presence was like a beacon, luring the hydra's wrath upon himself whenever James' frantic dancing wasn't enough. Despite how easily the monster crushed stone with its jaws, he effortlessly absorbed each strike. His shield glowed like a sun in the dark cave, allowing the others to do their part.
Once reliant on her daggers for physical damage, Lauren had expanded her repertoire. Her blades were no longer mere steel; they were extensions of her body, empowered by her skills in a way she had not managed to do before. She moved like a shadow, her attacks precise and deadly, striking at the hydra's underbelly and softer spots, where her enhanced daggers could do the most damage while the Boss' attention was on her teammates.
The wounds she opened bled freely, releasing gushes of boiling blood. It was these exact injuries that Maria targeted.
She kept away from the bulk of the fight, allowing her friends to handle the snapping heads, while she concentrated on crafting as many powerful spells as possible, which she sent flying into the beast's wound with great accuracy. Her flames, now hotter and more intense, seared the hydra's flesh, preventing the regeneration of its heads. She conjured massive constructs of fire, dragons, and birds of prey that swooped down upon the hydra, engulfing it in a fiery embrace.
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First, one head was lost after James pulped it and an eagle made of fire dove on it, exploding and searing the mangled skin into an untreatable mess.
Secondly, Ezekiel and Lauren charged the Boss, preventing it from retaliating even as some of its heads kept ramming themselves against Daniel's shield. This process, though long and complicated, repeated itself several times.
Again and again, they managed to draw its attention away, allowing one of them to injure a head enough that Maria's fires could take it out of the equation.
The hydra's roars were becoming ever more desperate as it dawned on it that it had no way of getting out of the fight alive. Even a dumb creature such as it had the instinctive knowledge necessary to realize it was done, and thus, it decided to change its patterns.
Breaking out of Daniel's skill, all remaining heads turned as one towards James, who had just jumped towards it, wanting to take advantage of the desperation he could feel in its presence. Instead, he was taken by surprise when they all lunged at him.
He managed to avoid the first three and kicked the fourth away, but the fifth and last one sank its teeth into his suit, picking him up with a victorious roar, its jaws snapping shut around his arm with a bone-crushing grip. The hydra shook him violently, attempting to tear his limb from his body.
James, caught in the creature's maw, yelled in pain. He could feel the powerful acid working overtime to penetrate his suit, and he knew that were that to happen, he would lose his arm.
With a surge of adrenaline, he pushed as much mana into his fist as he could in a single second, creating a concentrated explosion of energy that made the entire chamber rumble. The force of the blast obliterated the head holding him, freeing him but also removing the one thing holding him steady, meaning he was sent flying across the cavern. He crashed against the rocky wall, gasping for breath.
From the corner of his eye, James saw Agent Martinez poised to intervene, her concern evident. Not wanting to lose precious EXP, he roared. "Don't! I've got this!" His voice echoed through the chamber, carrying an unwavering determination, making the woman stop in her tracks.
Ezekiel, quick to react, rushed to James' side, his hands glowing with healing energy. The healer's magic flowed into James, mending his wounds at an accelerated pace. James downed a potion, the rejuvenating liquid coursing through his veins, bolstering his strength and returning mana to his system.
Back on his feet, James rejoined the fray with renewed vigor. He targeted another head, jumping several feet in the air to reach it, seeking to get some revenge.
His punch tore through the hydra's defenses, the remaining heads having become increasingly disorganized as more brains were taken out of commission. The creature reeled back, trying to get the time it needed to begin healing, but Maria didn't allow it any respite.
She unleashed a concentrated beam of fire. The intense heat bore down on the hydra, scorching its flesh and penetrating its regenerative capabilities. The hydra let out a pained, ear-piercing screech as its body succumbed to the fiery assault.
With a decisive leap, Ezekiel darted forward, breaking his usual pattern of staying behind the lines. He plunged his dagger into the hydra's last remaining head in a bold, uncharacteristic move. The blade sank deep, and with a final convulsion, it collapsed, its many heads falling limp.
For good measure, Maria unleashed a beam of fire upon it and maintained it for a few seconds until the smell of scorched flesh started becoming noticeable even through the masks they all wore.
Finally, a notification rang out. James pulled it up faster than he could ever remember, and a cheer rose from his mouth before he realized what he was doing.
Agent Martinez emerged from her observation point, clapping her hands in genuine admiration. "Incredible work, Team 0! Your skill and ability to adapt in battle have grown immensely. The hydra is one of the toughest creatures in the nearby dungeons and you emerged victorious. You should be proud of how far you've come."
Her words were met with proud smiles from the team. Despite how brutal this last fight had been, they would not have celebrated as much if that was the only thing. Rather, after weeks of grueling training, they had all now entered the last stretch of their run to F-rank.
The Last Five levels within an Awakening tier were somewhat unique. Not because the difficulty increased in any particular manner, nor because the System threw a wrench in their path. But Awakeners were somewhat superstitious, and the belief that the last five levels were the most important in one's path to get the best Talent evolutions possible had become extremely widespread.
While James didn't necessarily subscribe to it - it made no logical sense, and if there was one thing the System could be trusted on, it was to be internally logical - he still felt elated at how close he was to ranking up.
I could probably sneak off tonight, fight a doppelgänger or two by myself, and get to level 100. I'm pretty sure I could do it, considering how weirdly they behaved whenever they tried to copy me. Thakinetic Resistance must interfere with their skills, which makes me the best at killing them. But I suppose it would be pretty shitty to do it, especially given how important everyone seems to believe the last five levels are.
"Alright, guys. I understand you must have crossed into the Last Five, given your enthusiasm." Their minder for the past few days said, chuckling. The woman had seemingly no end to her patience, and though her training had been mostly put on hold while she watched over Team 0, she showed no sign of being annoyed with them.
James had speculated that Miss Walker and Leonid must have promised her something pretty valuable, before chiding himself. It wasn't his fault that the world had made him cynical, but he should still try not to think badly about people who had given him no reason to do so.
"Fuck yes we did!" Ezekiel exulted. He had worked the hardest at the facility and in the field, wanting to bridge the gap with his teammates before it could become too vast. His determination had shown its fruits, since he had reached the same threshold as the others.
His fighting style had improved and become more refined, primarily thanks to Leonid taking him aside for a few private training sessions.
"That's amazing. I'm so glad for you." Martinez replied, a bright smile painted on her lips. She seemed genuinely glad for them, and James could only feel happy they had met such a nice person. Many would have done the bare necessary to appease their superior, especially after being saddled with kids to look after. On the other hand, Agent Martinez had done much more than that, offering tips and suggestions that allowed them to keep pushing their grinding without any roadblocks.
"Now it's time to go back to the facility. Mr. Stein will want to talk with you about getting the last EXPs and your future rank up."
James felt his lips curl up in a grin. He was almost there.