The Arrow flew unimpeded at pierced through the mushroom’s giant body, digging into it. The moment it entered its body, Michael willed for the Arrow to detonate. A blue glow came out of the hole that the Arrow had created while a blueish hue surrounded the entire mushroom. The detonation had been successful. He wasn’t sure what the mushroom’s insides were composed of, but they should be in a mess. In testament to this, the ground vibrated enough to resemble a weak earthquake. There was no sound, but the hyphae around him twisted and contorted, stopping their onslaught momentarily. His eyes shone.
It can feel pain.
The spores melted his skin and were particularly numerous around his limbs. He felt like his hair was on fire, and there wasn’t a corner of his body that wasn’t in profound pain. Yet, his Clarity Skill helped him maintain a clear mind. His pain did not hinder his processing speed. The moment he realized that the enemy could feel his attacks, his course of action had been decided.
[Your blood continues to burn.]
A large number of spores were being burned to cinders before even nearing his body. They were a minority, but their numbers increased by the second. The light emitted from Michael’s body got slightly brighter. He drew a sequence of symbols in the air. Mana flowed freely outside of his spiritual self and into the material world. One Mana Arrow was formed in the air, while a mass of mana rippled next to it. He gritted his teeth. The moment the first Mana Arrow was fired, the mass quickly took the shape of another. But that hadn’t been what he was going for. He wanted to create two Arrows at the same time.
The flying Mana Arrow seared through the spores in the air and through all the hyphae that tried to stop it. It pierced the giant mushroom, but since this time Michael wasn’t focused on it, it simply went right through it and came out on the other side. The ground trembled once more. Hyphae whipped at his figure, forcing him to dodge. As their number was too high, he couldn’t avoid being hit, but there were no serious injuries. He had successfully managed to dodge the most dangerous attacks.
His heartbeat quickened. His skin and flesh regenerated in real-time even faster than it was damaged by the spores, although the spores didn’t melt them too quickly; as the number of spores around him increased, however, this changed. He was now truly sustaining damage.
[Your blood continues to burn.]
One Mana Arrow after the other coalesced in the air and shot forward. Each dug a new hole in the Boss’ body, but it was simply too big. He needed something more. He needed to succeed at creating two of the same Skill at the same time, otherwise he would lose. This race wasn’t just about offensive ability; it was also about which of the two could withstand the most damage before being rendered unable to continue. The Boss clearly had the edge over Michael when it came to that, even though Michael was casting as many Minor Heals as he could without disturbing the flow of his attacks.
His squinting gaze zeroed in on the area just below the cap. It was pulsing, releasing spores constantly.
I need to destroy that.
His flesh had been melted off enough to show bone in some places. The pain of having the spores burn through his bones was inhuman. Michael’s left hand covered his face in an attempt to shield it, but it was largely fruitless. His hand’s skin had mostly disappeared, revealing bones and muscles. Fortunately, his eyes were still intact. The wand was now only half of its previous size after suffering from the spores, but it could still be used. Minor Heals couldn’t repair it; they only extended the time Michael was able to withstand the spores. He repeatedly drew symbol after symbol, creating a new Mana Arrow just as soon as one was fired. The time difference between each shot became smaller, but the damage to his body was also rapidly accumulating.
He hissed in pain. The Arrows tore through the area below the mushroom’s cap, ending up severing it in its entirety. The cap powerlessly fell to the ground, but the spores didn’t stop coming out. In fact, there were even more of them floating out of the Boss’ destroyed “head.” Michael gritted his teeth. The pain was now so great that it was beginning to cloud his mind, overriding Clarity’s effects through brute force.
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[Your blood continues to burn.]
Even he could tell that he was visibly glowing. The light shielded him from a large amount of the spores while empowering his regeneration. His heartbeat was faster than a galloping horse, and he swore he could hear the blood rushing through his body. This alone gave him strength.
I won’t fall here.
He would be a waste of his draconic lineage if he got killed by some fucking mushroom in the middle of a low-level Dungeon. It would be beyond hilarious, bordering on nonsensical. The fight against the two moles came to mind. Once again, he was facing deadly danger, and at risk of simply dying and being forgotten. But he had already gone through this before. He refused to accept such an outcome.
At that moment. It happened. The thing that would tip the scales of this battle, which was already running on overtime for both opponents. Two Mana Arrows came into being next to each other, floating in the air with unprecedented, clear outlines and a slight red hue at their tips. Michael sent them forward. They flew through the spores, searing them away. As if they had a mind of their own, they gathered around the Arrows, as if desperately trying to hold them back, but it wasn’t enough. The red aura grew brighter. Michael’s quickened heartbeat resounded loudly.
The two Arrows pierced the mushroom right in the middle of its body. With a shaking hand, Michael pointed his almost destroyed wand at them.
“Explode.”
A blue and red storm tore its way out of the Boss’ remaining body, even extending itself to the ruined mushroom cap on the ground. He forced his tired eyes to stay open, but once he heard the notification, he almost collapsed.
[You have slain a Great Mushroom (Level 26 Boss.)]
More System messages appeared in front of him, but he couldn’t pay them attention just yet. The spores were still floating in the air, this time aimlessly. The light he emitted was enough to destroy the ones that got too close.
Blessing of Light, huh?
He was exhausted and in pain, but managed to lift his right hand and wand and draw symbols in the air.
“Minor Heal.”
The Skill was cast repeatedly. It grew easier to do so with each time. The pain faded away as new skin replaced the old. Green mana stimulated the growth and regeneration of destroyed flesh, mending it and his bones. After all was said and done, Michael’s figure was restored to its pristine state, his injuries having completely disappeared under the assault of the Dragonheart’s regenerative abilities and Minor Heals. The same couldn’t be said regarding his clothes. His previously white, long robe had been reduced to nothing but a lower body garb that barely covered up his important areas. It looked as if he were wearing a skirt. Fortunately, his underwear was intact, though he wasn’t sure how.
He thought of his return to Bluestone Village with a sigh. Not only would he draw a lot of attention, but he needed to talk to Tairy, who would likely complain. At the same time, he marveled at the size of his mana pool.
I can’t believe it’s still thirty percent full after all that.
If anything, it was a testament to his Wisdom stat. It was far higher than it had any right to be. Even though he had recklessly “spammed” his Mana Arrow Skill, which was the Skill that consumed the most mana in his arsenal, alongside Minor Heals and Mana Shields, he still had quite a bit of mana left.
The Dragonheart probably helped too.
His Heart’s exact effects were still a mystery. He didn’t know how much it improved his spellcasting abilities and what precise parameters were affected. For all he knew, his mana recovery speed was increased while the mana cost of spells and Skills was decreased, alongside all other effects that he could think of. Then again, it wouldn’t be a Dragonheart if it were something minor, and it had even been made stronger by the Blessing of Light. Belatedly, Michael noticed that he was no longer shining. His Dragonheart had also settled down. He put two and two together and realized that the Blessing’s effects would only manifest themselves through his Heart. It made sense, since it was his only draconic trait.
With a deep breath, he decided to turn his attention to other matters. He went through the other System notifications that were still floating in view. The first was something he was deeply grateful for and rather proud of.
[You have acquired a new Skill!]
It was the second Skill that he had acquired on his own, without using Skill points. He read its information eagerly.
[Active Skill
Twin Casting (E): one of the prized weapons of an experienced spellcaster, achieved only by a few.
Allows for two copies of the same spell or Skill to be cast at the same time; the mana cost is also doubled. Higher proficiency and a higher Intelligence Stat result in greater effects.]