A young man could be seen jumping through a large clearing. He disappeared to escape the fury of the house-sized Deer and popped out on the other side of the clearing amid flourishing flowers. Some were undoubtedly valuable and useful for alchemy, but Zayn didn’t pay any attention to them. The scenery around him was overflowing with the beauty of nature, however, he would have to survive to enjoy the view properly.
His sky-blue eyes lingered on the humongous prey, the corner of his lips curled upward.
This was going to be fun!
The Deer flexed its well-trained muscles and charged behind the puny human, who seemed desperate to escape its fury. Raging winds curled around the Deer as it charged forward, pushing it further ahead. It reached top speed quickly and crossed the distance to Zayn, whose expression eased up the longer he fought the Crystalline Deer.
The Crystalline Deer’s crystalized antlers lit up, forcing Zayn to use Blink and teleport several meters to the side. He evaded the monster’s charge but couldn’t evade the powershot, a compressed ball of energy that came flying at him with horrifying velocity.
Zayn was forced to use Aegis Natura and another spell to create a durable shield. The aegis cracked and shattered, but the powershot was blocked.
Zayn snickered lightly, spun around to eye the Crystalline Deer, and utilized Blink thrice. He appeared above the Crystalline Deer, clutched its crystalized antlers with one hand, and retrieved a dark, almost black, potion from his spatial ring.
He hurled the potion at the Crystalline Deer’s neck, which shattered. The dark liquid splattered all over the monster’s neck, resulting in a drastic reaction.
The Crystalline Deer’s body shook violently, raging winds covered it, and its antlers glowed again.
A single use of Blink was enough to escape a one-way trip to the graveyard, but he was not yet out of danger. A verdant-colored saber manifested in his hand, and another potion appeared in his other hand.
Zayn didn’t divert his attention from the Crystalline Deer as he removed the cork of the potion. He poured the content all over the saber and kicked the ground to charge ahead.
The Crystalline Deer’s face contorted in pain and discomfort, but the fury in its eyes never ceased. It was still angry at Zayn and wouldn’t rest until he was dead.
Zayn charged ahead, looking ready to face the Crystalline Deer head-on. However, that was never in his plans.
As it was about to reach him, dozens of thigh-thick roots burst out of the ground around the Crystalline Deer. The roots shot upward and coiled around the monster’s legs and neck.
The corner of Zayn’s lips twitched when he noticed that the Crystalline Deer didn’t slow down. The roots were about to tear apart, forcing him to tap into his energy reserves.
Root Strike! Root Strike! Root Strike!...
But that was not all. Zayn used Florakinesis, one of his newer upgraded Cards, as well. He used the Cards more than a dozen times together, draining his energy reserves rapidly. The Crystalline Deer struggled to tear apart the roots, but it slowed down. Zayn conjured a dozen layers of Aegis Natura in its full power before the Crystalline Deer, forcing the monster to break it before it could move ahead. A few powershots, the raging winds, and its tremendous physical strength were enough to achieve that in a few seconds, but that was more than enough for Zayn.
Zayn had been waiting for this moment. He prepared everything necessary to deal with the Crystalline Deer. He spent a fortune procuring several Cards, a new Ranked Weapon, and several potions that would work only against the Crystalline Deer and similar monsters.
However, it worked. The dark liquid on the Crystalline Deer’s neck worked as intended, and all Zayn had to do now was deliver the finishing blow.
He appeared above the Crystalline Deer with Blink, spinning the verdant saber around before using several Cards in quick succession. He used Double Impact on the saber, followed by Poison Augment. The verdant saber and the liquid that coated the saber blade resonated with the Poison Augment Card. The saber’s special trait triggered, absorbing the liquid coating its blade at once. The verdant saber glowed dangerously, and the light intensified as Double Impact’s sheen manifested.
Only a quarter of a second passed since Zayn appeared on top of the Crystalline Deer, but many things had already changed. The Crystallin Deer’s muscles bulged, and the Aegis Natura broke one after another.
The thick roots restraining the mighty beast wouldn’t hold it down for long, either.
Zayn groaned and unleashed Lifeforce Conversion, converting more than 80% of his lifeforce into a temporary power-up. His muscles inflated, and his skin burst open as his strength increased suddenly. However, Zayn ignored the pain and used every ounce of strength within his body to thrust the saber blade through the Crystalline Deer’s neck.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
His aim was impeccable. He targeted the spot where most dark liquid had spread and drove the verdant blade deep inside.
The Crystalline Deer bleaked aloud. A burst of power surged through it in desperation, shattering the remaining Aegis Natura. The roots coiling around the monster were ripped into shreds, and Zayn was hurled through the air. He made a somersault mid-air and used Blink before hitting the ground to reappear on the Crystalline Deer’s back.
Zayn bent down, ominous black miasma oozing from his palms. He grasped the Crystalline Deer’s hide firmly and activated Draining Touch. The black haze invaded the Crystalline Deer’s body through his palms and drained its lifeforce and energy. Zayn’s energy reserves and lifeforce increased, but the monster grew weaker by the second.
It was already exposed to the highly potent poison that coursed ceaselessly through its body, but Draining Touch at a high level was just as terrifying.
Raging winds engulfed the Crystalline Deer as it grew weaker, but Zayn ignored them. He accepted the lifeforce and energy as it surged into him through his palms and used Aegis Natura several times with his replenished energy reserves. Several aegis formed around him, protecting Zayn like a turtle shell. The raging winds impacted heavily and crushed one aegis after another, but Zayn stayed on the Crystalline Deer’s back.
That was until he sensed that the Crystalline Deer’s attacks were weakening. It stumbled and couldn’t muster the strength to manifest another powershot. The monster’s power was out of its control. The Crystalline Deer’s movements grew sluggish, and the energy coursing through its veins worked against it. The energy accelerated the poison’s spread instead of stopping it.
‘The poison is working.’
Zayn wasn’t too surprised, but he figured he should end it quickly before the Crystalline Deer turned berserk. He used Blink to escape the shell of Aegis Natura and appeared next to the verdant saber, which was still stuck in the Crystalline Deer’s neck.
Zayn grasped the saber’s handle and used the last bits of Lifeforce Conversion’s power-up to push the blade even deeper into the terrifying monster. He twisted the blade and continued using Draining Touch through his feet, draining the last bits of lifeforce within the Crystalline Deer.
Zayn sensed that the Crystalline Deer was about to use its remaining power to initiate a last desperate attempt to escape death. Still, Zayn released the effect of Double Impact around the verdant saber.
A shockwave reverberated through the Crystalline Deer, and a pained, heart-wrenching sound escaped its lips.
The colossal beast collapsed. Its heavy body smashed onto the ground.
Crystalline Deer(Regional Boss) has been slain.
+13 Soul Essences, +3 Common Cards, +7 Uncommon Card Shards, +2 Rare Card Shards
Zayn ignored the notifications. He approached the Regional Boss’ corpse and retrieved the verdant saber. Once he retrieved the Ranked Weapon, Zayn spun around and winked at his brothers.
“Show off,” Nicolas mumbled, but he broke into a bright smile when he saw Zayn gesturing to him and Percy with a peace sign.
“Zayn, you’re a fucking monster!” Percy exclaimed, the excitement in his voice overflowing, “I didn’t miss a single second. Everything has been recorded!”
Percy smiled from one ear to the other while patting the small flying drone that landed on his palm.
“That’s the 10th Regional Boss you’re soloing. Good job. We’ve got enough material for a few videos.”
Percy nodded vigorously, “I’ll create a huge epic compilation from all fights. That’s going to be so EPIC!!! We will get millions of views on this one. Nobody soloed 10 Regional Bosses in less than 24 hours. Fuck it! Forget about 24 hours. I doubt anyone would be strong enough to solo 10 Regional Bosses. You’re amazing!”
Percy’s bombardment of praises continued for a few minutes until he logged off to work on the videos for MeTube.
Zayn cleaned the verdant saber and was about to store the Crystalline Deer’s corpse in the spatial ring when Nicolas inched closer.
“Percy is right when he says that you’re doing an amazing job, but I don’t understand what you’re doing,” Nicolas scratched the back of his head. He was the oldest brother but understood the least about Forgotten Lands. His strength was more than decent, but Zayn was on a different level. The same could be said about Zayn’s understanding of the game mechanics and…basically everything else related to Forgotten Lands.
“Why are you fighting so many Tier-0 Regional Bosses in such a short period? Professional Players who’ve ascended to Tier-1 should be able to do similar feats, but there should be a reason why you’re doing this while you’re still Classless, right?”
It was unusual for Nicolas to ask so many questions, but Zayn thought it made sense. He had been busy researching for several weeks, neglecting his progress in Forgotten Lands, only to spend a fortune on equipment and suddenly start hunting a bunch of Regional Bosses.
“I’m still Classless, I know,” Zayn nodded, “But that is also why I had to kill the Regional Bosses now.”
The best part about the Crystalline Deer and some other Regional Bosses was that they grew stronger as more enemies attacked them. Their strength would increase exponentially if one or more attackers had ascended to Tier-1. Since Zayn was Classless and the only one attacking them, he could deal with them at an appropriate difficulty level.
However, the difficulty level was not why he had to deal with the Regional Bosses.
“Yeah…but why? What are you waiting for? A better Class Path, or something like that?” Nicolas questioned his younger brother.
Zayn tilted his head.
‘Waiting?’
Zayn hadn’t been waiting. No. He was working toward a goal, a target. His attention was drawn to a notification immediately after he killed the Crystalline Deer.
[Special requirements have been met. Hidden Class Path has been discovered.]
A vibrant smile covered his entire face.
“Finally.”
The real battle against the Primordial Pantheon was just about to begin!