This wave was different than the last one. The last wave was stressful and chaotic which left me with little chance to focus much on what I was doing. I was too preoccupied with doing everything I could to not let any monsters by me.
Now that the wall was upgraded and there wasn't anything to worry about with letting monsters by me, I could afford to fight differently. It was less frantic and more methodical.
My axe rose and fell, followed by the bodies of my enemies. Austin on one side and Jonathan on the other. I had my flanks covered and could afford to be a little more aggressive with my swings.
The last fight was wide sweeping swings to hit and injure as much as I could in the little time the beasts were in front of me, now it was more structured. Less wild swings that left me open but still powerful enough to deal damage.
Keeping the balance of doing as much damage as possible and not leaving myself open to attack was a hard line to tread. I got a few nicks and scrapes before I tuned in to the right frequency. Nothing major, just stupid mistakes when I got overconfident or chased a kill that I shouldn't have.
The longer I was immersed in the heat of battle, the better I was getting at it. It was freeing to deal out carnage without having to worry about someone getting hurt behind me.
Everyone out here knew the risks and made their own choice, I didn't have to worry about them as much. I would still step in if things went wrong, but it wasn't the same.
I got to take out my frustrations, my anger, my fury. Let it flow through me and into the battle. Nothing let me blow off some steam like making beasts disappear from existence. Sometimes in a puff of red mist.
When we initially jumped down there were some shouts and yelling to get back, but that was to be expected. I ignored them and did what I needed to do.
I was in the middle of my venting when Jonathan yelled over the noise.
"I can't take any more, I'm going back up."
I grunted a noise of affirmation and threw up an [Ice Wall] to help facilitate his exit. It was technically a waste of mana, but the cost was trivial compared to the amount I was throwing around with my swings.
My mana pool had more than doubled since the start of the tutorial and I was getting better at controlling it. Skills cost less with my increased control and were less wasteful.
It took practice to master skills and to decrease the amount of waste each one produced. It turned out that most of the glowing that our skills produced was mana being wasted.
The glow was a side effect of imbuing something with mana, but excessive wastage would make it glow more. It was mana getting dispersed into the air instead of powering the skill.
Now that my left side was open I had to fight more defensively and take less risky swings. Getting injured wouldn't be the end of the world, but I didn't want to risk wasting another day of healing.
"Chris the boss is coming, get up here!" My Dad did not sound very happy.
He probably felt that I should have retreated with Jonathan. I was 6 levels above him and vastly outpaced him in strength, I could take a little more than he could. Plus, based on his breathing when he left, his endurance could use some work.
It had been just under an hour since the start and I was moderately winded. My endurance was high enough to last this long and I didn't have to sustain fighting at full power like last wave. I could last maybe 15-20 minutes of going 100%.
That estimate was before I picked up [Barbarian's Rage] as well. A skill I had yet to activate.
We were less overwhelmed by this wave but were just starting to feel the strain. The monsters were still numerous and we had been fighting for a while. My breathing was labored and my axe was starting to deform.
Damnit, I just made it.
I knew it wouldn't hold up but I didn't think it would be this fast.
Austin gave me a look.
"You thinking what I'm thinking." He said.
I could only laugh and nod. I wanted to say aim for the bushes but I didn't think he would get that reference.
He had picked up his boosting skill at level 13 and he wanted us both to use them.
Channeling [Barbarian's Rage] was different than other skills. I couldn't just force mana into the skill and have it take effect. It was different.
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It wasn't mana that the skill ran on, it was anger. I had been using the fight to release some but I still had a lot in me. A stray thought about the three markers on the hill over was enough to get me mad.
I channeled all of my anger into the skill and for the first time, it took effect. I felt my body strengthen, my senses sharpen, and my reactions quicken. It felt like I was a soda can and someone shook me up. My blood pumped with more ferocity.
It started to affect my feelings as well, it was like my vision was tinted red and I needed to smash something. It wasn't hard to ignore those feelings, but it was annoying. If I was in a better state of mind I would find it worrying, having a skill that affected me like that.
Instantly, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay in this state for long. For all the boost felt great, it would tear my body apart if kept on too long. I side-eyed what Austin was doing and saw that he was adjusting to the boost, the same as me.
It was a lot of stats to suddenly get boosted by and it took a second to get used to it. I now had over 100 strength to get used to along with 8 other stats.
Let's test this out.
Since we wouldn't be able to stay in this state for long, we got straight to it. We left the wall behind and started to push against the tide of beasts. I led the charge and my axe-turned hammer opened the way. It left brutal wounds on anything it hit, leaving bloody chunks and body parts in our wake. It probably wasn't the most humane weapon. The deformed edge wasn't very good at slicing through much of anything.
Austin's boosting skill was a lot less subtle. He started to light up like the morning sun, his eyes were like spotlights. He's a real ray of sunshine now.
"I know what you're thinking and you better not say anything. I didn't know it would turn me into a night light." He didn't seem pleased about the unfortunate side effect.
I guess that's what he gets, the sun is anything but subtle, and ice was better.
"Whatever you say, sunshine." If I wasn't so mad right now I would be laughing.
With our boosting skills active, the monsters were like wheat and we were the scythes. The level 17 boss was the only thing that would stand a chance.
It was clear we were handling the wave without trouble and the yelling from the wall stopped... or I tuned it out. I wasn't sure. I wanted to kill things and the beasts were throwing themselves at me.
The longer the skill lasted, the more it began to affect my mind. I was starting to get careless and started letting blows land that I wouldn't normally. I landed a fatal blow in retaliation, but that wasn't what I started the fight doing.
It took a particularly heavy blow to my head to knock me out of it. I was still mad but dazed enough to come back to my senses.
"You okay there bud?" Austin shouted behind me, before stabbing a cat monster in the head.
"Yeah, just not used to the skill, that's all." I had to shake my head a bit to clear it.
"Do you want to try the boss or get back on the wall?" Austin asked.
It was a good question. I nearly died to the last boss and this one was a level above it. We were a lot stronger and I wasn't facing it alone. Was it worth it to risk a day of healing?
I think it is.
"Let's give it a shot," I said.
With our plan set, we waded toward our bounty. In a rare spark of inspiration, I picked up a dead beast and chucked it at the boss with [Throwing Proficiency]. I'd never thought to do that before, but the rage gave me the idea.
It was certainly one way to start the fight.
Knowing that we would be retreating after this I didn't ration my mana anymore. [Heavy Blow] and [Penetrating Strike] layered onto my axe and I ran at it like a madman.
Maybe the rage was clouding my mind more than I initially let on.
The fight passed in a blur. All I could think about was how angry I was. How stupid this tutorial is and how some of my family was dead.
The boss couldn't handle both me and Austin attacking it at full power and started to succumb to its many injuries. Austin's piercing power skyrocketed with his new skill combined with his upgraded one.
I was a little jealous of the power but told myself it was two uncommon skills together while I was using a common and uncommon together in my swings that weren't as powerful.
Austin's new skill was a sight to see, literally. It launched a ray of sunlight that extended from his spear and left searing wounds on the monster. It carried with it more than just light, burning some of the fur of the creature.
I had to throw a few [Ice Wall]s up when the boss was about to land a heavy hit but other than that, the fight went fine. The occasional arrow or magic bolt landed, but that was minimal.
Under our combined might, the beast fell. When my foe was dead my strength left me. My anger had run out, and so had my stamina. My body felt weak and vulnerable.
We made a hasty retreat to the wall, climbing the rope as quickly as we could. The only thing left alive were the stragglers of the wave, but with the weakened effect the skill left, even they would pose a threat.
I took more wounds than intended, but nothing too serious. I would be right as rain tomorrow to go hunting.
My father did not appreciate me ignoring him and took the chance to give me a piece of his mind. My head was pounding from a mighty headache and he took that chance to lay into me.
Dear Lord help me, Abigail is coming.
Jonathan was behind her and looked like a kicked puppy even though he was covered in blood. How he managed to do that while the evidence of battle was still on him, I have no idea. She must have yelled at him already and now it was my turn. Hopefully, he didn't tell her I knew what he was going to do.
Dad was already mad at me, I don't need her mad at me too.
It was at that moment that a chime sounded in my head and the notifications rolled in. Great a distraction. Let's hope they can't tell I'm not paying attention to them.
You have slain {Wildcat – Level 12} 144 points earned.
You have slain {Wildcat – Level 11} 121 points earned.
You have slain {Wildcat – Level 12} 144 points earned.
You have contributed in slaying {Wildcat – Level 12} 30 points earned.
...
You have contributed in slaying {Enhanced Wildcat – Level 17} 143 points earned.
You have successfully defended your claim! Extra experience awarded. 1,440 Points to all who participated.
Congratulations! You have leveled up.
Congratulations! You have leveled up.
Only two? Something's definitely up.
"...you need to use your head more..."
Ah, they're still going.