Boom!!!
Pastel-blue flares erupted around the approaching limb.
Kaboom! Jormungandr's tentacle exploded in shreds.
AARGH!
[ Mana Grenade ]
[ Mana Grenade ]
[ Mana Grenade ]
Boom!!! Booom!!! Boooom!!!
Splurge!
A large chunk of Jormungandr's gnarled body was blown to smithereens.
AAARGHH!!
Scales and dark viscera seemed to rain down on everyone.
"WHO… DID… THIS?" the monster cursed as it toppled over in slow-motion, quaking the ground.
The players looked in the direction from where the attacks came. A pair of neon eyes glowed in the shadows.
Noah walked into the light with bold steps. His appearance was daunting and fearless, filling the hearts of the spectators with hope.
[ User: Lovelord ]
[ Level 70: Human ]
[ MP: 7986/ 30000 ]
[ HP: 28456/ 32500 ]
"Damn! I'm almost out of mana!" The party looked at their messiah with relief.
"Drake!" Noah quipped. "We were supposed to meet ten minutes later, right?"
"My bad, Lovelord!" the Ace replied with a grin as if nothing had gone wrong since. "I see. It seems you leveled up while fighting the gators."
"Yeah, these creatures are challenging to fight."
"Challenging isn't a strong enough word, my friend." Drake summoned fire with the left hand and cauterized his shoulder stump to stop the bleeding. "Ughhhh."
Noah looked around at the grim faces. "Who died?" he asked as a play on humor. But instantly regretted it. Someone's tattered battle gear lay on the ground. 'Chad. It must be Chad,' Noah figured.
"By the way, ugh," Drake posed, wincing at his stump. "I never knew mana grenades existed before today."
Noah shrugged. "It's my original equation. Aided by Piper's design. It started as an experiment, but the destructive power exceeded my expectations."
The Ace whistled his approval. "Can't help but agree with that, my friend."
Noah turned to Eve. "Hey, Miss Trinity! I depleted most of my mana, making those grenades. It would be nice if you could spare some potion."
[ Blue Mana Potion x 3]
"There you go!" Eve replied, casting potion bottles at him.
Shatter!
[ MP +2000 ]
[ MP +2000 ]
[ MP +2000 ]
[ User: Lovelord ]
[ MP: 13986/ 30000 ]
"Brawwwwrr!"
Jormungandr rose to its feet again.
"YOU... INSECTS! YOU DARE… DEFY… A GOD?!"
"Everyone!" Piper exclaimed over the radio. "I'm reading very high GFD! It was 10000 earlier. Now it has crossed 50000! The entity is not a monster anymore!"
[ WARNING ]
[ EVOLUTION EVENT HAS BEGUN ]
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
[ Boss Evolution is Under Process ]
"Evolution?" Eve exclaimed. "Monsters can evolve during a fight?"
Rumble! Rumble! Wrap!
Jormungandr's enormous body seemed to fold onto itself. It diminished in size until it formed the shape of a human in a black cocoon.
"The Boss is transforming!" Piper warned over the radio. "Quick! Fire all your weapons at it! Don't let it evolve!"
The six players opened fire on Jormungandr at once.
[ Hailstorm ]
[ Frost Blast ]
[ Rolling Thunder ]
[ Firebath ]
[ Icicle Gun ]
[ Belfegor Lance ]
[ Electric Gun ]
[ Wind Cutter ]
[ Air Grenade ]
A blinding volley of attacks converged towards the monster.
Booshh! Shhh Blamm!
The raging noise of the fired weapons reached an incredible resonance, causing tremors throughout Licht.
The attacks converged and exploded where Jormungandr stood.
Barroom! Badaboom!
Sand and gravel rose into the air with fire and smoke. A small inferno spiraled into the air.
"Did we get him?" Rin asked, squinting at the explosion site.
"I think we got him!" Nadja exclaimed cheerfully. "Die, fucking monster! Die!"
The dust and smoke settled down in a minute.
A human male figure stood naked at the center of the explosion. He was over seven feet tall, with long black hair that cascaded to his feet.
Crackle!
Elemental sparks manifested in his body.
Dark, scale-like armor appeared over his skin. His attire became lined with gold. The resultant appearance looked almost majestic.
Blink! The man opened his reptile-green eyes.
[ WARNING! ]
[ SUPREME BEING DETECTED ]
[ DEATH IMMINENT ]
"What the hell is a supreme being?" Drake barked. "Is this game malfunctioning or what? Can't we catch a fucking break??"
"It's an evolved god-class!" Piper shouted over the radio. "Guys, I know you two are alpha males and top players of Trinity. But this is way above your pay-grades!"
Drake scoffed. "Kid, you have yet to learn that this isn't just a game." He turned to Noah.
"Lovelord? Or should I call you Noah?"
"Yes?"
"Will you promise to take care of Eve and the others if I don't make it through this fight?"
Noah looked pensively at the Ace. They had both realized that there was no escape.
"I will," he replied with a reassuring nod.
Drake smiled with a tinge of bitterness. He opened up the weapon inventory and used up four bottles of blue potion.
"Thanks, my friend," he said, more to himself than to Noah.
[ Mana Sword ]
A red, flickering sword appeared in the Ace's hand. His body seemed to flame with scarlet mana.
"Drake, no!" Alice and Skylar screamed over the radio. "We are almost there! Wait for us!"
"Girls! We don't have time. And if you want to live, stay away! That's an order!"
Drake wasn't wrong in his assessment of the situation. In the distance, the evolved Jormungandr had completed his transformation. He eyed Drake as soon as the Ace summoned a mana sword.
Mana weapons were non-equipment weapons. A player simply channeled their mana and gave it form. They were not used extensively in battle because they tremendously depleted MP. Having low MP in front of a boss or when surrounded by a swarm would prove fatal.
"Come get it! Monster!" Drake let out his battle cry. All his active and passive skills were active. His wolf transformation was at its peak. The Ace was at his highest performance levels, burning up mana rapidly.
He rushed at Jormungandr, with his blade held high. The monster took a step forward.
Zoom!!
Drake had not even moved a yard when he saw Jormungandr disappear from the explosion site.
Zip!
The other players saw only a blur tear past them.
Zap!
Creak! The Ace found a massive hand around his neck.
"Ugh!"
Another mighty hand arrested his sword arm.
Jormungandr had covered twenty yards' distance in a split second and seized him.
"Pathetic insect," the monster said to Drake. "I shall squish you and end your irritating life." His voice was surprisingly human and silky, to the point of being dreamy.
"Eat shit, you creature!" Drake spat.
Crunch!
Jormungandr ripped out Drake's other arm.
"Aaarrrggghhh!"
With his other hand, he held Drake's head and lifted him into the air. The Ace kicked out his feet, struggling in vain.
Finally resigning to his fate, he eyed his friends out of the corner of his eyes. It was for a fleeting moment.
Jormungandr smirked and closed his fist.
Splat! Splodge!
Drake's head imploded in a splash of blood.
"Noooo!" the rookies screamed.
[ Unfortunately, this story is now signed with a platform called Meganovel. If you want to read further, please visit the website or install the app. Thanks for the support.
Link in the author note below. ]