Jeremiah stepped to the side and twisted slightly as the ball of magma thrown at his head passed harmlessly by. He allowed his eyes to follow the projectile as it flew down the rocky mountainside to make sure the flaming attack wouldn’t hit Sabrina.
He needn’t have worried. She had stepped out of the way and was continuing to fire flaming arrows up the side of the mountain at the Magma Monsters.
> Name: Magma Monster
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> Level: 62
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> Health Points: 2578
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> Magma Monsters are rock elementals that are created deep underground where heat and pressure have turned them into literal lava monsters. Their bodies are hard as rock, and their attacks deliver the same fire damage as molten lava. They are immune to fire damage and are extremely resistant to attacks from bladed weapons.
Sabrina’s flaming arrows exploded into the closest monster, blowing chunks of molten rock off the creature. Jeremiah had initially assumed that flaming arrows wouldn’t do much against molten rock monsters but was happy to have been wrong.
The creatures rapidly healed, though, their magma bodies flowing and reforming almost as fast as Sabrina’s arrows blew chunks off. It took a constant barrage of exploding arrows to keep the monsters from fully healing.
Her arrows were enough to keep several of the monsters busy, though, and that allowed Jeremiah to focus on one or two at a time.
He strode toward the monster that had just thrown the magma ball, his war hammer held in one hand. The weapon had been in his Dimensional Weapons Storage Belt, temporarily raising it by one grade.
>
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> Spiked Two-handed War Hammer
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> * B Grade Weapon (temporarily to A Grade for 24 hours)
> * Causes a Very High amount of Damage (temporarily increased to an Extreme amount of Damage for 24 hours).
> * Damage increased by 8% per Strength point (temporarily increased to 10% per Strength point for 24 hours).
> * Requirements to use: Level 50
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>
Jeremiah took one last step, planting his forward foot as he grabbed the war hammer with both hands and swung the weapon like it was a baseball bat.
There was no finesse to the attack, but the large monster of molten rock didn’t require a fancy or controlled attack. Magma Monsters were creatures of brute force, and that is what it took to defeat them. Jeremiah’s Master Level War Hammer skill was perfect for that.
> War Hammer:
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> There’s nothing quite like bludgeoning your enemies, using all your prodigious strength to break their bones and shatter their spirits. War Hammers, in all their varieties, inflict crushing damage like no other weapon can. Grab your favorite hammer and smash your enemies, body and soul.
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> Requirement: Advanced Blunt Weapons
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> * Master Level – Attack damage increased by 150% versus undead creatures and 75% versus other creatures. Attack damage further increased by 5% per Strength point. Chance to block increased by 90%.
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The Spiked Two-Headed War Hammer smashed into one of the monster’s legs just below the hip, and the limb exploded in a shower of glowing rock.
Jeremiah marveled at the power of the B Grade weapon that had been enhanced to have the power of an A Grade weapon. That had always been a tremendous benefit and one of the biggest reasons Jeremiah had become the most powerful man on the planet. Now that he had reached Level 50, the truly overpowered effect was exceedingly obvious. The weapon was as powerful as anything a Level 100 monster—or person—could wield.
The Level 62 Magma Monster stood no chance.
Jeremiah planted his feet again, flipped the Spiked Two-Headed War Hammer around in his hands, and swung the hammer side of the weapon back at the monster that was slowly starting to fall, unable to balance on one leg.
Glowing rocks exploded from the monster’s body, and it fell backward, shaking the ground as its huge body crashed down on the rocky terrain.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The Magma Monster quickly began to heal, pulling rocks from the mountainside into its body to reform. A stub was already growing out of the creature’s hip to replace the leg that had been destroyed.
Jeremiah growled and leaped forward, raising the war hammer over his head as he soared toward the monster. He brought the weapon down with both hands, and the hammer side of the Spiked Two-Headed War Hammer smashed the rocklike head of the monster.
Small glowing chunks of rock sprayed out in every direction.
“Let’s see you heal from this!” Jeremiah said through gritted teeth and brought the weapon down on the prone monster again, releasing some of the rage that continuously churned inside him ever since the ambush.
>
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> You have defeated Level 62 Magma Monster. Experience points awarded.
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Jeremiah gave the defeated monster one last look of contempt then quickly took stock of the battle and the remaining monsters. Flaming arrows streaked up the mountainside, creating small showers of glowing rock each time they exploded into one of the Magma Monsters that were lumbering down the mountain toward them. Each exploding arrow slowed the monsters’ movements.
“Let one go,” he shouted over his shoulder.
“I can do better than that,” Sabrina replied. “I’ll send one to you!”
The next arrow she released exploded just in front of the closest monster, sending up a shower of dirt and debris. Exploding arrows created several more divots, and then one of the arrows smashed into the Magma Monster’s foot.
The molten-rock monster stumbled forward, tripping on the uneven ground, then fell and began rolling down the mountainside.
Jeremiah chuckled and set his feet, preparing to meet the tumbling monster.
He stepped backward, then set his feet again and swung his war hammer like it was a titanium driver and he was driving a golf ball down the fairway of a long par five.
The monster’s head didn’t go flying like a golf ball, though, and instead exploded into a thousand shards of rock and magma.
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> Your party has defeated Level 63 Magma Monster. Experience points awarded to all participants in the battle.
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The controlled battle quickly devolved into a brawl after that. Jeremiah launched himself at the remaining monsters, focusing his war hammer strikes on one monster at a time. Each blow sent pieces of the monsters flying. His high Agility allowed him to move unhindered among the enemy while his high Strength and Master Level skills empowered each blow.
It was a perfect outlet for the anger that he constantly kept bottled up inside.
Meanwhile, flaming arrows zipped past him, each one expertly aimed, keeping the monsters Jeremiah wasn’t immediately engaged with occupied.
It only took a few minutes for Jeremiah and Sabrina to wear down the monsters until just one remained.
The final Magma Monster roared defiantly as it lumbered toward Jeremiah, pausing each time an arrow exploded into its massive stone body.
“You want to finish this one off?” Jeremiah asked Sabrina as the monster slowly lumbered toward him.
She shook her head. “Nah. Your war hammer is better suited for that task.”
A vicious grin spread across Jeremiah’s face, and he swung his Spiked Two-Headed War Hammer around in a circle then grabbed it with both hands. He took two quick shuffling steps forward and swung the weapon, using his Lightning Strike skill for the first time in the battle as he attempted to one-shot kill the monster.
> Lightning Strike:
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> The ancient gods rained lightning down on their enemies, dealing death and destruction from the heavens. Now you can do the same. Imbue your strikes with the power of Zeus!
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> Requirement: Any Advanced Level melee weapons skill
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> * Master Level – Deliver lightning damage equal to 200% of base damage of any attack. Chain lightning strikes up to 5 nearby enemies, causing damage equal to 50% of primary lightning strike.
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The head of the war hammer smashed into the body of the Magma Monster and lifted it off the ground. Thunder sounded as the Lightning Strike activated, and crackling energy spread out from the impact point. An instant later, the monster exploded into a million pieces of rock and magma.
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> Your party has defeated 7 Magma Monsters. Experience points awarded to all participants in the battle.
“Show-off,” Sabrina admonished playfully, but then a smile spread across her face.
Jeremiah knew she had just received a level-up message like he had.
> Congratulations! You have advanced from Level 54 to Level 55.
“Hopefully, the level increase makes up for it.”
She didn’t respond.
They had spent the last two weeks battling monsters in a Zone 5 area that was close to one of Sabrina’s settlements. The area extended north into what used to be Canada, but they had not gone very far, content to stay near the barrier that contained the monsters that could be as high as Level 100. Fortunately, the highest-level monsters stayed in the heart of the zone, and the border areas were populated with monsters in the fifties and sixties, level wise.
The Magma Monsters had been their third monster confrontation of the day, and the sun was starting to set.
“Let’s loot these piles of rock, then head home,” Sabrina suggested.
Jeremiah couldn’t argue with that plan, not even the idea of calling Sabrina’s settlement “home.”
He kicked the closest pile of rubble and looted the monster.
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> You have looted Magma Mace.
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> You have looted Gold Coins.
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The weapon was interesting but not something Jeremiah could see himself using.
>
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> Magma Mace
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> * B Grade Weapon
> * Causes a Very High amount of Damage.
> * Delivers additional fire damage equal to 25% of base damage.
> * Damage increased by 8% per Strength point.
> * Requirements to use: Level 50
>
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In the past, he would have given the weapon to Benjamin. With the Weapons Master gone, he would just have to hold on to it until someone in the Flannel Army could use it.
The thought of his deceased friend soured his mood, and Jeremiah looted the rest of the monsters with overly aggressive kicks that sent rocks and debris flying. Each monster had a similar fire-enhanced weapon and some gold coins. It was pretty standard for the monsters they had been facing. The weapons were always powerful but rarely anything special. That didn’t matter, though, because Jeremiah’s main purpose right then was to gain experience, and level sixty-something monsters like the Magma Monsters were perfect for that.