(Armor Collapsing Claw ranked up to B rank. Your attacks now ignore 25 percent of enemies' Defense stat.)

(Mana Erupt ranked up to C rank. The user can now unleash devastating bursts of mana-infused power, enhancing both the speed and force of their attacks to a higher degree.)

(Rapid Healing ranked up to B rank. The user's regenerative abilities are significantly enhanced.)

(Monstrous Strength is ranked up to B rank. When activated user’s strength will increase by 35 percent for 2 minutes and 45 seconds. After the duration ends user’s strength will be decreased by 5 percent for 4 minutes.)

Looking at the notifications I got, I couldn’t help to be both amused and frustrated. I trained and conquered an entire dungeon before I got one rank up but now that I nearly died, I have gotten 4? Seriously, whoever designed this system must be insane.

“How are you still alive? That attack killed trolls!”

The mass of black sludge faintly resembling the Nidhogg asked me with a booming voice. Even though I just blasted its head apart, it recovered quickly. Damn, I even used Requiem for Unfinished Dreams for that attack. It is like the Slime Monarch. God, I hated fighting that thing.

“Because you are weak.”

I answered with a smug grin though I doubted it could see it. I saw no eyes, just ever-shifting and bubbling sludge. I took a step towards it, the chain wrapping around my forearm tightening as purple mana leaked from my blade. The creature stomped its front leg angrily as if it was throwing a tantrum.

“You dare to mock me!”

It opened what I guessed was its mouth. Realizing what it was about to do, I swung my sword releasing the accelerated mana. The black lightning it fired from its mouth clashed with my attack, creating shockwaves. The shockwaves rippled through the air, sending debris flying in all directions.

“I will crush you so badly that you won’t be able to come back from it, human!”

Its massive claws dug into the ground as it tried to run towards me. A part of me got worried as Methild was with me but the wind blew as green mana shot from Lily and Elandris managed to halt its movement.

“Poyraz! You are alive!”

Lily landed beside me, his wings fluttering excitedly.

“Of course I am. It was a mere mosquito bite. It is insulting you would think that kind of stuff could kill me.”

Mosquito bite, my ass. If it wasn’t for Monarch's Eye Amulet’s Arrow Time automatically activating I would have died. Thanks to it accelerating my time perception, I was able to use Shadow Melt to dodge some of the wind blades. Though I wasn’t fast enough which is why I looked like I lost a fight to a stack of papers. I was sure they would heal perfectly thanks to Divine Touched.

“Poyraz! It seems like he has the same ability as the boss we fought before!”

Elandris landed beside us with his spirits, just like Lily. Nereida looked glad that I was alive while Cyclara shot me a less-than-pleasant look.

“Bark!”

Gökbörü nuzzled to my leg. Light blue sparks rose from his fur. Looks like he gained some new abilities.

“Methild. Can you cast those same buffs you cast before?”

I asked. Methild was with me when I woke up so I guessed that she was the one who healed me. I wasn’t sure how much mana she had.

“They were once a day. I can cast weaker ones.”

As Methild confirmed the limitations of her buffs, I nodded, understanding the situation.

"Alright, weaker ones will have to do for now. I will be moving with Gökbörü to freeze him. You provide ranged support.”

A small hue covered me as I got the notifications that I was buffed. Lily tried to object to my plan but before he could muster up to words I charged forward, gripping my sword and spear tightly. Gökbörü barked happily from the top of my head, clearly liking how fast I moved.

“You are running to your death, human!”

The booming voice rang out once again to shit talk. Its form loomed over me, just like the Nidhogg.

“You know, I am kind of getting sick of this racist bullshit.”

Seriously, what is up with everyone calling me “human” or “mortal”? I dodged black lightning falling all around me, causing the debris to hit my bare skin. They didn’t hurt as they weren’t mana infused but they made me miss my armor.

Wait.

If I wasn’t holding weapons in both of my hands, I would have facepalmed. Using mana I covered myself with armor once again. My armor was never fully destroyed in combat before so manifesting it again mid-combat was a first. It didn’t increase my stats as I was already in my “combat mode” but a layer of defense was appreciated.

(Your partner is sharing Enhanced Senses with you.)

(Your partner is sharing Combat Instincts with you.)

(Your partner is sharing Ice Wolf’s Breath with you.)

The creature roared in anger as it unleashed a barrage of attacks, its massive claws slashing through the air, smashing against the ground as it missed me. Wind strong enough to knock a person off balance blew as more lightning struck the ground.

But I was ready, my movements fluid and precise as I deftly dodged each strike, my armor absorbing the brunt of the impact with ease. I focused on the imagery of snow falling as my breath exited my mouth as cloudly mist. I felt Gökbörü’s heartbeat as we synced up with each other more and more to unleash a flurry of freezing attacks, my weapons cutting through the sludgy mass of the creature's form with chilling efficiency. Ice crystals formed around its body, slowing its movements and freezing its ever-shifting body, allowing others to smash through its form. With each strike, the freezing cold seemed to sap away its strength, leaving it vulnerable to the onslaught of your combined assault. Monarch's Eye Amulet helped me once again as I absorbed its mana to fuel my attacks while weakening it. Elandris, Lily, and the others provided ranged support, launching arrows, bolts of mana, and elemental attacks from a distance, further weakening the creature's defenses. Nereida's water magic combined with Cyclara's wind manipulation created a whirlwind of icy shards that battered against the creature's frozen form, chipping away at its resilience. With each passing moment, the creature's struggles grew more frantic, its once-booming voice now reduced to desperate cries of pain and frustration.

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“No! No! Do you know how much I sacrificed? Just to achieve what you were born with?”

Despite its resilience and mass, the voice sounded so pitiful.

“No. Nor do I care.”

My voice was probably as cold as the ice I was creating. He must not liked my answer as the space around me twisted as it tried to use the same attack that previously succeeded in hurting me greatly. However, since I knew that it was coming this time I could have dodged it. I could just leap away from the radius of the isolated space and I would be fine.

But that’s how a coward would think.

(Your partner is no longer sharing Ice Wolf’s Breath with you.)

(Your partner is sharing Snowfall with you.)

I guess it was hard to understand how different spaces worked for many people. I only had the faintest idea due to how many different spaces I had been in. But thanks to it I could understand how its attack worked. It was just a combination of spatial manipulation and wind blades.

But that made me think about how space in this world was different. It could be manipulated, isolated, and controlled by skills, much like the bags of holding or the dungeons' enclosed spaces. Most importantly, it could be dominated.

(Snowfall: The User gains mastery over a designated domain, where they wield the power to manifest blizzards and plunge the temperature into freezing extremes. The chilling aura adversely affects enemies within the domain, diminishing their Agility and Vitality based on their Ice or Cold Resistances. Friends designated within the area remain unaffected. The radius and duration of this frigid influence are contingent upon the amount of mana invested in activating the skill.)

I expanded my mana out to cover my body as I designated my domain as just myself and Gökbörü. As snowflakes cascaded around me, shrouding my form in an icy mantle, I sensed a shift in the surrounding space. Rather than twisting and separating, it yielded to my will, bending to my command. Despite the snow adorning my body, I felt warm. It was like I was in my own home and nothing would get to me.

I felt the wind about to be unleashed. Since I was in a closed space its power would be higher, just like how an explosion would be stronger indoors which is why it was so strong. It was quite the smart trick, I had to admit it.

Yet it wasn’t enough to stop me. I pressed forward, seizing control of the spatial boundary before me. With a decisive gesture, I tore through the barrier, asserting my dominance over the once-hostile territory.

The beast stumbled several steps back. It was kind of weird to see a four-legged gigantic creature stumble like that.

“How?”

Its voice was nothing but a whisper now. With a confident smirk, I met the creature's gaze- or what I thought was its gaze-, my eyes alight with determination. I turned off Snowfall as it was eating my mana reserves like crazy.

“Does it matter? You won’t need answers in hell.”

I got ready to attack it again but it lowered its head to the ground.

“Please answer me. You are not even half a century old. How are you this strong? Why can’t I reach you? It is not fair. It is not fair.”

It made noises similar to sobbing. My companions came to me looking both confused, sad, and tired.

“Let’s kill him.”

Lily said nonchalantly as he raised his swords. Elandris jumped forward to stop him.

“Poyraz, please. He was an old friend.”

As Elandris' words echoed in the air, a somber silence fell over the battlefield. I didn’t fully understand how this sludge monster was his friend but I assumed that he was transformed somehow. The once-mighty creature now seemed pitiful, its towering form hunched over in defeat as it lay sprawled on the ground. Lily's blades hovered in the air, poised to strike, but he hesitated, his gaze flickering between Elandris and the fallen foe.

“Are you kidding me, Elandris? Can’t you feel how many spirits he has consumed? He must be executed!”

Cyclara shouted with enough force to pop my eardrums if I stood closer to her. Despite her loud voice, I took a deep breath, considering Elandris' plea. With a heavy sigh, I stepped forward, my gaze fixed on the fallen creature. God, I was too tired for this shit.