The creature before us vaguely resembled a soldier, yet it had obvious distinctions that set it apart from them. Height and length-wise the two were nigh identical, but this one’s exoskeleton looked far sturdier and encompassed almost the entire thing, barely leaving any space between its edges and the ground. The plates of its exoskeleton were dark brown and there was a faint yellow hue, almost like a liquid, that covered it. It was not a liquid though, since it moved over its back as if alive.
But the differences did not end there. Different from other soldiers, this one possessed only one pair of mandibles, but instead, there grew a total of three long horns from its head—two arcing from each side of its head and one jutting forward like a curved spear that grew from its center. Lastly, there was a distinct split in its exoskeleton, which revealed a row of sharp protrusions that grew along the middle of the bug’s back like a spine.
If I were to keep the description short, appearance-wise, it was a soldier just armored up. And with unnecessarily many sharp things attached to its body. But rather than its physical form, I was curious about the name it carried.
“What does ‘Awoken even mean?” I whispered to Veraxia who had already taken several steps back just in case so that the soldier wouldn’t notice us. We hid behind a root that offered us some cover, but still allowed us to observe the new enemy.
When no answer came from her, I shifted my gaze to her. She was studying the soldier, like me, but there was something else in her eyes. She knew something about it. “Veraxia?” I tried reaching her again.
She turned her head in my direction, her eyes still lingering on the soldier for a moment longer before she finally met my gaze. There was a look of confusion and surprise on her face that I could vaguely make out from her beastly visage.
“Why do you look surprised?” I wondered aloud. Knowing her, there were not a lot of things she didn’t understand or couldn’t explain, especially regarding the Exapoda.
Frustration briefly crossed her face, but quickly vanished and her expression returned to the usual calm and collected one she wore all the time. “Because I am surprised. I had not expected them to have accumulated so much already,” she responded, her voice trailing off towards the end as she fell back in thought.
Since I did not understand what was going on, I waited for Veraxia to sort out her thoughts and share them with me. Because I had to admit, something that managed to let Veraxia react this way intrigued me more than it should.
“That over there,” she pointed a claw at the weird soldier, “is an Awoken. They are a category of beings that have evolved through the absorption of a large amount of life energy. This process transforms them, turning them into something else entirely. Also, it is a process that hive species normally avoid. I did not expect them to do something like this.”
“‘Turning them into something else’? What does that mean?”
“Difficult to explain,” she started. “For now, just imagine life force as some kind of energy boost that forces an individual to adapt to those massive amounts of energy. It is like a supercharged soldier, more resilient, more powerful, more dangerous.”
I eyed the Awoken soldier, inspecting its massive exoskeleton once again. This was what life force could make out of a soldier. I lacked a fundamental understanding of the energy known as ‘life force’, but I suspected that the energy for this change came from Veraxia’s bonded tree, which she mentioned was being drained by the hive.
While its outer appearance had changed quite a bit, it still retained an obvious specialization for close-quarter combat. Its horns were sharp, but I could not make out any yellow bristles on them and compared to the mandibles, they did not look very flexible. Still, the sharp protrusions on its back would prove to become a problem for Veraxia, who mainly attacked at close range and with her claws.
But she was not the only one limited by this new soldier’s design. My mana-made weapons just recently gained the ability to pierce soldiers, but the exoskeleton of that thing looked to be at least twice as thick and while I would not underestimate myself anymore, I was not going to be delusional and overestimate my abilities.
I still had the level advantage, but it still should have gained a lot more stat points than me during its leveling and now that it apparently got even stronger, there was no way of confirming that its stats still were those of a level 55, or if they were above that.
“What’s our next move?” I asked.
Veraxia seemed to have a much better grasp of the capabilities of this ‘Awoken’ and thus qualified more than me to judge the threat. If she concluded that we were outmatched, I trusted that she would inform me accordingly.
Given my recent… mishaps, I did not feel like making decisions that could potentially bring us into a situation we could not handle.
Most likely, because even though the Awoken Soldier was a new threat that we lacked crucial information about, I could not deny that I wanted to fight it, if only to test my limitations. Perhaps it was due to my recent growth, but far from afraid or insecure, I was looking forward to this fight. So, even though I did not share these thoughts with Veraxia, I hoped she would decide on this fight.
Not to mention that this level 55, life force-induced bug was not even the greatest threat we would have to face, so ditching the fight now would not do us any good. We had to face a, potentially, level 90 or higher Exapoda Queen. Compared to that, what was a measly level 55 soldier?
Luckily, Veraxia appeared to agree.
“We should fight it. Depending on the outcome, we can gauge the scale of this…problem. We would have to fight it at some point either way.”
A smile appeared on my lips. These were just the words that I was hoping for.
“Alright.” I nodded. Meanwhile, Veraxia regarded me with a hint of surprise. Observing her, I tilted my head. “What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. Your eagerness simply surprised me a little bit.”
“Well, it’s like you said,” I shrugged, “And won’t I only get stronger when we beat it?” I shrugged. “Now, wanna go?” I nodded my head towards the Awoken Soldier.
Veraxia’s gaze shifted from me to the Awoken Soldier repeatedly before she nodded. She took the lead, slowly stepping out from our concealed position and setting foot into the clearing. I followed her, but I kept to her left and slowly distanced myself from her.
Given the difference in our fragility, I decided facing it head-on was Veraxia’s job and that I would try to attack the soldier’s blindspots by using Shadow Cloak.
I had grown tired of doubting my skills, but I wasn’t enough of a fool to confront this soldier head-on. That would be Veraxia’s job. My Willpower and Intelligence might surpass those of your average lass, but my resilience was worse than that of a slime.
The mandibles I was carrying with me—the ones I had picked up during our exploration of the maze—were not going to help me in this fight, so I threw them away. They would interfere with my mobility, and for this encounter, I needed to be able to move as freely as possible.
As I circled the soldier, Veraxia started her approach and it finally noticed us. What immediately stood out to me was its behavior. Unlike the other soldiers, it reacted not with aggression and agitation, but remained calm, adjusting its position to face Veraxia head-on. As its gaze locked onto Veraxia, I slipped out of its line of sight and since it did not spare an effort to follow me, I concluded that Shadow Cloak was successfully hiding me from it, allowing me to observe.
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In contrast to our previous battles, Veraxia refrained from an explosive opening to the fight and instead remained cautious in her approach, carefully watching the Awoken’s every move. While she was likely the superior one in this confrontation, acting rashly might have bad consequences since we both did not know much about the Awoken’s abilities.
Personally, I did not think that Veraxia would need to be that careful, but she probably was more aware of her limits than me. I placed my trust in her judgment that she was acting in the best way possible.
The gap between the two closed, the soldier continuing to calmly observe the situation, while Veraxia slowly lowered her torso and head, breaking out in a spring. My eyes wandered back to the soldier in an instant, but even right before an attack, its demeanor was unchanged and it did not seem to plan to do anything against the attack.
Veraxia stepped to the right and clawed at the soldier’s exposed side, a sharp sound cutting through the air as she made contact. At the same time as her claws touched the soldier, a layer of yellow light welled up from it and both Veraxia and my eyes widened.
The claws that up until now cut through everything we faced without effort were suddenly stopped by a mysterious shield of yellow light that covered the area of the impact of the attack. Even when Veraxia tried to press down on it, her claws did not pierce.
After her attack failed, the soldier moved, swinging its head at Veraxia and trying to impale her. Veraxia, due to the shock of her attack being nullified, reacted too late, but the moment I saw it moving, I already prepared just in case, and so golden chains wrapped around the Awoken’s entire body in an attempt to stop it.
The chains tried to pull the soldier to the ground, but it was too strong, shattering them in the attempt. I clicked my tongue, but the second it took the soldier to react was enough for Veraxia to dodge to the side and avoid injury.
Veraxia quickly created more space between herself and the Awoken. It did not give chase and let her do so without interfering, something that I had somehow not expected, but did fit the behavior it demonstrated up until now. With the fight being put to a halt, I returned to Veraxia’s side.
What I just witnessed had defied my expectations for a level 55 creature; it effectively stopped Veraxia’s attack without visible effort. It was beyond unexpected, it was bad news.
“You didn’t hold back, did you?” Those were the first words I said to her as I reached Veraxia. It was a rhetorical question, but I still hoped she would not deny it.
Veraxia remained focused on the enemy. “I did not,” she said, her voice tinged with a subtle hint of suspicion. “That was a skill—likely a barrier to nullify attacks.”
My eyes widened as if it was a revelation that I hadn’t anticipated. Yet, upon reflection, it was not all that surprising. Like me and Veraxia, the Exapoda had access to the system and were capable of leveling up, so there was no reason to think that they were unable to get any skill. It was probably just that I had not seen one with a skill set that misled me into thinking otherwise.
It just so happened that the first skill one of these bugs used against us was capable of blocking Veraxia’s attack. This turned this fight from probably troublesome into certainly, absolutely troublesome.
“Can we do anything against that?” I asked.
“It is a skill, therefore it consumes some sort of energy with each usage. Be it mana, stamina, or life force, its supply cannot be inexhaustible. If we keep attacking, it is only a matter of time until it reaches a point where it can no longer deploy that barrier.”
“Given that neither of us kicks the bucket before that,” I added with a short laugh.
“Just stick to the plan: Attack and survive.”
“Great plan,” I scoffed.
Veraxia sighed, turning away from me and taking a step forward. I did not go after her and instead gave her some time to engage with the Awoken. Their exchange of blows was not something I could keep up with, so I had to choose wisely when and where to attack. The Awoken blocked each of the attacks with its skill barrier and countered with a thrust or stab of its horns.
Each of the two could not get a clean hit through, but even then every single attack looked like it had the power to kill me twice over. Just to be safe, I kept Shadow Cloak going as I stalked around the two and waited for an opportunity.
Given the disparity in durability and endurance, it might have been better for me to wait until Veraxia cracked the barrier by herself. Still, something within me didn’t like the idea of leaning back and letting her do all the work. At the same time, I was constantly prepared to cast Bind in case another dire situation happened.
In time, an opportunity for me to strike arose and I quickly got in close, coming from behind and summoning a set of chains to briefly interfere with the Awoken’s movements. Forming a spear in my hand, I thrust forward.
The Awoken broke free of my chains at the same moment my spear connected with its yellow barrier. At the same time, Veraxia attacked it, keeping it from attacking or evading my attacks, so I continued to press against the barrier. Since we needed to wear it down, I tried to get in as much damage as possible.
Trying to push even harder, my spear grazed the surface of the barrier, which slightly bent under the force of my attack, but showed no signs of breaking anytime soon.
The Awoken dashed forward as it tried to stab Veraxia, forcing me to give up on continuing my attack and retreat before it took notice of me. But it was too late, as it already turned around to face me, but before it could even properly approach me, Veraxia landed a clean hit at the back of its head, smashing it into the ground.
It growled at her—a weird noise to come from a bug, but whatever. As I watched Veraxia’s claw press against the barrier, my eyes began widening. The barrier was blocking the attack flawlessly. It did not even move an inch.
Veraxia jumped off the Awoken and retreated as it regained its bearings and returned its attention to her, ignoring me entirely. I, on the other hand, was rather busy trying to grasp the implications of what I had just observed.
…
Veraxia and the soldier were once again attacking each other. Each of her attacks hit the soldier clean, but every time the barrier would absorb the blow and not bend even a little bit.
It can’t be… can it?
I strengthened my hold on the spear, simultaneously pumping even more mana into its tip until it was on the verge of bursting and emitting a brighter light than before. Veraxia cast a short glance my way, her eyes briefly resting on my spear before returning her attention to the enemy in front of her.
She evaded another stab from the Awoken, then leaped onto it, exerting her full weight to pin it down. It tried to resist and struggle free, but Veraxia wrapped her tail around it to keep it in place, albeit with seemingly great effort.
Being given an opportunity, I ran up to the Awoken. Since Veraxia held it in place, I aimed for a more vital spot to hit this time: the head.
Clutching the spear firmly with both hands, I drew it backward. In my mind, I concentrated on a singular thought, a lone image fueled by unwavering conviction. This spear, my spear, was capable of breaching that barrier.
I thrust my spear with all my might, pushing even more mana into the handle and tip as it clashed with the barrier, golden particles of light sprayed off the collision point.
The barrier blocked my attack, shattering the tip of my spear as it resisted, but without giving up, I channeled more mana, reforming the tip and pushing further against it. My struggle was rewarded by a bent of the barrier, but it was not enough. Even more mana drained from my pool as I forced the spear forward and eventually a loud, sharp noise resounded as the barrier cracked once.
One small crack turned into a big one, then into two, three, and after crushing over a thousand mana into that barrier, it collapsed, and a thunderous, fracturing noise echoed through the maze.
My spear broke through the barrier, the soldier, in a panic, tried to avoid getting its head pierced by raising it and it succeeded, for now. My spear tore through its tough exoskeleton without any problems whatsoever and dug deep into its flesh.
The wound was severe, but not lethal. However, I was not about to let this chance slip through my fingers.
Let’s try this!
Instead of pulling my spear out, I started to break it down and reformed the head—manipulating mana inside the Awoken felt kinda awkward. I fashioned a double-edged head, with a slight curve in the blades, the curvature of the blades possessed a lethal grace, curving outward before tapering to a refined tip.
The template for this weapon was wielded by the filth I despised the most in this world, someone I wished to kill every time a memory of his flashed across my mind—the reason and perpetrator behind my past hundred years of suffering.
The memory of this person fueled me with rage so primal that I cared not for the resistance of the Awoken’s flesh or its attempts at escaping imminent death. With a furious shout, I twisted the handle, cutting away at its insides, before yanking the battle ax to the right and cleaving away at the enemy’s body.
It cut itself free from the flesh prison it had been crafted in, ripping the front half of the Awoken in half in the process. Its pained screech was silenced as the two halves of its body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
You have slain [Awoken Exapoda Soldier | Lvl. 55]. Experience will be awarded. Bonus Experience for slaying a higher-leveled enemy will be awarded.
[Unregistered] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 3 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Unregistered] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 3 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Unregistered] is now Level 33.
[Novice Witch] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 1 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Novice Witch] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 1 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Novice Witch] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 1 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Novice Witch] is now Level 42.