Feeling the extra power surge into his body thanks to the help of the shadows, Krall turned on his beastly heel, and faced the oncoming ogre.
Thraz was also fast approaching, but he made sure to stay behind the barreling nine-foot beast. Thankfully, it’s attention was wholly on the small human that had injured it prior.
Noah could solo the monster, but it would take time. Time he didn’t know if he had. Who knows what was within the dungeon, or what high grade equipment lay within. If he took too long, then Maera, and her knights would swoop them up.
Of course, they would struggle considering their current levels. With Maera healing them from the back, they would be able to tread further with resilience, and perseverance. It was only a matter of time before they managed to scavenge some of the rewards.
Noah wouldn’t let that happen.
Using [Shadowed Presence], Noah blasted out of the shadows like a tumultuous storm. His spear pierced the air toward the monster's wounded head.
Dodging the strike at the last second, it wacked Noah’s skill-covered shield with a strike of its heavy hammer.
Noah grit his teeth at the impact, bore it, then fired back another thrust of his spear. Powered by the Thrust Shard, it sliced past the monster's thick skull. Sparks flew, much to Noah’s surprise.
The ogre counter-attacked. This time it wasn’t directed to Noah, but Krall. Its hammer collided against his arm. From the hit, some of the armoured scales broke into fragments. However, it was clear that the hammer wasn’t too effective against the natural defence of his tamed monster.
Then Thraz arrived.
Covered in thick earthen armour, he hefted his axe, chopping it into the ogres dense leg. Blood splashed.
The ogre snapped its fist back and clashed against Thraz. He was sent hurtling into the air, then crashed into the ground.
Distracted. Noah attacked. His spear flashed forward with [Overpower] and [Beastly pike] activated. It sliced past the ogre's throat as blood gushed from the open wound.
The attack ranged on despite the monster having a deep wound on its neck, and eyes damaged from the first attack.
Noah and Thraz were able to catch a rhythm together as they continued their assault on the ogre.
Since Thraz decided on helping Noah, he had forfeited his chance of entering the dungeon. Just that one single act was enough to tell Noah of his true character. But Noah noticed something else.
Thraz had evolved in more ways than one.
His way of attacking had changed. It was ruthless, fast, creative. He was beginning to copy Noah’s movements. His feints. He would step forward and fake his attack, only to continue it in the next second; catching the monster off guard.
He had forwent his outward display of honour, and decided to keep it within his sleeve.
Thanks to that–they were able to act as a team to quickly dispatch the ogre. In a couple of minutes, the stalwart ogre thudded to the ground. Wounds marred his body in the hundreds despite such a short battle.
The other survivors were already almost at the dungeon entrance, and Victor was quickly catching up with excessive use of his movement skill. Blood seeped from his long nose, but he continued regardless of the damage it was doing to his insides.
“We can not make it.” Thraz said, watching the others race to the dungeon.
“No, we can’t.” Noah wiped the blood from his face. His words were carefree, as if he didn’t care that he wouldn’t be able to enter the contested area.
Thraz spun on his heels as he inspected Noah closely.
“Are you okay with that?”
“There is always a second entrance.” Noah turned his attention as green and blue crackled in the air above the monster, and around Thraz.
“Pay closer attention to the System’s words,” he continued.
Thraz thought about it for a moment. His eyes bulged. “Only five can enter the main entrance. That means there is another one! That’s why you wanted help to take out the monster. To gain the level while they are racing for the main gate.”
Noah smiled. “You're learning.”
He walked up to the monster, but it wasn’t a Pathstone or Skill, it was numerous fragments. Gripping the Rare ones, he lobbed them over to Thraz who caught them.
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“That's for trusting me, even though you didn’t have to.”
Thraz grinned and tucked them into his pouch. “Well I did not want to be with them, but it does not mean that I want to be alone. What would life be like alone?”
“I wonder.” Noah brooded, but shook his head. “C’mon, let’s find this other entrance–shall we?”
“Yeah.”
While the others were in a desperate race, Noah, and Thraz patiently finished the rest of the monsters. And they reaped the rewards for it. Not only did they gain the loot from their kills, but also from the other corpses that everyone hastily left.
You defeated a - Level 47 Horned-Ogre.
…
You defeated a - Level 38 Orc.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 37 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 40
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 37 -> Krall level 40
Strength: 168
Dexterity: 97
Constitution: 112
Willpower: 166
Magic: 47
Mana: 46
Perception: 51
You have obtained Epic Fragments x3, Rare Fragments x9, Uncommon Fragments x16.
He had even gained a few Rare skills and Pathstones, but none that he could use himself. He would just need to trade them later. Some of them were given to Thraz as he needed them to evolve the current skills he had.
For Noah, it was a no-brainer. He could have kept them as they were his kills, but the stronger he was, the stronger Noah became. Feeling more confident in his dragonborn friend’s newly formed thoughts, Noah was comfortable in giving him power.
The Epic Fragments he had gained were quite far from making a whole, so he had to wait there, but along with Thraz’s own; it shouldn’t be long before they could form another Skill or Pathstone. Whoever it would belong to would entirely depend on what the skill was.
If it was stealth or Will related, it would go to Noah. If it was Constitution or Strength related, then Thraz would have it.
Of course, Noah could also use the Strength one, but it wouldn’t be fair if he claimed it considering they had gained the fragments together.
With them having claimed the rewards for themselves, Krall trotted toward the castle in the distance with Thraz jogging behind.
----------------------------------------
Maera glanced behind her shoulders as Noah and Thraz were working together to defeat the ogre.
It shouldn’t be like this.
Originally, Noah should have desperately attempted to chase them, and through that arrogance, he would be injured by the rampaging ogre. But now, Noah was working together with Thraz to sweep up the monsters as if he didn’t care about the dungeon, and its rewards at all.
It didn’t make sense. Fate had changed. But where? And how?
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t see where the Goddess image had twisted.
For Noah not to race toward the dungeon was such an incredible turn in character that it warped her sense of knowing completely.
Despite that, her mind calmed. He was too far to contest her as the entrance was just ahead. At least this way–he would still live. For once, she was thankful that her Goddess was wrong. Maybe that thinking would get her in trouble, but she didn’t want him to die. Not because of her actions.
Just as they were about to reach the threshold, a bubbling fear gripped hold of her heart. Glancing over her shoulder again, a wolf-man was approaching at a speed that caused her eyes to twitch.
She ignored the sharpened blades held within his hands, and instead gazed into his dark-red eyes. They were akin to the harbinger of death as they stared into her soul.
Maera had witnesses victor fighting enemies for quite some time now, but being on the receiving end of his penetrative gaze. She felt sorry for his enemies. Now she was one of them.
Run Faster. She chanted, but Victor only became faster.
In a clash of steel, his weapons met her knights head on.
She couldn’t look back. For the future of her race, she had to enter the dungeon. Pained cries scratched at her ears, but she grit her teeth. Stepping into the darkness, her heart was heavy.
You are the first to enter the dungeon!
| Title gained!
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Victor overspent the energy within his body. Both from the Fear Shard, and his movement skill. He sliced and diced the elven knights in front of him, but the pointed-eared princess disappeared into the darkness along with her knights.
He emitted a crazed howl as his chances of entering the dungeon vanished. He took out his anger on the remaining knights, killing them all in a fury of metal and blood.
He feasted on their fear, but it wasn’t enough to satiate the burning desire in his heart.
Killing the last enemy, Chloe, and the others arrived. However, his attention diverted to Noah. He had finished slaying all the orcs, and was heading over to the castle. Not toward the dungeon entrance–he was heading to the side.
The strange behaviour caused him to snarl. The mounted human knew something he didn’t. His vision wandered to where he was walking, but there was nothing but dense jungle that covered the entirety of the castle's left side.
It was impenetrable with no discernible features.
Does he know something is there?
“Shit, what do we do now?” Chloe spat as the black dungeon entrance fizzled into nothing. Behind it lay just a blank wall. As if its grand doors didn’t exist in the first place.
“We follow him.” Victor pointed his sharp finger toward Noah and Thraz.
The others followed his gaze as their expressions turned serious. Why hadn’t Noah raced to enter the prized dungeon?
That was the thought coursing through everyone's minds. Now, the chase had transferred from Maera–to Noah.