For my training we went to the forest instead of going to the dungeons.
I trained my battle sense because even if you have high level perks and skills, if your battle IQ was bad, then it would cost the lives of your comrades or even yourself.
We hunted down many types of monsters. It was really easy thanks to my improved stats. I got a feel for battles and could now make important and decisive decisions at appropriate times.
Grandma wanted me to get a second perk. To get that we had to go to a different location. I still didn't know what kind of perk she wanted me to get or what type of monster I had to hunt, but it was exhilarating nonetheless.
We are currently walking up a mountain. It was really quiet. Only the ambient sounds of nature were heard, but among them, there was a slight distortion of sound. A murderous growl was heard right when we reached the peak.
Then, the horizon turned black for a moment. It seemed like something soared through the sky. Something which resembled a tail wriggled around while flying upward.
We looked up to find a..
What the…
It was a fucking dragon.
Just as I was getting ready to run away, My grandma looked at me…. And with a straight, serious face, she said, “Kill that.”
“Pardon..?”
“You’ve to kill that ‘Hell-Fire Dragon’ to get a specific perk. That perk will enhance your fire-power.”
“But can I really beat that thing?”
The Hell-Fire Dragon was one of the four Godly-Dragons — said to be the connectors of Gods and planets. Going by that, this Hell-Fire dragon was like a messenger of the Fire-God. Just as their name implied, their power was also godly… The cosmic gods prefer to have their messengers in almost every planet. It was, in a sense, to spy the other gods. To collect intel for potential war.
And that is precisely why killing them gives amazing rewards. A portion of the god’s powers and a huge amount of coins.
“Yes, you can, dear. Grandma will help you.”
Okay, if she was helping me then it should be fine I guess..
The dragon finally made its move. I activated my skill. Thick, blazing flames blanketed my hands. It was fiery, but I did not feel it.
[The skill, Blaze Lv.12, has been activated!]
I ran up to the dragon, coming at me with an eagerness to bite my head off. As my first attack, I punched it with all my might. Fire caught onto the dragon and slowly began to incinerate it in the points of contact.
….Or at least that’s supposed to be the case.
The Hell-Fire dragon shook off my attacks like a dog dusting off mud on its body. I didn’t falter and kept launching numerous punches.
… And right when I was about to punch it once more, the dragon moved its mouth as if to bite off my arm. I narrowly escaped its humongous jaw.
Close combat is useless against this thing… Wait. Why was I going into close combat anyways? I am a ranged fighter, so I should fight like that.
I backed off until distance increased between me and the dragon. I began casting multiple balls of flame. But, none were of use. The dragon was resistant to fire, befitting a messenger of the Fire-God.
It was time to use ‘that’.
[The skill, Dark Eruption Lv.2, has been activated!]
The ground rumbled slightly. The surroundings became tainted with a dark and mysterious aura. This was my newly-acquired skill’s power even at level 2.
With the skill’s power, I amassed the dark matter in my hands. Then, with all my might, I cast it onto the dragon which had successfully amassed its own magic power with its mouth.
The dragon’s fire breath came at me like a beam, but it was stopped by my ‘Dark Eruption’. The dark matter formed a thick wall. The fire erupting from the dragon’s mouth got absorbed by my wall. Then, I guided the magic and flanked it on either side of the wall to get a hit at the dragon. And, it worked!
The Hell-Fire dragon could be seen wobbling and losing stability. I got closer to lay down a finishing blow while activating [Blaze].
However, just as I got closer to the dragon, it spun around and hit me with its tail-flick. I was thrown across the air and landed with a forceful thud.
“Ugh..” I groaned in pain. Shit, my chest hurts. Seems like a rib is broken; and not just that, My…
“Kuheok!!”
I vomited blood. Blood also trickled down from my nostrils. I can’t be defeated just because of a damn tail-flick!
I looked back at my grandma who was looking at me worriedly. She would jump in if I just signaled her or if things went south. But, I did not want her to participate. I did not want a perk which was given freely to me. I want to earn it myself.
I raised my aura and the pain from the wounds and scrapes that I had accumulated throughout the fight, subsided a bit.
[The skill, Dark Eruption Lv.2, has been activated!]
[The skill has leveled up!]
[Dark Eruption Lv.2 —> Dark Eruption Lv.3]
I swung multiple dark orbs at the dragon. This skill utilized black fire as its base so it would be a bit hard for the Hell-Fire dragon to resist it.
The dragon screamed as the dark flames caught onto its thick red scales. Still, its ferociousness didn’t seem to have reduced. Rather, it was higher than before.
The dragon lunged at me, but I did not stop with the casting of orbs imbued with dark matter. The Hell-Fire dragon flew upwards and made a curve in the air before crashing down while facing me.
Shit.. What do I do?? Oh, right I could try that again, but what if it fails?
I created another wall made of the same dark matter, but much thicker now. I accumulated all my mana for this. Because the dragon..oh boy..it was coming at me faster than a golden eagle.
CRASH!!
The sound of something breaking was heard and the pressure weighing on me increased by several folds. I escaped from the mess of an atmosphere to find the Hell-Fire dragon on top of the wall. Its speed was enough to break apart the wall. It got up and looked at me.
Wait, was that an illusion? I thought the dragon just smirked at me…
My mana was nearly depleted. Although the [Dark Eruption] skill was powerful and efficient, it cost a huge chunk of my mana.
[The skill has leveled up!]
[Dark Eruption Lv.3 —> Dark Eruption Lv.4]
My skill was rapidly leveling up thanks to fighting this monster of a creature.
At this moment, my grandma grabbed my shoulder. “Elias. Get some rest. I’ll finish it.”
“But gran, I can still…”
“No. This situation is not proper for training.” She said while looking at the dragon’s eyes. It had an unusually creepy vibe to it.
----------------------------------------
In the next moment, an immense pressure was felt in the area. It was Borna’s aura. The pressure was so intense that the surrounding trees began to swerve violently. Elias backed off understanding the danger his grandma had predicted.
Borna lifted up her sword to her eye-level and bitterly smiled.
This monster… it borrowed the power of the Fire-God.
The borrowal of the powers of Gods. Every messenger of a God has the ability to request for powers from their host-God. It would seem to be fairly normal and seem right and it is indeed fair for them to borrow powers, but the effect of the received power would be…disaster level.
That is what's going on right now. This dragon was the live example of what would happen if a messenger received the powers of their God.
Borna licked her lips as if she found the situation to be amusing. The dragon was pushed back by Borna’s sheer presence.
[The skill, Song of Blare Lv.25 (+10), has been activated!]
Borna’s sword lit up with a golden hue.
“Ahh, it has been a long time since I let loose like this.”
The moment the Hell-Fire dragon’s magma-like textured surface fired up, Borna disappeared and only her after-image remained. There was ‘something’ circling the dragon. It moved so fast that its body became blurred.
Clang!!
Borna struck her sword on the dragon’s newly thickened skin, but it was blocked by the dragon’s horn. It was only possible because it borrowed powers from the Fire-God, granting it increased mobility and endurance. However, Borna didn’t let go. She continued to apply more and more pressure.
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At first glance, they seemed to be equally matched, but one could tell that wasn’t the case just by closely observing. Cracks appeared on the horn’s surface and the dragon was slowly being pushed back.
Then, in the next second something unexpected happened. The force applied by the dragon became zero, and Borna lost her balance somewhat. It was only for a moment, but the dragon raised its front legs, supporting its body with the help of its back legs, it slammed its legs on Borna, intending to deal a fatal attack. But, Borna’s maxed out stats and [Sound Barrier] skill helped her avoid the blow.
“Time to get serious.”
[The skill, Shepherd’s Ring Lv.25, has been activated!]
[The skill, Song of Blare Lv.25 (+10), has been activated!]
A magic ring permeated by sound itself was vibrating intensely. It emitted a golden aura, enough to awe-inspire the opponents. The sword would be impossible to wield for any ordinary person, but not for Borna. She had been training with a single focus for thirty years just to master this after all.
The dragon too, did not sit by idly and wait for Borna to attack it. Its magma-like body became more dense with mana. Its mouth opened up widely while it loaded its magic-power. Intense wind pressure could be felt from the two beings.
[The skill, Soundwave Manipulation Lv.25 (+10), has been activated!]
Borna pointed her sword at the Hell-Fire dragon and roared.
Aaaagghhh!!!
The dragon also fired its shot.
Fwwoooshhh!!
There was the sound of something permeating through the air.
CLAAASHH!!!
The entire atmosphere became blank for a moment as if time had stopped. But of course, it was an illusion because in the next second an ear-shattering blast could be heard.
BOOOOMM!!
Elias, who had been spectating vigilantly, was thrown across the air more than ten meters away from where he stood.
As the smoke cleared and the dust particles settled down, the battle’s outcome became clear. Or, did it?
The two existences who had achieved paramountcy still stood glaring at each other’s faces. However, none of them were unscathed. The dragon’s left wing had torn off, its front legs broken, numerous bruises and cuts were spread across its body. The magma-skin had also been almost completely peeled off. Yet, it was still standing, only standing.
Borna on the other hand, was charcoal-black. Even though she seemed to have been burned pretty badly, in reality, she was almost completely unscathed. It was due to her creative use of her skill.
Just as the dragon’s fire neared her, she used her [Sound Barrier] skill to first create a barrier made of vibrations in the air surrounding her. Then, she used her [Soundwave Manipulation] to thicken the [Sound Barrier]. As her final layer of defense, Borna coated [Shepherd’s Ring] around her. Thousands of sound rings surrounded her vibrating intensely.
In an instant, the battle was over, and the defenseless dragon got swept up by Borna’s ultimate mixture of sound magic skills.
----------------------------------------
“Elias. Deal the final blow, so that you can get the coins and the perk.”
I didn’t want to be ‘that’ person, but the situation ended up like that.
[The skill, Blaze Lv.12, has been activated!]
The dragon was barely able to stand using its remaining energy. Its magma scales were also almost completely peeled off which meant that the previously ineffective skill, should now work.
The dragon accepted its fate by silently burning apart.
[The skill has leveled up!]
[Blaze Lv.12 —> Blaze Lv.14]
Ding!
[You have slain a Godly-Dragon!]
Finally, I got the achievement for slaying the dragon.
There were numerous messengers of cosmic gods. They were all in the bodies of different creations such as dragons for example. Only four cosmic gods had their messengers in the bodies of dragons, hence the name Four Godly-Dragons.
The system messages continued to pour in.
Ding!
[500,000 coins have been awarded!]
Oh wow…
Ding!
[You have acquired a new perk!]
[Your attribute is evolving!]
[Your new attribute is Lord of Fire.]
[Individual Information]
----------------------------------------
Individual Information
Name: Elias Raymon
Unit: Combat
Attribute: Lord of Fire
Level: 50
Exp: 3428 /12870
Stats:
Strength: 50
Stamina: 60
Defense: 54
Agility: 60
Endurance: 55
Magic Power: 60
Skills:
Blaze Lv.14
Dark Eruption Lv.4
Perks:
Goblin’s Shield
Ember Ignition
----------------------------------------
It seems like my level has gone up drastically.
[Coins: 500,200]
Ding!
I looked over at my grandma’s screen. She too had gotten the same rewards as me. Well, she was the main contributor. She didn’t, however, get a perk because she didn’t deal the final blow. I had a complicated expression because I felt like I stole it from her.
“Hey, don’t make that face. Remember why we came here?”
“It is to get me a perk.”
Oh, right. Made sense.
“Even if I had gotten a perk, I would’ve given it to you.”
“You can transfer perks?”
“Of course.”
Then she asked me, “How many coins did you get?”
“Five hundred thousand, gran.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s good. I got 200,000. I’ll transfer it to you.”
“But, why?”
“What do you expect me to do with it? All my stat components are maxed and my coin balance is already past ten million.”
My eyes widened in surprise. Ten million? Sheeesh.
[Coins: 700,200]
I also asked another question.
“Gran, was this your first time slaying a Godly-Dragon?”
“Hmm, yeah. Anyways, go on. Spend the coins you got into your stat components.”
[8,000 coins have been consumed, Strength: 50 —> Strength: 60]
[4,800 coins have been consumed, Defense: 54 —> Defense: 60]
[4,000 coins have been consumed, Endurance: 55 —> Endurance: 60]
[16,000 coins have been consumed, Strength: 60 —> Strength: 70]
[16,000 coins have been consumed, Stamina: 60 —> Stamina: 70]
[16,000 coins have been consumed, Defense: 60 —> Defense: 70]
[16,000 coins have been consumed, Agility: 60 —> Agility: 70]
[16,000 coins have been consumed, Endurance: 60 —> Endurance: 70]
[16,000 coins have been consumed, Magic Power: 60 —> Magic Power: 70]
[32,000 coins have been consumed, Strength: 70 —> Strength: 80]
[32,000 coins have been consumed, Stamina: 70 —> Stamina: 80]
[32,000 coins have been consumed, Defense: 70 —> Defense: 80]
[32,000 coins have been consumed, Agility: 70 —> Agility: 80]
[32,000 coins have been consumed, Endurance: 70 —> Endurance: 80]
[32,000 coins have been consumed, Magic Power: 70 —> Magic Power: 80]
[64,000 coins have been consumed, Strength: 80 —> Strength: 90]
[64,000 coins have been consumed, Stamina: 80 —> Stamina: 90]
[64,000 coins have been consumed, Defense: 80 —> Defense: 90]
[64,000 coins have been consumed, Agility: 80 —> Agility: 90]
[64,000 coins have been consumed, Endurance: 80 —> Endurance: 90]
[64,000 coins have been consumed, Magic Power: 80 —> Magic Power: 90]
[Coins: 11,200]
After a surge of system message notifications, a calm, still silence enveloped the area.
“How do you feel?”
“I, I feel weird.”
My grandma laughed. “Right. That ‘weird’ feeling would continue to grow stronger as you upgrade the stats.”
She added on.
“Now that you have reached level 90 in all stat components, you have barely qualified to participate in the 1,398th Cosmic War of Humans and Goblins.”
“1,398th? I thought no one knew when this war even began?”
“Ah, yes. No one knows. We started counting 1,398 years ago.”
“Oh.”
“You’ve to train further and level up even higher.” My grandma said while swinging her sword.
“But, didn’t I get considerably stronger? Do I need to level up even further?”
“Like I said earlier, you’ve only attained the bare minimum for qualifying. You might be able to wipe out a few hundreds of mutant goblins in your current state. But, once ‘those’ guys appear, you won’t even be able to last a second.”
“The giant mutant goblins?”
“No, those guys are just normal mutant goblins but with increased size.”
“Then, there are even more powerful guys than them?”
My grandma nodded bitterly.
“Our next location is the ocean.”