Wolves were scary, especially when coated in such a resilient crystal layer.
However, wolves weren't as dextrous as humans. They couldn't twist and move their bodies with as much agility as Monica could. Sure, they could lunge faster than her, but they didn't have the same ability to twist and bend as the woman.
And so the Crystal Wolf tried to snap its jaws around Monica's neck. It couldn't. It just couldn't. Monica had stopped trying to deliver blows and instead just slathered the Obsidian Flame across the crystal, watching as it burned away the protections. The process was excruciatingly slow. The Obsidian Flame acted lethargic for some reason on the crystal wolf. It had burned the flesh of the Cultists like a spark takes to dry kindling, but it lagged on the crystalline body. She could feel the Obsidian Flames slowly eating away at the crystal, but the progress was almost imperceptible.
Still, she managed to evade easily all the blows of the wolf because she didn't have to swing wildly. She just had to tap the monster. It looked like the most dangerous, deadly game of catch.
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Flame reaches Level 8
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Flame reaches Level 9
After five minutes of this exhausting dance, the Obsidian Flame had leveled up twice. And Monica saw it, ever so slowly and deliberately, eating into the crystal layer more. But even though the monster itself was tired, Monica could feel her stamina starting to be impacted by this fight. And if there were any other Crystal Wolves anywhere close, she would risk not having enough energy to deal with them. While she couldn't die, the rest of the group most certainly could.
She decided to pick up the slack and raise her arms. As soon as the wolf twisted next, trying to snap at her with its jaws, she drove her elbow into the side of its face, using the monster's momentum against itself. The crack resonated so loudly that the wolf's head spun back, and she felt her bone crack. She paid no attention to it, just flashing the Golden Flame over her arm as the monster, shaking its snout, raised its paw and swiped at her.
Once again, Monica dodged just as much as she needed to avoid being severely hurt, letting the wolf's claw rake against her Nightshade Battle Wear, screeching against its armor and leaving white marks on the shadowy cloth. Once again, Monica spun her elbow upward and caught the jaw of the monster as the paw's descending momentum brought it to meet her bone once again. She had already cracked the crystal there, and now it shattered.
Monica slapped Obsidian Flame with her other hand, where she had seen fur. And finally, she heard the wolf whimper in pain as the flame reached an unprotected patch of fur.
You're mine now, Monica thought.
Even though the Obsidian Flame was creeping around the monster's mouth, Monica didn't relent. Even though the wolf stepped back, she followed, raining blows on its head with such savagery that between the two, she now looked like the beast. Gone was the almost drowsy rhythm, the apathetic taps she had delivered onto the Crystal Wolf, replaced by a reckless wildfire of knuckles and elbows striking the creature from every angle.
The crystal cracked and loosened. Shards and fragments flew around the small forest clearing as the sun bore down, almost intruding onto a spectacle that should have more aptly belonged to a dark nightmare.
The wolf collapsed on the ground with a thud, sick from all the blows it had received to the head, its brain already bleeding, with more blood dripping from its mouth than it had ever consumed. Then, the last thing it saw was a palm covering its skull and eyes and an ocean of black flames enveloping its head.
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Flame reaches Level 10
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Flame reaches Level 11
*Ding*
The Golden Flame is no longer ten levels higher than the Obsidian Flame.
The balance has been restored.
*Ding*
Constitution Skill – Phoenix Feathers reaches Level 6
You have slain [Crystal Wolf – Level 14]
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature five levels above you.
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature infected by Minor Corruption.
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 7
+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes
*Ding*
Auto-loot is on.
You obtain:
Crystal Wolf’s Meat (Corrupted) x1
Crystal Wolf’s Shard (Corrupted) x3
Crystal Wolf’s Tendons (Corrupted) x2
Silver Coins x8
*Ding*
Special System Message.
Beware, materials obtained from corrupted creatures shouldn’t be used by mortals unless purified.
Your Golden Flame can purify corrupted materials.
Monica unceremoniously dumped her Free Attributes into Dexterity and Vitality, four into Vitality, and two into Dexterity. At level 6, Phoenix Feathers made her 160% stronger, faster, and more resilient, which meant that she didn’t have to worry too much about how she distributed her Attributes. That allowed her to fully focus on speed, which, because she would probably always fight monsters with higher levels than her own, would allow her to survive and thrive.
The main reason the battle against the Crystal Wolf had been so anticlimactic was that she outmatched the monster in terms of speed. And the monster couldn’t kill something that it couldn’t catch.
Monica quickly checked her Akashic Record.
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Name: Monica Monroe
Race: Earther
Title: Avatar of the Twin Phoenix (Unique)
1st Class: Phoenix Healer (Rare) - Lv. 7
2nd Class: None
Talent Class: None
Attributes:
Vitality - 46
Endurance - 35
Strength - 35
Dexterity - 67
Wisdom - 35
Spirit - 35
Intelligence - 35
Charisma - 35
Free Attributes: 0
Skills:
Golden Flame (Healing Skill) - Lv. 17
Obsidian Flame (Offensive Skill) - Lv. 11
Phoenix Feathers (Constitution Skill) - Lv. 6
Equipment:
Steel Talons (Uncommon)
Twin Phoenix Bracers (Divine) - Twin Phoenix Set (1/12)
Nightshade Battleware (Rare)
Racial Abilities (Earther):
Tutorial
Quest System
Inventory
Map
Myriad Tongues
Then Monica took out the materials she had gotten from the wolf, starting with the crystal shards. They were an opalescent white, and she immediately summoned a ball of golden flame over them, holding them in front of her. As the divine flame touched them, the shards transitioned from a murky white to pristine transparency. She repeated the process with the tendons and the meat, which both looked purple and sickly. But as the golden flame sizzled away the corruption, which evaporated into a thin black mist, both materials became a rich, healthy red, and the tendons regained flexibility.
"Those will fetch quite the price," Tertius said, "especially the shards. A skilled crafter could make them into shields or armor. You would have to bring dozens of them, though."
The shards were the size of Monica's palm, and she looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "Really? Aren't they too small?"
Tertius shook his head. "Crafters can meld even crystal together. It wouldn't be a problem. Trust me."
"True, true, dude," Ted said from the side. "They're probably worth something like two or three silver per shard," the young man said, scratching the stubble of a beard sprouting from his otherwise smooth skin. "If anything, they would sell at this price just for the novelty. No one has really seen corrupted monsters' materials. And given their resistance to blows, a crafter could probably strengthen them and make them even more resistant and flexible. Plus, scale armor made of crystals? That would be very cool."
Monica tucked the materials into her inventory. "Good to know."
Ivor had been unusually quiet since the fight. He cleared his throat. "How many more of those things are there? An entire dungeon?"
Monica raised an eyebrow. "If they're getting out—"
"There's probably a lot," Ted chimed in. "I mean, there's probably more roaming the forest around here, too. They're dangerously close to the village. If we didn't come now, I imagine they would have been on the villagers in less than a week."
"And given how resilient these creatures are," Monica said, "I would imagine no one in the village would have been able to hurt them. Not even you, Ivor." She added, "And by the way, I heard you whimper like a coward. Didn't you take pride in being a Fire Mage? Aren't you supposed to have incredible spells? Or are you a one-trick pony?"
Ivor was livid, but remembering how Monica had quite literally punched his teeth out the last time, he just stayed silent.
"What are the requirements for your Class?" Monica inquired.
"What?" Ivor stuttered.
"You heard me," Monica said. "Fire Mage. Is that Common or Uncommon?"
"Uncommon," Ted replied from the side.
"So," Monica pointed at Ivor, "I asked you a question."
"I can't just give you the requirements for my Class!" Ivor said. "What do you take me for?"
Monica smiled at Ivor and stepped forward. "I don't think you quite understand what's happening here, Ivor. I am giving you a chance to reform yourself, to see if you're anything less than a useless ball of shit. And so far, you're not proving me wrong. Do I have to remind you that you will not return to the village alive if you fail this assessment?"
But there was clearly enough anger in Ivor that the man couldn't take what Monica was saying from a rational standpoint. What idiot could have ignored this immortal Avatar just because of their anger?
"Well, I have, apparently. You can't just go around killing people like this. Who do you think you are? Do you think that Valoria will just let you do what you want? Do you think that the nobles will do nothing to you?"
Monica crossed her arms in front of her chest, with the Nightshade Battle Wear's shadows receding and exposing her skin where the armor didn't join together. She looked around and focused on Heidi. "You," she said to the blonde. "Care to explain what he's saying?"
Ivor was about to make another retort, but without even turning to him, Monica backhanded him so strongly that the man fell to the ground.
"Rock's Heel and this place are, in theory, under the jurisdiction of a duke," Heidi explained. "All the territory around Valoria is divided into feuds by the king, and those feuds are managed by nobles, with different ranks based on their obligations toward the king."
"And?" Monica asked, confused.
"By meting out justice, you're effectively infringing on the duke's law. He is the one who wields the king's power in this place. He would be the one responsible for giving this man here a trial for his poor deeds."
"Yes!" Ivor said, snickering. "You can't just take someone's life and expect to get away with it. That's the duke's job. And I'm being appointed by the duke's son."
Monica looked at Ivor and wondered how a man could be so clueless to think that the duke's powers could not only reach here but that they would care to antagonize her over this idiot. She crouched, took Ivor by his shirt, and said again very slowly, "I would like to know the requirements of your Class, Ivor." She then raised another hand and summoned the Obsidian Flame very close to his face. "But if you want to die right here, please feel free to pray for the Duke's justice to magically reach me and stop this flame from burning you alive."
Ivor couldn't believe Monica's disregard for the duke's law. This rash, mindless woman was clearly about to burn him alive. And so, cowed, he decided to comply.
"Let me go," he said, "then I'll tell you."
He tried getting free, but the only result was that his shirt was getting ripped, and a button popped. Monica let him go with a sigh.
"Okay. So?" she asked.
"To get the Fire Mage Class, like with most Mana Classes, you first must gain the Mana Sense Skill, and then you must study flames. You must be..." Ivor stipulated, trying to find the correct words and string them together. "You just have to stare at the fire and follow the Mana movements in it. You must then burn yourself in the fire with a Healer by your side to heal the damage until your Fire Resistance Skill reaches level 10. By then, if you have both Skills and studied the fire long enough to see how the Mana gathers in flames, you will have fulfilled the requirements of the Class."
Monica turned toward Ted and asked, "Is this plausible, or do you think he's lying?"
"I don't think he's lying," Ted said.
"Alright." Monica turned to Ivor. "At least you served your purpose."
"What?"
Without letting him realize what was happening, Monica summoned the Steel Talons and punctured Ivor's neck. The man bled out in a matter of seconds, his eyes wide as he stared at Monica, uncomprehending.
Monica stood up straight and turned toward the others, who looked at her wide-eyed. Ted looked a bit pale from the killing. And she simply stated, "You might have killed one of you during the next engagement. This is something I don't like to risk. Plus, it was pretty clear he was not gonna play ball. He feels entitled because he knows this duke's son, whoever he is. Even though we're going into a dungeon far from wherever these nobles are, he was clearly an idiot. But at least we got some knowledge from him before he finally left us in peace."
They looked at Ivor disappearing in a cloud of bluish smoke behind Monica and then again at the Phoenix Healer.
Lucca, the Level 7 Warrior, bowed his head and said, "Milady, I believe that to be the right call. I would like to beg your clemency, however, for me and Rochus."
Monica smiled. "I wasn't gonna kill you two just because you're associated with Ivor. But I hope you understand that idiocy is not something I reward. Not when I believe someone will need to look after the village once I'm gone together with Tertius and Dotty. The stronger the people in there, the better and safer it will be. Are you two interested in staying in the village?"
Lucca and Rochus looked at each other, uncertain.
"I'll cut you the same deal I gave Tertius: three years of service. You do that, take care of the village, make sure it thrives, and ensure that it's safe and maintained, which means you will not just act as guards. But in your free time, whenever the palisade needs repairs or there are any problems, you will be there to help. If you do this, your crimes - including your association with Ivor - will be forgiven, regardless of what you may have done, which I don't want to know about before I change my mind. Do you accept?"
Both men, the Level 7 Warrior and the Level 6 Thug, nodded rapidly.
"Great," she smiled. "Now, on to the next order of business."
But she heard the kill notifications ringing in her head, bringing a surprise.
*Ding*
You have slain [Fire Mage – Level 12]
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature five levels above you.
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature with higher sentience.
*Ding*
Auto-loot is on.
You obtain:
Book of Fireball x1
Book of Mana Sense x1
And it didn’t end there.
*Ding*
A Fortunate Encounter!
You receive three Loot Chests (Common)!