As the tremors became akin to a localized earthquake and the foundations gave way, Niven dived to the side. His burst of explosive strength was far greater than what he could have managed before, but it didn’t exceed his expectations. His practice with getting used to his newfound power on the way here had not been for nothing, after all.

The dodge was perfectly timed, closely evading an eruption of sand and stone. He stabilized himself and took a few more steps to disperse the momentum, before running forward a little more to gain some distance. As he settled at a comfortable length away, he raised his spear and trained his eyes on the surfaced enemy.

The ground where he was standing caved in, and over the short period he spent getting out of the way, the dust already had settled. The newly dug burrow revealed a large winding monstrosity only slightly reminiscent of a worm.

The loose sands of the Divide made it the ideal home for many tunneling beasts, but Niven hadn’t encountered any over the course of his service. This was because there were mechanisms within the outpost that warded them off. Otherwise, it would have been nigh impossible for the place to stand for long if its foundations were worn out so frequently. As such, their job was mostly to keep local surface-dwelling creatures from becoming too populous and provide logistics for those closer to the front line.

But those deterrences obviously no longer mattered at this point, and the wild was starting to reclaim its lost territory.

However, it wasn’t like Niven hadn’t been briefed on how to deal with similar creatures should the need arise, just that he wasn’t experienced in doing so.

The full extent of the worm was not yet revealed, with only its head and a part of its lengthy torso exposed. Niven wasn’t able to make out much from its posture, as he was not familiar with this monster’s behaviors. It was unreasonable to expect him to put himself into the mind of a being he had just met. To him, its stance gave no indication of its next move; it seemed just as likely for it to burrow back into the ground as it was for it to lunge forward.

As he got a better look at the monster before him, Niven took note of its features. It was sleek and streamlined, with segmented brown-black scales like sandstone and a gaping mouth fitted with rows upon rows of rocky, blunt teeth. He was also able to somewhat make out that underneath its carapace glowed a deep red hide, almost like churning magma. As far as Niven could tell, it had no eyes, but he could feel its hungry gaze fall upon him.

Unlike the monsters he was used to dealing with, it was utterly silent, with no low growls or bestial roars. Perhaps it had no need to make its presence known. Nor was it necessary to make itself seem more threatening. Its existence alone was enough. As the environment settled, the scene fell still. An unnerving limbo pervaded the confrontation.

Unsure of what to do, Niven threw an [Identify] its way.

Name: ???

Title: ???

Total Level: 26

Mana: 20 / 20

Age: 49

Race: Drake-Blood Sandworm

Racial Skill(s): ???

General Skills: ???

General Attributes:

Strength: ~25

Constitution: ~150

Dexterity: ~5

Intelligence: ???

Wisdom: ???

Expecting a simple failure, Niven was happily surprised by information he had received. However, he only diverted a portion of his attention to it - his guarded stance was not lowered. To let such a minor thing ruin his flow would be spitting in the face of the hardship he went through during his training. Though startled at the fact that he will be facing an enemy in the second Tier - albeit likely newly inaugurated, his posture did not shift. The time he spent with Apollyon had also made him quite accustomed to quick bursts of information.

It had a major advantage in physical stats; he had no way of winning a head on confrontation. If he was fighting it with his standard issue armor and weapons, he would have stood no chance.

Yet, that was not the case right now. This spear in his hands was not the weapon he used to use, even if they looked exactly the same. Apollyon’s tip was sharp enough to cut through the outpost's mortar without any feeling of resistance. That feature was figured out by accident as he scraped it against a wall - although scrape might not have been the most fitting word, as that would imply friction.

Niven guessed that it might have been because of this that Apollyon did not feel particularly worried about this confrontation. This was not a situation where he was unable to properly damage the beast and had to merely survive. By going off his spear’s past performance, it could likely cut through that sandworm’s hide just as easily as his outpost’s reinforced walls.

After all, the materials that went into a military stronghold’s fortifications were not cheap.

Furthermore, there was no reason for Niven to assume otherwise.

At its core, Apollyon was a being that had been able to utterly decimate a Supplicant. It would be strange if it failed to break the defense of a mere worm. The contempt Apollyon showed for the beast when it approached was enough of an indication of what his partner felt towards it.

Yet it was unwise to simply charge in. Even if his weapon was severely over-specced for this encounter, his body wasn’t. According to the identification, the only physical stat of his that trumped the worm’s was Dexterity. As such, given his familiarity with using the spear as a defensive weapon as well as his greater reaction speed, he judged that it would be better for him to counterattack rather than take the initiative.

Though… his opponent seemed to be making a similar decision?

After failing the initial ambush, it was just sitting there, menacingly.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

As Niven waited, the sandworm also seemed to be deliberating whether he was worth it. Now that it had failed its ambush, it must have known that its chances of bagging this prey had fallen dramatically. But, after what felt like minutes of this back and forth standoff, it seemed to have made its mind. Likely due to the sheer difference in their respective surface level strengths, it tried to go for the kill once more and reentered its tunnel, charging at him once again.

But Niven wasn’t one to take the same attack twice without response. His first exaggerated dodge was only so unwieldy because he was unsure about what he was facing. It was better to give it a wider berth before he had at least a general understanding of the other party.

Now that the information gap had been narrowed a little, there was no need to be overly cautious.

"If I feint left, I can probably catch its flank with the spear…” Niven murmured, as though reminding himself out loud would make things easier.

Again, just like last time, he dodged out of the way - only this time, instead of leaping aside, he took a brisk step to the left and dragged the tip of the spear below him, catching the worm’s side and leaving a deep gash.

As he had expected, it was like cutting butter, as if he was tearing through air rather than rough hide and dense flesh.

So clean was the cut that the worm didn’t even seem to notice until it ran across a better half of its body. The cut was simply so seamless that to the worm, it was virtually painless, warranting no response until it was too late.

Niven marveled at the damage he had caused.

So that’s why it wasn’t worried. As long as I don’t make any stupid mistakes, this isn’t much of a challenge at all.

No. I can’t be overconfident. The battle’s not over until it's over. Believing I’ve won is the height of foolishness.

As Niven chided himself, he looked at the worm that was now writhing on the ground. It was only after it had finished its charge that the wound registered. Yet, despite having sustained such a heavy injury, it seemed reluctant to return back into the sands. It stayed on the surface, though not before creating some distance between them.

Perhaps it knew it couldn’t tunnel without exacerbating its deep wounds. With such a large gash, burrowing was tantamount to inviting sand to fill its insides completely.

So if it wants to escape, it’ll need to remove its immediate threats and then focus on healing… That means this has become a fight to the death. I’m no longer prey. I’m an existential threat.

Realizing this, Niven gripped his spear tighter. That large hit had been made because the sandworm had not expected its hide to be utterly useless. It was unlikely for him to land such a blow again. Just like how he knew how to respond to the sandworm’s charge, it now knew the need to avoid Niven’s weapon.

But, he did have something to look forward to.

Time was on his side.

Even now, it was already bleeding out. A burning, scalding blood that Niven felt raised the ambient temperature of even the scorching desert that was the Divide. The path it took during that burrow charge had become a trail of blood, seeping into the sands, nearly glassing it a white hot red.

And, now that it knew the damage Niven could inflict, it wouldn’t make any rash or desperate moves until it was truly on its last ropes.

The longer Niven stalled, the easier it would be for him.

But as he was thinking this, a stream of fire came his way.

It can do that?!

Caught off guard, Niven rolled out of the way just as it was about to hit, but a strand of it caught his shoulder. He continued rolling on the ground to snuff it out, but the fire seemed sticky and would not go away. Realizing that it didn’t work, he cut the burn with his spear and flicked it away. Though the new wound stung, it was already partially cauterized, making it easy to ignore. And, if such little pain was enough to distract him, would his past six years not have been spent in vain?

Now much more wary, Niven focused his attention on the worm’s maw, ready for it if it breathed fire again.

He saw its originally earth toned scales grow red, as though it had turned on a furnace from within, and that the heat was only now beginning to show on the surface.

But as he was considering his next move, a voice that he believed would stay silent gave a timely reminder,『It’s trying to use its fire to cauterize its wounds. Which means its searing flesh to stem the bleeding. You can’t sit around anymore.』

Annoyed, Niven spat, “Why did you decide to show up now?”

It didn’t even deliver any good news, either. Although, Niven would rather not be blind to the fact that the grievous wound he thought he had caused was not in fact fatal and he needed to take initiative once again.

『I’m giving you information I believe you would not have. My knowledge is open to you, as it always has been. You can lose due to a lack of ability, but you cannot lose because you lack the foundation to comprehend the threat before you.』

Another stream of fire came, but this time Niven was ready and lunged to the side before it was too late, making it out unscathed. He’d be damned if he let Apollyon’s words get him killed.

Niven turned his attention back to the conversation he had with Apollyon. Even if it was taboo to be distracted in battle, it was just as taboo to ignore useful information. Trying to get another hint, he complained, “You’re just telling me to charge at it.”

『'I’m not saying that. A spear does not have to be used to defend against a charge.』

Niven considered what it meant by that for a bit before coming to an understanding.

Indeed, though his training had always instilled within him the need to coordinate with his company and form a wall of thorns, a spear was as much a projectile that could be thrown just like anything else. He was alone now. Alone with Apollyon. He needed to consider what portions of his old fighting technique was necessary for his new path. [F][Phalanx] would not help here. He needed to stop fighting like it still would.

Internalizing this, Niven took a large step forward and hurled the spear straight ahead. His aim wasn’t the best, as he hardly trained his accuracy, but he was close enough and the target was both large and stationary, allowing it to breeze right into the sandworm. The monster was not flexible enough to dodge like he could. A beast of that size couldn't simply duck or roll away at a moment’s notice.

His original spear was not made for throwing, but Apollyon could not be considered with the same mindset as his old spear. Where he would usually use it with his peers in a tight formation and generally only guarded against oncoming assaults. It was a group fighting tactic that provided cover for others to deal more substantial damage, but wielding Apollyon afforded him a much more aggressive attack pattern.

Perhaps that was the lesson it wanted to instill into him.

That shot seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, finally killing it.

LVL 26 Drake-Blooded Sandworm Slain.

Base EXP: 260

Achievement Multipliers:

Over Level Kill: 26/9

Special Bloodline (Minor Drake bloodline contamination): 11/10

Class Multipliers

Solo Penalty: 2/3

Captain’s Cut: 99/100

Tithe: 9/10

Total experience: 260 * 26/9 * 11/10 * 2/3 * 99/100 * 9/10 = 490.78 EXP

Achievement:

Slay an enemy 2 Tiers above you

Reward:

Title - Giant Slayer

Giant Slayer: The weak point their weapons at the weaker while the strong point their weapons at the stronger

By conquering a foe beyond your ken, you earned a Title!

Passive: + 1 Strength, + 1 Constitution

Equip effect: Up to 10% extra damage against higher level enemies, capping at 50 levels.

Level Up! You are now Level 10

+1 Dex rewarded due to Class: Soldier

Warning! Threshold for Rank Up reached.

Excess experience will be saved at 10% efficiency and reintegrated into Semi-data shell after advancement.