- Mountain Mamba!
Now that my heart has an Earth ring around it, I decide to at least find out the next ring. I'm not gonna work on it right now, unless it's a powerful one that could help in the mountains. I take a while to bring in mana to shape the ring.
"Hey, Ellie. Why am I able to bring in mana to create the ring but not to strengthen it?"
[The mana used in creating the ring needs to be undiluted so that it can become crystallized. Most of the time you want undiluted mana to come into your body, it's just when strengthening your rings that you shouldn't do that. Rings are rather fragile things and become overloaded very easily.]
"So I only need to use diluted mana to strengthen them?"
[Yes.]
"That's good to know."
[With your current brain power you will only be able to get two more rings. You will need more modification points put into your augmentations to get more.]
"Alright, I'll be heading to the mountains soon."
I continue bringing in the mana from around me. This one takes quite a bit longer to create than the Earth ring. By the time I feel that cool rush through my body, it's already night.
[Wind ring (dim) created.]
"Wait, wind magic? Would that make me able to fly?"
[No. not until you have multiple mana hearts with the wind ring. Evolution would be the fastest way to fly.]
"Ah damn, if it was able to make me fly I would've got it to glowing before leaving for the mountains."
I spend another day just relaxing. Then, I start on my way to the mountains.
"Wait, your majesty! Before you go,"
[Quest Complete! Your journey to the city shed some light on why the dryad smelled smoke coming from it.]
[10 Modification points awarded.]
"Thank you! Ellie, before we go put those into body augments!"
[Body Augmentation +6 obtained!]
The way to the mountains was fairly uneventful. I did run into some of the local wildlife, though.
[Earth Ram x3 killed]
[Level up]
"Damn, I see what you meant. The mana around here is more dense than even right under the world tree!"
[The Earth Ram is a low D-rank monster. Slightly weaker than the Fire Bear.]
"I can tell, it's pretty weak compared to me right now though."
It seems like the deeper I get into the mountains, the stronger they start getting. When I first reached the edges of the mountain, there were a lot of F and E-rank monsters. There seems to be a pretty big jump between D and E-rank though. D-rank is probably around three times more powerful than E-rank. My assumption is that the difference between ranks grows as you get higher in them. Based on my strength right now, I could probably destroy a block of a city with one attack. So I'm pretty powerful. Nothing absolutely insane yet though. Well… It depends on what your reading preference is.
I eventually reach the base of the mountains. They're quite intimidating to be honest, especially so when you know that something nearly as strong as you is currently in there. Hell, by now that thing may be stronger than me. It's pretty difficult to climb up a mountain when you're as big as I am. I'm so glad I upgraded my Earth ring before coming up here. Any time I feel that my foot is unstable it immediately turns more stable than reinforced concrete!
*HISSSSSSS*
"OH HELL NO!"
I instinctively jump when I hear that hissing noise. I weaken the ground all around me and cause all the trees around me to fall over. This is something my 6th sense mod didn't pick up on! I look all around me and I still can't see anything! Then, I finally realize something. I use my Earth magic to sense anything in the ground underneath me.
*rumble rumble ruMBLE RUMBLE*
"SH-SHIT!"
*BOOM*
I jump backwards just in time as a gigantic snake crashes through the ground!
"THE FUCK IS THAT THING?"
[Titanoboa Magica. A high C-rank monster.]
[Quest!]
[Make the Titanoboa extinct yet again!]
[Modification points: 10]
As the creature punches through the ground, I cast an ice spear and send it hurtling towards it. It clashes with the creature's scales and barely scratches them! This motherfucker is tough! It charges towards me and bares its fangs as I see it begin to cover its fangs with fire.
"Fuck, this one knows how to use magic!"
I quickly cast a wall of Earth to block it, and then harden it and make spikes come out of it.
*BOOM!*
*SCREEEEEE!*
The boa crashes against the wall and is stabbed through the mouth by one of the hardened spikes of the wall.
I bring the wall down again and charge through it, biting the snake in the… neck? Whatever the area under its head is. Then I realized something, the snake has gills! I put my legs on its head and pin the creature on the ground. I bite into its gills to which it releases an ear piercing screech.
*SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!*
It starts squirming so hard that the ground underneath it starts to give way. My guess is that it has an Earth ring. Mine however seems to be more developed as I easily counter this and strengthen the ground again. I bring my face back up to the gills and breathe fire into its gills.
*KAEEEEEE!*
It's previously ear piercing screech seems to have been warped. I guess I burned its vocal cords. I step back off the creature and watch it writhe on the ground. I honestly don't like seeing anything suffer, so I go back up to it and bite the sides of its head.
*CRUNCH!*
[Titanoboa Magica killed.]
[Level up x6!]
[Level 21 / 50]
[Quest Complete!]
[10 Modification points awarded.]
Holy fucking shit, I'm so lucky I upgraded my augments! I wouldn't have been able to react as fast if I hadn't! This mountain looks like it's gonna be tough. Especially so since I just got here and I'm already fighting C-ranks!
[It seems the creatures of this mountain have been getting used to mana far quicker than I thought.]
"You can say that again."
I keep walking for another hour or two before digging a cave out of the side of a mountain.
"Tomorrow feels like it's gonna be chaotic. Let's hope I'm up for it."
-------------------------
I wake up and decide to actually try going around in my human form for once. It doesn't have many downsides other than making me uncomfortable. And hell, it might be better to go around in that small body than being a walking three story building… Actually, before I go,
"Ellie, what mods can I get?"
----------------------
[Upgrade Existing]
[Third Mana Heart - 200 Mod points]
[Flame gland - 10 Mod points]
[Venom gland - 10 Mod points]
[Acid gland - 10 Mod points]
[Toxic claws - 10 mod points]
-----------------------
Hmm. I'm debating on whether or not I get the toxic claws or not. I'm not too big into using my claws anymore, especially since I'm back to being a quadruped. However, it might be helpful in my human form. I've noticed that my human form has changed quite a bit. When I say "human form" what I mean is a "humanoid" form. I have scales pretty much everywhere except my face, palms, and the top of my feet. My hands have scales going across the top of them and claws about twice as long as my fingers. The claws are retractable as well, so that makes me feel like a superhero. I'm also tall as hell. I'm probably around 7 and a half feet tall! Or around 228 centimeters for all my non-imperial friends out there! So, I'm pretty gigantic!
After a few minutes of deliberation, I decide to get the toxic claws.
[Toxic claws obtained!]
After I get the mod, I feel a thin film start to cover my claws. I see the film start from my cuticles and work its way towards the point of my claws. It gives the claws a purplish hue. I decide to try and test it out on a tree nearby. I push my claw into the wood and watch as the tree seemingly starts to decay at a fast pace! Within a minute, the tree is fully dead!
After some practicing to get used to my human body, I start making my way around and up the mountain. It seems like there's a lot of these boas around here. I'm probably just noticing it because of how gigantic they are. I guess they don't have any resistance to toxins, because most of the fights end mere minutes after I manage to pierce their scales. My human form seems to be much faster and more maneuverable than my drake form. I easily dodge the attacks of the boas that previously I'd have to defend myself from. I am weaker overall though, as I can't pin the creatures down any more. Though, that has more to do with my size and not my strength. Most of my punches seem to pierce their scales as well, since a lot of strength is coming from a small point. It's basically like my arm has turned into a spear.
[Titanoboa Magica x2 killed]
[Earth ram x5 killed]
[Dark squirrel x21 killed]
[Level up x 13!]
[Level 34 / 50]
I'm about halfway up the mountain now. Being in my humanoid form is definitely better here. I seem to be at a point where even the trees around me have been absorbing mana apparently, as they all seem to be bigger than redwoods! I can see several different creatures jumping around in the canopy of this forest. Then I feel something moving around behind me. I hear sticks cracking, and branches falling down. Every time I turn around to look at it, I just see the things on the ground.
"Something is definitely following me."
I hear another branch break behind me and quickly turn around.
"... Holy… Fuck…"
[Mountain Mamba, low B-class monster.]