Augmented

Awakeners could be broadly classified into two types- Mage type awakeners and Physical type awakeners. Almost all awakeners in the world came under these two types. They either had high Mana and Magical Circuit as Mage type awakeners, or high Strength and Agility as Physical type awakeners. But there was a third type of awakener. One rarely seen. One who had the power to wield mana in two separate ways.

Whoosh! The fog seeped through the cracks between the emerald krait's scales, meeting the exposed flesh as it gathered around the monster's body. "HISSS!" It hissed loudly, recoiling from the pain inflicted on its body. Noah. He was the one controlling the magical fog. Whoosh! He swung his sword through the air as the fog coalesced around his sword, encasing it in a white sheath. Noah was an Augmented awakener.

Augmented awakeners. Named after the first awakener of this type, who had the ability to imbue her body with magical spells. They were awakeners with high Mana, Magical Circuit, Strength and Agility. Augmented awakeners had the perfect balance of every single stat. And they were stronger than every single awakener at the same rank as them.

"HISSS!" The snake raised its head in anger as it acknowledged the threat in front of it. Whirrr! Mana began coursing through its body as it started to strengthen itself. Clack! Clack! Clack! Its scales started shifting around, growing darker and more lustrous. Fwoosh! The white fog was ejected from its body as tiny currents of mana began flowing through its scales.

The monster had created a makeshift gas shield out of its scales. Their modified shape, coupled with the currents of mana running through them acted as perfect gas filters, throwing out any white fog that got in continuously. Fwoosh! The snake shook its body as its eyes glowed purple.

Suddenly, it raised its head high into the air. Crack...crack...crack. "SCREEEEEEEECH!" It screamed in anger, letting out a brutal roar as it prepared for battle. Shing! Noah's dark eyes glistened as he grabbed onto his sword with both of his arms, holding the now white blade horizontally in front of his face.

CRACK! Whoosh! Both monsters shot forwards heading straight towards each other. Clang! CRACK! The dry soil shattered underneath the emerald krait's body as Noah struck it's head with his sword. Clang! His weapon bounced off the emerald scales, barely making a scratch.

"HISSSSS!" The monster jerked its head around as it turned towards the airborne target in front of it. Snap! A gust of wind blew past Noah's face as the emerald krait snapped its mouth shut. He twisted his pale body around, barely avoiding its emerald green teeth. Thud! Crack! He landed on his feet, breaking the soil beneath under the force of his fall.

Bang! The monster shot forward, cutting through the white fog as it rushed forward. Crack! Whoosh! The soil shattered under its tremendous force as it speeded towards Noah. Whoosh! Noah tried to roll out of the way as as gust of wind blew past his face. Slam! The monster's tail shot out, crashing into his stomach as he was knocked away.

Whoosh! The wind whistled past Noah's face as he was thrown away instantly. The wall of the crater drew ever closer as he flew backwards. CRACK! Thud...thud...thud. He bent down, digging three of his limbs and his sword into the dried soil. Brrrrr! Noah slowed down, his hand formed into the shape of a claw digging through the soil. Crack! He came to a halt.

Noah slowly raised his body as he stood up. "That hurt." He wiggled his fingers slightly, trying to get back the feeling in them. "HISSSS!" The emerald krait's purple eyes glowed. Crack...crack...crack! It arched its body backwards, baring its fangs in anger as it prepared to strike.

THUD! THUD! Noah stamped both of his feet into the ground. He grabbed his sword with both of his hands, holding it in front of him. Glint! His dark eyes became even more empty as he stared right back into the emerald krait's purple eyes.

CRACK! The monster shot into the air, launching itself forward. Whoosh! A trail of white fog was blown away, perfectly illuminating the path the creature had just travelled. "HISSSSS!" A large figure appeared right in front of Noah. A large, red maw, with two sharp emerald fangs. And a pair of purple, glowing eyes that carried a primeval hunger inside them.

The world seemed to slow down as Noah stared at the figure of the monster attacking him with its mouth wide open. Shing! Noah swung his sword horizontally, aiming it perfectly at an emerald fang. Clang! A jolt passed through his entire body, numbing his arm completely as all the force he had applied was sent back at him. His eyes widened.

Beep!

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[Ethereal Body activated]

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Whoosh! Noah's entire body turned cold as the emerald krait shot past, completely passing through his body. WHOOSH! His ears vibrated from the loud noise created by the monster whistling past him as he stood absolutely still. 1 second...2 seconds...Bam! Suddenly, the noise died down.

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[Ethereal Body deactivated]

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Noah turned around as he gripped his sword tightly. Skiiiid! Crash! The emerald slowed down, using the ground to turn its body around as it threw dirt into the air. He could feel his entire body groaning slightly, as if it were a damaged machine.

Beep!

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[User: Noah Evans]

[Health: 23/30]

[Mana: 14/27]

[Skills active: Partial Ghostification (Graveyard Fog)]

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Noah's mana was slightly above 50% of its capacity. That wasn't good. Especially considering that Ethereal Body ate up 1 percent of his mana every second it was active. And Graveyard Fog needed 1 point of mana every minute to sustain it.

Crack....crack...crack. The emerald krait bent down, slithering across the floor as it headed towards its prey. Whoosh! It sped up, moving faster and faster as it neared him. Noah increased the concentration of the fog around his sword, making it thicker and sharper. Clang! Shudder! He bent slightly as he was pushed back by the tremendous force.

"HISSS!" The emerald krait opened its mouth wide, biting down at him. Clang! Noah spun around, trying to knock away the monster with his brute force. His sword met its tough scales, sending another shockwave through his arm. Smash! It moved its large head away as its tail shot forward, heading towards Noah.

Whoosh! He jumped backwards, embracing the white fog like a cloak as he avoided the tail. Slither! Crack! Crack! The monster locked on to his location, emerging through the fog as it sped towards him. The fog wasn't thick enough to block its perception. Well, it wasn't like Noah was planning on hiding in the fog anyway.

Whoosh! He shit towards the Clang! Clang! Clang! Sword met scales as Noah threw himself against the body of the monster. Clang! He thrust his sword down, whittling it towards the black scales underneath him. Clang! His sword wasn't getting through. But that wasn't a problem. He simply wasn't hitting hard enough. And that was a simple problem to over come.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Faster! Harder! Noah's movements became a blur as he clashed with the snake, overtaking it in terms of speed. Swoosh! The white fog followed Noah, condensing and sticking on to his sword as he attacked incessantly. Clang! "HISSSS!" The monster shot forward, trying to catch up to him. Whoosh! Noah easily dodged the blow as he stepped to the side. CLANG!

Crack! Suddenly, it was extremely quiet. The very forest seemed to hold its breath as it stared at the scene in front of it in horror. Drip...drip...drip. Blue drops of blood fell from the monster's side as they splashed onto the ground, completely rejected by the soil.

Noah looked up, staring directly at the monster. He smiled. Drip...drip...drip. Its eyes widened. What had just happened? How could this "SCREEEEECH!" The emerald krait threw its head back into the air, screaming in anger as its blood touched the ground for the first time in its life.

Drip...drip...drip. The wound it had received from Ethan earlier was a small one. It was small. Easy to miss. Irrelevant. Ethan's kusarigama was like a tiny thorn embedded in its body. It could hardly be called a wound. But this! This was unacceptable!

A large gash ran across its cheek, completely surrounded by shattered scales on both sides. The emerald krait was the king of this forest. No monster had ever made it spill a drop of blood. And yet, today, two weaklings had encroached upon its forest and disgraced it!

"SCREEECH!" It lowered its head, glaring at Noah with venom in its eyes. "Good!" Noah's eyes glinted. The angrier it was, the easier it would be for him to kill it. "Besides..." Swoosh! The fog gathered around his sword once again. "...I'm annoyed as well."