20: Unforeseen event
NT: I will change some things about the abilities and their scaling or range indicator in the MC's runes.
1: Their soul sense and sight will gain a meter of range with each essence fragment obtained.
2: The range of the MC's soul control ability will increase by 1 meter for every 10 souls, but this change will occur after reaching 100 fragments. This is so that upon completing a core, the MC will have a control range of 100 meters.
3: The skill increases for some characters whose runes have been or will be shown will not have a specific increase but an approximate amount of the increase will be mentioned.
4. The most significant change will be the amount of fragments absorbed when killing monsters. While rereading the Forgotten Coast arc, I realized that Nephis managed to obtain a second core after leaving Ashen Barrow, meaning the number of fragments she absorbed just with awakened cores was more than the amount my MC consumes upon killing. So, I will change the absorption amount to be larger per rank, not class. This means that if I kill an awakened beast and it gives X amount, and I kill an awakened demon, the demon will give much more despite being the same rank, as they have more cores.
This will also be implemented after reaching 100 fragments.
For now, that will be all. I apologize for the sudden changes, but I am trying to improve the system I have used until now, and these changes will be for the better.
***
[Welcome to the realm of dreams, Jonathan]
Alright, I'm not drowning, but why do I feel a wind on my back, and why is everything so dark?
!!...!!!
'Shit, I'm falling!' I quickly summoned my armor and just as it completed, I fell into the water. I was sinking deeply due to the force with which I hit the water. I struggled to stop sinking and finally rose to the surface, and it was really dark. My soul sense can alert me if a creature approaches, so for now, I should be okay.
I began swimming in some direction, not knowing where I was going, but if I stayed in place, the only thing that awaited me was death.
After hours of summoning Vorlath and using him as a boat while he swam, I finally found a tall coral sticking about two meters out of the water. I climbed it without much trouble. The top was somewhat irregular but spacious enough, at least 15 meters from the center to each side.
I lay down in the center and had Vorlath keep watch.
The next morning, I woke up as the waves were receding. It was a new day in this godforsaken view; now, it was just fighting, advancing west, and more fighting. I'll think about it later. For now, I need to find a source of water and something to eat.
First, I'll go hunt a scavenger. It should be more than enough with Vorlath.
Determined to kill my first scavenger, I climbed down the coral and ventured into the labyrinth. With my 100-meter range, I can sense the scavengers, and lo and behold, from here, about 20 meters away, I see a curious core under the mud.
Obviously, it's an ambush set by a scavenger. So, I innocently head there, turning my forearms into a shield that can cover my entire torso as I approach the ambush.
As soon as I entered the scavenger's attack range, a pincer shot upward, which I blocked with my shield, and I was sent flying upward. Meanwhile, the awakened beast didn't realize that a tall, powerful-clawed being appeared behind it.
Vorlath emerged from his hiding spot and charged at the crab, which reacted quickly and defended itself with its pincers. But by then, I was already a meter from its head. Turning my shield into a long dagger, I stabbed the back of its head, where there was a strange hollow spot mentioned in the novel as a weakness.
Falling heavily onto its head, I drove the dagger into the hollow, pierced its head, and the beast fell with little resistance.
[You have killed an awakened beast, Shell Scavenger]
[Your soul grows stronger]
Well, it wasn't that hard, but I did feel that hit. Even though my armor is ascended, it still doesn't fully repel the impact of the blow, so I felt my arms tremble under the scavenger's strength.
I cut open the scavenger's chest and took out an orb, its soul core. Since I couldn't absorb cores, I would keep them in case I encountered a sleeper; if I find someone, it would be best to improve it to be useful to me.
With a good hunt and a lot of meat carried by Vorlath, I returned to the coral and climbed to the top.
After making some fire with things I found along the way, I used my armor glove to make a kind of small skewer and stabbed the scavenger meat to roast it.
I had no expectations for this meat, even though the novel described it as having a decent taste that didn't require any other ingredients. But I didn't believe that, as the meat didn't look very appetizing. Still, I would give it a chance. Besides, I had nothing else to eat, so I had to consume it whether I wanted to or not.
After half an hour of turning the meat and being undecided about whether it was done or not, I took it out and bit into it.
It wasn't bad, not at all, but it wasn't something I'd say, 'I want to eat this very often.' It was crunchy, and the sensation in the mouth was somewhat good but nothing extraordinary, or maybe it was something out of this world? Technically, yes, but you know what I mean.
With a smile on my face, I devoured the remaining meat and carefully observed the tall rock I noticed a few kilometers away. It looked high enough to stay above the water and was to the west, so that was my next goal.
I should go tomorrow, but tonight, if I'm not mistaken and my memory doesn't fail me, there should be a storm. I'll use my helmet to make a bowl and gather some water to drink.
'Ha, I should have a peaceful night. I hope the big horror from the dark sea depths doesn't appear.'
'No, wait!' That wasn't a death flag, right?
***
Clouds began to appear, covering the sunlight, and I felt tense about what might happen. This coral wasn't very steep, so it wasn't hard to climb, and probably one or two scavengers would want to climb up. I had to prepare to kill them.
Just as I thought, two scavengers appeared, climbing the coral to take refuge at the top.
I waited for them with two daggers and Vorlath by my side. Each of us would take on one. It might be difficult since I wouldn't be the bait but the attacker in a one-on-one; I might suffer some injury.
When the two scavengers poked their heads out, a sharp black dagger with a golden stripe on its handle almost sliced off their heads. They reacted quickly enough to dodge it and pounce on the boy in black and gold armor who had attacked them.
The second scavenger, however, was interrupted by a tall, grayish beast that drove its claws into its chest. It was a significant wound but not fatal. The scavenger quickly swung its pincer at the arm that had pierced its chest, but that arm swiftly moved away, dodging the attack.
Meanwhile, my real body was blocking a pincer with a shield made from the armor of my forearms. I held it with my left arm and used a dagger with my right arm. I no longer had armor on my forearms or right hand, but I could still fight well.
I dodged two pincers and blocked a third attack before jumping with force and cutting off the arm from the cartilage that connected its joints. That was a weak point mentioned in the novel, the last I remembered being its pectoral, where all its chitin connected.
After cutting off the arm, I quickly jumped, using my feet to push off its body to dodge its other pincer. I managed to cover myself with the shield in the air to avoid a tear, but after a few more dodges and attacks, I reached its head.
With a swift move of my dagger, I cleanly cut off the scavenger's head. Even though my dagger wasn't enchanted, it was still of ascended rank since it was made from the same armor.
Vorlath managed to kill the other scavenger with some cuts on his body, but now the scavenger lay on the ground, covered in wounds and about to die, missing two of its six legs and a pincer.
Then the spell spoke.
[You have killed an awakened beast, Shell Scavenger]
[Your soul grows stronger]
[You have killed an awakened beast, Shell Scavenger]
[Your soul grows stronger]
Sure, here is the translation:
---
"Well done me, we've won, and now this coral belongs to us."
"Uh, is this considered madness? I'm talking to myself, but it's another body, what do you think about that?"
Vorlath tilted his head, or rather I tilted my head and lowered my shoulders in response.
Better not talk to him, or to myself? It's the same, I won my first team battle!!
The downside is that I'm not so lucky, and I didn't receive a memento, tsk.
Suddenly, I tensed up and got on guard. It seems that because of the fight and the concentration I put into it, I didn't notice that two other scavengers were approaching the top. The water had already started falling, and the sea was now a meter above the ground.
When I noticed the scavengers, it was already too late; they were just seconds away from reaching the top.
When they arrived barely seven seconds later, I joined myself, and we began to fight again.
...
I injured my arm due to a mistake I made while trying to jump again from the scavenger's body. The rain made its chitin more slippery, and my jump didn't have enough power. The scavenger managed to wound my arm while I was in the air, but after that, I was able to take advantage of a mistake the scavenger made to drive my dagger into its chest where its chitin plates connected, thus killing one.
Vorlath was still fighting, so I went to help, and we managed to kill the beast. Vorlath had suffered another wound to his torso and was weaker than before.
But to my misfortune, the fights weren't over yet. I felt something else approaching the top, about a minute away, but from the feel of its soul, I knew it was an awakened monster because I felt two cores, not one like all the other beasts.
I knew this because the classes of nightmare creatures increase based on their core, but that doesn't matter now.
The monster was climbing, and I was injured, Vorlath was also injured, so we were at a great disadvantage to fight against an awakened monster.
After a tense minute, I took advantage of the fact that its head climbed first above the coral, and together with Vorlath, we tried to cut off its head, but the monster was faster and hit my arm with its scythe. Vorlath was blocked just before his claws could strike its head with its other scythe. We both flew toward the center of the coral, and when I realized it, the monster was approaching to cut us both in half.
We managed to dodge its attack by just a few centimeters. I felt like death was watching me given the tremendous power this monster had.
The next second, I saw a scythe falling from above, aiming at me.
I immediately created a full-body, thick shield with all my pectoral armor to protect myself from that attack.
I felt all the bones in my body protest against the incredible impact they suffered.
Then, before the attack could kill me with its crushing power, I diverted the shield to the side, making the scythe crash against the coral.
Taking advantage of the scythe being stuck in the coral for a second, I jumped up, and with all my power, I created one last dagger with my gloves and drove it into the monster's head.
But before the dagger could pierce the centurion's head, it moved enough to dodge the dagger.
Failing my attempt, I knew I would soon die, so I made one last effort and used my feet to stop the Centurion's scythe and propel myself towards its head.
I felt my leg and foot bones break, but that didn't matter, I was now just a few centimeters from the damn centurion's head.
When I headed with Vorlath towards the centurion to support myself, I saw something that chilled my blood.
How could I be so stupid to let this happen twice in a row?
A scavenger was heading towards my real body, which was now about to drive the dagger into the centurion's head.
But if that wasn't enough, I saw the other scythe, the one that was previously stuck in the coral, heading towards my stomach.
Its scythe managed to pierce my exposed stomach and exit through the other side of my body.
But it doesn't matter, if I'm going to die, I'll take this wretch with me. Not even a second after the scythe pierced me, I drove my dagger into the centurion's head.
And from Vorlath's eyes, I could see in third person how the scavenger drove its pincer into my chest.
I ran, drove my claws into its head, and then a part of me in Vorlath fell to the ground.
Apparently, I hadn't managed to dodge the centurion's cut.
Thus, with my eyes wide open in horror at the thought of dying, my life was coming to an end.