PenguinKills
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Chapter 124 - Zwahelios
🕑 Added 2024-09-01 20:00:06 +0000 UTC~~AN~~
Extra weekend Chapter for you guys! This puts us 16 ahead of RR and I've been trying to increase that lately. We're almost at a full month ahead as of today.
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It was always fun smashing around the beasts of the wave but this one was going to be different.
The difficulty level was in for a sharp incline but I didn't think it would be out of my reach. All the different Paths of Power that I had stepped down added up to a great power differential between the beasts and me. At least that was what I thought before the wave started.
What ended up spawning in created an oppressiveness that closed in from all sides surrounding the camp. A weight that started to close in on me. Even from as far away as I was, the feeling was clear. I was in for a fight, a bloody one.
The sun was high in the sky casting light down without a cloud in the sky, yet it somehow managed to get brighter than before. The light got so bright I had to squint to make anything out. The monsters were somehow producing it and it was focused on the walls lining the camp creating a nasty glare that I had to shield my eyes from.
With a bit of maneuvering, I managed to get an [Identify] on one of the leading monsters and I was finally able to see what I was up against.
[Zwahelios β Level 50]
They looked like avian velociraptors. Well, more avian than normal velociraptors. The birds reached my chest in height but they were longer than they were tall. Bird-like beaks protruded out of their head with sharp spikes of teeth jutting out of their mouth.
Feathers led down their short arms and ended at their pointy elbows, accentuating the corner. Taloned feet thundered on the ground as the hundreds of Zwahelios closed in. Their tails counter-balanced them letting them run upright and were thick in both muscles and feathers.
Now that I was in E-Rank myself, the level and name of the monsters were no longer blurred or filled with question marks. The rank difference not being there let me see what was approaching clearly with the skill.
That was something I had meant to change but never had the time to get around to it. Upgrading the rarity of my [Identify] skill would let me see more information than what I was being given and wouldn't fail when there was a high-level difference.
Some upgrades even gave insight into the stats of the thing being identified. Some went broader and gave more detail about what the thing was while others gave deeper insight into the skills a beast had. There were a bunch of different variations that [Identify] could upgrade into but I hadn't gotten around to doing it yet.
The same was true for picking up an [Identify Block] skill. While we were still in the tutorial I hadn't thought it was necessary. I knew, roughly, the people that were in here with me and what strength they held and they knew mine.
It wasn't worth it to buy the [Blocker] when Tracy had already seen what I was capable of. Plus, not being the highest level inside the tutorial worked to my advantage. I didn't know if it worked or not but seeing my level being stuck at 50 might have made people underestimate me.
They would have had to be ignorant of who I was but it was still a possibility.
With us returning to Earth soon, getting a [Blocker] was something I needed to do. Giving information to people for free wasn't something I wanted to do. Best case scenario, I got one so strong no one would be able to see anything.
I didn't hold my breath for that though. For every strong [Identify Block] skill, there was an equally strong [Identify] to pierce it. It was the nature of skills. If one got stronger, the other would have to get stronger to keep up.
The monsters didn't care about my [Identify] predicament and closed in regardless. Javelins of ice met them when they got in range and kicked things into motion.
The [Avalanche] was building.
The oppressive weight that the monsters carried with them followed them as they neared. It tickled the back of my neck making my hair stand up. It was a different feeling than what being outmatched felt like but it was close to it.
Usually, when this feeling came about, it was because of a boss or a monster significantly higher level than me. The level difference had a weight to it. The difference in the essence between us.
That wasn't true this time. These were level 50 beasts the same as I was.
The reason they had such a weight to them was because the tutorial wasn't done trying to kill us yet. It threw one last thing at us as a final send-off. I picked up on it as the rolling wave of might tried to force me down.
Every one of the monsters running my way carried a Law with them. All of them had Least Laws of Light.
The Laws they had added together, rising on top of each other creating a wall of force that built on my shoulders. Pressing me into the ground from their collective might.
The tutorial could have been nice and had them capped at level 50 without having a Law but that would be too easy. That wasn't fit for the grand finale. Even with the surprise of all of the monsters having Laws, I didn't think that was the end of it.
There would probably be a few more surprises headed my way before the wave was over. The death throes of trying to kill us one last time.
So be it.
My new hammer twirled in front of me in preparation. A flourish I had come to like while wielding the heavy weapon.
Up and around before smashing into the ground next to my feet.
It was both showboating and a provocation. Not that the beasts knew that, but it wasn't for them.
It was for me.
The tide reached me and I started swinging.
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My hammer rose and fell as more beasts joined the fray. The monsters were falling but not as fast as more joined in. Their numbers kept rising even as the crushed and deformed dead rose with them.
It was endless and unstoppable.
The pressure inside me built and I couldn't help but feel the heat of battle in my soul. The song being sung inside me built into a rising crescendo. The pressure reached new heights as shafts of light pierced through me, searing through my armor.
Blood leaked from the seared holes before freezing over with ice.
My armor wasn't enough to block them. It was the same reason fighting Austin was so annoying, the beasts were able to get through my armor with their light-based attacks. The Ice only blunted the worst of it before the rest made it through. My Law and Mana couldn't hold up to the onslaught of hundreds of attacks all backed with a Law.
I could handle one or two, maybe even a few, but not the amount that was being leveraged against me.
While I focused on swinging my hammer, the Law reinforcement on my Armor was worn through by cascading beams of light before the rest smashed through and into my flesh.
[Frozen Patchwork] worked overtime to freeze the holes that were burned through me.
Through it all, my hammer rose and fell, sweeping arcs in front of me when more joined in. It was an all-out battle and I didn't even have time to cast magic. I couldn't bear the distraction from the melee I was in to launch any [Ice Arrows].
Snow revolved around me faster and faster in an attempt to ease the fight but more of it began to shatter from the oppressive Light.
Mana flowed through my hammer, building up ice atop the end until it tripled in size. The massive clump whipped through the air like a maul taking numerous beasts with it until the end of its arc.
Before the momentum of the head could end, [Shatter] sent the extra ice exploding out, taking yet more foes with it to the grave and returning my hammer to its original state.
My hammer came back through for another pass with the spike leading this time, stacking bodies atop its length before the force died out. My swings increased in intensity as the [Avalanche] built behind me.
Rise and fall. Up and down. The rhythmic swings felled the beasts as fast as I could.
[Icy Bastion] bloomed around me as I felt a strong light beam close in. It had the strength of more than a few of the monsters combined into a concentrated lance. They were adding their skills together, concentrating the light and layering their attacks on top of each other to get through my guard.
Yet another unwanted surprise.
[Reinforced Body] wasn't enough to stop the lance from piercing through me the first time it happened and I threw an [Icy Bastion] when I felt it coming the second time. With [Frozen Patchwork], my body could take a beating, but I burned a bit of mana to save me from the wound.
The attacks against me built as I did what I could to ward them off. Ice shattered around me before getting launching out into the sea of bodies.
Any of my ice that was broken by enemies turned into a projectile for me to use.
Both [Ice Manipulation] and [Throwing Proficiency] applied to the shards of ice before they slunked into their waiting partners
[Righteous Fury] ignited and burned inside me as I couldn't hold off not using the skill any longer. If I tried to save it for the boss I wasn't sure I would make it through the wave.
Hundreds of Least Laws added up, worming their way through my guard. Their collective might was enough to stomp down on me. Pushing my domain back, making me either wade through the thick hostile atmosphere or spend more mana to keep my domain secure.
The Frost Rune tried to fight back but it wasn't enough against the hoard of monsters. The Rune wasn't made to fight against that kind of force.
[Permafrost] helped keep the space steady but it only worked on the area closest to me. The ice lining the inside of the walls already starting to melt, the heat building from focused light too much for it to handle.
Throughout it all, the [Avalanche] built.
Grunts of pain were fought through along with the wounds building on my body.
My body showed its might for the first time and I couldn't help but marvel at what it had turned into. Body of Wood was more than what I gave it credit for. Attacks that would have cleaved flesh from my bones were turned into nicks that barely drew blood.
Piercing beams of light that would have burrowed clean through me only penetrated a few inches deep. Seeing how my body stopped most attacks cold was the reason they began to combine their power.
The concentrated beams of tens of monsters were enough to pierce through me, even with my Refined body.
My Spirit began to infuse me and the fight escalated yet again. During the waves, I usually adhered to a continuous escalation of power. Starting with [Avalanche], using my Law and Spirit sparingly, and saving my bloodline and [Fury] for the boss.
This wave wasn't allowing me to do that.
It was making me burn hot and fast to last through the throngs of lesser monsters. Everything was coming out as the pressure mounted. My [Fury] was burning inside me, my Law and Spirit infused my attacks and body.
The only thing that I had held back was my bloodline. If there was one thing I wanted to save for the boss, it was that.
Ever since I evolved, my bloodline took on a new life. Having the Heart of a Frost Giant turned the bloodline from a decent power boost, into a devastating jump in power.
My Heart amplified the powers of my Bloodline by a significant degree and I was able to use more of it than I had before.
The only problem was the length of time I could call upon it shortened to compensate. It was a tradeoff between a bigger boost in power for a shorter period of time.
As the last of the Zwahelios clawed and fought their way through the gates, finally letting me see the light at the end of the tunnel, it was time to do so.
I almost felt bad for the little lightblasting shits.
Without the need to hold my bloodline in reserve any longer, I called on the power buried deep in my core. Ice spread through my veins and my muscles bulged as they tried to contain the boost in strength.
While my Heart could output more power, my muscles struggled to contain it. Without having a Body of Wood my muscles would have popped like a grotesque balloon from the strain.
I was sure that the physical manifestations of my bloodline were more pronounced but without anyone else here to tell me, I wasn't sure the form they took.
All I could hope was that I didn't start glowing.
Comments
Alexander C Hyde
The Frost Rune tried to fight back but it wasn't enough against the (horde)hoard of monsters.
Alexander C Hyde
Ice shattered around me before getting (launching) out into the sea of bodies. (Launched) Instead.
PenguinKills
It wasn't the permanent change that boosted his power. It was calling on his bloodline just like he could before without any such evolution. The reason for the jump in power was because of a few reasons. Normally, a permanent change like that wouldn't add anything power wise when called upon except in a few instances. A baseline bloodline boosts the person in strength depending on what the bloodline is. Chris gets Fortitude, Strength, and his Ice powers. Austin gets agility, perception, and his sight gets better. Austin, taking the temporary boost in power while evolving, now gets illusionary wings when he calls on his bloodline and the agility he gets is increased because of the choices made, but his body didn't change. Chris, took the heart of a Frost Giant and changed his own heart, merging the two together. While that doesn't come with a boost when the bloodline is used, there is still a power increase because the heart amplifies it. I think about it like a hardware upgrade. The heart is the most vital organ and that's where most creatures magic comes from and originates. Having the bloodline pump through the heart of a frost giant boosts its strength because of the magic involved. So instead of the temporary jump, think about it like putting high octane gas in an engine, it will burn hotter and faster because of the fuel used. The heart takes the bloodline and amplifies it before pumping it to the rest of his body. The reason this is so, and I kind of mucked up the explanation, was for a few reasons. The permanent option can give a boost if its used right, I leaned too heavily explaining that it doesn't give a boost. Think about creatures that have a specialized organ or gland that is related to their power. The flammable gland for fir breathing, venom sac for insects or snakes. It doesn't give the extra power that a temporary change does, but using it and the bloodline in concert is better than when apart. Creating like a feedback loop where they draw strength from each other for just being there. I hope my explanation makes sense, its a tad wordy, but I can try to clarify if there are any other questions.
Akkido
I thought it specifically stated that the permanent option couldn't be turned off and on like a switch, unless it just wasn't fully activated I guess? Which doesn't really make sense given that he's already absorbed and evolved his bloodline.
Demonlord
While gaining his bloodline he can choose when to activate that and when not and I think that's what he's referring to. Activating his bloodline will also be boosted from his Frost Giant heart
Akkido
Didn't he choose the permanent change when evolving his bloodline? Everything I've read so far leads me to believe that a permanent change is a constant power multiplier and not an ace in the hole you can pull out when you need a power boost.
Supperwaffle
Maybe he will help his family with the wave
Demonlord
Thanks for the nice chapter π next chapter bossfight and pylons claiming?
