Chapter 34: The Decisive Battle Begins
"Ura-ura-ura-ura...!"
Scalp-numbing magic circles lit up one after another. Stone spears, fireballs, wind blades, and venom poured out as if they cost nothing.
Well, for Shiro, who possessed the
The only way to kill them was to drain their SP. If SP hits zero, it results in direct death. However, thanks to the
Of course, their nemesis Araba also possessed terrifying survivability. To deplete his HP would be as difficult as climbing the heavens. Thus, their only real advantage was a war of attrition. Whoever ran out of SP first would lose.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Magic continued to rain down. Shiro was killing with such abandon she had lost track of time.
[Proficiency reached. Skill
[Skill
[Proficiency reached...]
System notifications rang out incessantly; their skill proficiency was rising faster than ever. The number of Higher Finjicote was steadily decreasing, but Shirazawa estimated it would take a while to wipe them all out. Leaving Shiro to grind the mobs, he headed deeper into the Lower Stratum to scout Araba.
...
"As expected of the Lower Stratum. The intensity of the monsters here is on a different level compared to the Middle and Upper Stratums."
In a dim cavern, a small white spider crawled slowly. Within just half an hour, he had encountered seven or eight monsters with combat ratings around 5,000. Shirazawa marveled at the labyrinth's lethality.
Rating was different from raw attributes. Although he and Shiro had broken the 10,000 mark in Magic, their overall combat effectiveness was likely still in the 5,000–6,000 range. Skills were the true measure of a monster's power. Having been born less than half a year ago, their skill proficiency was still too low. Even with constant training, their elemental magic had only just reached the second tier.
For example, the second tier of
As Shirazawa was pondering this, a series of hisses reached his ears. Looking up, he saw a massive King Cobra covered in hard scales slithering toward him. Before its gargantuan body, Shirazawa looked as tiny as an ant.
[Monster]: Elroe Baraggish
[Level]: 25
[Status]
[HP]: 4090 / 3890
[MP]: 3040 / 3040
[SP]: 4130 / 4130 (4130 / 4130)
[Average Attack Ability]: 3898
[Average Defense Ability]: 3863
[Average Magic Ability]: 2987
[Average Resistance Ability]: 325
[Average Speed Ability]: 3840
[Skills]: (One screen of skill descriptions.jpg)
[Skill Points]: 37000
...
"Tsk, fighting this thing is a waste of time. I'm out."
He opted for a strategic retreat. Activating
*Hiss—*
The Baraggish flicked its tongue, its cold gaze scanning the area. Seeing its target had vanished, it continued wending its way forward.
"Wait, is that...?" Shirazawa lurked in the shadows and followed quietly. Don't misunderstand; he didn't have a tailing fetish. They were simply going the same way.
Before long, Shirazawa spotted his target. The majestic Araba stood tall at the bottom of a cavern, his golden vertical pupils fixed on the incoming Baraggish. Their sizes were comparable, but Araba's aura was far superior.
*Hiss!*
The Baraggish reared its head and lunged.
"ROAR!"
Faced with the giant serpent, Araba let out a thunderous roar. As the sound echoed, countless sharp stone spears rose from the earth, skewering the serpent's underbelly. Blood sprayed, but the Baraggish didn't stop; it coiled its body around Araba, constriction him in a death grip.
*Hiss!*
The serpent bared its fangs, ready to strike. But in that instant, a massive magic circle appeared, pinning its head in place.
"What insane gravity magic." Shirazawa was shaken. To freeze a body as massive as the Baraggish with a single spell... a lesser beast would have been crushed into mincemeat instantly.
The battle ended with brutal efficiency. Once the serpent was restrained, Araba looked at it with pure disdain.
*Hummm—*
Three massive golden magic circles expanded. Colossal stone pillars shot out, piercing the serpent's vitals and pinning it to the rock wall. That was the advanced tier of Earth Magic:
After that, it was a one-sided slaughter. No matter how frantic the serpent's counterattack, it was futile.
Strong. Too strong!
As Shirazawa watched, Araba casually harvested the serpent's life. A monster that Shirazawa found troublesome was nothing more than an "EXP mob" to the dragon. It took only three moves.
"I definitely underestimated this guy's combat ability." Shirazawa narrowed his eyes, took one long look, and then teleported back to Shiro.
"Where were you?" The extermination mission here was over. The hive was destroyed, and the ground was carpeted in bee corpses—a spectacular sight. Another species had been wiped out by the spiders; first the monkeys, now the bees.
Shirazawa recounted what he had seen. Shiro went silent for a moment. "That strong?"
"Yeah," Shirazawa replied. "Prepare for a hard fight."
Neither of them backed down. Aren't enemies meant to be overcome?
...
On this day, the figure of Earth Dragon Araba appeared at the bottom of the Great Chasm. Opposite him stood two tiny white spider monsters who had been waiting for a long time.
Araba stared at them, his golden eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit. He craved this—a battle that pushed him to his limits.
Shiro and Shirazawa shared a glance.
"Araba... prepare to die!!"
They spoke in unison, unleashing their skills. On this day, the light of their combined power illuminated the entire canyon...