Before we even hit the ground, I have already allocated my free points into PWR.
Since there is only one level up as opposed to the five after my fight with the skidders, I barely feel the changes at all and roll off the corpse when we hit the ground while yanking my blood-spattered hand free from the Grygon. The second I am free, I take off once again in pursuit of the last two monsters.
The last two are nowhere near easy to find, but since their buddy died, the formation they had settled into is a complete mess, and it is only a matter of time before I pinpoint the remaining Grygons. After observing the next few clues as well as the occasional spike that comes at me, I predict where the next projectile should come from and cut one of the creatures off. Instead of dodging the incoming mana spike, I use the momentum I gained from my prediction to spin myself so the attack only grazes my neck instead of planting itself in my head. When the spike was being fired, I used the extra time I would usually spend on closing the distance to instead force another huge wave of buildup into my chest with . The second I pin down the spot where the projectile came from, I release a blast of force that throws me back while also hitting the hidden figure perched on the side of a nearby tree. I am able to slow myself down using another weaker shock wave coming from my back, but I can hear an audible crack of bones as my opponent is not as fortunate as I. Seeing the bloody impact on a nearby boulder, I watch as the stealth field surrounding the lizardman drops to reveal a Grygon wrapped around the rock’s edge as if it was hit by a car.
Somehow the monster is still breathing, so I use the natural pull of gravity along with another super-heated fist to end the beast.
< You have defeated: Grygon - Level 26 >
< Congratulations! You have reached: Level 18 >
I can tell the levels are coming slower and slower despite the gap between myself and the monsters. Luckily, I am already only two levels away from the goal my master gave me, so I don’t mind the diminishing returns. I can only imagine farming levels with after all of this is said and done and Master Lirin is no longer restricting me.
Putting my new points in PWR, I turn away from where the last Grygon is headed and instead turn my attention back to the four-ton problem that has been trailing me the entire time I fought with the other monsters. At this point, it is not worth trailing the last Grygon, as I doubt it will attack me again based on how Master Lirin said they only hunt in pairs at the very least. These monsters are supposed to have a higher level of intellect than the skidders I saw earlier, so I would be surprised if the straggler decided to pursue me again.
A low roar sounds through the woods, and I begin to hear the sounds of thumping behind me once again. The Honlir might be slower than the rest of the creatures here, but its ability to trail its prey is similar to that of a bloodhound. Doing a quick check of my mana stores, I realize I might have gone a little too far during my earlier fight given the amount I had already diminished from the concussion bomb against the skidders. On the bright side, given the completely normal amount of points I have thrown into PWR, my regeneration rate is quite impressive so if I just keep the usage down a bit, I should have plenty left by the time I need to fight the Honlir.
Lowering my mana infusion to just my legs, I climb up the nearest tree and jump above the canopy to get a better sight on my ideal position. I am pleasantly surprised to find that the cliff side I had originally been heading to is closer than I thought, so when I get back to the ground, I take off in its direction. Reducing my speed to just the limit of my body, my mana is gradually conserved as I allow the large beast to catch up to my location. Trees fall behind me and rock is turned to dust as the Honlir takes the shortest possible route to my location. Dead leaves are pounded underneath my feet as I continue to keep an eye on the landscape around me to assure no other monsters appear out of nowhere.
By the time the cliff wall is within eyesight between the trees, the Honlir is back on my heels and the sounds of the woods are drowned out by its heavy body moving through the environment as well as the low roar that echoes from the beast’s maw. I was kind of hoping that the monster would be somewhat scratched up or slowing down by now due to the extended chase, but it seems that Master Lirin wasn’t lying when he said their endurance was unbeatable. At the very least, the copious amounts of land markers the monster crushed in its stampede have effectively blown away all of the debris that covered its body. This process has revealed the ridged armor that layers all over the beast’s body like a moving tank.
Finally, we reach the point in which I can see the entirety of the wall in front of me. Unfortunately, I do not see any caves to lead the monster into. The best I can see is a narrow wedge indent in the tall face of the alien rock. If I had to guess, the wedge is taller than the Honlir but much less wide. Regardless, it is my only option, so I make a beeline directly for the opening while using a bit more mana to propel myself ahead to gain a better idea of what I am working with.
After a few more large strides, I duck into the wedge with the Honlir only a few seconds behind. Before it gets here, I take in the shallow crack that will definitely not hold the giant monster on my heels. It’s barely deep enough for maybe half of the beast to fit, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I exit the wedge and stand in front of the entrance while the Honlir bears down on me.
As my imminent death approaches in a wild charge that tears the earth and shakes the very air, I wait until the monster is within touching distance before blasting myself to the side with a huge amount of kinetic buildup. Like a matador baiting a bull, I barely escape from a gruesome death as the Honlir runs at full speed directly into the wedge, causing a loud boom to sound out. The cliff wall shakes and I run out of the way as giant shards of rock rain down on the area and cover the surroundings in a dust cloud. Taking the safe route, I boost myself onto a ledge nearby that sits above the reach of the Honlir as well as the cloud as I wait for the dust to clear.
I can feel tremors underneath my feet from the ledge, but as the cloud dissipates, I soon find that my gamble paid off. The Honlir’s rear legs and a large section of its hind quarters are sticking out of the wedge, but the sheer force exuded by the beast’s charge was enough to widen the gap in the cliff wall enough for it to reach inside. If I had decided to bait it from the interior, I would surely be dead.
Jumping down, I rush the trapped monster and climb atop its back. The experience is similar to riding a bucking horse, but on a much larger scale as I work myself into a position while grabbing a spike on its back for better control. I am unsure how long the beast will stay stuck, so I quickly fill my hand with radiation and attempt to plunge the flaming limb in between a gap of the goliath’s thick armor. The depth of the armor reaches far up my forearm before I feel the rough hide of the Honlir underneath my fingertips. I attempt to bury my hand further into the hide to stack on damage, but without any actual weapon, the dull edge of my fingertips cannot pierce through the thick skin at all.
Pulling my limb free, I try pounding my fist into the nearest armor plate over and over, but instead of achieving anything, my wrist and knuckles just bleed while the armor remains unscathed. At this point, the beast can feel my attempts to damage it, and I can feel it another roar ripple through its body as echoes of it emerge from the wedge itself.
I’m running out of ideas now, so instead of trying to wail on the monster some more, I change up my tactics and bury an arm in between the plates of the monster again. I stop using entirely as I cycle mana through my arm’s network which results in pangs of uneven mana waves to assault my insides. Gathering as much kinetic buildup as possible, I use a similar blast of energy that I was using earlier, and my body is bathed in a heat while a strong shock wave flings me from the monster’s back. The balloon of force I released between the armor was only partially successful, as the plates have not moved at all, but one of the spikes that was on the Honlir’s back has broken off and lays nearby.
Twisting myself in midair, I use smaller shock waves to reorient myself in mid-air before landing on the ground next to the fallen spike. Grabbing the broken armor piece, I tote the bat-sized needle back onto the goliath’s back and used my enhanced strength plus mana infused muscles to shove the improvised weapon directly into the gap I had been abusing beforehand.
I can feel the spike puncture the thick hide underneath the armor plates, and I almost lose my footing as the Honlir begins to struggle anew. Dust showers from the cliff side as the monster slowly removes itself from the tight wedge. As it tries to escape, I hammer on the spike with both of my fists, only succeeding at getting the spike further inside a bit more before the top breaks off. At this point, the improvised weapon is nothing more than a thumbtack in the giant monster’s ass, so I use the open wound as an entrance to shove both of my hands directly inside the hulking creature.
With my recent success in infusing my body with radiation, I take the skill a step further and push the radiation straight into the Honlir’s body. For some reason, I feel an almost physical barrier that halts my skill for a moment. After I push the skill even harder with , I feel the barrier crumble and the intense heat from my body floods into the open wound.
< Infuse Lvl. 9 -> Infuse Lvl. 10 >
< Congratulations! You have completed a quest! >
The Honlir’s struggles go from ten to one hundred incredibly quick, and my grip on the monster’s innards are the only thing that keeps me in place as its body bucks and shakes as it lets go of trying to remove itself and instead allows its primal instincts to take over. Boiling blood splashes all over my figure as smoke fills my nostrils with the delectable scent of cooked meat. The heat pouring from my body is enough to set fire to the dust in the air, filling the area with fire but luckily not exploding.
By now, the previous roars that erupt from the walking mountain have turned into deafening bellows of pain, and I can feel the thick plates shift all over its back as the monster’s head wails against the walls of the cliff. I do not let up though, and steel myself as I release huge bursts of the kinetic buildup through while filling the beast’s body with heat through . I even attempt to pull my mana into the mix, but for some reason, the barrier in the Honlir’s body refuses to allow my mana to enter, so I am left with just the excess energy of my volatile mana. The goliath’s endurance is truly no joke, as it continues to struggle despite its fortunately stuck position.
Even with the constraint of not being able to utilize my mana outwardly, my efforts are still enough in the end, as the Honlir eventually falls to my bombardment.
< You have defeated: Honlir - Level 40 >
< Congratulations! You have reached: Level 19 >
< Congratulations! You have reached: Level 20 >
< Congratulations! You have reached: Level 21 >
Vibrations rumble through me as the heavy body I am perched on crashes into the ground. Until the very end, the beast continued to fight to the point where I was actually surprised by the sudden kill notification.
Ripping my hands out of the charred flesh beneath me, I wade through the growing pool of bubbling crimson blood while fire still burns around the area. It seems that I have once again caused a forest fire due to my shenanigans, but I can’t seem to care very much. The immense heat in the area from the leftovers of my fight only feels like a slightly warm breeze against my skin. In fact, the entire environment reminds me of the safety of the forest of Floor One after I had engulfed it in flame. I was like a free man running through the cinders in my birthday suit without having to worry about getting ambushed.
Thermal Resistance is so broken.