The salamander slammed into rock and dirt, sending shards flying. Corvin roared, “Miasma Breath!” A massive, ethereal black serpent materialized behind him, slithering forward before unleashing a concentrated breath of pure miasma.
The blast struck the salamander square in the back, driving it deeper into the earth and carving a gaping crater. As the attack faded, a dense black cloud of corrosive miasma descended, swallowing the crater in choking darkness.
Meanwhile, Nera coiled around the treetop, firing Miasma Beams in rapid succession, feeding the cloud with even more miasma.
Inside the crater, the salamander shrieked in agony, its blue membrane clashing against the corrosive miasma as its flesh rotted and regenerated in a grotesque cycle.
[Status: Corrupted]
Corvin wasted no time. Guided by his Mana Eyes, he hurled spear after spear, each one sinking deep into the monster’s back, venom flooding its bloodstream.
He smirked, thinking the tide had turned, until the beast let out a primal, ear-shattering cry. A massive pillar of water erupted, launching the salamander skyward. The beast then followed by releasing a barrage of geysers, erupting across the ravine.
Corvin cursed as the now tailless lizard descended, its attacks hammering the ground.
[Ravine Lord Salamander Lv. 257] [HP: 21,789 / 66,499] [MP: 1,400 / 2,000]
“What the fuck?! How did it recover that much mana? And where the hell is its tail?!” Corvin shouted, summoning Aqua Barrier and bracing his blade like a shield. The onslaught hurled him over the ravine’s edge, plunging him into the river below.
Back in the miasma-choked crater, a massive tail writhed like a dying serpent. Nera stared at it, shivering, her gaze flicking to her own tail.
***
Corvin hauled himself up, using his blade as a crutch. He was drenched, his barrier shattered, and his left ribs and ankle broken. At least his coat had reduced the water damage by thirty percent; without it, things could’ve ended far worse.
“Shit… I can barely stand.” He spat a mouthful of blood into the knee-high river, the current making it even harder to keep his footing.
[HP: 1,415 / 3,718] [MP: 400 / 900]
He sighed at the sight of his dwindling health and cursed as he felt his mana draining. He’d forgotten about Miasma Breath in the shock of battle. With a growl, he deactivated it, then triggered Echolocation. The salamander was closing in fast.
Corvin downed all his weaker remaining potions in quick succession, restoring 500 HP and barely mending his ankle to a usable state. Just as he finished, the tailless salamander crashed down with a massive wave, its body knitting together under the effects of its regeneration skill.
“Fuck it’s already started healing.” Corvin gritted his teeth and activated Dash, charging straight at the beast.
“Let’s play, bitch. I’m going all in!” he roared, unleashing Abyssal Dominion.
Thick fog rose within a ten-meter radius as countless illusions surrounded the salamander, and its mind was overrun by fear. Corvin used Mana Eyes to see the salamander’s location; he didn’t want to switch titles to activate Nocturnal, so Mana Eyes were the next best thing.
He tracked the massive location of mana within the mist and attacked by slashing at its flank. Each slash of his blade tore massive, meaty craters over the beast's body. Holy shit! Putting all those stats into Strength surely paid off. Corvin was amazed at his newfound power, boosted by his items and passive abilities.
Each hit cratered the massive salamander's health; even its regeneration couldn’t keep up. With added poison as the cherry at the top, Corvin had turned the tables.
As soon as the fear debuff faded, it unleashed a boiling steam breath, superheating the air and water around them.
Look at you, even using hot water now. How did you know I needed a bath? Corvin chuckled. Heat, even in steam form, barely scratched him thanks to his maxed-out resistance.
With its attack failing and Corvin’s health slowly recovering under the fog’s effects, the salamander turned to flee.
“Oh, the hell you will.” Corvin leapt onto its back and switched to Coilbreaker.
“Flurry!”
Five consecutive, lightning-fast slashes tore into a single spot, carving a massive hole in its back and drenching Corvin in blue blood.
[Status: Corrupted | Poisoned | Bleeding]
[Weapon Effect: Hemorrhage – Bleeding Intensified]
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
With a final surge of strength, Corvin launched himself skyward, then spun downward, cleaving the salamander’s spine in two. The beast crashed lifelessly to the ground with a thunderous thud.
[Critical Hit!]
*** Skill Leveled Up: Valtieri Greatsword Arts Lv. 3 ***
Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 53,142]
[Level Up! ×8]
[Your Beast Leveled Up! ×8]
[Experience toward next level: 0%]
[Congratulations, you have defeated the Area Boss.]
[Additional rewards will be given.]
[Calculating…]
Corvin exhaled, grinning as the system restored his body to perfect condition.
Then he saw the notifications.
Valtieri Greatsword Arts, huh? Father's techniques are surely useful. He spat on the ground in disgust and stored the salamander’s massive corpse in his inventory and prepared to climb back up, only to hear the clash of battle echoing from above. His smile vanished.
Fuck this day. I’m never leaving my tent again. He growled, then shot upward, praying Nera was still alive.
***
High above the ravine, Nera darted between trees, spitting beams of miasma at a cloaked figure carrying a massive greatsword across its back.
The only thing visible beneath its deep cowl was a pair of glowing crimson cat eyes.
The figure dodged every beam with unnerving grace, its speed increasing with each evasive step. Realizing her opponent was faster, Nera hissed and launched two globs of poison skyward. They detonated with a sharp crack, unleashing a corrosive rain that drenched the forest.
Branches wilted, leaves melted, and the figure’s cloak disintegrated, revealing a towering, muscular humanoid body of a werejaguar. Its dark yellow fur, patterned with black spots, sizzled as poison tried to burrow into its flesh.
The jaguar shook violently, summoning a gust of wind that hardened into a transparent barrier around its body, deflecting the remaining rain. Then, with a guttural growl, it unsheathed its blade and exploded forward, its wind armor amplifying its speed even further.
Just as it closed in on Nera, a voice thundered through the trees. “Don’t you dare hurt my Nera!”
Corvin’s spear whistled through the air, but the beast deflected it with a flash of steel. Corvin gave him no time to breathe; he was already upon him, Chief’s Greatsword crashing down toward the jaguar’s face. The werebeast parried with an upward slash and kicked Corvin square in the stomach, sending him staggering backwards.
Corvin spat blood and planted himself in front of Nera, who was already coiling to prepare an acid strike.
[Werejaguar, Kang the Werebeast King Lv. 146] [HP: 18,875 / 21,466] [MP: 740 / 1,000]
*** Hidden Quest Unlocked: Friend or Foe? ***
Defeat Kang, the Werebeast King, and make him accept you as his master.
Reward: Undying loyalty of Kang the Werebeast King and a skill upgrade.
Failure: Quest “Demise of the Three Generals” will be negatively affected.
Of course… Corvin sighed and lunged again, ducking low and slashing at both of Kang’s knees. The wind barrier absorbed most of the blow, but the force drove the beast to one knee. Corvin spun, his blade arcing toward Kang’s neck. The jaguar barely parried, the impact hurling him backward into a tree with a bone-jarring thud.
“Nera! Break his barrier, fast! I’ve got this!” Corvin barked as Nera unleashed her prepared Acid, the corrosive liquid eating through the wind armor like fire on paper.
Cornered, Kang roared and launched skyward, his blade wreathed in slicing winds. He slashed, sending razor-sharp gusts screaming toward Corvin.
“Aqua Barrier! Infernal Hide!” Corvin invoked his remaining skills. A deep-blue shell encased him as his skin ignited with black and crimson flames, the heat warping the air and setting trees ablaze. Smoke filled the area, cloaking the battlefield.
Even so, the twin wind blades shattered his barrier and carved deep gashes across his shoulder and stomach. Corvin gritted his teeth, forcing down a scream as blood soaked his armor.
Through the smoke, Nera slithered behind him. Together, they surged toward Kang as he landed. Corvin activated Night Lord, and the two struck like shadows. Nera proficiently coiled around Kang, constricting with lethal force, while Corvin pressed his blade to the beast’s throat, his infernal flames scorching fur.
“Surrender, and I’ll spare you. I might even help you,” Corvin said, voice cold and unwavering.
Kang thrashed, but exhaustion dragged him down as Nera prepared her fangs for the kill. With a final growl, he lowered his head and closed his eyes; he had no more will for fighting, even though he probably could still find a way to escape, he in the end decided to surrender.
[The Werebeast King has surrendered.]
*** Hidden Quest Completed: Friend or Foe? ***
Kang has acknowledged you as the stronger one. In Werebeast culture, surrender means absolute loyalty.
[Congratulations! Kang the Werebeast King is now your subordinate for the time being.]
*** Skill Upgraded: Lizard’s Tongue Lv. 4 > Primal Tongue Lv. 4 ***
Primal Tongue allows communication with all primal races. Higher levels improve mutual understanding.
[40,000 points awarded for the Hidden Quest completed]
Corvin exhaled and whispered to Nera to release him. “Why did you attack us? Were you the one stalking us these past days?”
“Yes,” Kang growled. “I did not attack. The snake attacked first.”
Corvin sighed, glancing at Nera, who hissed smugly. “She attacked because you appeared mid-battle with a giant blade. What did you expect?”
“I wanted to see who wins,” Kang replied simply.
“Why?” Corvin pressed.
“My tribe. Orcs captured. Need help.”
The pieces fell into place. Corvin had felt eyes on him since discovering the orcs; Kang had been watching, searching for someone strong enough to save his people.
“So, you wanted to test us against that salamander?”
“Yes. You're strong. Very strong.” Kang’s crimson eyes narrowed. “But you smell weak.”
Corvin laughed. “My levels are low, sure. But I’ve killed things far stronger than us combined.” He shot Nera a grin.
“I plan to free the orc slaves eventually, but not yet. We’re still too weak.”
“I know a hidden entrance. Need help,” Kang said gravely.
*** Side Quest Updated: Saving Slaves ***
Rescue Kang’s tribe and other captives. One who will lead you to the Forbidden Lair is among them.
Extra reward: One of Kang’s skills.
Corvin stared at the update and sighed. “Fine. I’ll help you. But first, I need to return to my tribe.”
My tribe? The thought startled him. Guess I really do think of them as mine.
“Lizardmen grew strong. But an attack is coming,” Kang warned.
Corvin paled. “What? Who’s attacking?”
“Orcs sent a party to hunt slaves. They come this way.”
“Shit. Will you fight with me?”
“I am yours to command. For my people,” Kang said, bowing low.
“Good. Thank you. Take these, and let’s move!” Corvin bought and handed him five healing potions, speeding his recovery as they raced toward the tribe.
Skills Leveled Up: Valtieri Greatsword Arts Lv. 2 > Lv. 3, Spear Throw Lv. 3 > Lv. 4, Flurry Lv. 2 > Lv. 3
Skills Upgraded: Lizard’s Tongue Lv. 4 > Primal Tongue Lv. 4
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