Chapter 718 Terrapedes (1)
Erik burst forth from the shaded confines of the tree, his boots sinking into the pale sands of the White Desert as he ran.
The green giant receded into the distance behind him, its verdant canopy fading from view as Erik traversed deeper into the barren wasteland. But it took a while before it stopped appearing on the horizon.
As Erik went far, the sun beat down, bleaching the landscape in blinding white light. Sparse tufts of brittle grass crunched underfoot as Erik maintained his tireless pace across the endless sea of sand. The dunes rose and fell in wind-sculpted waves, broken only by jutting rocks that cast small shadows here and there.
Erik had been running for the better part of half an hour when the first beads of sweat materialized on his brow.
<This heat is killing me…>
Pausing in the shade of a large boulder, Erik caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his eyes. The heat shimmered in wavy lines on the horizon ahead.
After having rested and drank some water, Erik resumed his journey. However, he didn't find monsters. Not a single one was on the horizon.
Erik continued sprinting across the desert landscape. Everything looked normal until the hard-packed sandy ground trembled under Erik's feet.
<What the…? >
He glanced around, his senses on high alert as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The low, ominous rumbling grew louder. Erik was able to tell the rumbling came from his front, somewhere in the barren landscape.
While looking out toward the horizon, Erik scanned for the source, his muscles tensing. The vibrations through the earth intensified, making the sand around his boots quiver and jump.
Erik's heartbeat quickened, thudding in his ears over the deep rumble. His eyes narrowed, full of wary focus.
<What the hell could it be? >
There were many monsters who could make such a phenomenon. However, to do it on such a scale, either the beast had to be enormous or in high numbers.
<The only way for me to know is to go there and see…>
The trembling progressed until it felt like the very bedrock beneath the desert was awakening. Loose pebbles danced along the ground as the intense quaking continued to strengthen.
Erik planted his feet on the ground, the reverberations traveling up through his legs. His mind raced, calculating, assessing the possibilities of what could cause the intense seismic disturbance. The rumbling grew louder still until it was almost deafening.
Erik skidded to a halt, eyes fixed on the towering dunes in the distance.
Then some of the dunes in front of him crumbled, enormous chunks of sand breaking free and cascading downwards. A truly massive wave of granular destruction hurtled towards Erik with alarming speed.
Erik reacted in a split-second and channeled all his strength into his legs to leap skyward. He rocketed upwards just as the thundering sand slide arrived at his former position. Suspended at the apex of his jump, Erik hovered in midair as the world seemed to slow around him.
While looking down, he watched the colossal cascade churn below, obscuring everything in a thick, choking haze of sand. The noise was deafening, a constant rumble punctuated by the sharp cracks of tumbling boulders.
The moment of weightless suspension soon passed as gravity reasserted its control. Erik plunged back down through the dust-filled air, angling his body to land in a controlled roll. He hit the ground and found his footing, grains of sand pelting against him.
Though he had narrowly escaped the landslide, Erik knew more danger lurked below. His muscles tensed, prepared to react in an instant.
Eyes darting, he scanned the environment for any additional threats. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, every sense primed for whatever this treacherous desert might unleash next.
The quaking intensified. From the shifting sands emerged an unearthly horde - at least a hundred Terrapedes erupting forth. But it could be more based on what Erik was seeing.
<Ah… Now I get it…>
Erik recognized the beasts. How could he not? These creatures possessed an earthen exoskeleton adorned with dark mottled patterns.
Rows of small faceted eyes regarded Erik with malevolence. Their powerful mandibles could crush steel. Countless legs propelled them towards Erik with alarming speed.
These were ungodly, ugly beasts, not particularly hard to kill, but usually roaming in vast groups like this. However, they were not Xeridon Anteris. These chungus could reach even 100 stat points in strength.
One Terrapede had the audacity to jump out of the sand and charge at Erik, mandibles gnashing. The young man dove and rolled, feeling the snap of its jaws just inches from his head.
He planted his feet and leaped upwards, delivering a powerful kick to the creature's underside. It recoiled with an enraged shriek.
Two more terrapedes converged on Erik, their multitude of legs churning up the sand as they scuttled towards him.
The Thaids were sluggish and uncoordinated compared to Erik's physical strength. Their mandibles snapped, but barely reached him as he evaded the attacks.
Erik found himself amidst a relentless siege, his opponents fueled by an unyielding primal instinct. The Terrapedes lunged at him with ferocity.
These creatures, resembling the offspring of a nightmarish union between scorpions and centipedes, were annoying opponents.
Their attack was coordinated yet frenzied, a testament to their hive-mind aggression. As two terrapedes bore down on him, Erik executed a series of swift evasive maneuvers.
He dodged their lunges with a grace that belied the danger he was in. Erik responded to their assault with a counterattack of his own.
His fists struck with precision and power. The impact of his blows was devastating; upon contact, the heads of the Terrapedes exploded, sending showers of ichor splattering across the sands.
The explosion of ichor from the creatures' shattered exoskeletons was a grisly sight, reminiscent of overripe fruit bursting under too much pressure.
The air was filled with the acrid scent of their alien blood, mingling with the dry desert air.
<This smells like the damn yogurt Mira eat every morning… >
[TERRAPEDES KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 3312 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
However, that was a mistake, as the rest of the horde noticed the young man. As the ichor dripped from his hands, Erik readied himself for the next wave of attacks.
<Ah. Fuck. It looks like I killed their uncles… >
More terrapedes arrived. "Sorry, bro! I didn't want to kill your little brother!"
But despite the pleas, another Terrapede came to kill Erik, while the rest was slowly getting closer with the rest of the colony.
[TERRAPEDE KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 1104 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
The scene mirrored a nightmarish fusion of a churning sea and a writhing mass of grotesque, oversized earthworms.
The horde resembled a wave crashing against a steadfast cliff. Each bug that dared to approach Erik died, only to be replaced by another surge of monstrous vermin.
Together, they looked like a grotesque blanket of squirming, segmented bodies, undulating and overlapping in a horrifying display. The sight of the swarm, with its incessant,
While fending off attacks, Erik faced no real danger from the individually feeble monsters. But their endless ranks surrounding him posed a problem. The situation was hard, not because of their strength, but because of the respawning members.
With sweat stinging his eyes, Erik retreated up a steep dune. The creatures followed, cresting the slope with unnerving speed. As one lunged, Erik batted it aside and leapt, rolling back to the desert floor.
However, as he killed, Erik got notifications after notification.
[TERRAPEDES KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[TERRAPEDES KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[TERRAPEDES KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
Each monster was giving him a decent amount of experience, and since it wasn't hard to kill them, and there were a lot around him, his level up bar was filling up nicely. Since this wasn't a hard situation, Erik gave a look at the system's interface.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE.]
<Oh… cool. I almost levelled up! >
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[Host Information]
NAME: Erik Romano
AGE: 18
POWER LEVEL: 378
SYSTEM LEVEL: 47
EXPERIENCE: 111054 122500
DNA POINTS: 37150
HEALTH: 3440 3440
MANA: 3370 3370
[Attributes]
STRENGTH: 178
INTELLIGENCE: 220
DEXTERITY: 158
ENERGY: 167
Available Attributes points: 5
[Powers]
[Biological Super Computer Powers]
-Brain Crystal Manipulation
Brain Crystal Power Extraction (Allows the absorption of the brain crystal, making the host able to gain the power contained within. Notice: the DNA must be changed in order to allow the body to use the power. See DNA extraction.)
Brain Crystal power Merging (Allows to merge two powers birthing a new one. It requires the merging of the DNA to work.)
Brain Crystal Power Analysis (Allows to analyse the target brain crystal without the need to know the creature.)
- (LOCKED)
- Brain Crystal Power Strengthening (Allows the gaining of the energy attribute points)
-(LOCKED)
-DNA Manipulation
DNA Extraction (Allows the absorption of foreign DNA, making the host able to replicate it inside his own body. Notice: Changing the DNA is a slow process, and it is required to use new brain crystal powers.)
DNA Merging (Allows to merge two DNAs, birthing a new one. Required to accommodate merged powers.)
DNA Analysis (Allows to analyse the enemy DNA from the distance for a better understanding of the target's stats.)
- (LOCKED)
DNA Strengthening (Allows the gaining of the Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity attribute points)
-(LOCKED)
- Analysis (Gives the host information about his surroundings, plants, creatures, and ores.)
-Brain Information Injector (It allows the injection of information directly to the brain. Based on touch)
-Device Manipulation (Allows the Host to manipulate electrical and mana-driven devices. Based on touch)
[Host's Powers]
POISONOUS MANA DARTS: Cσ3D-RANKED (Conjure poisonous mana darts whose lethality depends on the mana injected)
POISONOUS ASTRAL WOLF BITE: Cσ2D-RANKED (Conjure an astral but solid projection of a Leylarhad's head whose only aim is to bite at whatever target the host is aiming. Its teeth have a poisonous element whose toxicity depends on the mana used. Notice: the target must be close to the projection.)
FORCE MANIPULATION: Cν1B-RANKED (Manipulate a mana-
driven force to produce powerful shockwaves that can change in intensity, radius, speed, and power. It is also possible to use the power differently as to generate force shields.)
PARALLEL WILLS: Cν1C-RANKED (Allows the user to passively increase intelligence based on the number of neural links. It also allows the construction of a mana brain that allows independent thoughts and can be used for multiple purposes.)
ICE SWORD: Cσ1E-RANKED (Allows creating a powerful ice blade, but needs a real weapon to be used as a base)
STRENGTH ENHANCER: Cρ2D-RANKED (Depending on the amount of mana used, the amount of strength increases)
PLANT MASTER: Cπ1B-RANKED (Allows to grow and control plant based organism. The usage depends on the plant and the user's will.)
CHAMELEON VEIL: Cρ1C-RANKED (Allows to turn totally transparent and to project what is behind you, making it almost impossible to be seen. The user can move while using this Brain Crystal power. However, notice that the ripples in light the power creates while moving decrease the power's hiding abilities, increasing the chance of being seen.)
BESTIAL ROAR: Cσ2C-RANKED (Allows to emit a roar that can instill fear into the surrounding creatures. It affects all but the user.)
TARGET LOCK: Cσ3D-RANKED (Allows the user to lock onto the mana signature of a target in order to always find it.)
CHIMERIC BIOMETAL SOLDIER: Cο2A-RANKED (This power allows the user to create a human-worms hybrid with 50% of the user's physical stats. The clones are permanent, but to make them, a lot of mana is necessary; they can't use brain crystal powers. The clone is born from an egg, and it takes a month for them to reach maturity after having hatched two weeks after the eggs were made. Before that, their physical stats are lower than 50% of the original's body. The clones are half as intelligent as the main body, but know everything the main body knows when he created them. They also have several biological abilities.)
THELEPATHY: Cρ1C-RANKED (It allows Telepathic talk with creatures of the same species or similar DNA)
SOLIDIFYING SLIME: Cσ1D-RANKED (It allows to produce a slimy substance whose viscosity, stickiness and quantity depends on the amount of mana used. The Slime can solidify and its hardness depends again on the mana used)
AEROKYNESIS: Cσ3A-RANKED (This innate ability grants the wielder precise control over wind generation and manipulation. The potential of this power is intricately linked to the proficiency of the user, affording them the capacity for both offensive and defensive maneuvers, as well as the versatility to engage targets both near and far.)
[Skills]
Kyokar hand-to-hand style (ADVANCED) (A military fighting style developed in Frant)
Crypt of the Desert Style (ADVANCED) (Flyssa fighting style developed by Master Nieminen)
Etrium's sword style (INTERMEDIATE) (Basic Sword Style developed in Etrium.)
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