Chapter 282: Addict
"Arghhh!" A scream left his mouth as Dhruv’s body began to morph into something different, something far more powerful than his current self.
His sound traveled far and wide as Phantom voices began singing in the mind of whoever heard the scream. The scream was a defensive measure to protect the body while transforming.
"Argghhh!" The scream left once again as Dhruv’s appearance began to change.
The skin all around his body began to darken and toughen, taking on the appearance of goblin hide, the only difference being that it was red instead of green. Sharp black nails erupted from his fingers as they tore through the lance pinning him down.
His eyes began to blacken as their vision became clear... they saw everything as prey ready to be caught in his web. The morphing continued as three sets of small eyes appeared on both sides of his face.
Two icy horns sprouted from his forehead, a symbol of the cold, relentless power he now possessed.
The morphing didn’t stop there. Two magnificent wings erupted, tearing his back’s flesh. The wings burned with ferocity as the snow melted just from being around it.
Suddenly, the wings moved instinctively, forming a barrier around him. Dhruv’s wounds began to heal as the mana around him was sucked into his core.
Only when his core was fully filled with mana did he open his eyes and inspect his body.
Dhruv wasn’t the only one inspecting himself. His opponent was doing the same.
The Queen’s eyes widened in surprise as she witnessed the human transformation. For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty and doubt crossed her face as she remembered something.
Some time ago, she had felt an aura reaching within the dungeon from the outside world. Although she didn’t know much about monster history, she was sure of whom this aura belonged to.
The aura was the sign of a birth... the birth of a mutant. A mutant had awakened on whatever forsaken planet she was on.
The Queen still remembered the day when she had shivered. The hunger she felt after touching the aura was unimaginable. She wasn’t able to control herself and felt the need to absorb the core.
But quickly, the Queen felt defeated. She felt powerless after remembering her situation. No matter how much she tried, she wouldn’t be able to leave the dungeon.
She didn’t possess freedom anymore. She was reduced to being a mere dungeon boss.
She was powerless but not hopeless. In desperation, she decided to send seven of her royal guards outside to hunt the mutant—unfortunately, two of them died before reaching the portal.
Only five had left the dungeon, but even they hadn’t returned since then. After a few days, she accepted that they died as well, and her hope of retrieving the mutant core vanished.
But now... now, when the mutant was in front of her... when her trophy was in front of her, she couldn’t help but shiver. She wasn’t so sure of her ability to snatch it anymore.
Sigh!
The Queen sighed as she regretted sending her royal guards to face the undead. If she had known from the start, she would have focused on him from the very beginning.
Alas, there was no time for regretting it anymore...
"Hahaha! This strength... this raw power... why was I afraid of using it?"
Dhruv roared, his sound reverberating through the icy plains. Without wasting any time, he launched himself at the Queen with his newfound speed and ferocity.
His monstrous form finally gave him the strength to compete on equal footing with the Queen. He didn’t back down either as their clash began to get intensified.
Woosh!
Dhruv’s spear, now infused with his monstrous energy, cut through the air with incredible force. Infusing it with fire, he swung it in a wide arc, aiming to cleave the Queen in two.
She responded with a barrier of ice, but Dhruv’s enhanced strength managed to shatter it, sending shards of ice flying in all directions.
The Queen backpedaled, forced to take a few steps back. Like her mana, her confidence wavered as she realized the extent of Dhruv’s power.
The two monsters exchanged blow after blow, their attacks shaking the very ground beneath them.
Dhruv’s fiery wings granted him incredible agility, allowing him to dodge the Queen’s attacks with ease while simultaneously being able to attack back. Each time he retaliated with searing fire, his flames burned brighter and hotter than ever before.
Manipulating a massive amount of mana in a single go, the Queen conjured a massive ice golem to aid her.
Seeing the new player, Dhruv dropped his spear and ran toward the golem. With sheer strength alone, he tore through the golem’s icy limbs with savage ferocity.
The Queen didn’t back down either, continuing to summon one golem after another albeit they were smaller in size.
As the fight continued, Dhruv began to feel something. With his heightened senses he quickly caught the problem.
Despite his newfound strength, Dhruv could feel his mana depleting from his core at an alarming rate. This was happening even when he was only using his physical might.
’Ahhhh! Is it that this form requires a continuous supply of mana to keep sustaining it?’ Dhruv quickly realized why he couldn’t continue being in this overpowering form for long. He quickly realized his restrictions.
’Shit why was that power so addictive...’ Lost in the bliss of newfound strength, Dhruv has forgotten to pay attention to the details. Shaking his head, he tried regaining his composure.
He couldn’t act like an addict... not when his life was at stake.
Turning his senses around he evaluated his situation more thoroughly. In a few seconds, he found a saving grace... this form was equipped with powerful absorption as well.
Although the monster form was equipped with boosted mana absorption, Dhruv knew he couldn’t sustain it indefinitely. He needed to end the fight quickly before his mana ran out and left him in a vulnerable state once again.
Jumping in the air, he killed all the remaining golems with enchanted metal arrows.
’Huh! Why is it using the form so inefficiently...’ The Queen thought as she looked at Dhruv’s performance.
’...C-could it be that the human hasn’t practiced with this form yet?’
