Asher's journey through the Kraken's immense body was fraught with danger and intrigue. The pulsating, slick walls seemed to almost breathe around him, producing an eerie symphony of organic sounds that made him shudder.
The dim bioluminescent glow from certain areas of the Kraken's innards offered the only light to guide his way, casting unsettling shadows as he carefully navigated the twists and turns of the monstrous beast's internal passages.
He descended deeper into the Kraken, traversing through layers of visceral tissue and navigating networks of writhing vessels.
The air was thick with the scent of salt and blood, each breath he took a palpable reminder of the nightmarish environment he found himself in. As he progressed, the Kraken's body seemed to come alive with activity, as though aware of the intruder within its depths.
As Asher cautiously made his way through the dimly lit, organic labyrinth of the Kraken's insides, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. His senses were on high alert, and the eerie silence only heightened the tension surrounding him.
He knew the Life Pearl was located deep into its body, but the deeper he ventured into the Kraken, the more unpredictable and dangerous his surroundings became.
*Hisssss*
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a chilling, creepy hiss.
Asher's eyes focused as he caught sight of a writhing mass emerging from the shadows. The creatures' elongated, worm-like bodies were covered in dark, glistening scales, and rows of razor-sharp teeth lined their gaping maws. As they slithered towards him, he could see their eyes – cold, unblinking orbs that seemed to pierce right through him.
Asher took out his ring blade as he recognized these 1 feet long creatures for what they were – Shadowmaw Worms.
He had read about these parasitic organisms which were present within the northern sea, and so he wasn't surprised to see them within the confines of the Kraken's body.
Asher knew he would have to deal with these monstrous parasites and maybe even more before he could get to the Life Pearl. These parasites must be in a symbiotic relationship with the Kraken for them to act as an internal defense.
However, as the Shadowmaw Worms drew closer, Asher couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Despite their horrifying appearance, he realized that they were no stronger than a peak-level Soul Warrior.
It was a good thing he never stopped getting stronger during the past year and evolving his skills and talents.
Name : Asher Enren
Level : 16
Rating Points : 200 / 13,800
HP : 9460 / 9460
MP : 10113 / 10113
STR : 1768
DEF : 1318
INT : 2022
DEX : 1203
Talents:
[ Vengeful Lifestealer (2nd Stage) - When your HP falls below 30%, any successful attack from you will leave a cursed burning effect on your enemy, dealing 2% of your HP as damage and let you steal the HP they lost (10/16) ]
[ Cursed Summoner (2nd Stage) - You can summon only 2 damned creatures and they would manifest with 10% of its original stats (1 / 20) ]
Talent (Inactive: Girgal -> -15% DEF -10% STR -20% INT ): [ Diabolical Speed (2nd Stage)- You possess Girgal's speed, increasing your DEX by 53% instantly (1/20) )
Skills:
[ Resentful Slash (3rd Stage) - The cursed blade will try and cleave your foes on its own with a burst of flames. Upon successful attack, they will suffer bleeding effect of 3% of your HP for 9 seconds (5/30) (Cost: 700 MP) (Cooldown: 60 seconds) (Cast time: Immediate) ]
[ Shadow Roots (2nd Stage) - Summon roots from the shadows to entangle and immbolize your enemies. Lasts 7 seconds (2/20) (Cost: 900 MP) (Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds) (Cast time: 2 Seconds) ]
Skill (Inactive: Girgal): [ Never Look Behind (2nd Stage) - Teleport yourself right behind the person you look at instantly (Cost: 2500 MP) (Cooldown: 2 minutes) (Cast time: Immediate) (2 / 15) ]
Asher felt that now was a good time to awaken the power of the Rakshasa within him.
Talent (Active: Rakshasa -> -30% DEX -20% INT ): [ Havoc Arms - You possess the four arms of the Rakshasa, allowing you to cast multiple spells at the same time at 20% less cost (6/10) )
His eyes began to glow with a sinister, dark light, and a guttural growl escaped his lips.
His muscles tensed, his body quivering with barely contained power. The air around him seemed to crackle and hum, as if it too could sense the impending transformation.
As the power surged through him, he felt a familiar sensation radiating from his shoulders. It was as if the very fabric of his being was being pulled apart and reassembled in a new, terrifying form.
With a combination of pain and exhilaration, two extra muscular arms looking no different than his original arms, rapidly sprouted from his body, each limb ending in a powerful, grasping hand. The sight of the transformation was both awe-inspiring and frightening, and even Asher himself relished in unleashing this mystical and ancient power.
In the span of a few heartbeats, the newly-formed arms reached for the ring blades that appeared alongside them, each blade an identical replica of the Blade of Damnation.
He had found out earlier he could replicate the Blade of Damnation, and this ability was most beneficial when using the Rakshasa's power.
When he found this out for the first time, the power and potential of his new form were almost intoxicating, filling him with a newfound confidence.
However, he didn't let himself get overconfident, especially when he saw these Shadowmaw Worms calling to each other, grouping up after realizing he was stronger than them.
Surely, they were planning to overwhelm him with their numbers since he was looking at at least 50 of them slithering towards him!
However, Asher stood at the ready, his four ring blades gleaming ominously in the dim, eerie light that filtered through the Kraken's insides.
The Shadowmaw Worms, sensing the imminent danger, began to hiss and squirm, their movements becoming more erratic as they prepared to attack.
In that moment, Asher's senses sharpened, and time seemed to slow down.
His hands tightly gripped the four ring blades, and his vision focused entirely on his writhing adversaries. With a primal roar, he hurled his ring blades, each weapon flying with deadly precision towards the worms.
*Whizzzz!*
The ring blades whirred through the air, their edges slicing through the Shadowmaw Worms with terrifying ease. As they cut through their targets, the blades ricocheted off the Kraken's inner walls, their speed and momentum undiminished.
Each bounce sent the weapons careening in new, unpredictable directions, leaving the parasitic organisms no escape from the relentless assault.
As the blades continued their deadly ballet, Asher kept running forward while eyes remained locked on their movements, his mind racing to predict their trajectories so that he could summon them back to him and send them flying again.
After gaining the power of the Rakshasa, he had practiced using all four ring blades with beautiful coordination to increase the efficiency of his attacks. He realized that he could be at least twice as effective in battle if he perfected his moves.
*Sliish!*
With each slash and strike, the worms fell, their segmented bodies severed and left twitching on the Kraken's fleshy floor while blood painted it.
The air was thick with the scent of their viscous blood, and the wet sounds of their dying gasps filled the chamber as Asher slaughtered his way through. None of them even got the chance to get near them before they were severed by his deadly ring blades.
In a final, brutal sweep, the last of the Shadowmaw Worms met their grisly end at the hands of Asher's relentless blades.
The ring blades, their work done, flew back to Asher's waiting hands, their edges still gleaming despite the gore that now coated them.
Asher stood triumphant among the carnage, his breath barely steady. Even if these parasites were weak, it took some effort to deal with their huge numbers, especially without using mana.
Fortunately, he had some Stamina Potions at the ready.
He was satisfied he managed to kill all of them without using a wisp of his mana. But he didn't celebrate, for he knew even more dangers awaited him ahead, in the darkness.
As Asher cautiously advanced through the Kraken's insides, the passage he traversed was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The walls were a slick, pulsating mass of muscle and sinew, with thick veins of blood snaking through the translucent membranes that enclosed them.
The air was heavy with the scent of decay, and the damp, humid atmosphere clung to his skin like a suffocating shroud.
The path ahead narrowed and twisted, its uneven organic floor making each step treacherous. He could feel the monstrous creature's rhythmic contractions as it breathed, the sensation like being inside the belly of a giant, living machine.
He also had to maintain his balance since the Kraken was continuously moving, probably continuing to wreak havoc.
The dim light that permeated the environment cast eerie shadows on the passage, lending an otherworldly quality to his surroundings.
*Crekk* *Crekk*
Suddenly, unnerving rasping sounds echoed through the passage, growing louder with each step he took. As he rounded a bend, his eyes narrowed upon seeing the sight before him.
Creatures resembling big spiny, armored crabs, each the size of a dog, revealed themselves in a grotesque display of hostility, their spiny, armored bodies clinging to the walls of the chamber like malignant growths.
Their beady, malevolent eyes glared down at Asher, while their sharp pincers clicked and clacked in anticipation. They seemed to sense an intruder coming in and was preparing to bleed him to death.
Asher muttered their name, "Bone Spikers," as he recalled the information he had heard about these deadly parasites. Each of their spikes could even impale a Soul Slayer easily.
He felt as if the Kraken was like a big house for these creatures. He could only hope that there wouldn't be too many before he runs out of mana.
But sensing the strength of these Bone Spikers, he didn't lower his guard, since each of them were strong as a Soul Slayer!
He was a low level Soul Hunter now, and he was confident of killing these dozen Bone Spikers. Still, killing them would burn some of his mana and he didn't like that.
The Bone Spikers flexed their carapaces, and with an ominous crackling sound, they began launching a barrage of razor-sharp bone spikes at Asher.
Asher's eyes widened as he tried to dodge them. The projectiles whizzed through the air, narrowly missing him as he ducked and dodged to avoid their deadly assault.
"Damn it!" But unfortunately, his DEX and INT was significantly weakened because of Rakshasa's power, making him unable to be fast enough to dodge two bone spikes that lodged into his arm.
"Now you all are asking for it," Asher said with a low growl as he pulled out the two bone spikes, revealing two bleeding holes on his arm. He realized he shouldn't rely on his DEX to dodge their spikes but instead take the fight to them. Since they seem to depend on only ranged attacks, they would be weaker up close.
However, the Bone Spikers had no intention to let him rest as they flexed their carapaces to release another round of bone spikes at him.
But right at that moment, all four ring blades in Asher's hands blazed with dark green flames as he charged forward while throwing all four blades into the air, cutting through the spikes before whizzing towards the Bone Spikers.
He scoffed as he was expecting to cut down some of these Bone Spikers with a single throw of his blades.
But his smile stifled when a sudden sense of danger crept up on him.
Dark, writhing tendrils, seemingly spawned from the very shadows, lashed out at him from nowhere and without warning.
"Fuck!" He gritted his teeth as they twisted and coiled around his arms and legs, gripping him with an unnatural strength that left him struggling to break free!
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