"We're a long way from home," he said, his voice barely a whisper, yet resonating powerfully in the unnatural silence, "It's going to be at least a year before we can go back."
His gaze then drifted towards Ceti who also had her sharp gaze land on him. His eyes locked onto hers, "We can't get back home unless we all work together."
At his words, Ceti sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes narrowing slightly, knowing that he was talking about her. Still, she gave a single, curt nod, understanding the weight of his words.
The silent agreement was broken as the message that the Quest for the Worthy had begun popped up in their minds, and the five set out in a tight formation.
[ You have discovered Yorkher Forest ]
Asher suddenly saw a tiny map showing up in his vision, revealing where he and his group members were standing and the surroundings within his vision.
"I suppose…we will have to keep exploring to discover the rest of the map?" Merina suddenly asked in a soft voice.
Asher nodded with a look of contemplation as he said, "Yes, and this map is probably the key to finding a way to forge a Deviar Crystal. So, let's set out and find it before things get worse."
Asher knew on the outside he was the weakest of his group and wished this quest didn't have to take place now.
But here he was, not wanting to let go of such a golden chance. He was also confident he could make up for some of the strength disparity with his own skills and abilities, though he knew he was playing with fate here.
Name: Callisa
Level: 27
Name: Merina Roul
Level: 21
Name: Ceti Roul
Level: 28
Name: Isola
Level: 31
Name: Asher Drake
Level: 20
Rating Points : 500 / 26,950
HP : 10,114 / 10,114
MP : 16,225 / 16,225
STR : 3931
DEF : 2023
INT : 3245
DEX : 1769
Talents :
[ Favored by the Night (3rd Stage) - When night falls, your HP and MP will increase by 10% (7/20) ]
[ Vengeful Lifestealer (3rd Stage) - When your HP falls below 30%, any successful attack from you will leave a cursed burning effect on your enemy, dealing 4% of your HP as damage and let you steal the HP they lost (9/32) ]
[ Hell Master (3rd Stage) - You can enter the Dimension of the Damned thrice in a day (11/40) ]
[ Cursed Summoner (3rd Stage) - You can summon only 4 damned souls and they would manifest with 20% of its original stats (3 / 40) ]
[ Cursed Mark (2nd Stage) - Upon using the Mark of the Damned, you will instantly sacrifice 45% of your MP. When your MP gets exhausted or revert to your original form, any being with the Mark will revert to their original form (6/40) ]
Talent (Active: Girgal -> -15% DEF -10% STR -20% INT ): [ Diabolical Speed (3rd Stage)- You possess Girgal's speed, increasing your DEX by 56% instantly (2/40) )
Talent (Active: Rakshasa -> -30% DEX -20% INT ): [ Havoc Arms (2nd Stage) - You possess the four arms of the Rakshasa, allowing you to cast multiple spells at the same time at 22% less cost (10/20) )
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 (25/30) (Cost: 1150 MP) (Cooldown: 60 seconds) (Cast time: Immediate) ]
[ Shadow Roots (3rd Stage) - Summon roots from the shadows to entangle and immbolize your enemies. Lasts 9 seconds (8/40) (Cost: 1600 MP) (Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds) (Cast time: 2 Seconds) ]
[ Chain of Despair (2nd Stage) - Your blades of damnation link with each other, transforming them into chain-like weapon for 25 seconds. Each successful attack weakens the DEF and STR of your foes by 2% of your HP and STR while increasing yours by the same amount. But by invoking this damned power you immediately sacrifice 50% of your health. Gained power lingers in your body for 1 minute (2/25) (Cost: 2750 MP) (Cooldown: 20 minutes) (Cast time: 5 Seconds) ]
Skill (Active: Girgal): [ Never Look Behind (Final Stage) - Teleport yourself right behind the person you look at instantly (Cost: 3000 MP) (Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds) (Cast time: Immediate)]
Skill (Active: Rakshasa): [ Rakshasa's Roar - Unleashes the powerful, terrifying roar of the Rakshasa that instills fear and chaos among your enemies. Upon activation, all enemies within a 30-meter radius around the Rakshasa have their DEX reduced by 30% and their ability to cast spells crippled for 6 seconds. (Cost: 3500 MP) (Cooldown: 10 seconds) ( Cast time: 1.5 seconds) (3/15) ]
The group moved cautiously through the undergrowth, the rustle of leaves underfoot the only sound amidst the all-encompassing stillness.
Since they were walking through unknown territory and dangers lurking around, the five were moving slowly while Asher had instructed Callisa to not make too much noise.
However, with her huge size, he was worried that they could easily be spotted.
*Krshhh…*
Suddenly, a rustle echoed through the forest, different from their own movements. Each of them stopped, their hearts pounding in their chests as they scanned the vegetation, but they saw nothing.
*Roarrrr!!*
Then, without warning, a primal roar shattered the quiet. The air trembled as a ferocious beast, nearly 3 meters long, materialized out of thin air. It had yellow fur and eerie yellow eyes with massive fangs and its expression bloodthirsty.
Name: Great Hound
Level: 5
Its sight locked onto Asher, it lunged for him with a terrifying speed. Asher was surprised since this beast somehow managed to hide itself behind the grass, though he wasn't worried at all.
However, just as he was about to react, it was met mid-pounce by a larger mass - Callisa.
"Kreee!"
The young Kraken, her 30-meter body a protective shield around her master and faced off against this beast with an angry screech.
With a swift movement, she knocked the relatively tiny beast off its trajectory, sending it sprawling to the forest floor, making the earth subtly tremble.
For a moment, everyone was still before they saw how overzealous Callisa was about getting her first kill in this quest.
Isola looked at the Great Hound and saw that it had already died and had its bones turned into mush with just a single attack from Callisa, not that she was surprised.
Ceti and Merina glanced at each other, feeling marveled by the speed at which Callisa reacted despite being so big.
They all walked towards Callisa while, with swift, terrifying grace, Callisa's giant pincers shot out, catching the Great Hound's neck in its deadly grip.
There was a sickening crunch as she snapped its head like a twig.
With a triumphant chittering sound, Callisa proceeded to tear the head off of the lifeless beast. Holding it up like a prized trophy, she dangled it before Asher and Isola as if eagerly waiting for their praise.
Asher chuckled with a smile, "That was a swift job, Callisa," he praised, giving a slight nod of his head. Isola, standing beside him, mirrored his actions but then gestured to her to get rid of the head. She didn't want Callisa to get her pincers dirtied by its blood.
While they were absorbed in admiring Callisa's victory, Ceti's gaze scanned the corpse, looking around it before shaking her head, "It dropped nothing. No loot. What are the Devils expecting us to do now? How are we going to survive for a year like this?"
Asher and the rest were also disappointed since even if it was a weak beast, they were expecting something to earn as loot.
"So if not even the creatures here will drop us any loot, will killing Hunters work?" Merina asked as she blinked her dark blue eyes, to which Isola nodded with a contemplative look, "Maybe."
She then looked at the corpse and added, "We also don't know what kind of monsters we might come upon. Maybe killing stronger ones might earn us something."
"We will probably get the answers we need after we spend at least a day here," Ceti said with a narrowed gaze.
At the same time, under the dense forest canopy, light and shadows played a fascinating dance of concealment.
It was a dance that was suddenly interrupted as a group of five Hunters stumbled into the small clearing where Asher and his companions were standing.
Their faces paled to a deathly white, as their gazes fell upon the towering form of the legendary Kraken, albeit smaller than the one they had read about. Their wide-eyed expressions mirrored a mixture of fear, disbelief, and the primal instinct of survival.
The two women in the group had their figures trembling like fragile lilies in a violent storm.
Their three male companions didn't fare any better, their faces distorted with fear as they turned on their heels, intending to disappear into the forest's embrace. They didn't even bother to look at the four demons gathered around the Kraken.
Just the Kraken alone can crush measly F-Rank Hunters like them into oblivion.
But just as they had turned to run, a cold and determined light flickered in Asher's eyes.
He could see the name of their group and the total number of Radem Shards they had.
His fingers disappeared into his robe and closed around as the Blade of Damnation manifested in his hands. Its emerald glow, an eerie reflection of his resolve, pierced the dense forest's shadows.
As if time had slowed, the ring blade flew, a spectral disc of death. The Hunters' oblivious to their impending fate, kept running, hoping the Kraken didn't take notice of them.
However, their desperate flight failed to outpace Asher's lethal aim. The blade's luminescence painted a streak of deathly green in the air.
Their desperate escape was quickly halted, their terrified shrieks echoing through the eerie forest as the blade closed the distance.
[ You have gained 16 Rating Points ]
Asher extended his hand again, and the sound of air being cut through echoed as his ring blade returned obediently, its emerald glow painting a bloody arc in the air.
Merina quickly sped towards the corpses to check for something.
Ceti raised her brows subtly, not expecting him to be so adept with his ring blade, killing those 5 Hunters from here.
This was the first time she saw his battle skills up close. No wonder he was leveling up so quickly.
From the fallen Hunters in the distance, a burst of shimmering light emerged, an ethereal dance of 50 Radiant Shards spiraling upwards. The shards, like translucent stars, drifted towards Asher, seemingly pulled by an unseen force.
Isola and the mother and daughter duo watched with glowing eyes as these 50 shards circled him, casting a radiant glow upon his face, before they were absorbed into his body, disappearing as though they were never there.
His body tingled as the shards transformed within him before a message popped up in his head,
[ You have received 100 Deviar Shards ]
His eyes glinted as he said, "We got 100 now. But who knows how many we need to forge one of those Deviar Crystals."
Ceti crossed her arms and said with cold resolve, "We just have to keep killing until we find out."
"It's bad, Master. The Hunters didn't drop anything else other than those Radem Shards," Merina said with a sigh as she came back after checking the corpses.
"Tch, now what?" Asher said as his fingers ran through his silver-white hair in frustration.
"Oh no!" Suddenly Merina gasped as everyone got a message pop up in their mind,
[ Warning! Blood Rain Imminent - 1 hour ]
[ Behold! The cruel crimson weep of Hell approaches. A deluge of corrosive sanguine falls not as a test, but as a purge. Beware, wayfarers of this dungeon, for the sky bleeds not in sorrow but in wrath. An unholy baptism that devours all that it touches. Seek not its touch for it brings not life but a slow and agonizing dissolution. The weeping hell bear the power to corrode flesh and essence, to dissolve the mighty and the meek alike ]
[ Find shelter before the tears of the underworld dissolves you into oblivion ]
[ Duration: 2 Hours ]
Just as when they thought things couldn't get any worse, their faces fell upon seeing this.
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