Chapter 180 - 179: Finale
Not only that, but the Ring of Resistance’s knockback effect also kicked in.
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s body slammed into an invisible wall, sending it flying back and crashing hard onto the ground.
With a loud THUD, the violent impact left it momentarily stunned.
"Hah..."
A mocking smile touched Zelir’s lips.
’I’m not that easy to slice up...’
He adjusted his posture in midair and landed lightly on his feet.
Without hesitation, Zelir raised the Night Peace Staff and fired another concentrated Aurora Energy Beam!
BANG!!!
The blue beam of death flashed forward, striking the exact spot where its head carapace had been damaged earlier.
This Aurora Energy Beam met no resistance, striking deep and injuring the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s true body beneath its shell.
Rampant Magic Power surged through the vulnerable wound, searing its skin and piercing its flesh. The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm was severely wounded!
"AWOOO!!!"
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s howl was filled with immense agony.
"Over here, you stupid thing!"
Marcus’s shield Charge arrived just in time. He slammed hard into the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s head, knocking it half over.
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s condition had taken a nosedive; it had grown considerably weaker.
Even the glow on its reinforced carapace had dissipated.
Maki brought his sword down in a powerful chop.
This time, the sturdy carapace couldn’t hold. He managed to carve a massive, splintering gash into it!
Valles’s Thunder Arrow followed up, digging into the fissure.
The Thunder Fighting Qi erupted, setting off a fatal chain reaction.
A web of cracks spread out madly from the fissure!
In an instant, the entire carapace covering the front half of the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s body was compromised as its internal structure collapsed.
Amid the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s despairing shriek, there was a loud BANG as its entire carapace peeled off and shattered!
Its vulnerable body was exposed. With its strongest defense gone, it no longer had anything to protect itself.
"Everyone, get back!" Zelir’s roar echoed.
Marcus and Maki immediately understood, leaping away from the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm.
This time, a divergent Aurora Energy Beam burst forth from the tip of the Night Peace Staff!
Now that its carapace was gone, even a non-concentrated Aurora Energy Beam could harm the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm.
The brilliant beam slammed into the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s exposed flesh, engulfing its entire head!
BANG!!!
The shriek was drowned out by the explosion as flesh and blood were instantly vaporized by the violent surge of Magic Power.
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s body writhed in extreme agony. For the creature, it was nothing short of torture.
As the glow of Magic Power faded, its life force dwindled like a candle in the wind.
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm was a pathetic sight. More than half its body had been blasted to a pulp by the Aurora Energy Beam.
Its flesh was in tatters, revealing the organs beneath its skin.
Even its hideous, circular rows of teeth were fully exposed where the flesh had been torn away, creating a disgusting and grotesque scene.
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm had all but lost its ability to move. Only the occasional twitch of its skin showed it was still clinging to life.
Maki stared blankly at Zelir, the astonishment in his eyes plain to see.
With a flash of cold light, Zelir drew his Fine Steel Longsword and walked right up to the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm.
He plunged the tip of the sword deep into its ruined head until the entire blade was buried.
"HSSS...!"
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm began to convulse violently, a rattling GURGLE escaping its mangled mouth like air from a broken bellows.
It was still struggling, as if trying to mount one last counterattack.
Zelir gave the hilt a sharp twist, completely destroying its brain.
The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm’s body shuddered as if electrocuted.
And then, it was over.
Quest complete. The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm was dead.
Zelir pulled out his Longsword and flicked off the green ichor.
On his status panel, a massive amount of Experience Points poured in, causing Zelir’s level to skyrocket!
Level 17 (358/500) -> Level 19 (63/550). He had leveled up twice!
He had gained a total of 730 Experience Points for killing the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm!
While not as much as the 810 points from the One-Eyed Giant, it was still a massive amount of experience.
He would have had to kill six or seven Difficulty-rated Demons to get this much experience.
Zelir allocated all eight Attribute points to Intelligence.
Power: 95
Agility: 105
Constitution: 98
Spirit: 119
Intelligence: 118 -> 126
Perception: 32
Charm: 55 -> 57
Lucky: 51
Talent Skills:
Technique Celestial Calculation
Magic Contract
’He could clearly feel that his use of the Ring of Resistance in actual combat was still a bit clumsy. Increasing his Intelligence would help him use it more smoothly.’
’Besides, practicing the Trigger Skill and constructing a Domain both required a high Intelligence foundation.’
’And most importantly... Magic Potion Refining!’
’That’s another considerable source of income.’
With the eight-point increase to his Intelligence, a wondrous change occurred in his sea of consciousness.
The complex Spell Structures of Level Five Magic became clearer. He could now easily trace their once-obscure circuit patterns.
Zelir’s control over his Magic Power had also improved significantly, which would surely help with learning the Trigger Skill and with the extraction process for the Alchemy of Magic Potions.
Even the analysis speed of his Technique Celestial Calculation had increased.
「On the other side.」
Gray was still fighting the Stone Maggots.
He swung his longsword, struggling to decapitate a Stone Maggot.
Even though Gray could kill one of these disgusting things with a single strike, fighting many at once was still a struggle. The siege from all sides forced him to be extremely careful.
A swift figure suddenly joined the fray. It was Maki.
His Heavy Sword whirled overhead as he stepped forward, unleashing a wide-ranging Vortex Slash!
The sword’s wind raged, clearing the area around him.
The attack’s kill zone covered a radius of nearly two meters around him.
At least four or five Stone Maggots died under Maki’s Heavy Sword, sliced clean in half!
"Whew... Thanks."
Gray wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at Maki.
Then, a few Flames shot past him, each one precisely blowing a Stone Maggot’s head to bits.
It was Zelir, casting Fractal Fire.
He glanced at his palm and nodded slightly.
’Mm... As I thought. The casting feels much smoother.’
On his status panel, his Experience Points had risen again.
Level 19 (63/550) -> Level 19 (88/550).
Once all the Demons were annihilated, the battle finally came to a close.
The passage was a wreck, littered with the remains of Stone Maggots and rubble from the collapse.
But unlike the tension from before, confident smiles now spread across everyone’s faces.
The party had completed their first solo subjugation of a Challenge-rated Demon, a truly significant milestone.
Demons of this tier were finally no longer untouchable prey.