Chapter 64: Beyond The Gates
[Dragon Slayer - Level 1]
[Rank: Epic]
[Conjure a javelin of pure silver. Its damage scales with your Magic stat at a 1.0x ratio. When thrown at dragons and dragonkin, it deals 100% additional damage.]
[Usage cost: 50 Mana.]
[Upgrade Dragon Slayer to the next level: 2,000 Evolution Points]
"An Epic skill!" Leonard couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer sight.
Gaining an Epic skill before he had even attained a class was unheard of! Not to mention how cool the name sounded.
Instantly, he inspected his status.
Name: Leonard
Level: 9 [Experience: 250/1,200]
Bloodline: Primordial
Vitality: 21
Strength: 20
Agility: 18
Endurance: 24
Magic: 30 (x2) → 60
Mana: 300 → 600
Skills: Lightning Strike, Dimensional Storage, Dragon Slayer
Attribute Points: 0
Evolution Points: 410
Traits: Accelerated Manaflow, Hardened Physique, Devoted Summons, Silver Blood
Titles: Lumberjack, Inquisitor, One Man Army, Lone Diver
His Silver Blood Trait doubled his Magic, which perfectly synergized with his new Dragon Slayer skill.
Although its mana cost was quite steep at 50 mana, which was half the cost of summoning Valor, it was his heaviest-hitting attack, since even with Titanic Oath’s boost granting him 18 Strength, it still paled in comparison!
Not to mention, if he was to direct the skill toward an actual dragon, the javelin’s damage was going to rise to a staggering 120 points!
"And all this because I gained Silver Blood?" Leonard mused and glanced at Valor. "Now it makes sense why you are so powerful. You must carry a similar, if not the same, Trait yourself."
Valor didn’t respond. He merely placed his greatsword with the tip toward the ground and awaited further orders.
Leonard nodded with a satisfied smile and recalled the summon. Even if his mana pool had doubled, it was still wiser not to waste his energy pointlessly.
As he made his way down the hill of scattered bones, a monster blocked his path. One of the skeletons had risen on its own and was slowly walking toward him.
[Level 9 Skeleton.]
"The perfect time to test Dragon Slayer," Leonard deduced.
He arched his back into a throwing position and felt the silver fragments in his blood writhe.
Using 50 mana, he activated the skill. A beautifully crafted javelin of pure silver materialized in his grip, the weapon’s tip pointed forward with lethal intent.
Pressure built inside his own body. The silver fragments urged him to throw it. He let the power guide him. The projectile split open the corrupt gas across its path and headed straight for the skeleton’s skull.
The monster’s entire head exploded a second later, unable to withstand the concentrated force. The monster dropped dead.
[You have defeated a Level 9 Skeleton.]
[All gained experience and Evolution Points have been doubled!]
[You have gained 50 Experience]
Level: 9 [Experience: 300/1,200]
"Such power... Befitting of an Epic ranked skill." Leonard whispered in awe and glanced at his palm, which was subtly trembling from the force alone.
He made his way back to where the party was, keeping his eyes peeled for potential Hollows popping up and attacking him.
"Bro!" Winston placed a hand on his shoulder, almost startling him.
"Thank God, you are okay! This chamber turned out to be so large that we had trouble finding one another!" Winston exclaimed. "At least seeing you now, I can rest easy knowing that you know how to spot the real Shards of Salvation on the ground."
Leonard responded with a nod. "How are things going on your end? The gas isn’t dispersing, so we might need to find a way to turn it off."
"Actually, I think we found something!" Winston’s face lit up. "Follow me, I can show you!"
He led the way, and Leonard made sure to stay close, lest they separate in the gas. Besides vision, noises were also muffled, making finding one another much harder.
"Look at this!"
Leonard’s eyes settled upon grand gates that lay sealed shut. Before them stood a large lever, where he noticed Harley, Elizabeth, and Russell.
"Fatty, did you really have to bring a Commoner of all people?!" Russell complained. "He will not make much of a difference in whether we can open the gates!"
There was a hint of anxiety in his voice. Seeing Leonard and his friends here wasn’t supposed to happen, as Martin was meant to use the moment to kill them.
Chances were that Martin had long since perished.
"Hey, my bro is stronger than he looks!" Winston barked back.
He wouldn’t have answered Russell so harshly if he had made fun of him, but insulting his friend was a step too far.
"Stop it with the infighting. We need to hurry." Elizabeth shot Russell a glare, silencing him.
"Elizabeth is right! We don’t have much time!" Harley coughed loudly.
Leonard didn’t ask questions. There was no need to.
He rested Titanic Oath on his back in order to keep the strength boost the weapon provided, and he placed his hand over the lever along with the rest.
"Pull!"
His muscles bulged with effort. Whoever made the lever ensured that moving it would require the combined strength of at least multiple people.
Even Elizabeth and Russell struggled, which was a rare sight. Still, with the addition of Leonard, their combined strength finally forced the lever down. It groaned in protest before giving way, activating the mechanism.
The gates in front of them slowly creaked open. The corruption gas inside the chamber was dragged out, clearing the room at long last.
"We are alive!" The rest of the party cheered in delight, having managed to withstand the effects of the corruption.
Their celebration was short-lived. Soon they spotted several Hollows among them.
Sadly, many of them had not managed to decrease their corruption with Shards of Salvation, and their numbers had decreased even further.
"Ridiculous. My fears proved true: Martin isn’t here." Russell clicked his tongue. "For all the talk he did, in the end he died by the corruption before fulfilling his end of the bargain."
Of course, Russell wasn’t sad that Martin had perished, only mad that, in the end, he hadn’t provided him with the benefits that were promised.
Regardless, he was going to act as if the deal between them had never happened, keeping it a secret.
They promptly put an end to the Hollows.
In the end, the party was reduced to just seven members: Leonard, Harley, Winston, Elizabeth, Cassie, Russell, and Brian.
"Damn my luck!" Russell cursed.
Almost all of his original party were dead. Cassie was useful as a Healer but too timid to do much else, and Brian was an average awakener at best. A case in point was when they reunited in the temple. He had already been injured quite badly in the shoulder by the Orc Shaman.
For once, nobody found Russell’s anger out of place. Everybody was discouraged by so many of their comrades dying.
"When the shaman vanished, she was close to the gates. Perhaps we can find her on the other side. Even with our corruption lowered, we still need to get the amulet to send the distress signal." Elizabeth reminded them.
After exchanging glances, the party moved forward toward the only path. Beyond the gates, they found themselves in a large, arena-like chamber.
At the center, a large blood sigil had been drawn on the floor, upon which a humanoid creature with scales rested patiently.
"Finally, the shaman has fulfilled her purpose. My meal has arrived. Since your journey must have culled your numbers quite a bit, I expect your flesh to be most tender."
[Level 30 Corrupted Dragonkin]