Chapter 89: Stubbornly Clinging To Life
The two let the cave’s shelter protect them from the violent rain.
Honestly, just the name Rain of Tomorrow was ominous enough to make Leonard want to stay as far away from it as possible.
"Is that the environmental monster, the so-called calamity Scarlett warned us about? This is the first time the system hasn’t specified a creature’s level, so it’s the only conclusion I could draw." He said aloud.
From what he understood, that meant regardless of the awakener’s level, they would be affected if they came into direct contact with the raindrops.
"What does ’Wandering Boss’ even mean? This is the first time I’ve encountered the term." He asked, throwing a glance at Elizabeth.
She remained silent for a moment, her icy eyes peering into the sky above, deep in thought.
"A Wandering Boss is a monster that isn’t bound to the existence of a single dungeon." She explained.
"They are capable of entering dungeons, though the threshold set by the dungeon’s grade still affects them... Not that it works in this case, considering that Rain of Tomorrow doesn’t have a level of its own."
Leonard wasn’t surprised by her knowledge. Being born into the Starlight household had its perks, with access to information kept away from the public being one of them.
When half the duration of Winston’s food buff had run out, the Rain of Tomorrow finally passed them.
The clouds followed the strong currents and drifted toward the horizon, taking with them the eerie presence they gave off.
After exchanging nods, Leonard and Elizabeth exited the cave and kept going.
Navigating the surroundings wasn’t easy. When they looked at the Stormlands from above, it was hard to distinguish the different mountains from each other, especially considering how far they truly were.
Regardless, they stuck to one path, fairly certain that they were on the right track.
Passing the bones left behind by the ogres’ fallen victims to the rain, they traversed the plateau until the echoes of distant battle reached them.
[You have encountered a Boss exclusive to the Death Zone!]
[Level 40 Elite Two-Headed Ogre.]
Leonard rubbed his eyes, making sure they weren’t playing tricks on him.
Out in the far distance, he saw a large tribe of ogres locked in battle with the Level 50 Griffin!
"They are fighting?" Elizabeth arched an eyebrow in intrigue.
It was a rarity to see monsters fighting among themselves, especially in such large numbers.
"So that’s why the dungeon has been inactive all this time, allowing the academy to keep it open for teaching purposes!" Leonard realized.
"Care to elaborate?" She asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Think about it. Dungeons aren’t inherently dangerous by themselves, but only when a dungeon outbreak occurs! In order for that to happen, the True Boss of the dungeon needs to rally the monsters within its domain before they strike our world!"
Leonard glanced at the faraway battlefield.
"However, because the Level 50 Griffin has been fighting the Ogres all this time, with neither side coming out on top, the monsters inside the dungeon are divided. With no clear leader among them, they can’t initiate a dungeon outbreak just yet!"
It was a stalemate, where two forces kept each other in check, preventing either side from going out of control.
"Essentially, a fragile balance that can easily be tipped to one side..." Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. "Then we’d better report this once we get back. Sooner or later, one force will overwhelm the other and spill out into our world."
He was momentarily impressed. Their survival was still uncertain, yet she was already planning what to do once they returned.
ROOOOAR!
Still deep in battle, two ogres spotted them from afar and charged toward them.
Elizabeth frowned. Not only was the advantage of stealth not on their side, but they also had to take on one monster each. She was, of course, going to be fine; her level was close to the monsters’ thanks to awakening much earlier than normal.
But Leonard was another matter entirely. For him to face a Level 18 monster meant he wouldn’t last long.
Despite that, there was no trace of fear in his gaze. He threw Elizabeth a reassuring glance before turning to face his adversary.
First, he called forth his two loyal summons. Joker and Valor charged by his side.
Next, he conjured Fireballs and sent them toward the ogre’s head, striving to blind the creature for good.
The monster reacted in time and used its giant club to shield itself from the attack.
However, that meant its vision was temporarily clouded.
Valor exploited that vulnerability immediately. He lunged at the ogre’s side, his greatsword stabbing deep into its stomach.
Leonard wasn’t a step behind, ready to use Titanic Oath to carve the creature to pieces.
ROOOOAR!
Screaming more painfully than before, the ogre retaliated, ready to crush him on the spot.
[Draconic Eyes actived!]
Yet Leonard proved faster. Peering into the future, he ducked beneath the blow and flanked his adversary.
His axe slit the monster’s throat, ending its life on the spot.
[You have defeated a Level 18 Ogre!]
[All gained experience and Evolution Points have been doubled!]
[You have gained 1,000 Experience!]
Level: 12 [Experience: 2,200/2,200]
[You have risen to Level 13!]
[You have gained 10 Attribute Points and 100 Evolution Points!]
Level: 13 [Experience: 600/2,600]
Leonard nodded in contentment and dumped all of the points into Magic.
Magic: 50 → 60 (x2) → 120
Mana: 1,000 → 1,200
Elizabeth had also finished with her foe. She subtly inspected Leonard’s condition, searching for life-threatening wounds. After she failed to find any, they stored the corpses and continued unwilling to face more foes nearby.
In order to proceed, they had to move through a mountain pass. One side stretched upward like an impenetrable wall, while the other sloped downwards like an abyss of death, ready to swallow the world whole.
They moved slowly, keeping one hand against the cold mountain wall, taking care not to fall.
"Is that blood trail?"
Looking upward, Leonard noticed bloodstains that stretched from the very summit, like something had been dropped below.
A little further ahead, he came upon a gruesome sight.
The baby Griffin its mother had thrown out of the nest, deeming it too weak to nurture, had fallen onto their trail.
Its wings were broken, its head caved in from colliding with sturdy rocks along the way, and one of its front legs was bent at an unnatural angle.
Yet, regardless of the damage inflicted by its one and only mother, the Griffin still stubbornly clung to life. Using its barely functioning body, it had crawled beneath the shelter of an overhanging stone, which had saved it from the Rain of Tomorrow.
"It’s still alive." Leonard whispered, seeing the faint rise and fall of its chest.
He drew nearer.
"They may be monsters, but that’s just plain cruelty." Elizabeth averted her gaze. "Are you going to put it down? It’s more noble to save it from its misery."
He didn’t reply. Instead of reaching for his axe, he took out a health potion from his Dimensional Storage.
Elizabeth’s gaze fixed on his back.
"Don’t tell me you..."
Leonard chuckled nervously.
"Listen here, no one has ever accused me of being smart."
He pried the Griffin’s beak open and poured the contents within without hesitation. Its body began to restore itself at a rapid pace.
[Primordial Bloodline stirs in your veins.]
[Your actions have saved the monster’s life.]
[Bestiary takes effect.]
[Would you like to tame level 1 Griffin?]