Chapter 264: On the Verge
Then, he drove his katana down with all his strength, opening a deeper wound that stretched along the creature’s spine.
The snake’s body stiffened for an instant.
Almost immediately, it began rolling wildly across the muddy hill in a violent frenzy. Mud, rain, and shattered rocks flew everywhere while the ground continued to shake beneath them.
"It’s slowing down," Yerin shouted, her eyes fixed on the widening wound across its back. "Everyone, hit that opening together!"
Arlok slammed both hands against the ground as mana surged through the earth beneath the snake, casting [Stone Pillars]. Thick stone pillars burst upward around its body and locked it in place for a precious second.
Cracks spread across every pillar as the monster tried to break free.
Bursting forward, Shima became nothing more than a streak of purplish light as she rushed straight toward the exposed wound.
Her falchion disappeared into the opening before lightning furiously exploded inside the creature’s body. The snake convulsed violently as smoke escaped from the wound.
Yerin followed right behind her, flames gathering around her sword until the blade glowed bright orange beneath the rain. She drove it into the same wound with both hands and twisted it deeper.
"Horren!" Yerin shouted.
Then on cue, three wind arrows flew at the same time, slipping through the burning wound before disappearing into the monster’s body.
A moment later, muffled explosions echoed from inside its flesh.
BOOM!
The giant snake’s movements became slower as blood poured onto the soaked ground.
Centering himself, Ruvian planted one foot against the creature’s back as mana gathered around [The Endseeker]. He raised the katana above his head before narrowing his eyes at the center of the wound they had opened together.
Ruvian drove the blade down with all the strength left in his body, piercing straight through the snake’s spine.
The giant beast froze where it stood as its body trembled one final time.
Then, its massive frame collapsed across the hillside with a thunderous crash that echoed through the rain. (+100PP)
[You have slain a ’Dreadscale Serpent’!]
[You have received +3 Mana Resonance!]
*****
After killing the snake, the rain continued to pour heavily from the dark skies above, showing no sign of abating. In the meantime, they also found a cave not far away and took shelter in it as the storm only got worse.
It was well into the evening now and the weather was not promising so there was little point in continuing their hunt. For this reason they met at the mouth of the cave and talked about what they should do next, before finally deciding to stay there till nightfall.
Besides, there wasn’t much reward in hunting voidspawn in such unremitting rain. The wet ground, poor visibility and the constant drain on their stamina would make every encounter far more dangerous than it had to be.
Rather than exhaust themselves for little gain, they chose to spend the remaining hours recovering their strength.
Arlok wrung the rainwater from the edge of his soaked shirt before letting out a long, tired sigh. The steady downpour outside only made him click his tongue in annoyance.
"Seriously, this rain couldn’t have picked a worse time, I was just starting to enjoy myself." He complained.
"Ha! We had so much momentum, I was starting to think we’d hunt every Voidspawn around here before the day ended. Now all that excitement is gone, and we’re just sitting around doing nothing. Boring."
Shima sat across from him, warming her hands by the fire. The flickering flames painted a soft orange light across her face.
Looking up, she gave Arlok a flat look.
"Quit whining, drama queen. We’ve done enough today. The other squads are probably stuck hiding from the rain too."
Arlok pulled a long face before leaning against the cave wall. "...Yeah, I guess you’re right," he muttered. "It’s just frustrating because we were on a roll. And don’t call me drama queen, shorty."
"Then, stop calling me, shorty."
Shima glared back.
Yerin sighed faintly before shaking her head.
Then, she added another piece of firewood into the campfire she had made. Horren quietly warmed his hands beside the fire.
"But eh, honestly, I don’t mind taking a break," Horren said. "After everything we fought today, my arms were already starting to complain."
Yerin quietly nodded.
Then, she looked up when she noticed Ruvian getting to his feet and walked toward the darker side of the cave, away from the campfire.
Her eyes followed him until he was almost out of sight.
"Where are you going?" she called.
Ruvian stopped and glanced back at the group. "I’m going to dry my clothes," he said. "They’re starting to get uncomfortable."
Horren blinked a few times. "Dry your clothes?" he repeated. "You can actually do that?"
Ruvian gave a small nod. "Yeah, I can," he answered. "It’s just a simple spell."
Yerin’s eyes brightened at once. She quickly looked down at her own soaked clothes before raising her head again. "Then can you dry mine too?" she asked.
"Mine too," Horren added while rubbing his sleeves. "I don’t think these will dry on their own before tomorrow."
Arlok immediately raised his hand. "Don’t forget me," he said.
Ruvian smiled faintly before nodding. "No problem," he replied. "I’ll do it after I’m done."
He pointed at himself with his thumb. "I’m going to clean myself first, then my clothes, after that I’ll take care of the rest of you."
Arlok frowned in confusion. "Huh? Clean yourself?" he asked. "Wait a second... is there a shower hidden somewhere over there?"
Shima slowly turned toward him. She rubbed her forehead before letting out a long sigh.
Arlok scratched his cheek. "What?" he muttered. "It was a reasonable question."
A soft chuckle escaped from Ruvian. He shook his head before looking back at Arlok. "Nah," he said. "I’m just using another spell."
Without saying anything else, Ruvian walked deeper into the cave. The shadows swallowed his figure after a few steps, then he found a quiet corner and began changing out of his soaked clothes.
*****
Ruvian stopped at the deepest corner of the cave where the others could no longer see him. After making sure he was alone, he gathered mana at his fingertips.
"Spirits of water, answer my voice. Gather into a gentle stream and cleanse all impurities."
Then, he finished the chant.
[Purifying Stream]
A clear stream of water appeared above his head and poured down like a gentle shower.
The water washed away the mud, blood, and sweat clinging to his skin without leaving a single drop on the cave floor. By the time it reached his feet, it had already turned into tiny strands of mana and faded into the air.
Ruvian slowly ran a hand through his damp hair while the spell continued flowing over his body. The cold water eased the soreness in his muscles. Even the dried blood beneath his fingernails disappeared within seconds.
While waiting for the spell to finish, he opened his [Runeheart].
His gaze moved past the other information and stopped at the number he cared about the most.
[Plot Points: 42,200]
Ruvian smiled faintly.
He had gained 12,100 Plot Points in a single day!
Part of it came from changing the outcome between Calyra and Rosalin, while the rest came from the Voidspawn they had hunted throughout the C4 region.
Yet, the notification he had been waiting for never appeared. He didn’t get any notification about his Relevancy Tier going up.
"Is it still not enough?"
Ruvian frowned slightly as he stared at the number before him. He had genuinely believed that everything he had orchestrated today, it would be enough to push his Relevancy Tier to the next level.
But apparently, that wasn’t the case.
"Haa... I was really hoping I could learn my next Editorial Skill before meeting the Great Spirit tomorrow," he muttered with a faint sigh.
"What a shame. I guess it can’t be helped."
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[Chapter 264: On the Verge]
Plot Points= 42,200