Inferno Dagger ch14

Sorry readers for this late. Im going to lot things in this past 2 months.

After Captain Zolo returned to the tavern, he made his way to his room, needing rest for the challenges that awaited him in the morning. Tomorrow was going to be a chaotic day, and he knew he needed to be at his best. Meanwhile, Alaric found himself in his system's deep space training ground, where he was focused on honing his skills and increasing his abilities.

Reflecting on his recent battles, Alaric realized how much stronger he'd become. "Last time, that monster was nearly impossible to defeat," he thought, "but now, I can take it down in just ten moves." The progress he made was clear. Every time he defeated a monster, he received one point. If he could reach ten points, he could level up any ability he wanted. However, leveling up once required at least two hundred and fifty points, which was a daunting task. On top of that, for each monster he killed, he earned one ability point. Ten ability points could increase any of his abilities by one level.

As Alaric was engrossed in his battle, the system suddenly appeared before him with a new notification: "Defeat twenty monsters in ten minutes. Receive unknown gift." Alaric was shocked. He knew that defeating that many monsters in such a short time was a nearly impossible task. But the promise of a mystery gift was too enticing to ignore. Determined to achieve it, Alaric started attacking with renewed vigor.

After quickly defeating three monsters, exhaustion began to set in. His movements slowed, and his breathing grew labored. Suddenly, a monster attacked him from behind, but Alaric managed to dodge just in time. Now, the monsters were coming at him in groups, overwhelming him with their sheer numbers. He couldn't handle them all at once, and the situation became increasingly dire.

Focusing his energy, Alaric targeted the monster that had ambushed him from behind. With a precise strike, he severed its hand. But just as he did, another monster landed a heavy punch to his face, sending him flying several meters away. The impact was brutal, but Alaric, with grit and determination, stood up again. "If only I had a weapon," he thought, "this would be so much easier."

With the clock ticking and monsters closing in from all sides, Alaric knew he had to dig deep. He needed to push beyond his limits if he had any hope of earning that mysterious gift.

As Alaric regained his composure, he noticed the monster that had just thrown him coming straight at him with another powerful attack. His mind raced, searching for a solution, when his eyes locked onto something — a steel rod lying just a few feet away. "It's better than nothing," he thought, and without hesitation, he grabbed it.

Thanks to his previous upgrades in speed and agility, Alaric was now faster than the tier 1 monsters. As the creature lunged toward him with a punch, Alaric quickly dodged by dropping to his knees and sliding behind it. In a swift motion, he swung the steel rod with all his might, hitting the monster at the back of its head. To his surprise, the creature immediately collapsed.

In that instant, Alaric realized something important — the back of the monster's head was its weak point. One direct strike there could take it down. Without wasting a second, he took the steel rod and pierced it through the fallen monster's skull, killing it instantly. A familiar system notification appeared, awarding him one ability point.

"4 out of 20 monsters have been defeated. Time remaining: 7 minutes."

Alaric wiped the sweat from his forehead. The countdown was still ticking, and the challenge wasn't even halfway done. But knowing the weak point of these monsters gave him a renewed sense of confidence. He clutched the steel rod tighter, ready for the next wave of enemies, determined to complete the challenge and claim the mysterious gift that awaited him.

After killing the one monster, Alaric looked to his right and saw two more monsters standing there, staring him down. This time, instead of waiting for them to come to him, Alaric took the initiative. He gripped the steel rod tightly and rushed toward the two monsters. They charged at him as well, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground. As they neared each other, Alaric made the first move. He swung the steel rod hard, smashing it against the first monster's head and knocking it back several meters.

Without wasting a second, Alaric quickly assessed the situation. The second monster had already closed in and attempted to kick him from behind. Thanks to his increased agility, Alaric barely dodged the attack, feeling the rush of air as the monster's kick narrowly missed him. "That was close," he thought, quickly regaining his stance.

He immediately countered by swinging the steel rod again, this time striking the second monster in the neck. The monster staggered and fell, giving Alaric an opening. He didn't hesitate—he drove the steel rod deep into the monster's chest, finishing it off.

However, before Alaric could fully recover, the first monster he had knocked back suddenly lunged at him from behind. This time, Alaric couldn't dodge fast enough. The monster's punch landed squarely on his ribs, sending him flying several meters through the air. He hit the ground hard, gasping for air as sharp pain shot through his side. He coughed up blood, his vision blurring slightly.

After Alaric was thrown by the monster's punch, he struggled to his feet, his body aching from the blow. Wincing in pain, he muttered, "I won't go down that easily." That was his remark, a reminder of his relentless determination, even in the face of overwhelming odds. He understood immediately that he couldn't approach the monster head-on, not after the damage he'd just taken. The pain radiating from his ribs was too much, and it slowed him down.

As his eyes scanned the area for anything useful, he spotted something gleaming on the ground—a sharp, metallic object, almost knife-like. It wasn't much, but in his current state, it would have to do. Glancing back at the monster, he realized that his steel rod was still embedded in the chest of the other fallen creature. He hadn't forgotten to retrieve it—he simply hadn't had the chance before being thrown.

Before he could dwell on his mistake, the monster charged at him again, fists raised for another devastating attack. Alaric reacted quickly, grabbing the sharp metal shard and narrowly dodging the creature's punch by sliding to the side. In the same motion, he slashed at the monster's leg, causing it to stagger. He immediately followed up, jumping up and plunging the shard deep into the back of the monster's head. With a sharp cry, the beast collapsed to the ground, dead. A system notification popped up.

"One ability point earned."

Alaric took a deep breath, knowing that time was running out. The system flashed another reminder: "Time remaining: 4 minutes."

He reviewed his stats quickly in his mind. So far, he'd earned several points by killing monsters, and while his speed had noticeably increased, his attack and damage were still lacking. He had only one ability point, and he needed to make it count.

Alaric thought quickly, scanning his stats. Killing monsters had gradually improved his attack speed—each Tier 1 bronze monster he killed granted him a 0.1% boost in speed—but his raw damage hadn't improved. Knowing he needed to strike harder if he wanted to defeat the remaining monsters within the time limit, Alaric decided.

He allocated the point to increase his damage stat by two, feeling the surge of strength within him as he prepared for the next round.

"I can do this," he muttered, preparing for the fight ahead.

Alaric felt a new surge of power course through him as he rushed at the remaining monsters. This time, they fell like ants beneath his blade. In just two minutes, he had already killed ten more of them, leaving only ten remaining. Despite his newfound strength and the sharp metallic shard he wielded, Alaric knew he couldn't take on the five monsters standing to his right all at once. Even with increased damage, the odds were too steep.

Just as he was weighing his options, the system suddenly notified him of a partial reward for completing half the mission. Alaric was flustered. Why was the system giving him a gift at this stage? This didn't feel right—it wasn't part of the usual system's behavior. He wondered if the system was somehow intervening in his favor, perhaps sensing the difficulty of the task ahead.

Putting those thoughts aside, Alaric opened the gift, and his eyes widened in disbelief. Inside were two grenades. "Is the system helping me?" he thought, though he didn't have the luxury of dwelling on the question. Time was ticking away.

Without wasting a second, Alaric pulled the pin from one of the grenades and hurled it toward the group of five monsters. The explosion rocked the ground, instantly killing all five of them and earning him five more ability points. His focus sharpened. He quickly killed two more monsters with a single, swift strike, and the system notification appeared again: "17 out of 20 monsters defeated. Time remaining: 1 minute."

Alaric spotted another monster just a few meters away. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, delivering a single, lethal blow that felled the creature. He was so deep in the rhythm of the fight that he barely had time to think. Two more monsters stood beside the fallen one, and in a snap decision, Alaric threw the sharp metallic shard he had been using. The shard flew true, piercing the skull of one of the monsters and killing it instantly. The system chimed once more: "19 out of 20 monsters defeated. Time remaining: 5 seconds."

Heart pounding, Alaric frantically scanned his surroundings but couldn't see any more monsters. Panic set in as the seconds ticked away. Then, just as the clock hit 3 seconds, his eyes caught sight of a lone monster farther away than the others. Without thinking, he sprinted for the shard he had thrown earlier, grabbed it, and hurled it toward the distant creature with all his might.

The shard cut through the air, and just as the final second ticked down, it struck the monster dead. A system notification appeared: "Mission complete. All monsters defeated. Rewards earned."

Alaric exhaled heavily, relief washing over him. He had done it—just in time.

Alaric opened the gift with anticipation and felt a rush of exhilaration when he saw the name: Inferno Dagger, Silver Rank 3. His heart leaped in joy, and he couldn't help but marvel at his luck. "Receiving a Silver Rank Dagger at Tier 3 in the Bronze Stage? This is like a godsend," he muttered to himself, feeling invincible. But before his joy could fully take root, the system interrupted his moment of triumph with a devastating revelation.

A system notification popped up, informing him that due to the system's partial assistance during the mission, the weapon's capabilities would be decreased by fifty percent. Alaric's heart sank, his elation crumbling like a house of cards. The once-mighty Silver Rank 3 dagger immediately downgraded to Silver Rank 1, and all its stats were slashed by half.

Alaric stood there, feeling as if the weight of a mountain had been thrown onto him. He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling up. "I should've known," he muttered bitterly. "It was too good to be true." For a moment, it felt as though the world had betrayed him. His excitement faded into a hollow disappointment.

But as he forced himself to look at the dagger's stats again, a small glimmer of hope flickered within him. Despite the downgrade, the stats were still decent. His attack speed had increased by one percent, and his damage output was also boosted by one percent. And then, something else caught his eye—a special ability the dagger possessed: *Blood Thrust*.

The description sent a shiver down his spine. With every slash, the dagger would draw the enemy's blood, absorbing it to power up the weapon. Once it absorbed enough blood—reaching one hundred percent of its potential—the dagger would unleash a fatal blow capable of killing any enemy below Gold Rank. Alaric realized that even stronger enemies, like those at Silver Rank 3, could be taken down if he managed to charge the dagger fully.

A slow smile crept back onto his face. "Even though it's been weakened, this dagger still holds incredible potential," he whispered. He could now see its true value, and with the *Blood Thrust* ability, it was a weapon that could turn the tide in battle. His earlier despair melted away, replaced with newfound determination.

"This training is over for today," Alaric declared, exiting the system's deep sleep training space. As he emerged back into the real world, he summoned the dagger into his hand. The silver blade gleamed in the light, its edges sharp and deadly. He stared at the dagger, twirling it in his hand, and said softly, "You and I have a lot of work to do."

With renewed purpose, Alaric knew that this was only the beginning.