Chapter 46: Fire Versus Ice

Walking toward his enemies—an entire pack—clad in strong Ice Armor. Each of the Deowolves growled menacingly, threatening Eon if he insisted on approaching them. Eon, on the other hand, showed no signs of quitting; he was certain of his victory. Such ability to predict the outcome of a specific battle that he honed during his previous fights.

Eon spread his wings and rushed toward the formation of his prey, taking advantage of his superior flight speed. When they saw Eon approaching, the seven Deowolves moved and scattered. The Alpha Deowolf Fire Fang raised its head and howled to activate its skill, Fire Field, as Eon approached. A defensive skill that reduces damage from Fire, Water, and Ice elemental attacks for the user and all nearby allies. Damage reduction would be 20% at level 20.

Because of the skill's activation, the entire area was engulfed in flames. However, the fire that covered the area did not harm anything; even the leaves of the trees that appeared to be burning were unharmed. Simply put, it was just a visual effect.

The Alpha Deowolf Fire Fang then used its skill, Alpha's Challenge, a single-target crowd control that blinded the target, limiting their vision to only seeing the user. The only one Eon could see was the alpha Deowolf Fire Fang. The Deowolf Pyromancers launched their assault on Eon. Three Fire Blasts rushed towards Eon, but even after they exploded, none of them managed to hit him. When Eon detected the incoming attacks, he simply flew away.

Eon's sense of smell was so acute that even blindness could not deter him. He took off and flew toward the only visible foe in front of him. The Fire Field's 20% damage reduction was a particularly bothersome buff, so he chose to eliminate the one who activated it first.

[Lethal Augmentation has been activated.]

[Icy Touch has been activated.]

[Barbaric Rush has been activated.]

Eon dashed toward his target at breakneck speed. When the Alpha Deowolf Fire Fang realized Eon's plan, it activated its skill, Augmented Fang, which functioned almost identically to Eon's Lethal Augmentation with the exception that Augmented Fang was a fire elemental skill and would only activate once the user hit the target using the 'Bite' skill. In this case, the Alpha Deowolf Fire Fang possessed two.

As he charged, Eon lunged his right hand's claws toward his opponent. The mouth of the Deowolf Fire Fang, on the other hand, was engulfed in flames as it activated its damaging active skills, Blazing Gnaw and Augmented Fang. It lunged at Eon with its razor-sharp fangs.

Eon reached the Deowolf Fire Fang, and the giant wolf gnawed and burned his lunging right hand with its powerful attacks. But it didn't stop Eon's attack, and he used his momentum to strike the Deowolf Fire Fang's mouth. The ground beneath them crumbled as a result of their collision, as did the sudden blast of hot and cold wind caused by the impact of both of their attacks.

Fire versus Ice.

[Blazing Gnaw has dealt 1170 damage to your Ice Armor.]

[Augmented Fang has dealt 540 damage to your Ice Armor.]

[Augmented Fang has dealt 230 damage to you.]

Eon's entire Ice Armor crumbled and vanished into thin air. His right hand had been severed. He waved his wings to avoid the incoming attacks, including a massive line of flame from Flamethrower, one of the Deowolf Pyromancers' skills. Eon took off immediately to safety.

Ice Armor had the effect of receiving double damage from fire elemental attacks, which was its only weakness. The double damage, however, would never affect the user's HP; once the armor was destroyed, Eon would only receive the original damage.

Nonetheless, thanks to his dependable Vanguard, Eon survived a combination of attacks that few would.

In contrast, the Deowolf Fire Fang.

[Barbaric Rush has dealt 0 damage.]

[Lethal Augmentation has dealt 370 damage.]

[Icy Touch has dealt 341.6 damage.]

RACE: Deowolf Fire Fang [Level: 49/50].

HP: 138.4/850

The Deowolf Fire Fang repeatedly waved its head. A large portion of its head was frozen, including its nose and both eyes. It was still alive and could cry thanks to its fire element attacks, which kept its mouth from freezing as well, but... Death was a more desirable situation. It collapsed to the ground, shaking in pain. It could only cry. Even if it wanted to, it couldn't because the rules of its system didn't allow it to. As long as a unit had HP, it was still alive... Despite their agonizing situation.

[Ice Armor has been activated.]

[Ice Armor has 1710 HP.]

[Icy Touch has been activated.]

[Barbaric Rush has been activated.]

The three Deowolf Pyromancers attempted to approach their alpha, but Eon rushed in and touched the alpha's chest with his left hand—it was a painless death... Eon ended its agony.

[Barbaric Rush has dealt 0 damage.]

[Icy Touch has dealt 341.6 damage.]

Eon froze the Alpha Deowolf Fire Fang's entire body before standing up and looking around at his enemies. He wasn't blind anymore, and the Fire Field that reduced the damage of his Icy Touch had vanished.

[Deceitful Shapeshifter: a new form has been acquired. The Deowolf Fire Fang form is now available for use.]

The battle had only just begun...

[You have received 38 experience points.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have increased your Strength stat by one.]

[You have increased your Agility stat by one.]

[You have increased your Intelligence stat by one.]

[You have been awarded two skill points.]

[Your HP and MP have been replenished.]

Eon's severed hand regenerated, along with his HP and MP. He raised his right hand, revealing his newly reconstructed claws.

[Barbaric Rush has received two skill points.]

[The damage output and range of Barbaric Rush have increased from level 4 (320% of strength stat) (4 meters) to level 6 (430%) (6 meters).]

[Ice Armor has been activated.]

[Ice Armor has 1740 HP.]

[Vanguard has been activated.]

[Vanguard has granted you 290 damage reduction.]

[Lethal Augmentation has been activated.]

[Icy Touch has been activated.]

Eon was getting ready to launch another round of attacks. He didn't even give his prey time to mourn their alpha's death. However, as Eon walked forward, intent on killing, he was stopped by a powerful set of fangs that appeared out of nowhere. The Deowolf Shadow Claws gnawed Eon with their skills, Shadow Strike. Their pure black image was only revealed to Eon after he had already been attacked.

Furthermore, Eon was unaware of them. They were able to mask their odor so that Eon did not detect them... When he finally noticed them, their fangs were already stabbed into his body. Such surprise attacks would kill him if he wasn't careful enough to always reactivate his Ice Armor. The fangs of two of the Deowolf Shadow Claws gnawed Eon's neck, while the other crunched his stomach.

It was a lethal combination of attacks that only a few would survive... 

[Shadow Strike has dealt 532 damage to your Ice Armor.]

[Shadow Strike has dealt 532 damage to your Ice Armor.]

[Shadow Strike has dealt 532 damage to your Ice Armor.]

Eon was taken aback and knocked back for a few steps as a result of the attacks' momentum and force. While he was walking back, his attackers' three frozen bodies fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

[Lethal Augmentation has dealt 380 damage.]

[Icy Touch has dealt 438 damage.]

Despite their bodies collapsing, the Deowolf Shadow Claws' fangs remained attached to Eon's body, indicating how powerful their bites were. Their attacks were laced with rage and frustration over what had happened to their alpha. Unfortunately... Their method of exacting retribution was completely ineffective.

Eon won a battle that many would have lost without even trying. A battle style that suited him well, which he achieved thanks to his skill and stat sets. The strategy for winning with as little effort as possible. And it was thanks to this battle style, that he became the forest's fastest-growing creature.

[You have received 84 experience points.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have increased your Strength stat by four.]

[You have increased your Agility stat by four.]

[You have increased your Intelligence stat by four.]

[You have been awarded eight skill points.]

[Your HP and MP have been replenished.]

Eon took a step forward. The remaining three Deowolf Fire Fangs and three Deowolf Pyromancers were staring at him. Their worried expression indicated that they were aware of how helpless they were in their situation. Their alpha and three assassins were eliminated in front of their eyes like nothing.

[Deceitful Shapeshifter: a new form has been acquired. The Deowolf Shadow Claw form is now available for use.]

They were supposed to be one of the strongest monsters in this part of Kegali's forest, but in comparison to their opponent, who had lower levels than them, they appeared to be weak.

[Ice Armor has been activated.]

[Ice Armor has 1860 HP.]

[Vanguard has been activated.]

[Vanguard has granted you 310 damage reduction.]

RACE: Arcryonide Novice Barbarian [Level: 35/40] [Exp. Points: 1.6/25].

HP: 620/620

MP: 350/350

Top Speed: 70 km/h

Defense: 3

[STATS.]

Strength: 62

Agility: 35

Intelligence: 35

[DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]

Lethal Augmentation [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

Icy Touch [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

Barbaric Rush [MP Cost: 6] [Level: 6/20].

[NON-DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]

Deceitful Shapeshifter [MP Cost: 1]

Ice Armor [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

[Imitation] Vanguard [MP Cost: 40] [Level: 20/20].

[PASSIVE SKILLS.]

World Conqueror's Perception.

[Lesser] MP Regeneration.

[Lesser] HP Regeneration.

[Lesser] Mana Absorb.

SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 8