Chapter 27: The Roar at Dusk Valley
Tigram had just made the bold decision to venture into the perilous Dusk Valley, his eyes firmly set on reaching the center. As he advanced through the valley, he was relentlessly pursued by low-level Iron stage mobs, each eager to take him down. Despite their overwhelming numbers, Tigram fought fiercely, his axe cleaving through monster after monster.
The sound of clashes echoed throughout the valley as Tigram pressed forward with unwavering determination. His focus was unyielding, his eyes locked on his goal. With each monster he vanquished, his ranking points surged higher, eventually reaching an impressive 800 points. This indicated that he had successfully taken down at least 80 mobs during his relentless onslaught.
But Tigram's journey was far from over. As he pushed further into the valley, he suddenly encountered a massive beast, towering over him like a mountain. Recognizing the danger, Tigram refrained from charging in recklessly. Instead, he cautiously kept his distance, carefully assessing the creature's status in search of any weaknesses he could exploit.
...
[Name: Earth Bear]
[Health Points: 30,000/30,000]
[Mana: 3000/3000]
[Physical Attack: 1050–1100]
[Defense: 400]
[Rank: Bronze Stage ★]
[Skills: Earth Grip, Gravity, Earth Armor, Intimidate]
[Description: As the bear emerged, its imposing presence loomed like a towering mountain, radiating a formidable aura of the wilderness. The very air around it seemed to thicken, paying homage to its immense strength and might. Its defense was nearly impregnable, leaving little chance for any unwarranted intrusion.]
...
As Tigram read the Earth Bear's status, his heart pounded in his chest. A wave of fear washed over him, turning his face pale as he cursed under his breath. Frustration and agitation took hold, causing beads of sweat to form on his brow.
Before he could make a move, something unexpected shoved him from behind, forcing him to stumble forward and step into the monster's detection radius. As he looked up, Tigram's eyes widened in terror. A cold sweat trickled down his spine as he found himself face-to-face with the colossal beast.
His mind raced, and he knew he had to act quickly. "Run!" he screamed internally. Without a second thought, Tigram turned and sprinted away from the monster as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't care in which direction he fled; all that mattered was escaping the beast's wrath and surviving the encounter.
But as he ran, the Earth Bear awoke, furious that someone had disturbed its slumber. The monster erupted in a deafening roar, shaking the ground beneath Tigram's feet.
BOOM!!!
The ground quaked violently, nearly causing Tigram to lose his balance. He could feel the monster's rage mounting as it began its relentless pursuit. Tigram ran for his life, too terrified to look back.
...
In a spacious room outside the Mysterious Realm, chaos erupted as alarms blared, signaling the Earth Bear's chase. The normally composed Principal Dalhmer couldn't suppress a curse under his breath as he realized the gravity of the situation. As the leader of the Academy, he knew all too well what the alarm signified and wasted no time in entering the Mystical Realm.
With a sense of urgency, Dalhmer navigated the mystical terrain, determined to locate and rescue the student or students who had triggered the alarm. The fate of those students now rested on his shoulders, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure their safety.
...
Gabriel heard the deafening roar echo through the forest, and he knew immediately that whoever had alerted the beast was in grave danger. Without hesitation, he sprinted towards the source of the sound, his heart pounding with adrenaline.
As he ran, the sound of something massive crashing through the undergrowth reached his ears. Glancing over his shoulder, Gabriel saw a towering beast, its muscles rippling as it barreled towards him and the person he was trying to save.
His eyes locked onto a figure running parallel to him, more than a hundred meters away. The figure was desperately trying to outrun the beast, but it was gaining on them with terrifying speed.
Driven by determination, Gabriel closed the distance between himself and the figure. Recognizing who it was, he immediately sent a party invitation, hoping it would increase their chances of survival in this dire situation.
...
Tigram's body was drenched in sweat, his energy rapidly depleting. His mind was blank, consumed by a single thought: to run.
As he stood there, paralyzed by indecision, a notification sound broke through his haze. He quickly checked it and saw a party invitation.
Without bothering to see who had sent it, he declined the invitation, his mind too scattered to focus on anything else.
Suddenly, a voice shouted at him, snapping him out of his daze. "IDIOT! Accept the party invitation!" the person yelled.
Tigram turned to see who had yelled, and to his surprise, he saw Gabriel—someone he had always tried to outdo. Gabriel was running toward him, frustration etched on his face.
"You're the idiot! Can't you see the situation I'm in right now? I don't have time for your antics!" Tigram yelled back at Gabriel, his voice laced with exasperation.
At that moment, the beast that had been chasing Tigram let out another earth-shaking roar, sending a chill down his spine.
...
In the Dusk Valley, the Earth Bear roared for the first time, its deafening cries reverberating through the darkened landscape. Amidst the chaos, the shadowy figure of a man could be seen hiding, his breathing heavy, heart pounding with fear.
As a well-informed student, he was fully aware of the dangers lurking in the valley. The moment he heard the bear's roar, he ran without hesitation, his eyes darting frantically as he searched for a safe place to hide.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally found a spot where he could take cover. The man let out a sigh of relief, thankful to have escaped the bear's wrath—at least for now.
But his relief was short-lived. "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath. "Who's the idiot that dared disturb a boss monster?" Despite his fear, anger bubbled up within him, directed at whoever had provoked the bear.
"F*ck his sh*t, I'm gonna kill him, whoever that f*cker is."
...
As Dave ventured deeper into Dusk Valley, his excitement grew with every step. A horde of enemies lay before him, all at the 1★-Iron stage, yet their sheer numbers presented him with a perfect opportunity to climb the rankings.
Without hesitation, Dave threw himself into the fray, his sword a blur as he cut down monster after monster. His relentless assault resulted in at least 90 kills, and his score surged by 900 points. He noted with satisfaction that his experience bar had risen to 1407/2000, leaving only 30% before leveling up.
As he caught his breath, Dave opened his Ranking Points.
[Name: Dave Blake
Place: Third
No. of Kills = 109 - Iron ★, 11 - Iron ★★, 5 - Iron ★★★, 2 - Iron ★★★★★
Points = 1560
Class: Warrior-Type, Swordsman]
Despite his increased points, Dave was still in third place. Although it irritated him, he pushed the annoyance aside, refocusing on the task at hand.
But suddenly, a loud roar shattered the silence, followed by an earth-shaking explosion that sent shockwaves through the valley. The ground trembled beneath him, and Dave instinctively bolted from his position, searching for a safe place to hide.
...
As the sun set over Dusk Valley, two figures could be seen running side by side. In the distance, a massive bear pursued them with relentless fury.
"Just shut up and listen to me!" Gabriel snapped at Tigram. "Do you think I'd be here without a plan? Do you honestly think I'd risk my life for someone like you without a strategy?"
Tigram fell silent at Gabriel's words. Though unwilling, he knew he had no choice but to trust Gabriel in this dire moment.
"Accept the invitation," Gabriel urged.
[Prompt! Gabriel invites you to a Party! Y/N?]
With no time to waste, Tigram clicked "Yes" and turned to Gabriel. "So, what now?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Gabriel's skills had cooled down by then, and he quickly cast his buffs again, ready for the impending battle.
[Damage Up] Experience Effect! Increase Magic Attack!
[Shield] Experience Effect! Blocks damage 3x the caster's HP!
[Immunity] Experience Effect! Immune to negative buffs!
[SpeedUp] Experience Effect! Increase movement speed!
As Tigram witnessed Gabriel's impressive array of buffs, he was left speechless, a mixture of awe and agitation brewing within him. Gabriel's skills were all area-of-effect, and as he explained, the Shield buff he had just cast on Tigram created a protective barrier around him. This barrier could withstand a significant amount of damage, calculated as three times Gabriel's HP. Gabriel pointed to the shimmering barrier surrounding Tigram, emphasizing its strength and durability before continuing to speak.
"The Shield can take up to four full-force attacks from the monster. I want you to engage the beast while I provide support and deal additional damage. If things get critical, we'll switch roles, and I'll tank the monster's attacks. Remember, you can handle its normal attacks, but avoid its skills at all costs!"
Tigram looked at Gabriel silently, nodding in agreement. After a brief moment, they began their operation, dashing towards the Earth Bear.
Gabriel acted quickly, activating his talent and selected the data he had pre-set in advance. He then cast [Demons Curse (☯️) ] on the Earth Bear, giving it multiple de-buffs. He followed that up with another skill, [Darkness Grip (☯️)], which was a mutated form of [Tail Wind].
[ Darkness Grip]: Decreased the movement speed of all enemy units by 30%.
Duration: 5 minutes
Mana Cost: 30
Cooldown: 5 seconds]
[ DamageReduce] Experience effect! Reduced Physical Attacked
[GuaranteedHit] Experience effect! Damage equal to 3x the caster HP taken cannot be dodged of any form.
[Silent] Experience effect! Cannot use skill for a duration.
[SpeedDown] Experience effect! Reduce movement speed.
As Tigram witnessed the series of prompt multiple de-buff spells that were cast towards the bear, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of shock and frustration. He let out a curse word unknowingly, muttering "F*ck" under his breath.
Despite his outburst, Gabriel remained focused on the task at hand and cast the [Curse Totem (☯️)] towards the bear.
[ Curse Totem Level 3(☯): Summons a totem full of curse and suck the life out of all the enemy near the totem (radius of 20m) for a duration of time, causing continuous damage. The relic summoning process will heal all friendly unit around the caster (radius of 20m).
Damage per second = {(B. level + INT+VIT)/2 x Skill Level x 10 x (1 + HealingEffect%) + Matk}
AOE Damage = {Skill x (MAtk x MagicPEn)}
Damage Duration= 5 seconds
Mana Cost = 150
Cooldown = 4 seconds]
"Now!" Gabriel shouted.