"A divine being? Don't shit with me. But what's with it's power? I see, so that's why I couldn't sense it's magic. Because it doesn't use magic, or rather it's magic has transcended the concept of magic itself, so that's what mana is." He thought.
He became speechless after realizing what he was up against. "Come to think of it when I took the stone out of the box I couldn't sense the immense magic I sensed from it earlier, does that mean the box brought down the power of the stone to the level of magic so it couldn't sense it?"
That's right, the box itself was a defense mechanism prepared should the Drakons ever infiltrate the temple. It brought down the stone's magic to a degree it couldn't be considered a divine artifact anymore, it was then used as a protective measure to prevent them from ever gaining access.
"Could this thing really be a divine being?" Just as two dimensional beings couldn't interact or sense three dimensional beings, humans couldn't sense the divine because they are said to be four dimensional beings as their magic had evolved into something incomprehensibly powerful, mana.
But in Renji's case it was different. "Come to think of it, back when I reviewed my status I saw mana instead of magic. What's it trying to say? I see, the reason only my attacks were always effective against the Drakons is not just because of my skills, I can use mana." He contemplated within his thoughts but was immediately interrupted by what happened next.
"What!?" The dark and ominous aura that surrounded the reptile increased exponentially, it reflected it's bloodlust and its hunger for his flesh.
[Notification]
[An urgent quest has been activated]
[Severe Blood lust has been detected]
[Defeat the enemy to ensure Mythic's safety]
[Failure to do so will result in an appropriate penalty quest]
[Enemies defeated: 0/1]
"What!?" Renji became dumbfounded. "How the hell am I supposed to beat this thing!?" Even with what he had in his arsenal, his victory was not assured.
"Give me that stone." The reptile spoke softly as it dashed forward at Renji.
BOOM!
The ground bursted into several chunks of rocks and pebbles due to the dark mana of the reptile. As it dashed forward at Renji, what followed was a ridiculously powerful wind pressure which uprooted the trees all around them and ripped the very grounds apart.
Renji's eyes were expanded in fear as what he saw prevented his body from moving an inch, in Renji's eyes the reptile was an incoming bolt of lightning from the sky. That was the only way he could describe it's speed.
It blitz past Renji in an instant, sinking its claws into his stomach just before his nervous system could even send a message to his brain.
"I-impossible." Renji uttered as he fell on his knees. "AHH!!" He screamed loudly as he succumbed to the excruciating pain of the necrotic toxin in the creature's claws. It was more potent and deadly than that of the lower-ranked Drakons.
"After you die, I will retrieve the Sphere of Aegis and I'll claim my price by destroying and devouring every single insect crawling within those walls." The reptile said, revealing it's end goal.
The veins on Renji's body turned purple, showing the fast spread of the venom through his body. He began losing his sight as his vision became blurry, he couldn't feel his body anymore as the toxin supposedly destroyed every cell in his body.
The reptile began approaching him after the fourth stage of the toxin had passed. "Now then, now that it's over." It reached into his pockets in an attempt to grab the Sphere of Aegis.
[Notification]
[Quest Rewards have been automatically received]
[You have received two rewards!]
[You have received an item!]
_________________________________
[(Long-lasting Buff) Mythic Longevity:
Grants the Mythic immunity to all toxins and abnormal conditions including the most severe diseases. Improved regenerative capacity.
[Mythic Recovery: Heals all external wounds and cuts instantly.]
____________________________
[Item: Drakon's Claw(level 1)]
[Acquisition difficulty: D-rank]
[Category: Dagger]
[Poison Effect: It restricts target's movement and neuro functions for a set time.]
___________________________________
[Mythic Longevity has been activated]
"Over you say?" With a weak voice, Renji spoke as his right hand instinctively grabbed the hand of the reptile.
"Impossible!" The reptile bellowed.
"Wind Dragon's Blast." He muttered under his breath as he emitted a large blast of wind at the reptile at point-blank. The reptile succumbed to the dragons roar as it took it head on and was launched backwards further away from him.
It landed harshly on the ground, using it's claws to regain it's stability as the dragon drove it all the way backwards. "Tch, Impossible... How can you still be alive? The poison should have killed you!" The reptile bellowed once more, it couldn't bear the thought of a human overcoming it's poison.
As Renji rose to his feet, a golden aura swiftly engulfed him and his veins returned to normal. He had been completely cleansed from the reptile's poison. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I can't die just yet, after all I did promise her I won't die."
He stretched his left leg backwards before bending forward as he added. "And keeping my word, is my Ninja Way!"
SWOOSH!
He propelled himself forward at the reptile, he didn't know how exactly he was going to defeat it but he definitely was going to try.
For the first time since their encounter, the reptile smiled. "You are a strange one mortal, fine then! I accept your challenge!" It dashed forward as well, using it's superior speed to it's advantage. Renji didn't realize what it had passed him, appearing at his back.
It aimed for his skull, attempting to end it all with this one fatal blow.
[Skill (Ultimate Perception) has been activated]
Renji's body moved on it's own, instinctively leaping backwards above the reptile's head allowing him to evade the fatal blow. The reptile grunted with frustration, driving it's other claw at him while in mid air. Renji's body in response held it's hand and used it to rotate his body in the air and executed a round house kick to it's face.
The reptile was driven backwards a few meters but it stood its ground, Renji's strength wasn't enough to knock it down just yet.
"What!?" The creature exclaimed in it's thoughts.