CHAPTER 24

"Conditions satisfied, activated skill: <Krystallite > level 1. Title: <True Krystallite> and <The Shadow> have been activated. Extra 500 skill points have been rewarded. Acquired the skills: <Ultra-speed Regeneration> level 1, <MP Super-speed Recovery> level 1, <Stamina Ultra-speed Recovery> level 1, <Energy Conferment> level 1, <Shadow Slash> level 1, <Shadow Magic> level 1, <Shadow Play> level 1, <Material Creation> level 1, <Material Absorption> level 1, <Energy Absorption> level 1, <Energy Transfer> level 1, <Energy Concentration> level 1, <Pain Super-Resistance> level 1, <Pain Super-Mitigation> level 1, <Status-Condition Super Resistance> level 1, <Thermal Nullification> level 1, <Elemental Super-Resistance> level 1, <All Senses Super-Enhancement> level 1, <Shadow Super-Enhancement> level 1, <Probability Super-Correction> level 1, <Thought Super-Acceleration> level 1, <Parallel Thinking> level 1, <Telescopic Sight> level 1, <Lesser Immortality> level 1.

Skills: <HP Regeneration> level 8 and <Greater Endurance> level 4 have been incorporated into <Ultra-Speed Regeneration> level 1. <Ultra-Speed Regeneration> has risen from level 1 to level 2.

Skills: <MP Regeneration> level 6 and <MP Drain Reduction> level 6 have been incorporated into <MP Super-Speed Recovery> level 1. <MP Super-Speed Recovery> has risen from level 1 to level 4.

Skills: <Stamina Regeneration> level 9 and <Stamina Drain Reduction> level 8 have been incorporated into <Stamina Ultra-Speed Recovery> level 1. <Stamina Ultra-Speed Recovery> has risen from level 1 to level 4.

Skill: <Dark Magic> level 7 has been incorporated into <Shadow Magic> level 1. <Shadow Magic> level 1 has risen to level 3.

Skill: <Dark Slash> level 14 has been incorporated into <Shadow Slash> level 1. <Shadow Slash> has risen from level 1 to level 5.

Skill: <Pain Resistance> level 8 has been incorporated into <Pain Super-Resistance> level 1. <Pain Super-Resistance> has risen from level 1 to level 4.

Skill: <Pain Mitigation> level 3 has been incorporated into <Pain Super-Mitigation> level 1. <Pain Super-Mitigation> has risen from level 1 to level 2.

Skills: <Enhanced Poison Resistance> level 5 and <Exhaustion Resistance> level 4 have been incorporated into <Status-Condition Super-Resistance> level 1. <Status-Condition Super-Resistance> has risen from level 1 to level 3.

Skill: <Thermal Resistance> level 8 has been incorporated into <Thermal Nullification> level 1. <Thermal Nullification> has risen from level 1 to level 4.

Skill: <Elemental Resistance> level 7 has been incorporated into <Elemental Super-Resistance> level 1. <Elemental Super-Resistance> has risen from level 1 to level 3.

Skill: <All Senses Enhancement> level 2 has been incorporated into <All Senses Super-Enhancement> level 1.

Skills: <Shadow Super-Enhancement> level 1 and <Child of the Dark> level 5 have combined into <Child of the Shadows> level 2.

Skill: <Probability Correction> level 3 has been incorporated into <Probability Super-Correction> level 1. <Probability Super-Correction> has risen from level 1 to level 2.

Skill: <Thought Acceleration> level 6 has been incorporated into <Thought Super-Acceleration> level 1. <Thought Super-Acceleration> has risen from level 1 to level 3.

Skill: <Dark Attack> level 6 has evolved into <Shadow Attack> level 2.

Due to the effects of skill: <Krystallite >, acquired the skill: <Dragon Scales> level 1.

All core stats have been boosted: HP: 2135/2135, MP: 2515/2515, Stamina: 2880/2880, Strength: 927, Defense: 1387, Speed: 1576, Energy: 100% (540240/540240 units)."

"This is not how I told you to wake me up." Sapphire sighed getting up and rubbing her eyes. "But still, just what? Half of it sounds like I am not even supposed to have it. If I was to use Draconic Power and Intimidation now I could easily kill even that Goblin King in a fair fight."

Sapphire stood up and stretched her body while yawning. Some time still remained till sunrise, and around just as much time before Winter woke up from Sapphire's guess. I better go hunt right away, Sapphire sighed.

A loud noise from afar caught her attention as she searched for prey. Climbing onto a tall tree she looked around to find the source of the commotion.

Might as well use this new skill, Telescopic Sight. As she activated her skill her vision zoomed in where she was looking.

Okay this is disorienting. Sapphire sighed as she deactivated it.

She could see even without the skill the smoke rising from the town where they were just last night. Some of the buildings were clearly on fire and some even collapsed, debris scattered everywhere. Sapphire tilted her head in confusion, wondering what might have caused it.

Appraisal?

"Fire Dragon (female), name: Blister, level 47, HP: 20123/21380, MP: 35032/37000, Stamina: 24395/28000, Strength: 6925, Defense: 8724, Speed: 2604(Aerial) & 693(Terrestrial), Hunger: 78%, Skill points: 3600. Skill Appraisal Failed."

Why is something like that even here? Sapphire wondered.

"List of possible reasons: stolen egg, provocation, seeking revenge for fallen kin."

Didn't know you could do that now, but thanks for telling. If it is one of the last two then I think I am most likely safe, but if it is the first one then it will attack me the moment it notices me.

"Threat Alert: Danger from behind and above. Threat Info: Fire Dragon Breath Attack."

Why am I even alive? Sapphire groaned.

Using Shadow Movement she teleported to another nearby tree, away from Winter so the dragon doesn't notice her. The dragon turned towards her and roared in anger, ascertaining to Sapphire that it was the first reason.

The dragon's ruby red scales glimmered in the slight amount of light that came from the sun which barely started peeking out from the horizon. Two gray horns adorned its head, along with many gray spikes along its spine and tail. It possessed large black claws on its talons and grayish murky eyes, four strong limbs to aid the claws in their work. Flames formed in its mouth as it opened it and fired a breath attack towards Sapphire.

I wonder how strong my thermal resistance is. Sapphire wondered, making no attempt to dodge the attack.9

The breath attack set the forest around her and the tree she was on ablaze. Flames lapped around her body even after the breath attack. Only the main hit of the breath attack having done any damage however, the flames that remained after were too weak to harm her.

"Midnight wolf (Ambusher) (female), name: Sapphire, level 6. HP: 1432/2135, MP: 2515/2515, Stamina: 2880/2880, Strength: 927, Defense: 1387, Speed: 1576, Energy: 100% (540240/540240 units), Skill points: 500."

Still not strong enough, Sapphire sighed.

"HP: 2135/2135, Energy: 99% (540116/540257)."

I will have to see about that energy thing later. First, time to hunt. Sapphire smiled as she unsheathed both her katana.

The fire dragon charged another breath attack as it hovered at the same spot. Opening her mouth, Sapphire charged her shadow pulse, unleashing it just as the dragon unleashed its breath attack. Both the attacks collided in mid-air, but the shadow pulse only succeeded in weakening the breath attack, weakening it enough for it to cause no damage to Sapphire.

The tree Sapphire stood on reached its limit however, and the fire dragon showed no sign of wanting to come closer to the ground. Reaching it by jumping did not seem to be an option either, and she didn't have wings to fly and reach it.

Appraisal, acquire the skill Dimensional Maneuvering.

"Expended 800 skill points to acquire the skill <Dimensional Maneuvering> level 1."

"If you won't come to me, then I will just come to you." Sapphire snarled as she launched herself off the crumbling tree into the air.

The dragon gave an amused look as she failed to reach it by a long distance. As Sapphire lost her upwards momentum a blue translucent platform of mana formed right below her feet. Sapphire launched herself off it and another formed at a similar timing. The dragon roared as Sapphire slowly closed the distance between them, realising it no longer remained unreachable.

Activate Draconic Power.

"Activated skill: <Draconic Power> level 7."

I didn't realize when it levelled to level 7, maybe while I was asleep, somehow.

"Midnight wolf (Ambusher) (female), name: Sapphire, level 6. HP: 3630/3630, MP: 4268/4276, Stamina: 4896/4896, Strength: 1576, Defense: 2358, Speed: 2679, Energy: 100% (918510/918510 units)."

The sudden boost in Sapphire's speed startled the dragon and it flapped its wings to get away as it charged a breath attack. Sapphire moved towards it at full speed, not paying any mind to its breath attack. The dragon shot its breath attack at Sapphire as she continued moving towards it. Just as the attack was about to hit her, she disappeared from there. The dragon let out a confused growl, not noticing Sapphire appearing right behind it.

Poison attack and Lightning attack.

Sapphire slashed at the dragon's back with the two attacks, causing it to roar in pain and fury. It lashed its tail at Sapphire and knocked her away. She used a vertical platform to kill her momentum, though it did end up hurting her slightly. The dragon was visibly having trouble to keep itself in flight as the paralysis affected its body.

It must have high resistance to keep flying even after that.

Four magic circles appeared around the fire dragon as it begun casting fire magic. Sapphire sheathed her older katana and raised her newer katana to the right side of her head, gripping it with both her hands. The dragon roared as it let loose its fire magic.

Shadow Slash.

Sapphire swung her katana in a horizontal arc just as four large fireballs were shot out of the magic circles. The slash looked similar to a dark slash, but went much farther than it and was much wider. It sliced the four fireballs, causing them to explode halfway from reaching Sapphire, and then slashed the dragon's chest, causing the dragon to flail in the air for a moment before regaining its balance.

It glared at Sapphire as it now summoned ten magic circles around it, opening its jaws for a breath attack along with them. Six magic circles formed around Sapphire as she again raised her katana in the same stance.

Energy transfer and concentration, 1% to each Shadow Spear, 4% to the Shadow Slash.

Dark blue and black lines shot through her arms and her katana as Sapphire used her skill. The magic circles were also not the usual black of Dark and Shadow magic, but possessed blue lines amongst the black patterns.

The dragon unleashed its spells and breath attack just as Sapphire let loose hers. The four shadow spears pierced through four of the fireballs and embedded themselves into the fire dragon's body, shortly followed by the Shadow Slash which destroyed other 4 fireballs and blocked the breath attack. The remaining two fireballs hit Sapphire, though did not do much to her.

"Fire Dragon (female), name: Blister, level 47, HP: 6282/21380.

Midnight wolf (Ambusher) (female), name: Sapphire, level 6. HP: 380/3630."

The fire dragon charged straight towards Sapphire with its jaws wide open. Sapphire barely jumped in time, only thanks to her Thought Super-Acceleration. It circled through the air and charged at her again, shooting a breath attack as it did.

My HP is too low to take that attack right now.

"HP: 1726/3630."

Okay never mind that. But still, not taking that attack, because it is too slow.

Sapphire easily dodged the attack by tilting her body to the side, the dragon charging at her almost instantly after. She jumped into the air, spinning her body and performing a Shadow Slash. The attack landed at the dragon's wing and it slowed down a fair bit, becoming slightly unstable too.

It charged at her again, and Sapphire did the same thing again. But as she did she failed to notice the magic circles. The Shadow Slash landed on the dragon's wing, completely damaging it, just as around ten fireballs hit Sapphire at once, sending both her and the dragon crashing to the ground.