Chương 43: [BL] 42. Tier-2 Classes [1]

A riftborn could naturally be born with horns as its own natural Enhancer. Like an Ascendant class, any creature with it could take on foes higher than its level. Horned riftborn become targets of hunts since their horns, if ground down, can create a potion that might give the drinker the monster's own enhancer. Willow did not know if the Devil's actual strength would be close to Tier-three or not, but by the tense Tier-threes' reaction, she figured that could be the case.

The lanky creature bent forward, its limping arms stretching down into a dark, boneless thing that touched the ground. Its claw looked like it were made of night-glass as it pressed against the earth. Then, like a catapult, it threw its body forward, coming at them in a blinding zip and opening its body fully by extending its arms to the side. Becks reacted, swinging his great axe in one cruel downstroke that split the very air itself.

Wind gathered, then shot forward straight at the Devil, who leered with a wider grin. The creature came to a stop in mid-air. It jerked once, then stopped. Behind its back was a tail of shadows, three razor-shaped shadows that pierced the earth below it. The Devil sent one of its tails to pierce into a tree trunk on its side.

Before Becks' air attack landed, the Devil had already shot itself toward the tree and crouched sideways with its claws deep into the trunk and its three dark razor tails swaying like they had their own mind. It's the Lich razor all over again, but worse since this one doesn't need to hold them.

"I'm ready to fly," Josha shouted from atop his Pegasus. The horse's wings flapped, sending air billowing past Willow, tossing her and Leynah's hair around.

"No, it will just catch you," Leynah said.

"I can join him," Willow recommended.

"Bad idea," Becks said this time. He moved forward so he had space to swing his axe.

"Two against one, you will still lose." The Devil did not wait for them to plan around. It let out a small giggle and threw itself into another tree, making Becks have to run around the group to match the Devil's movement, which was far too fast as it pounced from tree to tree.

"Mark." An arrow mark appeared right above the Devil's body as it kept darting around. It suddenly stopped, wrapping its tail around a branch and pulling itself up, tilting its head. Its eyes locked on Willow from above, and another grin showcased its white teeth. [The Hunch Devil rejects your Hunter's Mark!]"Huh?" [The Devil's Bargain activated!] [The Hunter receives +10% all attributes!] It makes me stronger? [The Hunch Devil uses Hunter's Mark on you!] [You've been marked!] [Hunter's Dexterity -20%] [Hunter's Sense +10%] A symbol appeared above Willow's head. Instead of an arrow's mark, a target mark appeared—a symbol of an archery range.

"It returns my Mark!" Willow warned everyone. The Devil crouched with a hunched back, and a predatory posture took over its body as it exploded forward, blasting over the branch it stood upon and surging downward. Upon meeting the earth, it bounded forward with all four of its limbs, accelerating toward Becks, who fired another cleave. The Devil went from full speed to zero as it pierced its tail down, using one to propel itself sideways.

It came to a skid and burst straight at Willow, who fired a cold arrow, but the devil just bent its body down and kept going as the projectile whizzed above its head. Shera and Josha acted, with the former shooting a hand of mist which just dissolved apart by the Devil's speed. Josha's unicorn tapped its hind legs and bent its head down. Electricity gathered, and the Horned Pegasus unleashed a lightning bolt which the Devil dodged in a blur by propelling sideways again, but this time Willow's eyes followed it.

She shot right at the spot where the Devil would land, but without her Mark, her shot missed by a slim margin. That, however, stopped the Devil for a brief second, for Leynah to pounce upon it; this time the white-haired woman suddenly swung down a great claymore Willow had seen her use when her mind was controlled. The Devil brought its tail up, coiling all three around the great sword. Willow stepped forward, left the formation, and ran to her left to get a clear shot. She released the arrow.

The Devil, however, saw it coming; perhaps because of the mark. It ducked the arrow and slashed upward toward Leynah, but the woman had abandoned her great sword. Leynah unsheathed her rabbit sword and lashed toward the riftborn from the side. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

The riftborn threw away the sword, but its extra movement earned him a gash across its dark body, and blood welled up, although the creature glided backward before Lenah could do the worst to it. Its three tails wrapped around a branch and trunk, and it shot itself upward, hiding behind the tree. Willow clicked her tongue as the others covered her.

"I will force it here," Evan said. He opened his grimoire, flipping through the pages and settling on one. The teenager went into a crouch, laying the book open and slapped a palm on it.

"Fireball!" Ten Fireballs lifted from the page and swerved behind the tree, crashing upon the trunks, spreading flames through, and she heard a swish of flames behind it.

"It probably blocked it," Josha said.

"Should I go? I'm the fastest here."

"No, no need," Willow said. In the direction the Devil hid, the Olympyan finally arrived. An arrow of gold streaked through the dark forest and lanced through the tree trunk, but no blood followed it. The Olympyan Executioner followed with a gleaming axe that slammed right into the trunk, carving through half of the tree. When the tree bent and went into a slow fall, the Devil climbed upward, jumping to another tree. Willow fired her arrow. With her, multiple magic spells were unleashed as well.

The Thunder Pegasus fired another bolt, whilst Evan shot multiple fireballs. Against the barrage of projectiles, the Devil seized another branch, threw itself upward higher onto another tree, and twisted, slamming its tail to Willow's arrow, banishing it. Upon contact, blue splashes of frost seeped onto those dark tails. It did not defend against the Olympyan Archer's arrow as it lanced its claw deep into the trunk, and hurled itself into another tree, dodging the fireballs in the process.

If she could mark it, then Willow would already have fired her Hunter's Constellation… [The Squire took over to take Hunter's Mark over for you!] [Yes/No]"Apologies, my lady. It took a while to cast since it's Arcanery much higher than mine."

"You want to take over…"

"Willow! Let her!" Leynah billowed.

"Yes." [Hunter's Mark transferred to the Squire] [Hunter's Mark will no longer work on you as long as the Squire holds it.] [+10% Attribute to the Squire] Huh, not bad at all. But on the other hand, Krywen now would be an easy target for the Tier-two. Actually, she will be an easy target anyway, so it doesn't matter, Willow thought. Besides, she would be protected. So that means I can do this now, right?

"Mark!" The arrow marked appeared above the Devil, but then it flickered. [The Hunch Devil rejects your Hunter's Mark!] [The Devil's Bargain activated!] [The Squire's Siphon protects you from Hunter's Mark] Dammit. If she could have it, then she would just fly and try to go into close combat, but her Hunter class was not exactly meant for that… Actually, why wouldn't it? Her class was not an Archer but a Hunter; shouldn't she have more options than a bow? Willow shook her head.

That would be a problem in the future. For now she had another plan.

"I will pin it down!" Willow shouted, eyes following the Devil, who did not stop its movement from tree to tree, dodging every arrow she sent. The Olympyan Archer and Thunder Unicorn had no luck either. Shera's mist could not extend far up to choke the Devil.

"No, do not fly!" Leynah snapped as she roughly pressed Willow's shoulder like trying to keep her wings from sprouting.

"Look, let's try a different tactic. Master Becks! Protect them, I'll chase after it." Leynah hopped up and down, warming her legs, and her eyes were on the trees, perhaps trying to expect where the Devil would land.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning to fly," Willow said, earning Leynah's sharp looks. The woman was about to talk her down again, until she shut her mouth, drew a thin lip, and motioned for her to go on.

"Josha! Get ready to chase after it with Leynah. The Olympyan Executioner and Becks will stay here to protect everyone else."

"My lady," Becks started.

"How would you—""Ah!" Josha perked up, and he sent Willow a thumbs up.

"The rest of you stop your spells; only Shera may shoot her mist when it's down." Willow stepped forward, taking over Beck's position, but she made sure to be within his arm's reach just in case. The Devil's leer still had confidence as it hung upside down on a medium-sized branch attached to the middle of the thin trees that already bent downward and swayed in the wind. It must've been trying to get their rune down before it went on attack. Willow raised a finger, and the Devil did not intend to wait.

In a sudden movement, it sprang onto another branch and another as it leaped between them. The Pegasus whinnied, tapping its feet down in agitation.

"Mark." The devil stopped, craned its neck in confusion. [The Hunch Devil rejects your Hunter's Mark!] Willow exploded with light, and her Dark Wind mage robes replaced her Huntress' garb.

Seeing the transformation, the Devil chose the smart and safe option to swing onto another branch and was about to run along its length to hide behind a tree, but the moment Willow was about to lose sight of its body, her world vanished and she reappeared right behind the Devil—her weight pressing into the thin branches just enough to cover the width of her feet, and the creaky wood groaned. The Devil turned its body like a monkey and snarled at her.

It leaped forward; its claws and tail were lurching toward Willow, but the branches broke, and they fell mid-air. Amid it all, Willow's finger still pointed right to the Devil.

"Dissection." Dark wind danced around it, forming a globe that followed the falling Devil, and they began to smell the prey as countless shreds formed and were about to launch, but Willow did not let it yet. She let out a snarl.

"Anatomist!" The evil doctor gleefully came into being, gliding downward and clapping its palm together, and the relentless cut descended upon the Devil. Willow could not watch as she herself was still falling. She thought about switching to her [Hunter] class again as the wind whistled past her ears and her hair scrambled around her, but then an immense pain took the light across her vision. Her body was aching, her mind was flitting in a space where nothing made sense.

When her eyes fluttered, the light sent a deep, searing pain to her brain. Willow let out a groan. She tried to move her body. First a finger, then a toe, then—the Devil stood above her. It was dark, hunched, and elongated, with slender limbs filled with countless cuts. Blood marred its dark body, dripping from each claw, and one of its sockets was cut in two. Its tail raised above and pointed at Willow like a spear-end.

The Devil let out one last leer before its tail speared downward at her, but Willow found the strength to move. She swept her arm up, both of them; Dark Wind went scything forward, tearing through both sides of the Devil's neck. Blood splurged, and its body went wobbly; the dark tail it launched impaled through the earth around Willow, steadying its body, but by then life left the Devil and its eyes dimmed.

[You grow stronger] [You recover a Dark Wind rune] [You reach the next tier] [Level—21 will be unattainable unless the Wind Mage chooses one evolution presented… [Ravenous Anatomist] [Deathwind Reaper] [Devouring Arcanist]