Chương 87

Rudra stopped his spin. He let the heavy, jagged bone shaft of his staff rest comfortably on his shoulder. He panted, his stamina bar completely drained and his mana severely depleted, but a massive, satisfied grin spread across his face. The dark red ocean water slowly cleared as the enormous carcass of Karkinos dissolved into a mountain of grey ash on the sea floor. A blinding flurry of golden system messages flooded his vision. [You have defeated the Calamity of the Red Sea, Karkinos!] [Experience has been acquired.] [Your level has risen!] [Your level has risen!] The level-up notifications cascaded down his screen in a relentless wave. Defeating a Level 300 Named Boss while sitting at Level 197 yielded a ridiculous amount of experience points. The golden chimes rang continuously, suddenly shifting into a brilliant, platinum light that flashed not just in front of his eyes, but across the entire global server. [A player has reached Level 200 for the first time!] A private window popped up immediately amidst the level-up cascade. [You have acquired the Title: Pioneer!] [Pioneer] [- A 10% increase in character experience acquisition. - 10% increase in rewards for discovering new places. - Access to the Tower of Wisdom. * This is a title that only the foremost person can have. Keep in mind that it can be taken away by others at any time.] Rudra let out a sharp laugh.

He didn't really care about the prestige, but beating Kraugel to the absolute best leveling title in the game was definitely going to cause a riot on the forums. The golden chimes finally stopped as he hit his new cap. [You have reached Level 213!] [Second Stat Awakening has occurred!] [All basic stats increase by 20 points. Every stat point invested from now on will yield even higher physical returns.] Before the prompt could fade, the system interface shifted from gold to a deep, heavy bronze.

Because his achievements were so distinctly tied to his personal combat style, he didn't even need to visit an Adventurer's Guild. [You are now eligible for your Second Class Advancement!] [Based on your achievements, combat style, and stat distribution, the following paths are available to you:] - [Battle Chef] - Blend culinary buffs with physical strikes. You can deliver localized healing to allies through specialized combat impacts.

- [Divine Staff Adept] - Channel your high Divine Power into your weapon to eradicate dark attributes and cast minor protective barriers. - [Black Staff Lord] - Abandon utility and magic entirely to focus strictly on maximizing physical momentum and crushing force. Rudra read the options while floating in the red water. Battle Chef sounded hilarious, but hitting his friends with a stick to heal them seemed counterproductive.

Divine Staff Adept was tempting, but he already knew he was locked into the Staff Saint Legendary questline. Whatever class he picked now was just a temporary stepping stone until he became a Legend. He looked at the detailed bonuses for the third option. [Class Bonus: Blunt physical attack power increases by 20%. Skill experience acquisition for all staff-related skills is permanently increased by 20%.]"Perfect," Rudra grinned.

That 20% experience boost was exactly what he needed to survive the agonizing grind of leveling his Advanced Staff Mastery to the maximum for Phase 4 of his Saint quest. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He reached out and tapped the third option. [You have changed your class to 'Black Staff Lord'!] As the heavy warmth of the class change settled into his muscles, a deep, resonating hum vibrated from his inventory.

The dormant Rune of Analysis suddenly flared to life, burning with a bright silver light. [The 'Rune of Analysis' has activated!] Rudra blinked in genuine surprise. He had killed several bosses since he got the Rune, but it had stayed completely dead. It seemed regular dungeon bosses weren't worthy of the item's criteria. It actually required a true Named Boss to trigger. [You have analyzed the combat characteristics of a Named Boss!] [Reinterpreting Karkinos's overwhelming, multi-strike tentacle assault into a personal ability...] [New Passive Skill Acquired: Echo Strike] [Echo Strike] [Passive] [Every time you strike a target with a physical attack, there is a 10% chance to trigger a second, immediate phantom strike dealing 50% of the original damage. There is a 1% chance to trigger a third phantom strike dealing 10% damage.]"A passive chance for triple hits?" Rudra whispered, his eyes going wide beneath his mask.

If that triggered during a heavy, momentum-fueled Crushing Strike, the sudden burst damage would be lethal. Winfred swam down, his air bubble shimmering in the deep sea currents. The old tactician looked at the massive crater Rudra had just carved into the ocean floor, then looked at the young Duke.

"Your momentum is terrifying, Rudra," Winfred said, shaking his head in sheer disbelief.

"To physically overpower a Calamity in its own domain... your foundation is unlike anything the Empire ever produced."

"Thanks for freezing the tentacles," Rudra smiled, wading over to the massive pile of ash.

"Now, let's see what a Level 300 squid leaves behind." Rudra dug his black-gloved hands into the thick soot. He pulled out three massive items. [Karkinos's Calamity Tentacle] [Rating: Legendary (Ingredient)] [A massive, perfectly preserved cut of meat from the Calamity of the Red Sea. The muscle fibers are so dense that ordinary blades cannot cut them. If a master chef prepares this perfectly, it grants an immense, permanent surge to physical durability.] [Abyssal Ink Gland] [Rating: Legendary (Material/Ingredient)] [A highly pressurized sac containing the absolute darkness of the ocean depths. It can be used to forge top-tier aquatic gear, or refined into a deeply savory, pitch-black culinary sauce.] [Belt of the Crashing Tide] [Rating: Legendary] [Defense: 200] [- Strength +200, Stamina +200. - Increases maximum carrying capacity by 5, 000 Weight. - Grants absolute immunity to the 'Slipped' or 'Knocked Down' status conditions while standing on wet, muddy, or icy terrain. A heavy belt crafted from the unbreakable barnacles of a Red Sea Calamity.] Rudra instantly equipped the belt. A wave of solid, grounding energy wrapped around his waist. The massive boost to his carrying capacity meant he could hoard even more monster meat, and the immunity to slipping was perfect for his grounded brawling style. He hoisted the massive, glowing tentacle onto his shoulder.

It was incredibly heavy, but his newly awakened stats and the new belt handled the weight easily.

"Well," Rudra grinned, looking at Winfred with pure gluttonous excitement.

"I'm definitely going to need a bigger frying pan for this." An hour later, the massive, pearl-carved throne room of the Siren Kingdom was tense. The Siren King sat heavily on his throne, discussing rationing and defensive perimeters with his royal advisors. Princess Nerissa stood quietly by her father's side, her blue scales shimmering under the coral lights.

"If the Kraken decides to attack the outer reefs, we must collapse the tunnels to protect the civilian districts," a Siren general argued, slamming his fist against his chest.

"We cannot fight a Calamity directly!"

"Agreed," the King sighed, rubbing his temples.

"We must merely survive until it decides to migrate again." The grand coral doors at the back of the hall suddenly groaned open. Rudra walked in, his black trench coat completely dry. He leaned casually on his bone staff. Winfred walked right behind him, his posture straight and his aura utterly calm. The royal advisors stopped arguing. The King looked up, surprised they had returned so quickly.

"Duke Rudra," the King said, a hint of pity in his voice.

"I see you surveyed the monster's territory. Did you witness the sheer scale of the Calamity? It is wise that you retreated before it noticed you." Rudra blinked. He looked at Winfred, then looked back at the King.

"Surveyed it?" Rudra asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"No, Your Majesty. We killed it." The throne room went completely, utterly dead silent. The general's jaw literally dropped. The royal advisors stared at the two humans as if they had just spoken a foreign language.

"You... you killed Karkinos?" the King stammered, gripping the armrests of his pearl throne. He actually leaned entirely forward, completely abandoning his royal dignity.

"That is impossible. It requires an army of our greatest warriors just to scratch its hide!" Rudra reached into his inventory. He pulled out the massive, twenty-foot-long Karkinos's Calamity Tentacle and dropped it onto the pristine white sand floor of the throne room. THUD. The heavy, undeniable aura of the Named Boss radiated from the severed limb. The Siren King stared at the tentacle. Then, he looked up at the unpretentious human leaning on a bone staff.

The King stood up, stepped down from his dais, and offered a deep, sweeping bow of absolute respect.

"You have freed our people from an era of terror, Duke Rudra," the King declared, his voice echoing with profound gratitude.

"The alliance between Stormbreak and the Siren Kingdom is cemented for eternity. Furthermore... for saving my daughter and slaying our greatest enemy, I grant you unrestricted access to our Royal Treasury. Name any one item you desire, and it is yours."