Chương 92: B2 Chapter 14

The Young Drake had already been a problem. Defeating it had been a mixed bag of luck, pain, and overwhelming power. Even now, he couldn't quite grasp what had happened to allow him to use his body as a resource. Did he use up his stamina or life to grow stronger? If so, it would be similar to some of the Sagas Hakon listened to when he was younger. Unfortunately, using up his body was not an option anymore.

He was dead-tired, his body groggy, and if not for mana surging toward him in a seemingly endless tide, he would have collapsed already. The Mature Drake was not unscathed either. Scars adorned the Drake's side en masse. It was covered in them, which appeared to restrict scales from regrowing. Just like hair didn't grow where Hakon had scars. But while that could be helpful, defeating the Mature Drake was… I can do it. He growled, willing mana into several Skills until they were on the verge of bursting.

[Circulation] thrummed through his body, [Mana Sense] revealed things to him he couldn't even see, and both [Sensory Expansion] and [Flow Observation] only further augmented that. [Split Focus] was necessary to maintain the Skills, and Hakon even went as far as to imbue his fists with [Mana Infusion]. He compressed the mana as well and applied [Reinforcement] around his clenched fists.

[Mana Shaping] and [Mana Manipulation] unleashed at their full potential helped him conjure several [Mana Shields] around his lower arm, which he attached to mana tendrils oozing out of his skin. [Mana Bolt] was active as well, but the moment he released them at the Mature Drake, Hakon decided against wasting mental power and mana to maintain them. The bolts smashed into the Mature Drake's snout and wide-open mouth as it roared out loud, and they didn't do anything. The monster didn't even blink.

Why would it, with the physical strength of a 3rd Ascension Barbarian. Hakon didn't doubt the monster's power. Even now that mana flooded his system – signaling a level-up and, hence, also confirming his breakthrough to the 2nd Ascension – [Inspection] confirmed the Mature Drake to be a Lethal Threat. The Mature Drake regarded him for a moment. It didn't look at the dead Young Drake, which may as well be a good sign, but it barreled toward him anyway.

The ground trembled violently as it closed the distance to Hakon in a heartbeat. It appeared before him, not even giving him a chance at analyzing it. His perception Skills picked up something, so did [Combat Awareness] and [Edge of Awareness], yet he couldn't digest the information in time. The moment he did recognize what was about to happen, the Mature Drake's claw had already raked across his chest.

Pain flooded his body, joining the mana influx, and blood filled his vision until the Drake's grotesque face appeared before him as well. He raised his arms, and punched the monster twice in quick succession. The attack was a success, which was even confirmed by Enhanced Comprehension, yet he didn't inflict any damage. The only reaction he got was when his second punch was accompanied by [Discharge]. Even though Hakon barely regained control of his right arm, it packed a punch.

Not as much as he'd hoped for, but he added a little extra to the attack by powering [Discharge] with all the excess mana he could gather in a moment. It worked, and Hakon released the volatile mana within the Drake, which only seemed to tingle the monster. Instead of screaming in pain, a spark much more dangerous than wild instincts alone flashed through the Drake's eyes. Intelligence. The Drake may not be fully sentient yet, but it was far more intelligent than a regular monster.

Its head shot forward, and its maw snapped shut around Hakon's arm. The first [Mana Shield] shattered as soon as razor-sharp teeth crunched down on it, forcing Hakon to conjure a second, third, and fourth [Mana Shield] in quick succession. They materialized almost immediately between the teeth and Hakon's arm, which gave him just enough time to apply [Compression] alongside [Mana Shaping].

He forcefully combined the three shields by compressing them into one, before coating them in [Reinforcement]'s membrane, stabilizing them temporarily. Barely long enough to block most of the damage. The Drake's maw was still closing, but its attack slowed and Hakon's arm was still where it was supposed to be. For now. A bolt of mana conjured beside Hakon, and it shot toward the monster's unprotected eye. But instead of closing its eyes, the Mature Drake took the attack in stride.

The bolt smashed into the wide-open eyeball and exploded, yet no damage was done. That prompted Hakon to flood another mana bolt with mana, compress it, and stabilize it long enough to tear through the Drake's eyeball. It flung through the air, crossing the minuscule distance to the Drake's eye, but fizzled out when the monster released a presence of its own. Too unstable to endure the pressure, the [Mana Bolt] crumbled. A moment later, the compressed [Mana Shield] protecting Hakon's arm crumbled all the same.

It fell apart and pain raced up his arm as razor-sharp teeth dug into it. Before Hakon realized it, its tail came crashing down on him as well, crushing his injured right arm all the same. Then, as if it hadn't just heard several bones break, the Drake yanked him around. It smashed Hakon onto the ground over and over again, blissfully aware of the bones it was breaking. Hakon gritted his teeth and swore to himself that pain was weakness leaving the body. This, however, was not just mere pain.

His body was being systematically broken down, leaving him with little to no chance of escaping alive. [Vitality Stream] worked tirelessly. It gained momentum and spread the warmth of vitality throughout his body, keeping him alive, healing him slowly. But the wounds he sustained were several levels above his body's natural regeneration. Even with his passive Skill, it was hard to endure. His only saving grace was [Adaptive Resilience] helping him adapt slowly.

It did not make him stronger or give him a way to turn the tides, but it ensured that every injury he sustained made him more durable. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The pain he endured now transformed his body into something greater. The next time someone tried to bite his left arm off, they would have to try a little harder. If someone smashed his right arm again and again, it would be a little harder to break him.

The very same could be said about his chest. Someone tried to cut him open again, gut him alive? Try harder next time. There was only one problem: He had to survive. And even though the flood of mana had yet to die down and Hoard Impact was once again being charged with the force of his opponent, he was losing. He wouldn't make it out of this alive. There was no doubt about it. Fortunately, Hakon wasn't alone. How much longer are you going to wait, you fucker?!

He cursed in his heart, glancing in the direction of the blue-furred creature. It hadn't moved much when the Young Drake was engaged in combat. Clearly, the creature didn't care about him or the Young Drake. However, it moved closer to the fight as soon as the Mature Drake emerged from the undergrowth. [Mana Sense], once enhanced with several perception-enhancing Skills, picked up small notions. Movements from the creature's direction, hinting at its waning patience. But that wasn't enough.

It had to make a move soon, or Hakon would die.

"Fuck you." He roared, his muscles tensing as he raised his broken arm. First, he conjured several mana bolts through his left arm straight into the Drake's maw. It didn't do much damage at first, which only changed once the bolts transformed into blades. While imperfect no matter how one looked at it, the blades were made of highly compressed mana and reinforced just enough to hold [Bleeding] for a heartbeat. And a heartbeat was all Hakon needed to release a storm of mana blades in the Drake's maw.

It screeched out and released his arm alongside a fountain of blood, but Hakon wasn't done. He held onto the Drake's maw even as his blood merged with the monster's, drenching his arm and body, and pulled upward with an effort of will. He swung around, more curses flashing through his mind, and landed atop the Drake. It didn't like that and smashed its head into a nearby tree but not before Hakon triggered [Accelerate] alongside his other Skills in a last ditch effort.

He didn't have the strength needed to use [Accelerate], but he did so anyway. Worsening his already existing wounds was nothing compared to certain death. Hence, applying [Accelerate] on one arm, he punched out. [Circulation] thrummed with more power than before, and so did [Reinforcement] and [Compression] as he unleashed more than half of his remaining mana into his arm.

His body's strength flowed toward his arm all the same, draining him even more, which he hadn't thought to be possible, and he punched out, ramming his fist deep into the Drake's left eye.

"Move, you fucker!!" Hakon roared at the top of his burning lungs right before the Drake came to a screeching halt. Even though he tried to hold onto the Drake's scales to stay on top, his body cramped up and his blood-drenched fingers slipped off. The unexpected halt ended rather badly for him. He flew right over the Drake's head and crashed into the ground hard enough to rip the air out of his lungs. He felt something inside him shift.

It didn't sit right and hurt like hell, which certainly didn't help his situation. Hakon tried to get to his feet, but his trembling arms collapsed under his own weight. His right arm went numb, and it was a surprise his left arm was still hanging onto his shoulder. Half of it was severed, and the rest looked like a mess. Even his bone had been scraped by the Drake's razor-sharp fangs. Said Drake lumbered toward him, blood pouring out of its left eye and maw.

It was a small waterfall, bringing a savage smile to his face. Even if I die here, the Ancestors will welcome me with an embrace. He told himself, yet he struggled to get up once more. Blood pumped out of his chest faster than [Vitality Stream] could heal him, and his legs trembled from his one too many uses of [Swiftstep] and [Accelerate], but he was not done. While the Ancestors would embrace him, Hakon was unwilling to leave yet.

He had yet to achieve his goals, and he wouldn't allow a mere Drake to end his Saga. But that was not his decision. His legs cramped up and when he channeled mana into his legs, flaring pain assaulted him. The pathways in his legs, arms, and… just about everywhere, were nicked and covered in cobweb-like cracks that looked anything but good. Not that it mattered when death approached, but controlling mana when his mind felt like splitting apart was troublesome.

And when it no longer worked and his Skills ran out of steam, he was finally back on his feet, trembling legs, arm unable to move. Even if he was going to go down here against his wishes, Hakon would do so standing upright, staring his opponent dead in the face. The Drake approached him slowly, vigilantly, as if expecting him to be fooling the monster. But his half-dead state was not an illusion, which it noticed as it stood before him, blood dripping from its wide-open maw.

It lunged forward with the intent to end it in one go. Sorry to disappoint you, father. I failed you… again. Hakon grimaced as he stared down at the bloody maw closing in on him. Time seemed to come to a crawl, and his life flashed before his eyes. His time with the fool of a friend, Björn. The cycles spent with his mother, whom he would never keep their promise to. The many nights he'd trained with his father to finally meet his eyes. To earn his approval and to grow strong enough to crush him. Astrid…

He would never get to see them again in this realm, and he hated it from the bottom of his heart.

"I will tear you apart in the afterlife. Just you wait!" He roared, his last words echoing through the vicinity. And just as the blood maw was about to snap shut around his head, a blue flash caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. There it is. Hakon groaned, staring death in the eyes with a smile. After all, what else was he supposed to do when both body and mind stopped working. Took you long enough. A moment later, a blue flash burst through the air faster than Hakon could react.

One moment, the creature was hiding in the bush, waiting, and in the next, the ripple of a raging river was beside him. Another flash later, and neither the Drake nor the mysterious monster were beside him anymore. The Mature Drake bled from a bad gash at its neck several meters from him, its blood dripping from the creature's claws. Hakon did not doubt that the unknown creature could end the Mature Drake in a moment's instance.

But instead of finishing the hunt, it turned to look at Hakon, blue eyes that shimmered even brighter than the rest of its… watery body? He tried to assess the creature, make sense of it, but his vision was blurry and half-covered in blood. All he knew for sure was that the creature was powerful… and that it looked at him in… disappointment? He wanted to know more, try to understand the situation, but the moment he took a step forward, something wet smashed into him with tremendous force.

Darkness was all that remained as he collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold.