Chương 41: Finding The Limit

A roar splits the air and I jump to my feet. The small party around me is a bit slower to react due to their injuries. But the monsters don't give a shit if we are injured or not. I have found more than a few people in camps, having clearly thought it a safe spot to sleep. Only to be torn apart by a monster before they could wake up. I thought it would be fine to camp out in a park, get some sleep and such. But I have learned that sleeping alone in this world is a death sentence.

Thus, I found a small group that was also planning a break, for a bit of safety. As one does after fighting near the front lines for days on end. It would appear that is not in the cards today, though. The grass sways ever so gently in the wind, despite today not being a windy day. The presence hits us like a physical force as a lumbering giant walks out from an alleyway.

The monster is easily five meters tall, and is a tealish color, with veins of black-purple energy–some physical representation of malice, I presume– pulsing across it. It has four arms, and three legs, and a mouth that seems to have some very not nice looking teeth inside. It is like some creepy fuck thought 'whats the most horrifying creature I could make?' Then doubled it, and added a whole shitton of crazy magic. The result is now standing before us, and seems to really be eyeing us up as its next meal.

[Lesser Echostalker - Level 40] The idea that this creature is still considered a lesser variant is somehow even more terrifying. Thus far, all the monsters I have encountered have been lesser variants, or natural beasts transformed. But from what I hear, there are all sorts of other tiers, though the higher ones are quite rare, and thus far more powerful. Luckily, this is just a lesser variant though. So without hesitation, I draw Luma back into my phylactery and free Dovey.

"Eww, this monster reeks!" Dovey shouts, and I don't know what he is talking about until a moment later. A truly terrible scent hits my nose, like rotting flesh but more evil. As if the appearance wasn't bad enough. Still, I have smelled worse. On the plus side, it is all the more reason to slay this walking abomination faster. The swordsman of the part I joined is the first one to leap into battle. His name is Mark, I think, and he seems decent.

As he runs towards the monster, I ask Dovey to give the tank–Fredreic– a bit of a speed boost, and then follow on behind. Even the backline mage and healer quickly find their fervor. I didn't quite catch their names, mages and their tendance towards reclusiveness and all. Seems that cliché holds up even in this new world. The fight opens up with Mark going right for the legs, and he does manage to land a solid hit. However, the stalker does not give a fuck, and simply swats him away like a fly.

Fredreic readies his shield and stands firm as the monster focuses on him. Its first attack comes in a flash, knocking him back several centimeters and denting the ground with the sheer amount of force. While the monster is distracted, it is now the rest of our turn. I slide in near its legs, staying low and avoiding its swipe. My hammer collides with one of its knees with a satisfying crack, and I see the leg go limp. The monster almost falls over, but manages to stabilize itself bipedally.

Dovey does his own thing, pecking at the thing's face. Yet it seems to completely ignore the tiny bird, like the pecks are not even hurting it. Which is fair enough, Dovey is only a dove, after all. Stolen story; please report. A beam of light splits the air, quickly followed by a wave of ice coating the ground. The light sears into the monster's body, ripping a sizable hole in its flesh. Dark red blood gushes out, only to be frozen mid air, raining down kinda like hail.

Back on my feet, I Plane Step away just as it swings again. I appear beside Mark, who is just getting back onto his feet after that blow which would've shattered any normal person. Good thing this whole system thing makes us tougher.

"Alright, ima do something." I declare to the group, and they seem to lose a bit of tension. Without waiting, I squeeze Luxmore tightly, and then feed a bit of mana into it. Instantly, it is like my body explodes with raw power. My skin tingles, and all of my senses are heightened quite a bit. This is of course, that imbuement that improves my stats. I push a bit more mana into it, and kinda will it outwards. Sort of like an aura, but I can tell that the imbuement is making it far easier to control.

I watch as the energy washes over my fellow warriors, and they straighten every so slightly. The buff to others is probably less than to myself, but I am starting to think that any sort of buff is quite powerful. Especially when my ability already buffs their base stats by twenty percent, any extra bonuses even more powerful. With renewed vigor, Mark charges in, leaping into the air for a shot at the monster's neck.

He uses a skill to mid-air dodge two of the stalker's swings and lands a deep cut into its neck, almost decapitating it. Something tells me that decapitation won't be enough, though. The stalker roars and then the air heats up, overwhelming the mage's continued outpouring of frost. Fredreic barely has enough time to activate a skill before the world erupts into black flames. I huddle beneath the tank along with Mark. It feels a bit ridiculous for three men of our size to be huddling together like this.

But when at war, you do what you must. Especially as we watch that black flame obliterate everything it touches. Even the metal buildings merely crumble into dust, like they were made out of paper. The mage's barrier seems to be wavering ever so slightly, so I increase the mana I am putting into Luxmore. This requires me to pop a quick mana potion to refill my dwindling mana reserves though, and I only have a few Claire gave to me. Apparently they are far rarer than health potions.

She mumbled some reason, but I didn't really pay attention. Economics is cool, but not really a great concern of mine. The surge of fire abates, with only a few burns when we got unlucky. But damn, that fire was kinda cool.

"Echofire… it's real." Fredreic says in front of me.

"Is it rare or something?" I ask.

"Echo-type monsters only ever appear in incursions. And boy am I glad that is the case." Mark says, sounding a bit scared. Maybe I haven't been giving enough credit to this monster, it is quite terrifying. In fact, now that I think about it, all of these four are shaking ever so slightly. I thought it was merely anticipation, but perhaps it is fear. Oh well, guess I better put my hero-ness to good use. Stepping out from the defenses, I rush up to the monster and leap high into the air above it.

It tries to swing at me, but Dovey is right by my side, and manages to knock all the attacks away with some powerful gusts of wind. The attacks do tire him out quite heavily, and he is forced to retreat back into my phylactery before he goes noncorporeal. But his contribution was enough, as the entire time I have been focusing on myself. As Dovey disappears, I also feel a wave of empowerment. A buffing spell from the healer guy, I think. I shall have to thank him later.

Focusing back on the task at hand, I move around my body, focusing on every scrap of stamina I can find. Then, I grab it and push it all. The mental effort nearly splits my mind, and it feels like someone has suddenly replaced my blood with hot iron. But I can feel the energy start to gather in Luxmore, and the hammer shines in what I would like to perceive as joy.

"<Anvil Strike>" The instant my hammer collides with the monster's chest, I am thrown back by the shockwave. Energy ripples outwards as I watch all of that power spread, shredding the monster. When all is said and done, all that is left is a whole lot of monastery bits spewn about, and a ding sounding in my mind. Oh, and hitting a solid metal wall with a crack. The sickening sound of my own ribs breaking. The pain of which causes me to promptly lose consciousness. Even my body has limits, after all.