Welcome, to my stage!
“Kraohhhhhhh!”
Pouring my mana into the earth, I activated the first performance of the day. Earth spikes molded by [Earth Strike] erupt from the ground en route to the three orcs.
They were easily dodged but that wasn’t the intention of this attack, as my goal was to divide the group up so I could challenge them individually. The web of spikes divided itself to pursue each orc, leading them all away from the entrance. They might be able to break them, but I guarantee they wouldn’t like to do it now with the spikes still shooting out from the ground.
The first trap was a success but there wasn’t any time for me to take a break either. This was now the best time to fight while the group was splintered. I couldn’t get myself cornered. Time was not on my side.
Deciding to take down the tracker first, I made a beeline where I saw the tracker escaped to. I could recover my Mana with a level up but Stamina couldn’t, so I had to conserve my strength. This fight will be long-winded and exhausting. The only way for me to win this will be determined by how much I could manage my stamina and mental fatigue!
This room was filled with traps I prepared in advance, but all of them were complex contraptions. I had to put all three of my parallel minds to activate them, which meant I would lose my ability to cast multiple spells at once.
Since I didn’t want to overspend on mana and brain power, I stopped the spike trap. I listened to my [Enhanced Enemy Sensor] again, pinpoint where the tracker really was.
When I arrived at the signal’s position, I was immediately greeted by an arrow. [Prediction] activated, of course, but I had already anticipated it. Dodging it was not a problem and I readied myself to fight the orc.
“Suos hikki thalamus mah orc pah sullas?!”
Huh? Did that orc just speak? I mean, it sounded like proper words but I’d no idea. Well, too bad I didn’t have a translator skill or something, otherwise I could have communicated with her. Then again, I didn’t think I would have enjoyed whatever she had to say.
I was the bad guy in this case… again.
She was still readying the arrow when she said that, looking as if she wanted an answer from me. I used [Identify] on the orcs when I first saw them all together, before they separated and left that one orc all alone. I knew they had [Night Vision] around level four to six, respectively. That was why I had [Light] around, since the advantage of being in the dark was nullified by that skill.
This was why I could perceive her facial emotions. Anger, sadness, and confusion; not to mention, there was also a hint of disappointment growing quickly into resentment. Looking at the orc, I could vaguely guess what she wanted me to say, but even if I could speak, I didn’t think she would like it.
“Krah.”
I nodded and let out a small voice.
Probably also guessing my intentions, her emotions went rampage with how her face switched from rage, sadness and unwillingness. I let her have a moment, giving her enough time to sort out her mental state. Was I being too naive? Shouldn’t I have taken advantage of this moment of weakness? I was on a timer, of course.
But my heart hadn’t changed to that of a true monster just yet. I was human!
And in the next second, the fight began as the orc tracker shot her arrow, screaming in melancholy. The arrow pierced through the air at a considerable speed, but it was nothing special with my reaction skills.
In fact, I was okay to fight this with her speciality. The second tra— performance, a barrage of [Rock Bullets] made with my new skill [Trap Creation]!
Pellets of rock shotgunned themselves from the wall behind her after I activated it with my mana. The orc was able to react in time but no matter how fancy your feet were, you couldn’t completely dodge a point-blank attack like this.
You should also not turn your backs towards the enemy.
Using her larger body frame as my meat shield, I manuerved towards her without being at risk from getting hit by a rock. Just moments before I was right beneath her, I channeled my mana through my fingers. It was time for [Spark Fire Dragon] to show its overpoweredness!
Holding my claws in a finger-snapping form, I snapped them against each other. The sound, similar to grinding a flint against steel, caused a spark to appear. The ignition heated up my claws in no time, prompting more sparks to reverb around as it grew into a large flame. Far larger than what [Imbue Fire] could create, it grew to the point it covered my entire front foot in blazing fire.
Spark Claws!
Leaping forward, I aimed for the orc's neck. After how often I’ve practiced this move over and over again, I knew how to move my body. Using my experience as a dancer, I swerved around like water, striking true with deadly accuracy.
Unfortunately, the orc nimbly twisted her body around, protecting her neck in time, but she wasn’t fast enough to completely dodge it. Like cutting through soft tofu, my flaming claws dug into the orc’s left ear, severing it.
Activating a dragon ability cost both Mana and Stamina but it was well worth it.
The smell of burned flesh swirled in the air with the orc’s screams of pain pounding my eardrums, agitating me to continue my assault. Activating [Spark Claws] again, I lunged back to continue the pressure. Although in agony, the orc swiftly took out her hunting knife to defend herself from my onslaught of attacks.
Our clash continued awhile but I knew the orc couldn't hold on much longer. This was the difference between a frontliner versus an archer. However, I was not a normal frontliner. To prevent any further loss of Stamina, I cast three [Firebolt]s using my tail and two wings as the spell’s origin. I might not be able to use them to fly, but it sure was convenient that I could still move and aim my spells with them.
The spells rammed onto the orc’s dominant arm, staggering her long enough for me to break both her bow and knife with my claws. Crack and crack, turning the orc’s weapon into nothing but junk. I could see the terror and desperation in her eyes. It was now fight or flight.
And in the end, she chose a hopeless attack.
Good fight.
Similar to how I did it with my claws, I scraped my fangs together to produce multiple sparks. With mana surging inside my throat and mouth, I allowed the sparks to use that energy as a fuel.
Spark Flame!
Like a sudden explosion, a burst of flames roared out of my mouth and engulfed the orc, scorching her body on fire. The orc fell on the ground and continued to squirm around. It was futile. Her horror was apparent as I saw her Health going down. Dragon fire was a pretty strong attack, after all.
““Graaaaaarrgh!””
… But, I couldn’t end her life just right there. The other two were here.
I snapped my head around when my parallel minds warned me about the [Enhanced Enemy Sensor]. The two orcs bulldozed themselves through the earth spikes, turning them into dust.
Using their immense strength, the two orcs turned the earth spikes blocking the way into dust. They came swinging in with their weapons, maddened as they saw their friend almost dead. One of them tried to preoccupy me while the other went to save the tracker’s life.
However, I stopped them. [Earth Wall] blocked their way as I maneuvered around. From appraising her profile, the tracker had [Burned (Major)]. She would die regardless if I left her there or not. But it was about principle. I was about to murder her for experince, and if that was the case, then I had to take responsibility and do it properly.
Being ruthless in battle was one thing but leaving somebody to suffer from fire, when I could put them out of their misery, would be considered inhumane in my books. I wouldn’t want to die like that… Besides, objectively speaking, I needed a Mana refill.
All buffs on! Rock bullet wall barrage. Flame Spears x3! Spark Flame!
““Gra?!””
A hail of fire and earth spells bombarded the unprepared orcs, buffeted and driven away to take cover. Those attacks were meant to be cover fire while I ran over to the near dead orc.
Sorry, for taking so long. You fought well.
I sunk my sickle-like claws deep into the orc’s throat and pulled them out, tearing out bits of flesh and blood. It wasn’t a decapitation but it felt like I was the Grim Reaper, swinging the scythe down.
“Grak! Gruuu…”
… I’m getting more and more used to this. Dunno if this is a good thing or not. I don’t even need to puke, compared to the kobold kills.
With the situation handled for now, I had to begin moving before they caught up to me. Shooting a couple more [Fire Ball]s at them, I used that smokescreen to escape and reenter the small labyrinth of walls I made.
The two remaining orcs were both warriors and both were about equal in strength. It might not be smart to actually take on both of them at the same time, but there was a low chance that they would separate now.
I only had one trick left, if you didn't count the remaining traps. Still, how would I separate the two? The surprise factor was gone now that they knew they could break through my spike. The surrounding walls were quite sturdy but any wall I create now wouldn't have the fortifications needed to survive an attack. They would be too fresh.
Tricky. Should I use my last stage card and try to separate them through sheer force? Or should I use a guerilla tactic and chip them down, while they were together?
‘Hey, Original Mind,’ Parallel mind #1 finally spoke as I ran around the area. ‘Don’t think too much about it. Set up the trap and let’s lead them into it.’
My parallel minds were me. With her consideration in mind, I nodded to myself and stopped running. After making sure the orcs weren’t around, I took out a few tools from my storage. You could call these extra surprises, in a way. To be honest, I hoped they’d work, but it was just a random idea I could properly test beforehand.
A little bit of rock, a little bit of fire, close them up into a ball, and then fill it up with mana. [Trap Creation] to stick a magic circle on the ball without triggering the spell. I was a bit worried about how stable it was, but double-guessing it now would be a waste. After making a couple more, I hid them under the ground and then turned my attention back to the orcs.
Good, let's begin the main event now!
Using my [Stealth] and [Presence Killer], I snuck around the place, using the sounds of the orc howling at me as a veil to move to a move advantageous place. Once I made sure everything was in place, it was time for the ambush.
All buffs reactivate!
Creating a spark in my mouth again, I poured a considerable amount of mana into it to help grow the flame. I let the mana course through my mouth while having the fire infused, powering up even further. Keeping my mouth shut, my throat started to feel warm, but I knew from instinct that it needed a bit longer to realize its true potential.
The moment I felt like I couldn’t hold it back any longer, I loosened the tension on my jaw, releasing my first dragon breath on an enemy!
Spark Fire Breath.
Like the eruption of a volcano, the inferno burst out of my mouth and demolished the wall standing in my way. The walls, prepared by me, splintered into giant pieces and launched towards the unsuspecting orcs.
““Gruuu?!””
Rocks crashing on wooden shields could be heard and, although the stones were still grazing their bodies, the damage wasn’t worth mentioning. Which meant, they wanted some fire. Moving my fire breath onto the two orcs, loud groans and painful cries came from the flood of flames.
I couldn’t see what was happening, but I saw my flames flying to the ceiling. They probably were using a shield ability to defend themselves. Which was surprising considering they had wooden shields. However, with how my breath was completely engulfing the area, I don’t think it will take too long to brea—!
My prediction suddenly rang in warning. It was telling me something was about to fly over to me, but the tracker — the archer — was dead, I also did not see them bringing any—
Woah?! Ark!
A shield!
Like a boomerang, a shield was thrown at me in an arc, crashing directly on my head. The fire was redirected away from the orcs and this time, [Danger Sense] activated with [Prediction]. Once again, I couldn’t react to this attack again.
In the second it impacted right on my jaw, I saw the orc throw the cindered remains of his shield at me. It smacked my jaw shut, stopping my dragon breath, and causing the world around me to split into three. Dizziness. Pain. My brain rattling around in my skull.
I grit my teeth.
It stung so much, but I had to endure it for now since the orcs were coming in hot. Two-handing their spears, they lunged forward. I dodged them narrowly by casting [Earth Wall] underneath myself, pushing myself in the air and out of the way.
However, moving felt difficult. With how lightheaded I was from the two shield attacks, I wrongly perceived the timing and direction of the orcs' approach, taking some damage as my scales and flesh scattered from taking two spear hits to my wings.
The momentum was now on their side. I was pushed on the defense, forced to use my spells defensively to survive. Now, the rank difference was showing itself. Now, the fact my dragon race had low Vitality was being a detriment in this fight. Sure, I could dodge and deal large amounts of damage, but I couldn’t take damage. And especially not from an orc!
Shit! Why are you here again?! Go away!
I was hoping to not have an extended battle. That ambush was supposed to completely crippled the orcs, rendering the fight completely in my favor. However, that didn’t work. I didn’t expect them to use their shields like that! A brawl was the last thing I wanted!
‘Lead them to the traps, Original Mind!’ Once again, in my time of need, my parallel minds became vocal.
‘Dammit, how the hell did this happen! #3, wind magic! We need to get out of here.’
‘Got it! Let’s go!’
‘Original Mind, give us control over the spell usage now! Focus on dodging. One, two, three, go!’
Go!
I refocused, steeling myself as I slipped past the next attack. I gave full permission of my spell usage to my parallel minds. I had to delegate. There were four “mes” in my head, and to fight the best I could, I had to use them!
Wind magic surrounded me in a barrier. [Air Shield] protected me from another attack and was quickly countered by [Earth Spear]. [Earth Wall] materialized underneath me, shooting me onto the broad shoulder of one of the orcs, where I used my size and mobility to scuttle around, using my claws to hang onto his body.
This was not the time to attack. I jumped off his body, shooting multiple [Fire Balls] at the ground, heating it up. They weren’t wearing any shoes, and the heated up stone scorched their feets, creatin distance between us.
I could finally take a breather.
‘Hot take: pseudo tanking with healing!’ Parallel mind #3 suddenly suggested after she finished healing my wounds. I felt so much better after my Health returned to max, but I was suddenly flabbergasted at what she said.
But then, then again, why not?
Yes, my Vitality was pretty shit, and with how high the orc’s Strength was, every hit could be fatal… if this world didn’t have the System. The idea of pseudo tanking was actually pretty smart. A normal “tank” in a game took damage using their high defenses, but a pseudo tank only needed some way to take damage and attract aggression, whether it was through dodging or…
… healing.
Got it! Let’s do it!
The dizziness was thankfully gone. I could coordinate my limbs correctly now. This plan needed me to move fluidly, nimbly dodging the hard-hitting attacks while dealing damage at the cost of some pain and mana.
“Grouuuh!”
One of the orcs rushed before the other, throwing his spear forward. I dodged it before having to jump back as the orc tried to punch at me, retrieving his spear in the process. With trained movements, he swung his spear downwards as he pulled out his rock axe and swung it at me.
I jumped over his arm and used my tail to smack his face, leaving behind a skin deep gash. [Flame Spear] formed around my wings as they shot forward, forcing the orc to step back, only for the second orc to lunge forward with his spear.
I cast [Earth Wall], parrying the attack at the second it hit me, leaving me open for the first orc to attack me. However, this time, I took that hit.
“Krak!”
The spear dug deep into my shoulder as I cried out, but knowing full well this was the plan all along, I grit my teeth and slashed opened his left leg’s thighs, sinking him to the ground. I pushed myself off his spear as my parallel minds close the wounds up in mere seconds with [Modest Heal].
The second orc recovered, striking at me, but all those hits weren’t a threat. Glancing hits were worthless. Skin deep punctures were irrelevant. Yes, I was spending mana like crazy, but this war of attrition will be my win! They had no ways to heal themselves as I kept hitting more spells and claw attacks.
Win! I will survive!
‘Hey, guys we got a good sk…’
‘Shut it with the pleasantries, new mind! Begin casting [Minor Heal], parallel minds two, three, and four. I’ll help Original Mind with our offense!’
A fourth parallel mind suddenly appeared in my head, but all of us shut her up. Another cog for the clockwork. Another caster for me to cast four spells all at once now! In a sense, we outnumbered the orcs!
And we quickly identified the perfect rhythm of fighting in the middle of battle. Our movements became more refined, the timing of my spells more fluid, and my mind was adapting to the heat of battle. It felt like I knew exactly what to do now!
My claws were reclocked in a red fire under my control and I threw myself at a potential opening; gambling everything would be fine with all the healing. Seeing my reckless maneuver, the orc flinched back, canceling his spear ability to block my attack.
Sadly, a wooden stick wasn’t enough to defend againstme. As the block was not reinforced with an ability, like the shields, the spear was easily torn in two by my claws, whilst also ripping a part of his undefended chest and stomach.
“Gruooooh!”
The other orc bellowed before pushing me back, allowing the other orc to release a hail of fierce spear thrusts. After having experienced this attack so often now, I felt so much slower than before. Like a small rat, I dashed through everything with bated breath from my lack of Stamina. Still, upon coming into range for me to pounce at, I attacked the orc.
Compared to the tracker, this orc was able to defend himself from my aggression. He probably learned from the other orc to evade my attacks instead of blocking them. Smart choice, since my [Exhaustion (Minor)] was slowing down my Agility quite a bit.
‘Sand attack then jump! [Air Shield], now!’ In the middle of a flurry of attacks, my parallel minds suddenly shouted at me to jump.
I did it without hesitation.
Using my claws to shave off bits of rock and dirt from the ground, I flung them at the orc’s eyes. With him blinded, I jumped up on his head and then up into the air. I considered slashing his throat, but my parallel minds told me not to bother, instead, I had to hurry up.
Once the [Air Shield] was up, I turned my body around, wondering why I had to do all of that, only to suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Warghhhhh! What the hell?!
““Gruo?! GREEEEEEEEAAAAAAK!””
‘Wow, the bombs were stronger than we thought. Worrying about their instability might have been correct. We might have put too much fire in it.’
Huh, what?
A chain of explosions suddenly ruptured the air, launching me right back onto the ground from the shockwave. I was relatively unharmed, but a sea of fire caught the orcs in their grasp, singeing them as they howled their agony out.
As I wondered what the hell was going on, parallel mind #2 suddenly spoke up, ‘Idiot! Did you forget about it? The bombs we made. This was the location we were supposed to lead them to. And fucking hell we did it! That second orc triggered it by walking into the spot!
Oh shit!
The bombs I made were just an experiment. I was worried that I gave them too much power, and it seemed I was right, however, this little accident just saved us from a possible loss! It was such a close call, too. I was still too close and if it weren’t for [Air Shield], I probably would have felt the full brunt of that huge bombing.
But, with the orcs preoccupied and unable to defend themselves, this just seemed too perfect. I had a clear shot for the perfect move.
‘Yup, that’s right. Giving it another shot should make for a grand finale, right?’
Yeah!
[Spark Fire Breath] was pretty underwhelming when I used it before, but this time it would work. I would make it work. Forget the mana and stamina problems. A full-powered dragon breath!
Burn, in dragon fire! Spark Fire Breath!
With a spark and a roar, my fire breath surged out of my mouth. The roaring flames consumed the two unfocused orcs, intensifying their cries of pain in the room. The smell of their burned flesh spread, telling my instincts of my impending victory.
With the dying fires of my breath, the charred bodies of the orc could be seen. They were black, completely turned into charcoal. I couldn’t sense any enemies anymore. It was my complete victory.
Rest in peace.
… That was a long backlog to check. It seemed my parallel mind didn’t even have the time to analyze the two new magic skills I had.
Nice! Finally, it’s max level. Weird that it didn’t have an advance form though, like the other 3 skills that reached level 10. Ok, let’s re-examine the two new magic skills.
…
The description was still the same and still very simple. This has to be a sca—
Uoof!
My body. I had forgotten about it. [Exhaustion (Moderate)]. Holy smokes. Just like running a marathon or something, or in my case, dancing for so long you just lost all the feeling in your legs and arms. I couldn’t move myself at all after the adrenaline left my body.
But…
“Kriishaaaaaaaaaa!”
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
It was celebration time!
I did it! Wooooooooo!
…
You guys can cheer, too!
‘Sure, we can but it won’t be of any use. If you cheer, we don’t have to cheer.’
Then what are you gonna do? We just beat 5 D rank monsters! Catapulted ourselves to level 20 and a new evolution chance. I am getting so hyped from just saying this!
The hype was strong! I got to use my boss stage to its fullest and I was now even able to evolve again. Five cheers for monster evolution!
‘We can also feel it and we are very hyped, too. It’s jus that…’
‘… but we kinda need rest now.’
‘Besides parallel mind #1, all of us are seriously not feeling too good from using all those heal spells at once. You might not feel it, probably from how overpowered the effects of [Primal Magics] is but we have a headache.’
[Primal Magics]?
‘Do yourself a favor and just fall asleep. We can analyze all the skills later. Your body and mind need sleep, so for our sake, could you fall asleep please?’
Uhm, ok?
#1 asked me so politely that I just couldn’t reject it.
‘‘‘‘Thank you, good night.’’’’
And so, the fight against the orcs ended with every single parallel mind falling asleep before I could actually celebrate properly.
Sigh, what a bunch of party poopers. Well, I do want to get rid of this exhaustion debuff as soon as possible, and there isn’t a safer place to rest than here. My personally made boss stage, mhmm!
I’ll just construct a square around myself and take a good rest. The show today was awesome. Can’t complain, even with the minor hiccup.
Name: * Level: 20 Race: Young Spark Fire Dragon
Age: 2 Month
Status: Health: 530/530(+241) Mana: 1983/1983(+1104)
Strength: 404 (+206) Intelligence: 502(+286)
Vitality: 213 (+92) Wisdom: 262 (+124)
Agility: 671 (+301) Stamina: 374/374 (+168)
Effects: None
Skill Points: 4400 (+3750)
Unique Skill: [Spark Fire Dragon Lv. 6] (+2) [Spark Fire’s Fire Boost]
Skill: Magic skills and related:
[Mana Control Lv. 9] (+4) [Holy Magic Lv. 10] (+3) [Holy Amp]
[Holy Magic Efficiency] (New) [Sacred Magic Lv. 1] (New)
[Fire Magic Lv. 10] (+6) [Fire Amp] (New) [Fire Magic Efficiency] (New)
[Inferno Magic Lv. 1] (New) [Earth Magic Lv. 9] (+5) [Earth Amp] (New)
[Earth Magic Efficiency] (New) [Wind Magic Lv. 5] (+3)
[Space-Time Magic Lv. 3] (+1) [Space-Time Magic Efficiency] (New)
[Primal Magics] [Silent Casting Lv. 4] (New)
Physical skills and related:
[Mana Strike Lv. 3] [Enhanced Claws Lv. 6] (+2) [Enhanced Fangs Lv. 3]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 7] (+2) [Prediction Lv. 5] (+3) [Detection Sensor Lv. 1] (New)
[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 4] (+3) [Night Vision Lv. 6] (+2)
[Presence Killer Lv. 5] (+3) [Evasion Lv. 7] (+4) [Acrobatic Lv. 7] (+5)
Resistances:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 6] (+2) [Pain Resistance Lv. 7] (+2)
[Holy Resistance Lv. 4] [Fire Resistance Lv. 4]
[Earth Resistance Lv. 4] [Wind Resistance Lv. 1]
[Water Resistance Lv. 1]
Stat growths and related:
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 3] (+2)
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 6] (+2)
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 3] (+2)
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 3] (+2)
[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 3] (+2)
Others:
[Trap Creation Lv. 3] (New) [Identify Lv. 10] (+2) [Battle Mind Lv. 1] (New)
[Cooking Lv. 6] (+1) [Dismantle Lv. 5] [Parallel Thoughts Lv. 4] (+3)
Ability List: [Flame Blast] [Spark Claws] [Spark Flame] [Spark Fire Breath]
[Spark Fang]
Spell List: Holy spells:
[Minor Heal] [Cure] [Modest Heal] [Smite] [Light] [Holy Protection]
[Holy Strength] [Purify] [Sacred Smite]
Fire spells:
[Fire] [Firebolt] [Imbue Fire] [Fire Ball] [Strengthening Flames]
[Flame Spear] [Petal Flame] [Flame Explosion] [Inferno Blast]
Earth spells:
[Earth Wall] [Rock Blast] [Earth Strike] [Rock Bullet] [Sturdy Earth]
[Earth Spears] [Earth Crash]
Wind spells:
[Wind Bullet] [Wind Cutter] [Air Shield] [Wind Slash]
[Swift Winds]
Space-Time Spells:
[Haste] [Storage Magic]
The Light spells:
[Shine]
Titles: [The Light] [Bearer of Kargryxmor’s Blood] [Otherworldly Reincarnator]
Welcome, to my stage!
“Kraohhhhhhh!”
Pouring my mana into the earth, I activated the first performance of the day. Earth spikes molded by [Earth Strike] erupt from the ground en route to the three orcs.
They were easily dodged but that wasn’t the intention of this attack, as my goal was to divide the group up so I could challenge them individually. The web of spikes divided itself to pursue each orc, leading them all away from the entrance. They might be able to break them, but I guarantee they wouldn’t like to do it now with the spikes still shooting out from the ground.
The first trap was a success but there wasn’t any time for me to take a break either. This was now the best time to fight while the group was splintered. I couldn’t get myself cornered. Time was not on my side.
Deciding to take down the tracker first, I made a beeline where I saw the tracker escaped to. I could recover my Mana with a level up but Stamina couldn’t, so I had to conserve my strength. This fight will be long-winded and exhausting. The only way for me to win this will be determined by how much I could manage my stamina and mental fatigue!
This room was filled with traps I prepared in advance, but all of them were complex contraptions. I had to put all three of my parallel minds to activate them, which meant I would lose my ability to cast multiple spells at once.
Since I didn’t want to overspend on mana and brain power, I stopped the spike trap. I listened to my [Enhanced Enemy Sensor] again, pinpoint where the tracker really was.
When I arrived at the signal’s position, I was immediately greeted by an arrow. [Prediction] activated, of course, but I had already anticipated it. Dodging it was not a problem and I readied myself to fight the orc.
“Suos hikki thalamus mah orc pah sullas?!”
Huh? Did that orc just speak? I mean, it sounded like proper words but I’d no idea. Well, too bad I didn’t have a translator skill or something, otherwise I could have communicated with her. Then again, I didn’t think I would have enjoyed whatever she had to say.
I was the bad guy in this case… again.
She was still readying the arrow when she said that, looking as if she wanted an answer from me. I used [Identify] on the orcs when I first saw them all together, before they separated and left that one orc all alone. I knew they had [Night Vision] around level four to six, respectively. That was why I had [Light] around, since the advantage of being in the dark was nullified by that skill.
This was why I could perceive her facial emotions. Anger, sadness, and confusion; not to mention, there was also a hint of disappointment growing quickly into resentment. Looking at the orc, I could vaguely guess what she wanted me to say, but even if I could speak, I didn’t think she would like it.
“Krah.”
I nodded and let out a small voice.
Probably also guessing my intentions, her emotions went rampage with how her face switched from rage, sadness and unwillingness. I let her have a moment, giving her enough time to sort out her mental state. Was I being too naive? Shouldn’t I have taken advantage of this moment of weakness? I was on a timer, of course.
But my heart hadn’t changed to that of a true monster just yet. I was human!
And in the next second, the fight began as the orc tracker shot her arrow, screaming in melancholy. The arrow pierced through the air at a considerable speed, but it was nothing special with my reaction skills.
In fact, I was okay to fight this with her speciality. The second tra— performance, a barrage of [Rock Bullets] made with my new skill [Trap Creation]!
Pellets of rock shotgunned themselves from the wall behind her after I activated it with my mana. The orc was able to react in time but no matter how fancy your feet were, you couldn’t completely dodge a point-blank attack like this.
You should also not turn your backs towards the enemy.
Using her larger body frame as my meat shield, I manuerved towards her without being at risk from getting hit by a rock. Just moments before I was right beneath her, I channeled my mana through my fingers. It was time for [Spark Fire Dragon] to show its overpoweredness!
Holding my claws in a finger-snapping form, I snapped them against each other. The sound, similar to grinding a flint against steel, caused a spark to appear. The ignition heated up my claws in no time, prompting more sparks to reverb around as it grew into a large flame. Far larger than what [Imbue Fire] could create, it grew to the point it covered my entire front foot in blazing fire.
Spark Claws!
Leaping forward, I aimed for the orc's neck. After how often I’ve practiced this move over and over again, I knew how to move my body. Using my experience as a dancer, I swerved around like water, striking true with deadly accuracy.
Unfortunately, the orc nimbly twisted her body around, protecting her neck in time, but she wasn’t fast enough to completely dodge it. Like cutting through soft tofu, my flaming claws dug into the orc’s left ear, severing it.
Activating a dragon ability cost both Mana and Stamina but it was well worth it.
The smell of burned flesh swirled in the air with the orc’s screams of pain pounding my eardrums, agitating me to continue my assault. Activating [Spark Claws] again, I lunged back to continue the pressure. Although in agony, the orc swiftly took out her hunting knife to defend herself from my onslaught of attacks.
Our clash continued awhile but I knew the orc couldn't hold on much longer. This was the difference between a frontliner versus an archer. However, I was not a normal frontliner. To prevent any further loss of Stamina, I cast three [Firebolt]s using my tail and two wings as the spell’s origin. I might not be able to use them to fly, but it sure was convenient that I could still move and aim my spells with them.
The spells rammed onto the orc’s dominant arm, staggering her long enough for me to break both her bow and knife with my claws. Crack and crack, turning the orc’s weapon into nothing but junk. I could see the terror and desperation in her eyes. It was now fight or flight.
And in the end, she chose a hopeless attack.
Good fight.
Similar to how I did it with my claws, I scraped my fangs together to produce multiple sparks. With mana surging inside my throat and mouth, I allowed the sparks to use that energy as a fuel.
Spark Flame!
Like a sudden explosion, a burst of flames roared out of my mouth and engulfed the orc, scorching her body on fire. The orc fell on the ground and continued to squirm around. It was futile. Her horror was apparent as I saw her Health going down. Dragon fire was a pretty strong attack, after all.
““Graaaaaarrgh!””
… But, I couldn’t end her life just right there. The other two were here.
I snapped my head around when my parallel minds warned me about the [Enhanced Enemy Sensor]. The two orcs bulldozed themselves through the earth spikes, turning them into dust.
Using their immense strength, the two orcs turned the earth spikes blocking the way into dust. They came swinging in with their weapons, maddened as they saw their friend almost dead. One of them tried to preoccupy me while the other went to save the tracker’s life.
However, I stopped them. [Earth Wall] blocked their way as I maneuvered around. From appraising her profile, the tracker had [Burned (Major)]. She would die regardless if I left her there or not. But it was about principle. I was about to murder her for experince, and if that was the case, then I had to take responsibility and do it properly.
Being ruthless in battle was one thing but leaving somebody to suffer from fire, when I could put them out of their misery, would be considered inhumane in my books. I wouldn’t want to die like that… Besides, objectively speaking, I needed a Mana refill.
All buffs on! Rock bullet wall barrage. Flame Spears x3! Spark Flame!
““Gra?!””
A hail of fire and earth spells bombarded the unprepared orcs, buffeted and driven away to take cover. Those attacks were meant to be cover fire while I ran over to the near dead orc.
Sorry, for taking so long. You fought well.
I sunk my sickle-like claws deep into the orc’s throat and pulled them out, tearing out bits of flesh and blood. It wasn’t a decapitation but it felt like I was the Grim Reaper, swinging the scythe down.
“Grak! Gruuu…”
… I’m getting more and more used to this. Dunno if this is a good thing or not. I don’t even need to puke, compared to the kobold kills.
With the situation handled for now, I had to begin moving before they caught up to me. Shooting a couple more [Fire Ball]s at them, I used that smokescreen to escape and reenter the small labyrinth of walls I made.
The two remaining orcs were both warriors and both were about equal in strength. It might not be smart to actually take on both of them at the same time, but there was a low chance that they would separate now.
I only had one trick left, if you didn't count the remaining traps. Still, how would I separate the two? The surprise factor was gone now that they knew they could break through my spike. The surrounding walls were quite sturdy but any wall I create now wouldn't have the fortifications needed to survive an attack. They would be too fresh.
Tricky. Should I use my last stage card and try to separate them through sheer force? Or should I use a guerilla tactic and chip them down, while they were together?
‘Hey, Original Mind,’ Parallel mind #1 finally spoke as I ran around the area. ‘Don’t think too much about it. Set up the trap and let’s lead them into it.’
My parallel minds were me. With her consideration in mind, I nodded to myself and stopped running. After making sure the orcs weren’t around, I took out a few tools from my storage. You could call these extra surprises, in a way. To be honest, I hoped they’d work, but it was just a random idea I could properly test beforehand.
A little bit of rock, a little bit of fire, close them up into a ball, and then fill it up with mana. [Trap Creation] to stick a magic circle on the ball without triggering the spell. I was a bit worried about how stable it was, but double-guessing it now would be a waste. After making a couple more, I hid them under the ground and then turned my attention back to the orcs.
Good, let's begin the main event now!
Using my [Stealth] and [Presence Killer], I snuck around the place, using the sounds of the orc howling at me as a veil to move to a move advantageous place. Once I made sure everything was in place, it was time for the ambush.
All buffs reactivate!
Creating a spark in my mouth again, I poured a considerable amount of mana into it to help grow the flame. I let the mana course through my mouth while having the fire infused, powering up even further. Keeping my mouth shut, my throat started to feel warm, but I knew from instinct that it needed a bit longer to realize its true potential.
The moment I felt like I couldn’t hold it back any longer, I loosened the tension on my jaw, releasing my first dragon breath on an enemy!
Spark Fire Breath.
Like the eruption of a volcano, the inferno burst out of my mouth and demolished the wall standing in my way. The walls, prepared by me, splintered into giant pieces and launched towards the unsuspecting orcs.
““Gruuu?!””
Rocks crashing on wooden shields could be heard and, although the stones were still grazing their bodies, the damage wasn’t worth mentioning. Which meant, they wanted some fire. Moving my fire breath onto the two orcs, loud groans and painful cries came from the flood of flames.
I couldn’t see what was happening, but I saw my flames flying to the ceiling. They probably were using a shield ability to defend themselves. Which was surprising considering they had wooden shields. However, with how my breath was completely engulfing the area, I don’t think it will take too long to brea—!
My prediction suddenly rang in warning. It was telling me something was about to fly over to me, but the tracker — the archer — was dead, I also did not see them bringing any—
Woah?! Ark!
A shield!
Like a boomerang, a shield was thrown at me in an arc, crashing directly on my head. The fire was redirected away from the orcs and this time, [Danger Sense] activated with [Prediction]. Once again, I couldn’t react to this attack again.
In the second it impacted right on my jaw, I saw the orc throw the cindered remains of his shield at me. It smacked my jaw shut, stopping my dragon breath, and causing the world around me to split into three. Dizziness. Pain. My brain rattling around in my skull.
I grit my teeth.
It stung so much, but I had to endure it for now since the orcs were coming in hot. Two-handing their spears, they lunged forward. I dodged them narrowly by casting [Earth Wall] underneath myself, pushing myself in the air and out of the way.
However, moving felt difficult. With how lightheaded I was from the two shield attacks, I wrongly perceived the timing and direction of the orcs' approach, taking some damage as my scales and flesh scattered from taking two spear hits to my wings.
The momentum was now on their side. I was pushed on the defense, forced to use my spells defensively to survive. Now, the rank difference was showing itself. Now, the fact my dragon race had low Vitality was being a detriment in this fight. Sure, I could dodge and deal large amounts of damage, but I couldn’t take damage. And especially not from an orc!
Shit! Why are you here again?! Go away!
I was hoping to not have an extended battle. That ambush was supposed to completely crippled the orcs, rendering the fight completely in my favor. However, that didn’t work. I didn’t expect them to use their shields like that! A brawl was the last thing I wanted!
‘Lead them to the traps, Original Mind!’ Once again, in my time of need, my parallel minds became vocal.
‘Dammit, how the hell did this happen! #3, wind magic! We need to get out of here.’
‘Got it! Let’s go!’
‘Original Mind, give us control over the spell usage now! Focus on dodging. One, two, three, go!’
Go!
I refocused, steeling myself as I slipped past the next attack. I gave full permission of my spell usage to my parallel minds. I had to delegate. There were four “mes” in my head, and to fight the best I could, I had to use them!
Wind magic surrounded me in a barrier. [Air Shield] protected me from another attack and was quickly countered by [Earth Spear]. [Earth Wall] materialized underneath me, shooting me onto the broad shoulder of one of the orcs, where I used my size and mobility to scuttle around, using my claws to hang onto his body.
This was not the time to attack. I jumped off his body, shooting multiple [Fire Balls] at the ground, heating it up. They weren’t wearing any shoes, and the heated up stone scorched their feets, creatin distance between us.
I could finally take a breather.
‘Hot take: pseudo tanking with healing!’ Parallel mind #3 suddenly suggested after she finished healing my wounds. I felt so much better after my Health returned to max, but I was suddenly flabbergasted at what she said.
But then, then again, why not?
Yes, my Vitality was pretty shit, and with how high the orc’s Strength was, every hit could be fatal… if this world didn’t have the System. The idea of pseudo tanking was actually pretty smart. A normal “tank” in a game took damage using their high defenses, but a pseudo tank only needed some way to take damage and attract aggression, whether it was through dodging or…
… healing.
Got it! Let’s do it!
The dizziness was thankfully gone. I could coordinate my limbs correctly now. This plan needed me to move fluidly, nimbly dodging the hard-hitting attacks while dealing damage at the cost of some pain and mana.
“Grouuuh!”
One of the orcs rushed before the other, throwing his spear forward. I dodged it before having to jump back as the orc tried to punch at me, retrieving his spear in the process. With trained movements, he swung his spear downwards as he pulled out his rock axe and swung it at me.
I jumped over his arm and used my tail to smack his face, leaving behind a skin deep gash. [Flame Spear] formed around my wings as they shot forward, forcing the orc to step back, only for the second orc to lunge forward with his spear.
I cast [Earth Wall], parrying the attack at the second it hit me, leaving me open for the first orc to attack me. However, this time, I took that hit.
“Krak!”
The spear dug deep into my shoulder as I cried out, but knowing full well this was the plan all along, I grit my teeth and slashed opened his left leg’s thighs, sinking him to the ground. I pushed myself off his spear as my parallel minds close the wounds up in mere seconds with [Modest Heal].
The second orc recovered, striking at me, but all those hits weren’t a threat. Glancing hits were worthless. Skin deep punctures were irrelevant. Yes, I was spending mana like crazy, but this war of attrition will be my win! They had no ways to heal themselves as I kept hitting more spells and claw attacks.
Win! I will survive!
‘Hey, guys we got a good sk…’
‘Shut it with the pleasantries, new mind! Begin casting [Minor Heal], parallel minds two, three, and four. I’ll help Original Mind with our offense!’
A fourth parallel mind suddenly appeared in my head, but all of us shut her up. Another cog for the clockwork. Another caster for me to cast four spells all at once now! In a sense, we outnumbered the orcs!
And we quickly identified the perfect rhythm of fighting in the middle of battle. Our movements became more refined, the timing of my spells more fluid, and my mind was adapting to the heat of battle. It felt like I knew exactly what to do now!
My claws were reclocked in a red fire under my control and I threw myself at a potential opening; gambling everything would be fine with all the healing. Seeing my reckless maneuver, the orc flinched back, canceling his spear ability to block my attack.
Sadly, a wooden stick wasn’t enough to defend againstme. As the block was not reinforced with an ability, like the shields, the spear was easily torn in two by my claws, whilst also ripping a part of his undefended chest and stomach.
“Gruooooh!”
The other orc bellowed before pushing me back, allowing the other orc to release a hail of fierce spear thrusts. After having experienced this attack so often now, I felt so much slower than before. Like a small rat, I dashed through everything with bated breath from my lack of Stamina. Still, upon coming into range for me to pounce at, I attacked the orc.
Compared to the tracker, this orc was able to defend himself from my aggression. He probably learned from the other orc to evade my attacks instead of blocking them. Smart choice, since my [Exhaustion (Minor)] was slowing down my Agility quite a bit.
‘Sand attack then jump! [Air Shield], now!’ In the middle of a flurry of attacks, my parallel minds suddenly shouted at me to jump.
I did it without hesitation.
Using my claws to shave off bits of rock and dirt from the ground, I flung them at the orc’s eyes. With him blinded, I jumped up on his head and then up into the air. I considered slashing his throat, but my parallel minds told me not to bother, instead, I had to hurry up.
Once the [Air Shield] was up, I turned my body around, wondering why I had to do all of that, only to suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Warghhhhh! What the hell?!
““Gruo?! GREEEEEEEEAAAAAAK!””
‘Wow, the bombs were stronger than we thought. Worrying about their instability might have been correct. We might have put too much fire in it.’
Huh, what?
A chain of explosions suddenly ruptured the air, launching me right back onto the ground from the shockwave. I was relatively unharmed, but a sea of fire caught the orcs in their grasp, singeing them as they howled their agony out.
As I wondered what the hell was going on, parallel mind #2 suddenly spoke up, ‘Idiot! Did you forget about it? The bombs we made. This was the location we were supposed to lead them to. And fucking hell we did it! That second orc triggered it by walking into the spot!
Oh shit!
The bombs I made were just an experiment. I was worried that I gave them too much power, and it seemed I was right, however, this little accident just saved us from a possible loss! It was such a close call, too. I was still too close and if it weren’t for [Air Shield], I probably would have felt the full brunt of that huge bombing.
But, with the orcs preoccupied and unable to defend themselves, this just seemed too perfect. I had a clear shot for the perfect move.
‘Yup, that’s right. Giving it another shot should make for a grand finale, right?’
Yeah!
[Spark Fire Breath] was pretty underwhelming when I used it before, but this time it would work. I would make it work. Forget the mana and stamina problems. A full-powered dragon breath!
Burn, in dragon fire! Spark Fire Breath!
With a spark and a roar, my fire breath surged out of my mouth. The roaring flames consumed the two unfocused orcs, intensifying their cries of pain in the room. The smell of their burned flesh spread, telling my instincts of my impending victory.
With the dying fires of my breath, the charred bodies of the orc could be seen. They were black, completely turned into charcoal. I couldn’t sense any enemies anymore. It was my complete victory.
Rest in peace.
… That was a long backlog to check. It seemed my parallel mind didn’t even have the time to analyze the two new magic skills I had.
Nice! Finally, it’s max level. Weird that it didn’t have an advance form though, like the other 3 skills that reached level 10. Ok, let’s re-examine the two new magic skills.
…
The description was still the same and still very simple. This has to be a sca—
Uoof!
My body. I had forgotten about it. [Exhaustion (Moderate)]. Holy smokes. Just like running a marathon or something, or in my case, dancing for so long you just lost all the feeling in your legs and arms. I couldn’t move myself at all after the adrenaline left my body.
But…
“Kriishaaaaaaaaaa!”
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
It was celebration time!
I did it! Wooooooooo!
…
You guys can cheer, too!
‘Sure, we can but it won’t be of any use. If you cheer, we don’t have to cheer.’
Then what are you gonna do? We just beat 5 D rank monsters! Catapulted ourselves to level 20 and a new evolution chance. I am getting so hyped from just saying this!
The hype was strong! I got to use my boss stage to its fullest and I was now even able to evolve again. Five cheers for monster evolution!
‘We can also feel it and we are very hyped, too. It’s jus that…’
‘… but we kinda need rest now.’
‘Besides parallel mind #1, all of us are seriously not feeling too good from using all those heal spells at once. You might not feel it, probably from how overpowered the effects of [Primal Magics] is but we have a headache.’
[Primal Magics]?
‘Do yourself a favor and just fall asleep. We can analyze all the skills later. Your body and mind need sleep, so for our sake, could you fall asleep please?’
Uhm, ok?
#1 asked me so politely that I just couldn’t reject it.
‘‘‘‘Thank you, good night.’’’’
And so, the fight against the orcs ended with every single parallel mind falling asleep before I could actually celebrate properly.
Sigh, what a bunch of party poopers. Well, I do want to get rid of this exhaustion debuff as soon as possible, and there isn’t a safer place to rest than here. My personally made boss stage, mhmm!
I’ll just construct a square around myself and take a good rest. The show today was awesome. Can’t complain, even with the minor hiccup.
Name: * Level: 20 Race: Young Spark Fire Dragon
Age: 2 Month
Status: Health: 530/530(+241) Mana: 1983/1983(+1104)
Strength: 404 (+206) Intelligence: 502(+286)
Vitality: 213 (+92) Wisdom: 262 (+124)
Agility: 671 (+301) Stamina: 374/374 (+168)
Effects: None
Skill Points: 4400 (+3750)
Unique Skill: [Spark Fire Dragon Lv. 6] (+2) [Spark Fire’s Fire Boost]
Skill: Magic skills and related:
[Mana Control Lv. 9] (+4) [Holy Magic Lv. 10] (+3) [Holy Amp]
[Holy Magic Efficiency] (New) [Sacred Magic Lv. 1] (New)
[Fire Magic Lv. 10] (+6) [Fire Amp] (New) [Fire Magic Efficiency] (New)
[Inferno Magic Lv. 1] (New) [Earth Magic Lv. 9] (+5) [Earth Amp] (New)
[Earth Magic Efficiency] (New) [Wind Magic Lv. 5] (+3)
[Space-Time Magic Lv. 3] (+1) [Space-Time Magic Efficiency] (New)
[Primal Magics] [Silent Casting Lv. 4] (New)
Physical skills and related:
[Mana Strike Lv. 3] [Enhanced Claws Lv. 6] (+2) [Enhanced Fangs Lv. 3]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 7] (+2) [Prediction Lv. 5] (+3) [Detection Sensor Lv. 1] (New)
[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 4] (+3) [Night Vision Lv. 6] (+2)
[Presence Killer Lv. 5] (+3) [Evasion Lv. 7] (+4) [Acrobatic Lv. 7] (+5)
Resistances:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 6] (+2) [Pain Resistance Lv. 7] (+2)
[Holy Resistance Lv. 4] [Fire Resistance Lv. 4]
[Earth Resistance Lv. 4] [Wind Resistance Lv. 1]
[Water Resistance Lv. 1]
Stat growths and related:
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 3] (+2)
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 6] (+2)
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 3] (+2)
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 3] (+2)
[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 3] (+2)
Others:
[Trap Creation Lv. 3] (New) [Identify Lv. 10] (+2) [Battle Mind Lv. 1] (New)
[Cooking Lv. 6] (+1) [Dismantle Lv. 5] [Parallel Thoughts Lv. 4] (+3)
Ability List: [Flame Blast] [Spark Claws] [Spark Flame] [Spark Fire Breath]
[Spark Fang]
Spell List: Holy spells:
[Minor Heal] [Cure] [Modest Heal] [Smite] [Light] [Holy Protection]
[Holy Strength] [Purify] [Sacred Smite]
Fire spells:
[Fire] [Firebolt] [Imbue Fire] [Fire Ball] [Strengthening Flames]
[Flame Spear] [Petal Flame] [Flame Explosion] [Inferno Blast]
Earth spells:
[Earth Wall] [Rock Blast] [Earth Strike] [Rock Bullet] [Sturdy Earth]
[Earth Spears] [Earth Crash]
Wind spells:
[Wind Bullet] [Wind Cutter] [Air Shield] [Wind Slash]
[Swift Winds]
Space-Time Spells:
[Haste] [Storage Magic]
The Light spells:
[Shine]
Titles: [The Light] [Bearer of Kargryxmor’s Blood] [Otherworldly Reincarnator]
