Just what did D rank mean? I remembered; my first experience with it. It was my second battle. A big boar, one that would obliterate any tree on its way, something with near infinite endurance and incredible Vigor. A beast that brought me to despair, one that broke my countenance, that made me question my choices and feel true fear. I didn’t know if my stats were high enough at the moment, high enough to tank that many arrows anyway. They most likely were.
I had a D grade Prophecy that gave me level up bonuses. I had gained so many levels since then. But even then, I did not understand the meaning of D rank. I didn’t understand how strong things were at D rank. The Moonfangs seemed weak more often than not to me, but at the same time someone like Sun was strong. I doubted my ability to be able to fight him even on the same level.
Was D rank just a bonus in attributes? A higher average than all of them? Ah, I remembered. The humans. I had asked that human what his stats were, and mine just seemed higher across the board. I supposed it was the same thing for D rank.
Even at the same level they were stronger, more agile, and much more durable. The first Lower Moon I had fought. After having such high Vigor I still doubted my ability to survive that many things. It was a direct improvement to my current form. A qualitative change as The System had put it. And yet, the quest required for me to kill a D rank that is higher level than me by a total of ten levels? It was unreasonable, it had only sort of happened back when I was with Elasia and The Illusionist, but even then it was a controlled environment.
What would happen for the next rank, and the rank after. How did one even get A rank? Would you need to kill an A rank being, say, 50 levels higher? That sounded a bit impossible. I sighed as I stared at the quest.
[Started Ascension: A Path to Power (D rank Evolution) — Reach three digits in an attribute or Level 50. You have taken your first step in the evolutionary ladder, and are at the cusp of qualitative change. A last push to explode your potential is all it takes. The stronger the better.
◇ Level 50 or Three digits in an attribute. (Completed)
◇ Consume the blood of a D rank being.
◇ Consume the flesh of a D rank being.
◇ Kill a D rank being of at least 10 levels above you or Kill an E rank being of at least 20 levels above you.
◇ Possess a D rank Prophecy (Completed)]
Maybe it was a bit far-fetched to think about it like this, but every single evolution would get harder and harder. And killing a level 50 D rank was just the beginning. I understood things weren’t easy, but they were just going to get harder and harder. In the end, I just wanted to be happy. I felt hopeful for the future, I felt hopeful that things weren’t going to continue until I inevitably died.
But I was unsure. I was unsure how long that would take. In the end, all I had to do was get stronger. Sun had told me.
Evolve as soon as you can. Only then, would we be able to kill the Guardian of Moon, and only then would I have a proper Settlement. Only then, would things change. Until then, there was nothing but uncertainty surrounding me. I wanted to get stronger.
The evolution process was near instant, but incredibly painful according to Glim. It was something better done alone.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling my bow in my hands. It provided me a strange comfort, perhaps it was the fact that it was covered with bushes, or the fact that I now had an incredibly good ability thanks to it. Regardless of which, it gave me some sense of comfort. Enough to tell me that things were happening, that the plan was in motion.
I opened my eyes and stared ahead. I had been standing in front of the forest, ruminating about things while Sun prowled inside the forest, but the longer I stood in front of it, the more I doubted things.
A sea of red. The entire place was a danger zone, all directly under an ethereal moonlight that enveloped the entire forest, and I simply was— standing near the edge of it? Looking behind me, there was the cave system, and a rock bridge in between everything. Needless to say, my escape options were limited.
I turned back to the forest. All I need to do is kill a level 50 Upper Moon, then, everything will be fine. I just had to become stronger for things to end up good. As soon as that happened we would kill the Guardian of Moon, and once that happened, the nest would be mine— the land would be ours. Or at least, it would be free of threats. The only concern I had for the future was how I was going to claim the entire mountain, getting land claims seemed harder than what I had anticipated, but that could wait. I took a deep breath and waited.
The wind howled, as I prepared my bow with three carefully prepared arrows. I felt confident. Things had changed. I understood my abilities better now. I understood my limits, and also felt hopeful about my new skill. I can do it.
All-Consuming Puff arrow, Lyco Puff arrow, and Silver Azalea— my first objective was to cripple my enemy. Drain its vitality, destroy its lungs and poison it…And after, deal as much damage as possible. Hopefully, it would die before it could attack back… I was ultimately a magical archer with plant arrows. Even if my Vigor was high for survivability purposes, it was best to not get hit. I pretty much relied on mana and skills to kill things, not strength, not agility, not my perception.
Though perhaps it was best to start putting points into perception.
A minute passed as howls resounded across the forest in front of me. The red wind pulsated and became stronger, but at that moment another howl cut through everything else, buzzing in my ears with a distinctively different tone. The world froze for a moment, as only the rustling of the leaves entered my ears. And then, as if it was in reply, the howls from the Moonfangs became stronger and more ferocious.
It didn’t take long before I heard the distinct snapping sound of a tree falling, and saw a small glint of red fur that I identified as Sun pass through the forest. There were some yelps and screeches as I prepared to engage in battle.
I remembered the plan in Sun’s words. I’ll single one of them out for you to fight one on one, and once it's dead go back to the hideout. I’ll follow after you.
And then, I saw a Moonfang get thrown out of the forest, sliding down a few meters across from me. It had the longest mana whips I had seen in my life and its fur was purple bordering on blue, clearly shining under the moonlight.
[Moonfang, Upper Moon. Lvl. 55]
My mind paused for a second as it clearly ignored me. It’s higher level than Sun!
“Betrayer!” It growled towards the forest as it slowly stood up. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!”
I was snapped back to reality at once. Sun was currently in danger. And all, to give me the opportunity that was right in front of me. I ushered my mana towards my bow and instantly commanded it to replicate the feeling. I felt a weird shift in my very mana, it was much more pronounced than last time and the skill came into effect.
[Mimicry Enhancement: Immediate Fate.]
I drew back my bowstring as I flooded my arrows with mana, subsequently enhancing everything. I already understood why my skill was so great. Immediate Fate had a different mana attunement altogether, and yet I could still use it so freely thanks to the skill. I lined up my shot quickly against the monster, as it finally took notice of me— using Immediate Fate made aiming so easy due to the nature of it.
The monster snarled.
“You’re the other invader! Die!” Its whips charged, but I didn’t react as I fired. It clearly coiled them, trying to parry them, but in an instant— the Moonfang shrieked as the three arrows penetrated into its body and immediately bloomed, the notification for three-marked immediately came. A poisonous mushroom cloud engulfed it. Numerous mushrooms began to sprout across its neck, as they slowly proliferated.
It recoiled with pain, its legs twitched as it nearly lost its footing. Wasting no time, I took three more arrows, and a mana potion that I drank immediately. I nocked three more arrows, this time one was an Alas Azalea arrow, and two of them were Tendril arrows. The Moonfang let out a roar as mana began to coalesce at its feet, and skin, the moonlight around it increased as it recovered with a system wave of system notifications.
[The Moonlight shines brightly—
[The Moonlight shines—
[The Moonlight—
Mushrooms kept sprouting and zapping its vitality away, but in the brief pause that my brain had, I couldn’t help but think. Isn’t this basically just a Guardian? Everyone could seemingly request some type of assistance but me, it was stupid— I frowned as the desire to be able to have some sort of external bullshit assistance welled within me. But I wasted no time in enhancing the other three arrows, and aiming them at it.
“I don’t know what tricks they were! But I assure you they won’t work on m—”
With nothing more than a disappearing flash, the Moonfang was launched back as three new arrows penetrated deep into its body with a critical hit. I felt the tendrils begin eating its insides, I felt the red flowers spread throughout its organs as it clearly began to die. The Moonfang shrieked once more, as it finally faltered and almost fell down.
“This can’t be happening…” It squeaked. “I was born under the moonlight, so I will die under the moonlight!”
It screeched as its body lit up with purple mana, the whips began to burn and wisps of mana began to float around it. As I was nocking the next volley of arrows, one of the wisps became a spear of radiant moonlight.
“You are a danger to the moon, you shall be vanquished even if it’s my last action!” It gnashed through the pain, the plants were still digging through its body. “I remember now, that scent of yours. It’s the one I smelled back then, I ignored it even though it was in a bush, turns out it was my gravest mistake!”
I snorted and fired three more arrows. Teleported, they broke into the Moonfang’s bones, vines wrapped around it as they pressed down, red flowers bloomed around it and a toxin cloud of spores blew atop of it. But even then, it simply unleashed a guttural scream as I prepared more arrows. And with a flick, the spear was launched my way, I managed to narrowly step it as it almost pierced through my torso. The spear disappeared and rematerialized next to the Moonfang, the other wisps became more spears— sharp sticks of life that aimed for my life. Penumbral sense marked everywhere, as I felt my back grow cold.
“For as long as I have assistance from the Moonlight, you won’t survive!” Its body was shining in the same ethereal color as the forest, and that’s when it clicked on me.
The environmental advantage only applied during these circumstances. With a snort, I nocked an Explosive Shot and fired it in front of me— in comparison to before, the burst of the explosion was made in an instant, launching me back into a slide and placing distance between me and the Moonfang. The action occurred in less than a second, as I drank yet another mana potion, but even then. The danger did not vanish, it remained— lingered in the air. I snorted as I pulled back my bowstring yet again, this time only using one arrow out of the two in my hand.
“I don’t know what type of tricks—”
Its face exploded into a mist of spores, as it let out an audible yelp from the pain. I took out two more arrows and repeated the action— once more. It exploded with another miserable shriek, but I stopped, my mana was getting low quickly. Using the chance, I slid back some more as the Moonfang turned into nothing but a small lump in the distance. I didn’t need to worry about things for as long as the enhancement was active.
With a very audible breath it stood up, its face was nothing but red. But its voice boomed across the chamber as it spoke.
“You are a clear threat towards the nest. Even if I must abandon my post, and my home. I will ensure you die! I don’t understand how you’re doing it, but it doesn’t matter!” One of the wisps shifted into an amorphous shield in front of it, and soon it began sprinting towards me, its fur paled as soon as it left the forest, but it's speed did not slow down in spite of the dripping blood, and the plants that wriggled in its insides.
I snorted and fired an Explosive Arrow once more, but it just exploded into a cloud of spores that was completely ignored. The Moonfang ran right through it. I wasn’t surprised, but it also meant that my bow had instantly become useless, or at least so I thought— I nocked Wisteria vine arrows instead, and using a modicum of mana I fired.
They hit the shield and in an instant engulfed it in flowery vines that soon warped around and aimed for the Moonfang. They coiled around its legs as it fell down, tripped and slid across the hard rock floor, but the shield did not move as I prepared more arrows. It was a battle of stamina, and I could sense my skill coming to an end, but the mark of death was active once more. I had a chance. As I looked at the pooling blood around the shield, there was no doubt in my mind that we both were entering our last effort.
The Moonfang bellowed and another wisp turned into a sharp sword. One that flicked and cut through the vines as it stood up in position.
“As soon as I reach you, I will put an end to your life!” Anger was present in its voice as it began to run once more. “Death, my kin has lived in fear since you came. I will put an end to all of it, and finally ascend to my righteous position of Supreme Moon!”
I snorted and fired another pair of wisteria arrows, but this time as soon as they sprouted the sword hummed, and with otherworldly and impossible swings, they were swiftly cut and prevented from reaching the shield. I felt a small amount of panic settle in.
This is bad. I backed off in an attempt to slide, but the spear was launched and slammed behind me, before it shifted onto a wall that covered the length of the bridge. I ran into it, but it was hard as rock, and any attempts to puncture it with the spikes of my boots were reflected. It was a wall of pure moonlight mana that blocked everything. I cursed before I turned and looked at the edges of the bridge— the lake is underneath—
“Got you!” I felt my hairs stand on end, as I ducked— the sword cleaved into the wall with a gust of wind. The Moonfang stared at me with its yellow irises, its shield shifting as magic was used.
[You’re immune to Mental Attacks, effect: voided.]
My mind screamed at the opportunity— Chance! I flipped and welled mana within my bow, I had no arrows but I did have a tool—
“It’s futile! Just die!” It tried to swing its shield but at that instant a bright flash came— The Moonfang cried as the flashbang went off nearly instantaneously.
I felt that the enhancement mimicry was coming to an end, but it didn’t matter. I shifted the bow in place for my spear, and swung downwards, empowering it with mana and Immediate Fate, shifting it into a sharp stick I slammed, unknowing of the effects of the enhancement outside of arrows. The shaft banged against its head, dissolving its flesh in an instant as it slammed into the ground. Fumes filled the air as it let out an ear-piercing shriek, but I didn’t stop. I felt it, there were only a couple of seconds left in the enhancement mimicry.
In a rush, I shifted my spear and banged its side, but the Moonfang was heavy— explode! A barrier of moonlight formed under its belly, the mana pushed it and sent the Moonfang flying like a doll near the edge of the bridge. Nothing more than a couple of meters away from me. With a grunt, it finally stood up, its head dripping with blood and its stance broken.
“What have you done?!” It spoke with pain and anger in its voice. “What kind of tricks?!”
All three of its weapons came back, the spear nearly piercing me and the sword nearly beheading me. The Moonfang stared at me with skepticism, danger filled the air but it was nearly still, and at that moment, I felt it—
[Mimicry Enhancement has entered a 1 hour cooldown.]
I paled, and in a desperate attempt ran towards the Moonfang. Worst case scenario I still had the Blessing of the Osthus Tree. I pushed my spear in front of me in a charge, and the Moonfang let out a snort full of blood.
“I won’t fall for your schemes!”
I decided against sliding given the incredibly short distance between us. And the Moonfang swung down, danger assaulted my surroundings, the spear launched to my side— the sword cut a part of my hair, and the shield rammed into my spear, making me lose my grip in an instant. At that moment, the Moonfang smirked before it turned into horror— I didn’t stop— I was afraid to stop.
“What are you—”
I tackled it. I tackled the level 55 D grade monster I was so afraid of off from the bridge. Its eyes went wide as the weapons froze midair, and I saw an opportunity as I smiled, my heart beat faster and faster as excitement welled within me, and at that moment I couldn’t help but realize.
I was born for battle.
I stared at the lake below as I shifted my mana into my body, and activated Frenzy— my attributes skyrocketed, and with a wicked smile I pressed the Moonfang tightly and aimed for its neck. I bit down onto its neck, where the initial arrows had landed. Blood filled my mouth as a notification came.
[Ascension Objective Completed: Consume the blood of a D rank being (Consumed, Level. 55).]
It tasted weird, almost like water, but I did not stop there as it yelped mid air. I tore a piece of its muscle and chewed on it, swallowing its fibers that tasted like rot and putrid air.
[Ascension Objective Completed: Consume the flesh of a D rank being (Consumed, Level. 55).]
“You— Monst—”
We hit the water with a splash as I placed mana into my ring. The Moonfang gurgled, air constantly escaping its mouth as the water turned red. Its fur became even duller as its yellow eyes stared at me, but there was no aggressiveness or hostility anymore, there was— resignation.
I pulled my knife and cleaved it into its throat as its voice entered my head.
“Ahh… I see it now. Now that I am not under the moonlight I can see it clearly— You, great warrior, have taken the guidance of the moon from me, and I can see the atrocities I’ve committed against those of Blood. I can see it now.” It closed its golden eyes, as a small tear of mana formed and floated to my other hand. An item? I grabbed it, as it continued. “Beautiful and as dangerous as the moon. Great warrior, please save the lost ones. Save them from the Supreme Moon…”
Its voice drifted off,
“Please…”
The notification came as confusion filled my mind.
[You have killed: (D) Fei, Upper Moon. Lvl. 55]
[Ascension Objective Completed: Kill a D rank being of at least 10 levels above you or Kill an E rank being of at least 20 levels above you. (Killed D rank of 15 levels above).]
[A Path to Power (D rank Evolution) Completed. Completion grade: Excellent. Bonuses will be awarded.]
[Level up: You have achieved level 41. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
[Level up: You have…
[Level up: You h…
[New Milestone reached — Skills & Knowledge Available]
[Level up: You have achieved level 46. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
[D rank Evolution Available.]
My mind blanked out as I attempted to swim to the surface. The information was a bit overwhelming, but I also couldn’t get the words of the Upper Moon from my mind. It sounded sincere as if it had awakened from a dream. And the kill notification did not say Moonfang anymore.
Fai. Was that its name? I grew confused as I processed what had just happened. By the time I reached the shore of the forest, I felt a bit less confused, but blood still filled the water. I shifted awkwardly for my spear only to realize it was on the bridge. My bow was still with me, and my knife ended up underwater.
I felt an object on my hand, and at the palm it sat— it was a small purple tear.
[Blessing of the Moonlight (Epic Item) — A blessing from the Moonlight created by Fei, an Upper Moon of the Moonfangs. Temporarily connect the user with the Moonlight, enhancing their capabilities. Activation: Supply mana.
“Will erode your very being… Do not use this, mighty warrior.” — Fei.]
I sighed, and stowed the tear into my ring. I felt tired, but I was surprisingly clean of injuries. My mana however was at one-tenth. I sighed and walked through the shore towards the cave. The blood from the lake was slowly disappearing as I was filled with a small amount of sadness. Maybe the Upper Moon, Fei, was trying to manipulate me, but it seemed truly rueful. I was unsure. I shook my head as I arrived before the cave, though, Sun was nowhere to be seen.
I felt a bit uneasy so I waited. And a minute later, covered with blood came Sun, holding my spear in its snout. I paused. It was unnecessary but I felt happy that he had recovered it for me. It dropped it and then bared its fangs, though its body was marred with wounds.
“I heard her final words,” Sun solemnly said, as I felt rage boil. “Just like I had suspected. The Supreme Moon, my brother— he who stole the moonlight, used it to rule those of moon. I could do the same with the sun but I decided against it…” It growled before turning to me. “Thankfully, even though a life was lost, someone who could’ve been our friend after she awakened, you can evolve now, can’t you?”
I nodded, staring at the notification.
[D rank Evolution Available.]
“Head inside. I’ll guard you, Blair.” He gestured. “By the way. Do you think you could spare a potion or two?”
I nodded and gave him two health potions. I was evidently running low, but it didn’t matter. Sun had helped me achieve my victory and goals, so it was the least I could do. He chewed on them and visibly relaxed. He turned to me once more.
“I do not understand the process of evolution, but I look forward to killing that rotten monster together.”
I nodded feeling slightly happy, but at that moment danger encased the both of us and a voice echoed across the entire chamber.
“Someone has escaped the embrace of the moon. Heresy!” It bellowed, the chamber shaking. “Invaders! Nothing messes with the moon!”
Off in the distance, I saw a bright beam of moonlight cleave through a series of trees, as a pillar emerged from the distance.
Sun’s hairs stood on end.
“Blair, hide, quick! I will protect you! Evolve while you still can!”
He pushed me into the cave before I could even react.
Azrie
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Just what did D rank mean? I remembered; my first experience with it. It was my second battle. A big boar, one that would obliterate any tree on its way, something with near infinite endurance and incredible Vigor. A beast that brought me to despair, one that broke my countenance, that made me question my choices and feel true fear. I didn’t know if my stats were high enough at the moment, high enough to tank that many arrows anyway. They most likely were.
I had a D grade Prophecy that gave me level up bonuses. I had gained so many levels since then. But even then, I did not understand the meaning of D rank. I didn’t understand how strong things were at D rank. The Moonfangs seemed weak more often than not to me, but at the same time someone like Sun was strong. I doubted my ability to be able to fight him even on the same level.
Was D rank just a bonus in attributes? A higher average than all of them? Ah, I remembered. The humans. I had asked that human what his stats were, and mine just seemed higher across the board. I supposed it was the same thing for D rank.
Even at the same level they were stronger, more agile, and much more durable. The first Lower Moon I had fought. After having such high Vigor I still doubted my ability to survive that many things. It was a direct improvement to my current form. A qualitative change as The System had put it. And yet, the quest required for me to kill a D rank that is higher level than me by a total of ten levels? It was unreasonable, it had only sort of happened back when I was with Elasia and The Illusionist, but even then it was a controlled environment.
What would happen for the next rank, and the rank after. How did one even get A rank? Would you need to kill an A rank being, say, 50 levels higher? That sounded a bit impossible. I sighed as I stared at the quest.
[Started Ascension: A Path to Power (D rank Evolution) — Reach three digits in an attribute or Level 50. You have taken your first step in the evolutionary ladder, and are at the cusp of qualitative change. A last push to explode your potential is all it takes. The stronger the better.
◇ Level 50 or Three digits in an attribute. (Completed)
◇ Consume the blood of a D rank being.
◇ Consume the flesh of a D rank being.
◇ Kill a D rank being of at least 10 levels above you or Kill an E rank being of at least 20 levels above you.
◇ Possess a D rank Prophecy (Completed)]
Maybe it was a bit far-fetched to think about it like this, but every single evolution would get harder and harder. And killing a level 50 D rank was just the beginning. I understood things weren’t easy, but they were just going to get harder and harder. In the end, I just wanted to be happy. I felt hopeful for the future, I felt hopeful that things weren’t going to continue until I inevitably died.
But I was unsure. I was unsure how long that would take. In the end, all I had to do was get stronger. Sun had told me.
Evolve as soon as you can. Only then, would we be able to kill the Guardian of Moon, and only then would I have a proper Settlement. Only then, would things change. Until then, there was nothing but uncertainty surrounding me. I wanted to get stronger.
The evolution process was near instant, but incredibly painful according to Glim. It was something better done alone.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling my bow in my hands. It provided me a strange comfort, perhaps it was the fact that it was covered with bushes, or the fact that I now had an incredibly good ability thanks to it. Regardless of which, it gave me some sense of comfort. Enough to tell me that things were happening, that the plan was in motion.
I opened my eyes and stared ahead. I had been standing in front of the forest, ruminating about things while Sun prowled inside the forest, but the longer I stood in front of it, the more I doubted things.
A sea of red. The entire place was a danger zone, all directly under an ethereal moonlight that enveloped the entire forest, and I simply was— standing near the edge of it? Looking behind me, there was the cave system, and a rock bridge in between everything. Needless to say, my escape options were limited.
I turned back to the forest. All I need to do is kill a level 50 Upper Moon, then, everything will be fine. I just had to become stronger for things to end up good. As soon as that happened we would kill the Guardian of Moon, and once that happened, the nest would be mine— the land would be ours. Or at least, it would be free of threats. The only concern I had for the future was how I was going to claim the entire mountain, getting land claims seemed harder than what I had anticipated, but that could wait. I took a deep breath and waited.
The wind howled, as I prepared my bow with three carefully prepared arrows. I felt confident. Things had changed. I understood my abilities better now. I understood my limits, and also felt hopeful about my new skill. I can do it.
All-Consuming Puff arrow, Lyco Puff arrow, and Silver Azalea— my first objective was to cripple my enemy. Drain its vitality, destroy its lungs and poison it…And after, deal as much damage as possible. Hopefully, it would die before it could attack back… I was ultimately a magical archer with plant arrows. Even if my Vigor was high for survivability purposes, it was best to not get hit. I pretty much relied on mana and skills to kill things, not strength, not agility, not my perception.
Though perhaps it was best to start putting points into perception.
A minute passed as howls resounded across the forest in front of me. The red wind pulsated and became stronger, but at that moment another howl cut through everything else, buzzing in my ears with a distinctively different tone. The world froze for a moment, as only the rustling of the leaves entered my ears. And then, as if it was in reply, the howls from the Moonfangs became stronger and more ferocious.
It didn’t take long before I heard the distinct snapping sound of a tree falling, and saw a small glint of red fur that I identified as Sun pass through the forest. There were some yelps and screeches as I prepared to engage in battle.
I remembered the plan in Sun’s words. I’ll single one of them out for you to fight one on one, and once it's dead go back to the hideout. I’ll follow after you.
And then, I saw a Moonfang get thrown out of the forest, sliding down a few meters across from me. It had the longest mana whips I had seen in my life and its fur was purple bordering on blue, clearly shining under the moonlight.
[Moonfang, Upper Moon. Lvl. 55]
My mind paused for a second as it clearly ignored me. It’s higher level than Sun!
“Betrayer!” It growled towards the forest as it slowly stood up. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!”
I was snapped back to reality at once. Sun was currently in danger. And all, to give me the opportunity that was right in front of me. I ushered my mana towards my bow and instantly commanded it to replicate the feeling. I felt a weird shift in my very mana, it was much more pronounced than last time and the skill came into effect.
[Mimicry Enhancement: Immediate Fate.]
I drew back my bowstring as I flooded my arrows with mana, subsequently enhancing everything. I already understood why my skill was so great. Immediate Fate had a different mana attunement altogether, and yet I could still use it so freely thanks to the skill. I lined up my shot quickly against the monster, as it finally took notice of me— using Immediate Fate made aiming so easy due to the nature of it.
The monster snarled.
“You’re the other invader! Die!” Its whips charged, but I didn’t react as I fired. It clearly coiled them, trying to parry them, but in an instant— the Moonfang shrieked as the three arrows penetrated into its body and immediately bloomed, the notification for three-marked immediately came. A poisonous mushroom cloud engulfed it. Numerous mushrooms began to sprout across its neck, as they slowly proliferated.
It recoiled with pain, its legs twitched as it nearly lost its footing. Wasting no time, I took three more arrows, and a mana potion that I drank immediately. I nocked three more arrows, this time one was an Alas Azalea arrow, and two of them were Tendril arrows. The Moonfang let out a roar as mana began to coalesce at its feet, and skin, the moonlight around it increased as it recovered with a system wave of system notifications.
[The Moonlight shines brightly—
[The Moonlight shines—
[The Moonlight—
Mushrooms kept sprouting and zapping its vitality away, but in the brief pause that my brain had, I couldn’t help but think. Isn’t this basically just a Guardian? Everyone could seemingly request some type of assistance but me, it was stupid— I frowned as the desire to be able to have some sort of external bullshit assistance welled within me. But I wasted no time in enhancing the other three arrows, and aiming them at it.
“I don’t know what tricks they were! But I assure you they won’t work on m—”
With nothing more than a disappearing flash, the Moonfang was launched back as three new arrows penetrated deep into its body with a critical hit. I felt the tendrils begin eating its insides, I felt the red flowers spread throughout its organs as it clearly began to die. The Moonfang shrieked once more, as it finally faltered and almost fell down.
“This can’t be happening…” It squeaked. “I was born under the moonlight, so I will die under the moonlight!”
It screeched as its body lit up with purple mana, the whips began to burn and wisps of mana began to float around it. As I was nocking the next volley of arrows, one of the wisps became a spear of radiant moonlight.
“You are a danger to the moon, you shall be vanquished even if it’s my last action!” It gnashed through the pain, the plants were still digging through its body. “I remember now, that scent of yours. It’s the one I smelled back then, I ignored it even though it was in a bush, turns out it was my gravest mistake!”
I snorted and fired three more arrows. Teleported, they broke into the Moonfang’s bones, vines wrapped around it as they pressed down, red flowers bloomed around it and a toxin cloud of spores blew atop of it. But even then, it simply unleashed a guttural scream as I prepared more arrows. And with a flick, the spear was launched my way, I managed to narrowly step it as it almost pierced through my torso. The spear disappeared and rematerialized next to the Moonfang, the other wisps became more spears— sharp sticks of life that aimed for my life. Penumbral sense marked everywhere, as I felt my back grow cold.
“For as long as I have assistance from the Moonlight, you won’t survive!” Its body was shining in the same ethereal color as the forest, and that’s when it clicked on me.
The environmental advantage only applied during these circumstances. With a snort, I nocked an Explosive Shot and fired it in front of me— in comparison to before, the burst of the explosion was made in an instant, launching me back into a slide and placing distance between me and the Moonfang. The action occurred in less than a second, as I drank yet another mana potion, but even then. The danger did not vanish, it remained— lingered in the air. I snorted as I pulled back my bowstring yet again, this time only using one arrow out of the two in my hand.
“I don’t know what type of tricks—”
Its face exploded into a mist of spores, as it let out an audible yelp from the pain. I took out two more arrows and repeated the action— once more. It exploded with another miserable shriek, but I stopped, my mana was getting low quickly. Using the chance, I slid back some more as the Moonfang turned into nothing but a small lump in the distance. I didn’t need to worry about things for as long as the enhancement was active.
With a very audible breath it stood up, its face was nothing but red. But its voice boomed across the chamber as it spoke.
“You are a clear threat towards the nest. Even if I must abandon my post, and my home. I will ensure you die! I don’t understand how you’re doing it, but it doesn’t matter!” One of the wisps shifted into an amorphous shield in front of it, and soon it began sprinting towards me, its fur paled as soon as it left the forest, but it's speed did not slow down in spite of the dripping blood, and the plants that wriggled in its insides.
I snorted and fired an Explosive Arrow once more, but it just exploded into a cloud of spores that was completely ignored. The Moonfang ran right through it. I wasn’t surprised, but it also meant that my bow had instantly become useless, or at least so I thought— I nocked Wisteria vine arrows instead, and using a modicum of mana I fired.
They hit the shield and in an instant engulfed it in flowery vines that soon warped around and aimed for the Moonfang. They coiled around its legs as it fell down, tripped and slid across the hard rock floor, but the shield did not move as I prepared more arrows. It was a battle of stamina, and I could sense my skill coming to an end, but the mark of death was active once more. I had a chance. As I looked at the pooling blood around the shield, there was no doubt in my mind that we both were entering our last effort.
The Moonfang bellowed and another wisp turned into a sharp sword. One that flicked and cut through the vines as it stood up in position.
“As soon as I reach you, I will put an end to your life!” Anger was present in its voice as it began to run once more. “Death, my kin has lived in fear since you came. I will put an end to all of it, and finally ascend to my righteous position of Supreme Moon!”
I snorted and fired another pair of wisteria arrows, but this time as soon as they sprouted the sword hummed, and with otherworldly and impossible swings, they were swiftly cut and prevented from reaching the shield. I felt a small amount of panic settle in.
This is bad. I backed off in an attempt to slide, but the spear was launched and slammed behind me, before it shifted onto a wall that covered the length of the bridge. I ran into it, but it was hard as rock, and any attempts to puncture it with the spikes of my boots were reflected. It was a wall of pure moonlight mana that blocked everything. I cursed before I turned and looked at the edges of the bridge— the lake is underneath—
“Got you!” I felt my hairs stand on end, as I ducked— the sword cleaved into the wall with a gust of wind. The Moonfang stared at me with its yellow irises, its shield shifting as magic was used.
[You’re immune to Mental Attacks, effect: voided.]
My mind screamed at the opportunity— Chance! I flipped and welled mana within my bow, I had no arrows but I did have a tool—
“It’s futile! Just die!” It tried to swing its shield but at that instant a bright flash came— The Moonfang cried as the flashbang went off nearly instantaneously.
I felt that the enhancement mimicry was coming to an end, but it didn’t matter. I shifted the bow in place for my spear, and swung downwards, empowering it with mana and Immediate Fate, shifting it into a sharp stick I slammed, unknowing of the effects of the enhancement outside of arrows. The shaft banged against its head, dissolving its flesh in an instant as it slammed into the ground. Fumes filled the air as it let out an ear-piercing shriek, but I didn’t stop. I felt it, there were only a couple of seconds left in the enhancement mimicry.
In a rush, I shifted my spear and banged its side, but the Moonfang was heavy— explode! A barrier of moonlight formed under its belly, the mana pushed it and sent the Moonfang flying like a doll near the edge of the bridge. Nothing more than a couple of meters away from me. With a grunt, it finally stood up, its head dripping with blood and its stance broken.
“What have you done?!” It spoke with pain and anger in its voice. “What kind of tricks?!”
All three of its weapons came back, the spear nearly piercing me and the sword nearly beheading me. The Moonfang stared at me with skepticism, danger filled the air but it was nearly still, and at that moment, I felt it—
[Mimicry Enhancement has entered a 1 hour cooldown.]
I paled, and in a desperate attempt ran towards the Moonfang. Worst case scenario I still had the Blessing of the Osthus Tree. I pushed my spear in front of me in a charge, and the Moonfang let out a snort full of blood.
“I won’t fall for your schemes!”
I decided against sliding given the incredibly short distance between us. And the Moonfang swung down, danger assaulted my surroundings, the spear launched to my side— the sword cut a part of my hair, and the shield rammed into my spear, making me lose my grip in an instant. At that moment, the Moonfang smirked before it turned into horror— I didn’t stop— I was afraid to stop.
“What are you—”
I tackled it. I tackled the level 55 D grade monster I was so afraid of off from the bridge. Its eyes went wide as the weapons froze midair, and I saw an opportunity as I smiled, my heart beat faster and faster as excitement welled within me, and at that moment I couldn’t help but realize.
I was born for battle.
I stared at the lake below as I shifted my mana into my body, and activated Frenzy— my attributes skyrocketed, and with a wicked smile I pressed the Moonfang tightly and aimed for its neck. I bit down onto its neck, where the initial arrows had landed. Blood filled my mouth as a notification came.
[Ascension Objective Completed: Consume the blood of a D rank being (Consumed, Level. 55).]
It tasted weird, almost like water, but I did not stop there as it yelped mid air. I tore a piece of its muscle and chewed on it, swallowing its fibers that tasted like rot and putrid air.
[Ascension Objective Completed: Consume the flesh of a D rank being (Consumed, Level. 55).]
“You— Monst—”
We hit the water with a splash as I placed mana into my ring. The Moonfang gurgled, air constantly escaping its mouth as the water turned red. Its fur became even duller as its yellow eyes stared at me, but there was no aggressiveness or hostility anymore, there was— resignation.
I pulled my knife and cleaved it into its throat as its voice entered my head.
“Ahh… I see it now. Now that I am not under the moonlight I can see it clearly— You, great warrior, have taken the guidance of the moon from me, and I can see the atrocities I’ve committed against those of Blood. I can see it now.” It closed its golden eyes, as a small tear of mana formed and floated to my other hand. An item? I grabbed it, as it continued. “Beautiful and as dangerous as the moon. Great warrior, please save the lost ones. Save them from the Supreme Moon…”
Its voice drifted off,
“Please…”
The notification came as confusion filled my mind.
[You have killed: (D) Fei, Upper Moon. Lvl. 55]
[Ascension Objective Completed: Kill a D rank being of at least 10 levels above you or Kill an E rank being of at least 20 levels above you. (Killed D rank of 15 levels above).]
[A Path to Power (D rank Evolution) Completed. Completion grade: Excellent. Bonuses will be awarded.]
[Level up: You have achieved level 41. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
[Level up: You have…
[Level up: You h…
[New Milestone reached — Skills & Knowledge Available]
[Level up: You have achieved level 46. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
[D rank Evolution Available.]
My mind blanked out as I attempted to swim to the surface. The information was a bit overwhelming, but I also couldn’t get the words of the Upper Moon from my mind. It sounded sincere as if it had awakened from a dream. And the kill notification did not say Moonfang anymore.
Fai. Was that its name? I grew confused as I processed what had just happened. By the time I reached the shore of the forest, I felt a bit less confused, but blood still filled the water. I shifted awkwardly for my spear only to realize it was on the bridge. My bow was still with me, and my knife ended up underwater.
I felt an object on my hand, and at the palm it sat— it was a small purple tear.
[Blessing of the Moonlight (Epic Item) — A blessing from the Moonlight created by Fei, an Upper Moon of the Moonfangs. Temporarily connect the user with the Moonlight, enhancing their capabilities. Activation: Supply mana.
“Will erode your very being… Do not use this, mighty warrior.” — Fei.]
I sighed, and stowed the tear into my ring. I felt tired, but I was surprisingly clean of injuries. My mana however was at one-tenth. I sighed and walked through the shore towards the cave. The blood from the lake was slowly disappearing as I was filled with a small amount of sadness. Maybe the Upper Moon, Fei, was trying to manipulate me, but it seemed truly rueful. I was unsure. I shook my head as I arrived before the cave, though, Sun was nowhere to be seen.
I felt a bit uneasy so I waited. And a minute later, covered with blood came Sun, holding my spear in its snout. I paused. It was unnecessary but I felt happy that he had recovered it for me. It dropped it and then bared its fangs, though its body was marred with wounds.
“I heard her final words,” Sun solemnly said, as I felt rage boil. “Just like I had suspected. The Supreme Moon, my brother— he who stole the moonlight, used it to rule those of moon. I could do the same with the sun but I decided against it…” It growled before turning to me. “Thankfully, even though a life was lost, someone who could’ve been our friend after she awakened, you can evolve now, can’t you?”
I nodded, staring at the notification.
[D rank Evolution Available.]
“Head inside. I’ll guard you, Blair.” He gestured. “By the way. Do you think you could spare a potion or two?”
I nodded and gave him two health potions. I was evidently running low, but it didn’t matter. Sun had helped me achieve my victory and goals, so it was the least I could do. He chewed on them and visibly relaxed. He turned to me once more.
“I do not understand the process of evolution, but I look forward to killing that rotten monster together.”
I nodded feeling slightly happy, but at that moment danger encased the both of us and a voice echoed across the entire chamber.
“Someone has escaped the embrace of the moon. Heresy!” It bellowed, the chamber shaking. “Invaders! Nothing messes with the moon!”
Off in the distance, I saw a bright beam of moonlight cleave through a series of trees, as a pillar emerged from the distance.
Sun’s hairs stood on end.
“Blair, hide, quick! I will protect you! Evolve while you still can!”
He pushed me into the cave before I could even react.
Azrie
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