Daisuke activated the Eye of Verity, sing the area for any hidden clues. Meanwhile, Zephyr focused ily, employing his sharp sense of smell to sniff the ground and the surrounding air, alert for any signs of trouble.
RUMBLE.
But while they were hunting—
BOOOM!
They were also being hunted—
SNATCH!
Daisuke swiftly snatched up Zephyr and dove to safety as an invisible enemy shot up from the earth where the pup was just standing just moments ago.
“Wh-What was that?” Kaine recoiled in horror.
Zephyr looked around frantically, his nose pinpointing the general dire of the assaint while his eyes straio distinguish any sign of them.
Daisuke cautiously set the e down, his golden eyes focused on a cluster of green mana that indicated the phantom was some kind of fiend. Dungeon monsters emanated a crimson red aura, while the surface dwellers exuded a yellow one. But what kind of monster would possess a green aura?
Before he could formute any theories, the monster let out a strident roar, shattering his tration like ahquake ripping through the ground. Kaine, oher hand, remained uerred—his love for his wife surrounded him like a protective co, allowing his wrath to blossom into something fierd unstoppable.
Although he couldn’t see the fiend, every fiber of his being told him this creature was the obstacle standiween him and the preservation of what his wife had once held dear.
Pinpointing the monster’s location by its screech, Kaine surreo his rage and charged in with a cry. With a wild swing of his scythe, he severed several of the creature’s tentacle-like appendages, which fell to the ground and writhed like the severed tails of lizards.
The monster emitted a pained shriek, seemingly flickering in and out of existence. Before it could be clearly seen, a tentacle shed out like a whip, striking Kaine’s stomad sending him crashing to the ground.
“Kaine!” Daisuke excimed. Dammit!
“GRRR~”
Fmes flickered and crackled from Zephyr’s snout as he jured a fiery storm within his belly. But before he could unleash a torrent of fmes, the fiend swiftly burrowed underground again. In the same heartbeat, several tentacles shot up from beh the earth like metallic spears, i on skewering their foes.
Daisuke’s sixth sense narrowly had him bending his back just microseds before his forehead could be pierced. Zephyr, unfortunately, wasn’t as lucky—a few nanoseds too slow, he took a direct hit as an appendage shot out from the ground, carving a deep gash along his torso.
“AHWRU!”
The pup was sent s in a high arc before crashing onto the ground. Just as a series of tentacles threateo finish him off, Daisuke sprinted forward to the rescue.
DING!
[Your panion, Zephyr, has been afflicted with the poison status.]
DING!
[A mysterious blessing has ralized the deadly toxin.]
As I suspected, Daisuke thought as he fished a Small HP Recovery Potion from his iory. There must be some special power proteg you. How else those ridiculous stats be expined? With the poison cured, all that’s left is to heal this wound.
“Rawrwu,” Zephyr let out a weak whine, gesturing toward Kaine as his wound slowly mended.
“Shit!” Daisuke cursed under his breath, his eyes fixed oionless farmer. Kaine was hit by the same tentacle that messed up Zephyr. If he got poisooo, his life’s in danger!
PHIP! PHIP! PHIP!
Daisuke grunted in frustration as the monster’s invisible appendages tio shoot up from the ground like metallic spikes, primarily targeting Zephyr, who was cradled in his arms.
What’s up with this thing? He thought angrily. It keeps going after Zephyr! Dammit! If it wasn’t for the Eye of Verity, I wouldn’t be able to see a thing!
Frustrated that its underhaactics weren’t hitting their mark, the fiend boldly resurfaced and dispelled its camoufge.
Daisuke’s eyebrows furrowed as a serpentine monster emerged. Its round, gaping mouth, lined with jagged, saliva-coated teeth, resembled that of a leech. A pair of webbed, mole-like hands jutted from its sides, along with several tentacles ending in bde-like tips. Daisuke’s eyes narrowed as he he thick purple liquid coating them.
DING!
[Fossorial Ekimmu | Lvl 7 | Field Boss]
That’s a Field Boss? Daisuke thought in surprise as he and Zephyr quickly split up to avoid another barrage of tentacles. No, that’s not important right now. I o quickly get rid of this thing and treat Kaine before it’s too te!
The monster appeared to have no visible eyes, yet its body shifted meically to follow Zephyr’s every move. It was ehat its prey was ued by its lethal venom, yet weled the challenge of a difficult hunt, especially when its meal promised to be of such high quality.
DROOL~
Sensing the fiend’s ravenous hunger and urge to devour him, Zephyr skidded to a halt and whipped his head around with a scowl, fmes flickering in his mouth. With a roar, he unleashed a b of fire, i on redug the fiend to ashes. But the creature swiftly burrowed underground once more, causing the earth to tremble as it advaoward the up.
Zephyr’s body dipped low, his eyes wide and ears perked. The e could sehe creature’s proximity through the gradual increase of vibratioh his sensitive paws.
Just as the fiend neared directly beh him, Zephyr tried to bolt, but was swiftly ensnared by several tentacles that seemed to move with a mind of their own.
The monster eagerly resurfaced, enthralled by the prospect of its impendi. In a chilling se remi of a horror film, a ghastly appendage slowly extended from its gaping jaws, its sharp tip seeming like it could easily pierce through metal.
Zephyr growled and squirmed frantically as the long shaft neared his forehead with surgical precision, poised to puncture his skull. But just before he could activate Divine Armament—
SWISHHH!
There was a blur of movement. The Lipanthyer’s Fang traced a white arc as Daisuke shot across the battlefield like a bullet, appearing to slice through time and space—a remarkable result of eling all his stats intth and Agility.
DING!
[The active skill ?ic Cutter? has been acquired.]
[ic Cutter]
[Rank: Unique
Cssification: Active Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficy: 0%
Every fiber of your being is attuth and speed. Energy courses into your on, enabling you to unleash a devastating strike with unparalleled swiftness.
Skill Effect:
?? Equally distributing all Stat Points between Strength and Agility amplifies Attack by 250%.
?? Once used, stat allocatiourns to normal, and the Stat Reset skill is locked for 6 hours.
Mana Cost: 150
Skill Cooldown: 24 Hours]
FLOP!
The creature’s head slid smoothly from its elongated ned thudded heavily onto the ground. Zephyr and Daisuke stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock as green blood sprayed from the gaping wound. Daisuke gazed down at his hands in utter disbelief, blood dripping from the Lipanthyer’s Fang.
…Is this kind of power really allowed ihe game? He thought as his stats righted themselves and were subsequently locked.
DING!
[FIRST KILL!]
[The elusive Field Boss ?Fossorial Ekimmu? has been sin for the very first time! The pyer who aplished this moal feat is Haxks!]
[25,200 Experience Points have been acquired.]
[The title ?O Kill? has been acquired.]
[Battle Bow has been acquired.]
[Copper Ore x3 has been acquired.]
[Bronze Ore x4 has been acquired.]
[Lead Ingot x2 has been acquired.]
[Crystalized Poison Sac x2 has been acquired.]
[208 gold has been acquired.]
DING!
[The quest ?Preserving Mariam’s Memories? has been pleted!]
[Affinity with Kaine has increased to the maximum.]
[35,000 Experience Points have been acquired.]
[17 gold has been acquired.]
Brushing the notification windows aside, Daisuke hurried over to Kaine, who was likely poisoned just as Zephyr had been after being struck by the tentacles. Just in case he had any broken bones or worse injuries, Daisuke carefully turned him onto his back.
“…I know he’s a farmer and all, but his body’s surprisingly heavy and firm for an uy,” murmured Daisuke as he summoned a potion from his iory.
“Rawrwu?” Zephyr tilted his head curiously.
“This jerk,” Daisuke shook his head with a smile. “It’s obvious he came looking for that thing prepared.”
Knowing that he would eventually enter the fiend that was terrorizing his livestock, Kaine always ehat he was decked out in mail, which did well to protect him from the creature’s attack.
As Daisuke administered the potion, his smile tightened. He found the farmer’s as admirable. Despite his weaknesses, Kaine cast aside his doubts and fears to follow the path he believed in.
Daisuke wished he had a signifit other, or that his parents were still alive, so that he could make such sacrifices for them. He regretted not being able to do more for the Robinsons during the brief time he spent with them a simirly about his virtual mother. Yet, he khere was no gain in burdening himself with such regret.
Instead, he o focus on the few treasured people he had left—April, Mia, Sylvia… he o find a way to keep them all safe in a world that belittled their kind.
Running and hiding wasn’t an option that would always work; he needed power to safeguard his loved ones—and he would stop at nothing until he acquired it.
