Zalanir did plan to ignore it for the time being, just like any other notifications that popped up during a fight. Interacting with the System interface just to place one more attribute point when the enemies were upon him would be such a dumb move, and picking a new skill without weighing their pros and cons in not only their immediate value but also their fit onto his fighting style would be even more stupid.

  But against the birduomera, he would need to use everything to win, even at the potential long-term cost of picking a less-than-ideal option. His body was so wrong now. Every fiber remained numb. His legs barely kept him standing. He tried to take in air to ease the drought in his lungs, but doing that also intensified the scorching pain in his chest. He would have to avoid any hits because he didn’t think he would be able to get up again in case something found him. In order to do that, the first choice was obviously to evade, but the equally effective option would be to kill the enemy so that he would have no need to dodge in the first place.

  That was why he picked the second option as soon as he clicked on the notification. None other choices offered any immediate increase in the damage department, after all.

  Homing — Common: Makes the bolt home in to the intended target within a radius (minor scaling with Awareness).

  Essence: +7%

  Mana cost: +5%

  Barrage — Uncommon: Fires bolts in a salvo (minor scaling with Dexterity and Spirit). Adds a cooldown to the skill (minor scaling with Level).

  Essence: +16%

  Mana cost: +20%

  Potency — Rare: Increases the potency (minor scaling with Intelligence and Mystique) of the corresponding affinity at the cost of 30% reduction in damage.

  Essence: +27%

  Mana cost: +23%

  After that, he switched over to the General tab and put all three free points into Intelligence as it was one of the scaling attributes for Adaptability Bolt. He had forgotten to allocate the points after killing the two cultists in the corridor, as that practice was so easily overlooked. One point at a time was just too negligible. Though he would need to think of a concrete plan to do it when he had free time, because as of now, he just invested the points into whatever he deemed important at the moment. Not a bad idea, but a structured plan would for sure be better.

  Zalanir immediately aimed Adaptability Bolt at the monster and was delighted to see five air bolts shoot out from his fingers. However, they spread out like a buckshot instead of forming a continuous line, making three bolts miss the target. Not only that, it also landed near Makin’s spot, earning him a questioning and irritated look from the man.

  This was no good. He picked that option hoping for an increase in damage to quickly finish the enemy, but not only did the additional projectiles spray over an area, the cooldown of about three seconds or so as he counted also made it so that he could no longer spam the skill. If he wanted to take full advantage of this skill, he would need to operate at a closer range — ideally in melee — but that would put him at too much risk.

  Zalanir intercepted an incoming wooden spike by forming a barrier on his arm. The assassin seemed to be on his last legs, as his movement had become rather sluggish compared to the precision and quickness when he had first struck the tanned woman from nowhere.

  Gritting his teeth and squeezing his still trembling hands, Zalanir decided to risk it. If the assassin was killed, then what awaited him would be death as well. Running away was no longer an option after what Eiselen had done to him. Now he kind of regretted his choice to come back here. If he had left after finishing his fight with the two cultists earlier, then perhaps he would be halfway to the cave mouth already. But unfortunately, there was no if.

  He dragged his tired feet forward. The only option was to defeat the enemy, as outlasting it wasn’t an option with how done for he and Makin were. The bird was soaked in blood, with missing, shaggy, and burning feathers, so it wasn’t invincible. It was peak D-grade, but still a D-grade nonetheless.

  It had to be at the edge of its resources as well. His eyes briefly caught Makin’s, and with a light nod from the man, it seemed like both of them were in sync.

  Four meters away, a pillar of vine slammed down, separating the flying creature from the assassin, buying it a second to throw a spike at Zalanir. But his barrier held.

  Three meters away, Zalanir released a salvo of sound bolts when the bird started to ascend. There was no way he would let it get away. He almost lost his right foothold because there was something wet and slimy inside his shoe. The cooldown for his bolts began to tick.

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  Three seconds remained. Makin re-entered the fight when the bird was still staggering. The man chopped his sword down, but only connected to a vine wall. That damn skill again. His ears also picked up a cough and clicks and bops coming from the left, but he couldn’t turn to see what was it, because on top of the vine wall, the eyes of the non-crow head had fixed on him.

  Two seconds remained. A wooden spike found purchase on his right arm after it pierced through his barrier. The energy wave released by the barrier hit nothing but the air. Couldn’t be helped, since its radius was just too small. But the barrier did change the trajectory of the spike a bit. He could only do that much to avoid the hit in the belly, though. If it had hit him there, he might’ve lost the control of his body. There would be no other chance for him to stand up if that happened. “Run!” he hollered. Maybe the assassin would get it.

  One second remained. Two meters away, Zalanir cast Hurukele Whirlwind. This was a stupid action, but perhaps this chamber would be big and sturdy enough to not collapse on them. He hadn’t used this skill at all ever since he got deep inside the cave, but every bit of extra damage counted, and the scaling on this skill was too strong to be ignored. On his back, the staff started to vibrate, and winds started to form and blow. At the same time, he also imbued his legs with Wind Rush. These next two seconds when the skill was active would be vital.

  A mental nudge told Zalanir that Adaptability Bolt was ready again, and he wasted no time in releasing another salvo of sound bolts while running away from the fierce, wuthering wind. Bat carcasses and rocks got drawn in by the spell, swirling and bouncing all over the place, both in the air and on the floor. The nearby light talisman was also mixed in it, bumping into and being pushed back and forth by all the airborne objects, which made it look like a disco ball getting ricocheted in a pinball game.

  Thanks to the brief staggering effect caused by the sound bolts, and a surprising aid from all the flying objects, he had successfully pinned the birduomera inside the whirlwind. However, because of how injured his body was, especially his legs, even with Wind Rush active, Zalanir still couldn’t escape the affected area. The barrier only helped prevent object collision, but it did nothing to help him escape from the situation.

  Seeing his body start to get pulled into the whirlwind, and how his health bar had become a flash ambulance light, Zalanir knew his days were numbered. No, not days, minutes. Or even seconds. With the way the whirlwind kept growing in power, he had no doubt that the moment he got pulled inside, he would be dead in no time.

  Two images flashed in his mind at this moment. The first one was the whirlpool and the white circle under the river that brought him into this world. If it wasn’t for the appearance of that freak incident, he would still be on Earth. Maybe it was nighttime there at this very moment, so he was probably either watching tennis or experiencing different melodies and rhythms to finish the deadline of his side gigs. If he hadn’t driven onto that bridge but had chosen a different road, perhaps he wouldn’t be in this situation, waiting for death to come and take his life.

  The second image was probably one of his biggest moments, happening two weeks before he got that wrist injury that changed his career forever, when he stood on the court with his head on cloud nine after the opponent failed to reach that drop shot. He just felt like executing that shot because the opponent was standing too far down the line at the time, and somehow he did it, and got the championship point.

  But something touched his hands, dragging him back to reality. On one side, the assassin grabbed his left arm with his only hand. And on the other, Hiina, who by no means should be here, snatched his other hand and pulled him out. His chin crashed onto the floor when landing, adding yet another injury to his now tattered body. No part of him was free from pain, but he was rescued at the last second. He was still alive. And that was all that mattered.

  The whirlwind raged for another three or four seconds before calming down and dissipating, leaving gentle winds dancing around the chamber. Zalanir finally let out a satisfying long breath, because not only did the attack do more than he had anticipated — it lasted two seconds longer compared to his cast when he first acquired the staff, and he didn’t know how — but for the fact that the ceiling didn’t collapse on them altogether. Three or four stalactites did fall down, but none of them crashed on his spot. Though there were still the bats. Their dead bodies dropped down like tree leaves and branches in a hurricane. He had to swipe them away from piling up on his body after everything was done.

  Slowly rising up, Zalanir’s first intention was to check on the beast, because he hadn’t received the kill notification yet. That was obviously a bummer. He had used everything, but still seemed like it wasn’t enough. Just how tough and strong was this monster?

  It lay on the ground with the other head no longer in one piece, but the crow head was stretching upward. Its black eyes stared straight into his soul. From that direction, Zalanir felt something calling for him there, just like when he touched the top of the altar. He edged his body forward out of curiosity, but stopped after two steps.

  That thing had tried to kill him just now. Did he really want to go there? Its small wings on the back were cut to shreds already. Didn’t look like it could lift it up. Even though it survived, looked like the whirlwind still dealt major damage. No. Too dangerous. He wouldn’t risk his life on a vague feeling that he wasn’t even sure was a good thing.

  Zalanir unleashed a salvo of earth bolts. To his right, Makin also followed by releasing a flame wave with his sword. Both of their attacks connected without issue, and with that came the long-awaited kill notification.

  You have slain [Birduomera — Level 49]

  Level advances to 44

  Level advances to 45

  [Mastery: Magical Apprentice] skills available

  Warning: You can delay choosing a new skill only until the next bat—

  A green crescent exploded out of the creature’s body and flew their way, washing over both Zalanir and the assassin. He thought he was done for, but surprisingly, it didn’t hurt him one bit. However, Makin to his right shrieked like a madman. He placed his only hand on his face, then scratched and gouged out his own skin. Hiina screamed behind his back. Her hand grabbed firm onto his ankle, trembling.

  That green color turned on a switch in his head. But even though he knew what that was, he was helpless in front of Makin. There was nothing he could do except watch on until the man finished himself by banging his flayed, exposed bone forehead onto the hard, cold dirt floor.

  Hiina’s scream reached its loudest volume at the same instance.

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