‘Seems there’s more of them, good.’
‘System, check quest status.’
[73/80.]
Came the response.
‘Good, I’m close to completing the quest.’
The new wave was more diverse. Among the root monsters were large, wolf-like creatures with fur made of dark, bristling vines and glowing red eyes.
‘Wolves again? No, they still look like Treants.’
A talent window suddenly materialized.
Monster: Sinister Wolf Treant
Rank: D+
Class: Medium.
Total Combat Power: 4700
‘Must be some sort of mutation, or perhaps the Treant gained the ability to change forms.’
They Growled as they circled Alister, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
‘Here they come.’ Alister thought as he tensed up.
One of the wolf-creatures lunged at him from behind, but Alister was ready. He spun around, his claws slashing through the creature’s midsection. The monster yelped as it was torn apart, its body dissolving into a mass of writhing vines.
Another wolf attacked from the side, its jaws snapping at his arm. Alister blocked with his gauntlet, the impact jarring but manageable. He followed up with a swift uppercut, the claws of his gauntlet tearing through the wolf’s head.
The remaining wolves pounced simultaneously, their coordinated attack forcing Alister to push his reflexes to the limit.
He ducked under one, lashed out at another, and spun to kick a third, his leg connecting squarely with its jaw. His movements were deadly, each strike devastating. The wolves fell one by one, their bodies disintegrating into piles of vines and glowing embers.
As the last wolf fell, a new, more menacing presence emerged from the jungle. A massive creature, towering over the ruins, stepped into the clearing. It was an amalgamation of stone and roots, its body covered in jagged rocks and pulsing with the same strange green light. Its eyes glowed brightly, and it let out a thunderous roar that shook the ground.
~Graaaaaaa~
A bright green talent window suddenly materialized.
Monster: Evil Vine Colossal Stone Treant
Rank: C+
Class: Medium.
Total Combat Power: 6900
‘This one must be the boss.’
‘For some reason it seems the system didn’t issue a quest for defeating this one.’
Alister steeled himself, his muscles tensing. The creature’s massive arms swung down at him, and he rolled to the side just in time. The impact shattered the ground where he had stood, sending a shockwave that knocked him off balance.
He quickly regained his footing and charged at the creature. The behemoth swung again, but this time Alister was ready. He leaped onto the creature’s arm, using his claws to climb up its massive body. The creature roared in fury, thrashing violently in an attempt to dislodge him.
Reaching the creature’s head, Alister drove his claws into its glowing eyes. The creature howled in agony, its movements becoming more erratic.
Alister held on tightly, using his gauntlets to maintain his grip. With a final, powerful strike, he drove both claws deep into the creature’s head. The Treant shuddered violently before collapsing, its body disintegrating into a pile of rubble and roots.
Breathing heavily, Alister stood amidst the remains of his fallen foes. The jungle around him was silent, the only sound being the distant roars of Terra and Cinder.
He surveyed the battlefield, noting the damage the monsters had caused. Trees were splintered, the ground was torn apart, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of sap and -crushed foliage.
Satisfied with his victory, Alister took a deep breath and called out, “System, check quest status.”
A yellow window materialized before him, displaying the current progress of his quest.
[Ding! Congrats to the player for completing the daily quest!]
[System has now begun looting!]
[Quest Reward: Blaze Crystal (summoning conduit).]
[Notice! Mastery of combat with claws has reached intermediate level! (20%).]
[Ding! The player has reached level 20!]
He had already met the required number of kills, but there was still time left on the clock.
‘Alright, I guess I should call back Cinder and Terra so we can go explore around a bit.’ Alister’s voice echoed across a telepathic link to Cinder and Terra, ‘Cinder, Terra, return, we’re done here.’
‘Understood.’ they both replied. Proceeding to spread out their wings and begin flying towards Alister.
Alister stood amidst the carnage, feeling accomplished.
“Today’s quest was a lot easier than yesterday’s, I didn’t even get a scratch on me so my blood healing and blood manipulation skills didn’t activate.” Alister said to himself, with a touch of
pride in his voice.
[Looting complete!] The system’s voice suddenly echoed.
Opening his inventory he took a look at the items Inside.
‘Now that I look at it, several wolf items from the last daily quest are here, guess I didn’t really get a chance to go sell them.’
‘Maybe I can put them up for sale when I get to the auction, some of these items are rare despite just being D rank, and the question of how I obtained materials of monsters beyond the walls won’t be asked.’
While he was lost in thought, just then a sharp pain shot through his chest, as if an icy hand had gripped his heart. The pain was so intense that he stumbled backward, his knees buckling
as he collapsed to the ground.
“W-what the hell is this?” Alister asked in confusion.
His vision blurred as he clutched his chest, gasping for air. A heavy pressure seemed to be crushing his heart, and he was feeling dizzy. As the pain intensified, a voice echoed in his mind, the system’s notification.
[Notice: Player has reached the level requirement. Commencing First Stage Bloodline
Awakening.]
‘Bloodline awakening? Does this have anything to do with my Draconic aspect?’
The world around him faded to black as the process began.
His body began to heat up, sweat streamed down his body dripping on the floor. His heart began to warm up, emanating a soft golden glow that was causing his chest area to illuminate
as he clutched it.
[Reconstructing 15% of the player’s bone structure.]
[Notice! This is going to be an extremely painful process!]
“Ughaaaaaa!”
A primal scream tore through Alister’s throat as an excruciating pain erupted within him. His body tensed, muscles straining against an unseen force. The golden glow intensified, pulsing rhythmically as if a new life was being birthed within him.
The ground beneath him trembled as a surge of energy radiated from his body. Vines and
leaves withered and died in a radius around him, the vibrant jungle transformed into a
scorched wasteland.
Time seemed to slow as Alister endured the agony. The world around him blurred and distorted, replaced by a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. He felt as if his consciousness was being pulled apart and reconstructed, every fiber of his being in upheaval.
‘Damn it, what is this! I feel like if I even let up for a moment I could lose consciousness.’
[Notice! Dragon soul is being reactivated!]
[Notice this is going to be a very painful process!]
‘Dragon soul? More? I have to-‘
Before he could finish his train of thought another pain shot through him, but it wasn’t in his
chest, no, this felt like abound his abdomen area. Thousands of needles were poking around
what felt like an orb-like object, at the same time it felt like those needles were also piercing
all over his body.
[Notice! Memory fragment found!]
[Does the player wish to re-assimilate or discard?]