《Leveling up the World》26. Outclassed
Advertisement
Whoever said that the larger a creature, the slower its actions clearly had no idea what they were talking about. As Dallion found out, the pack-panther was not only big—roughly the size of an elephant—but also had reflexes rivaling his own. The first time it attacked, the boy barely had the time to evade by following the guard skill markers that had appeared. What was more, the beast had no intention of letting him make use of his specials, interrupting the boy mid sequence with further consecutive attacks.
How did I get myself mixed up in this? Dallion wondered as massive clawed paws swirled around him.
Ten minutes ago, it had seemed like a solution to defeating the pack had been found. Now, the boy was engaged in surviving to such a degree that he didn’t even have time to worry what might happen. All his regrets for not choosing the rare crafting skills had also evaporated.
“Let me attack!” Dallion shouted, slashing at the beast’s paw.
There was a loud howl accompanied by a shearing sound. Half of the paw fell off, disappearing in a puff of smoke, only to get restored moments later. Apparently, simple attacks weren’t going to do a lot. There went the hope that one good strike would kill off the monster.
Struggling to suppress the increasing pain in his leg, Dallion hopped several steps back. To his surprise, the panther didn’t immediately follow. It was a minor thing, something the boy wouldn’t have even noticed before. Now, though, he saw it for the opportunity it was and didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it.
Green and red footsteps appeared, directing Dallion towards his enemy: a three-step approach, a sidestep while using the buckler to defend against the inevitable paw slam, a crouch-twist, then finally a slash in the beast’s back. The sequence was complicated and would undoubtedly result in pain, but it was the only chance Dallion had.
Advertisement
Taking a deep breath, the boy rushed forward. The monster reacted as the markers suggested it would; it focused on the boy, then attempted to slice him in half with its massive claws. The buckler met the paw head on, pushing Dallion back in the process.
Crouch-twist, the boy said to himself, angling the shield so the attacker’s remaining strength didn’t affect him. The paw slid off, ripping the air above his head.
“Got you!” The panther’s side was exposed. As tempting as it was to attack immediately, Dallion followed through with his sequence, ending at the creature’s back. Only then did he strike.
At that moment several things happened at once. Time went to a crawl. A second set of red-green markers appeared, suggesting how Dallion should follow up the attack. As the boy thrust his sword, though, the panther’s body also changed. Two creature heads emerged from the massive monster’s back, like creatures leaping out of a pool in slow motion. Two green lines appeared linking the two new heads to Dallion’s arm.
Damn it!
That was the price of overconfidence. All this time the boy had considered his enemies to be brainless mobs that did the same actions over and over again. As it turned out, they too could form strategies and also trick him into following a certain path. The beast had sacrificed part of its health, but in exchange had gotten Dallion’s attack arm. Without a sword the boy had as much chance of winning as a dodo bird flying over the Atlantic.
Think!
Dallion’s reaction level still allowed him to do something, but what? If he went through with his attack, both he and the monster would suffer serious damage. If he didn’t, there was no telling whether he’d get another opening. Was this a time to be reckless or to exert caution for once?
Advertisement
Options played out through his mind. There was no way he could twist his arm to achieve both goals. It was either mutual damage or no damage at all.
Crap!
If only he had a better weapon, or even two weapons, he wouldn’t be facing such a dilemma. It was said that only incompetent players blamed their gear, but in this case Dallion had a reason to. There was only so much he could do with a short sword. Also, it was not like he could pick the weapon up with his left hand and keep on fighting. Awakening had granted him a lot of abilities, but ambidexterity wasn’t one of them. As things stood now, he only had one sword arm and one shield arm… which for some reason he hadn’t been using to attack.
That’s it!
Mustering all his remaining strength, Dallion swung his buckler at the two heads while continuing with his sword attack. Timing was key. The tip of the sword sunk in the panther’s path. The creature heads opened their jaws, aiming to bite into his wrist. Before they could, though, the edge of the buckler hit the leftmost one on the side.
COMBINATION ATTACK
Dealt damage increased by 200%
Both heads disappeared in a puff of smoke as Dallion’s continued on until the entire blade was buried in the monster.
An ear-popping howl shattered the air, forcing Dallion to jump back. The panther did the same, doubling the distance between them.
“Thank goodness,” Dallion managed to say, breathing heavily.
The pain in his body had subsided, replaced by numbness. By the looks of it, the panther wasn’t doing much better. The constantly attacking monster had taken a defensive stance, glaring at Dallion with such ferocity that it could drill a hole through concrete with its gaze alone. Also, the creature appeared to have shrunk in size by roughly a third. It was still quite large, but not even close to the monster it had been at the start of the battle.
Of course! Dallion smiled. Everything was clear now. The creature was the embodiment of the pack, and as such shared all of its characteristics. Each successful strike corresponded to the death of a pack member, and as the pack members diminished, so did the overall size of the enemy.
“Good attempt, but it’ll take more than that to defeat me.” Dallion smirked. Finally, he’d gotten to use some cheese in real life without being judged. “Darude!” He charged forward.
Advertisement
- In Serial42 Chapters
Destiny: Infernal [DISCONTINUED]
Have you ever felt like you are the greatest outcast ever to exist? As if someone, something out there, made you from the ground up in order to create the Ultimate Social Exile? I have. Too talented to be part of normal society. Too dumb to be part of abnormal society. This, is me. I am Alice Pendragon, a semi-insane, incredibly anti-social, nine year old noble girl in a world which seems to despise her. School finally ended, summer's first day arrived... I should be happy, right? And yet here I am, going back home just in time for my Fathers very own funeral. ... And the dream which I'm about to have isn't going to help my sanity. At all. IMPORTANT: This story, like my EUPHORIA, will have highly erotic content. (No, there won't be any little girls having sex. The world in general will be sexually free.) Lemons will be made, but only later on in the story when the MC is older. IMPORTANT X2: This story will need a cover picture! Any takers, please send me a PM if you're willing and able. IMPORTANT X3: My stories are not rated 18. They are RATED MATURE ADULT. If you can't handle adult things, don't read the story. That said, if you've ever watched Family Guy and weren't offended by it, then you're probably mature enough for my stories.
8 97 - In Serial151 Chapters
Master of Ceremonies
A world with crazy Goddesses, a continent where dangers are always around. "What am I gonna do now?" Christopher, the author of Auburn War, asked himself. He reincarnated in a body of a drunkard and death always follows him. How can he survive in this crazy world that he created? How can he protect the family that he swore to protect? Watch Christopher as he changed every scenario that he himself created. "Ah, how ironic, I'm begging in front of the character that I made..." Advance ten chapters on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/EAcYxbG36Y
8 74 - In Serial37 Chapters
Pokémon Reset Bloodlines Sidestories - Interlude Chapters
Stories never seen from the Pokémon World. Past and present of the new reality and how the events have affected their inhabitants will be explored here, unraveling many of the mysteries of the new world. Series of extra oneshots taking place in the same continuity as the main story of Pokémon Reset Bloodlines, starring characters who aren't Ash Ketchum and his group. Knowledge of the main story isn't fully required but is recommended.
8 109 - In Serial33 Chapters
Nightengale
For Felicity Miller, marrying the perfect man did not turn out exactly as she had planned. Over her decade of marriage to Brendon Miller, she had watched him grow from an ambitious charmer to a masterful manipulator, but with her life so invested in his, she powered past her own misgivings to establish a fairly stable existence. Brendan Miller, though, never did allow complacency in those he affected. When he sweeps Felicity away for a month-long dream vacation, she finds out just how unstable the foundation for her illusion. When the handsome stranger, Jase Hamilton, throws doubt on Felicity's belief about her world, she has to decide whether to ignore him and hang on to her past or place her faith in a man she has no reason to trust.
8 180 - In Serial24 Chapters
Silence ✓
{Book 1 of The Quiet Series}"He hunts, only if the silence is disturbed."Zeal, a very determined young woman and a mother of one, had to go through challenging moments that somehow connected to the events of her quondam life.When a stalker from her past begins to hunt her five-year-old daughter, Lisie, Zeal decides to take matters into her own hands, to keep her daughter safe.In a town filled with crazy maniacs, will Zeal be able to alleviate her kid from the clutches of the stalker? Or will the paranormal experiences she has to go through engulf her.•Needs to undergo intense revision•This book is being edited by the lovely @rewritteen. God bless your heart ❤️Reader's reviews ❤️❤️"This should definitely be a paid story! You made it even more tense than Stephen King does in all of his books. Just how?" ~ Shirruri"Your book cover, storyline, and your writing is amazing! This book deserves to be published or made to a movie" ~ goddessofsolarity ❤️"Okay, I am hooked and now, I need an update" ~ Beckyyazxoxo#TheCupidAwards#blackartsawards2020#SolsticeAwards#TheVAawards2019#EOTSAwards#livysawardsnights#IAC19#sunflowerawards2020#spiceoffawards#thebuttercupawards2020#tea2020#theaceawards2020#TheAtlaAwards2020#AvalonAwards2020#RoseAwards#WarriorAwards#AstralAwards2020#WattysNG#WattNigeria#YCDAAS3 #Clubeternityawards2020#perdurableawards#thewizardawards#sunsetawards#thespringawards2020#thewinnerawards2020#seranianawards2020#wildroseawards#ASA2020#empireawards#theathenianawards#twilightawards2020 Nominated in the Fans Club Award.HIGHEST RANKING: #125 out of 36.1k stories for Mysterious (15/12/2019)#2 in not a cliche (29/12/2019)#3 in scary story (29/12/2019)#10 in creepy stories (10/1/2020)#54 in mystery-thriller out of 10.5k stories (10/1/2020)#6 in suspenseful out of 1.75k stories.(10/1/202
8 206 - In Serial5 Chapters
Yandere! Popee x Reader
Kill yourself (I'm sorry)
8 108