Vol. 2 - Chapter 33 - Bloodline Awakening

Mathias even when getting the well-awaited boost from Ragnius, still had to struggle juggling around his cooldowns, and immediately after sidestepping an ending skill from Iljnoks, at that moment the bear monster was left opened from his evasion, he casted 'Evocation' which kickstarted his mana recovery and granted him unlimited mana.

Paula who was focusing on her role of supporting the party either be by healing or granting mana, or being a nuisance for Iljnoks, from the backline watched in shock as Mathias's high mana gauge started refilling alertly, making the crimson-haired man look more mysterious by the manner he brought to the table new skills and techniques.

She didn't know much about fighting in general, but she saw some fighting matches on TV along with her father, where two men would fight in a round cage. Those moments she saw on TV, from those fighters' footwork, looked familiar to her when Mathias was moving in the fight against the bear monster, using slick footwork.

Nevertheless, this short observation of her, harmless, didn't get in her role as a support, which kept the fight standing.

With Mathias's encouraging words, she felt her value in the party, more than the damage dealers, even though a DPS-er was the integral part, the engine of the machine, without it you wouldn't have a car running.

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The fight continued on getting more intense where Iljnoks was dabbling between 10% and 25% HP thanks to his insane regenerative spells, everyone in the party was breathing heavy, even Mathias's whose Stamina bar was simply cursing him in those moments.

[Stamina: 25/100]

It was a weakness, the bear monster sensed and pushed more on the gas pedal, increasing the intensity of his attacks even more, even mixing it up by doing AoE attacks which placed the entire party in jeopardy. Feeling the pressure he placed on all the party members, even the kobolds who didn't have the guts to sneak attack him, he continued on with this strategy.

"DAMN! SMARTASS DO SOMETHING AND STOP HIS AOE ATTACKS!" screamed MikeIron who was at 25% HP after only three AoE attacks from Iljnoks.

Mathias, who at that moment, was on 40% HP ignored the Guardian, and only focused on fighting Iljnoks and intercepting his single target attacks which were mostly for him.

Both the Guardian and Warrior were in a bad spot, taking the AoE attacks from Iljnoks fully, who cleaved their healths like they were ants, without even focusing on them once since entering phase 3. Anjo took some steps back to take a health potion, but when he did that, Iljnoks shifted his gaze like a monstrous ghost, and pounced at him with a jump that looked akin to Vivian's 'Trucker's Leap'.

"AHH! Help me! Keep the aggro on the monster!"

Mathias, who even after activating 'Evocation' couldn't kill the monster in his burning phase, turned his attention at the blonde warrior who distanced himself from the center of the fight, to take a potion. Channeling his mana which wasn't in outstanding conditions, when Iljnoks was about to land on Anjo, and cleave his head, delivering the final blow to the Warrior, a dark-purple missile was shot which pushed back the monster giving the player a chance to breathe.

Still, it wasn't enough to stop Iljnoks, who arrived moments later in front of the warrior, and with a malicious face that induced nightmares, he slashed his bony, metallic claws at the helpless player where it left a dark claw mark.

"ARGH! I am dead." said Anjo who closed his eyes, not wishing to see this nightmarish creature for even one more second.

The putrid smell of decay coming from Iljnoks was nauseated, but what he felt wasn't crawling pain, instead it was a stinging pain followed by an impact where he lost some small amount of HP. Opening his eyes, confused, he thought Mathias's came to save his ass, but what he saw was two of the small creatures who were breathing hard with a deep claw cut on their chest, crawling away from Iljnoks.

"Hah, thank God those little rats are also good at something."

"REBE! HASS! shouted Vek who turned angry when he saw his closest friend suffer the attack of Iljnoks, and with his anger burning deep inside of him, there was a small change in himself, the pressure he was giving off changed, while his crocodile snout and head shifted a bit, along with his eyes shining with a red color.

"BEAST, YOU WILL NOT TAKE AWAY MY BROTHERS!" shouted Vek, while his roar was akin to a dragon's cry.

Gripping tight on the 'Fang of the Enforcer' that burning red blood dropped from his hands, he dashed toward Iljnoks from the backline and appeared in front of the bear monstrosity right when it was about to cleave the downed kobolds.

Slashing with his entire strength with the blade covered in his own blood, it was ignited by the striking movement, and when he managed to land that attack on Iljnoks, the monstrosity released a pained scream, sending a shockwave attack with the intent of blasting Vek away from him.

Yet this small creature, which looked grander than ever, remained strong and continued his assault on Iljnoks, while he released another dragon cry, with his body constantly growing while he was slashing the dagger at the monstrosity, becoming larger than his brethren.

Mathias, who was quick to react, sent a private message to Paula informing her of something quite ruthless and cold, before activating 'Raven's Movement' and drinking a mana potion along the way.

"Focus all your healing on the kobolds. They are the conditions of clearing the quest. Don't even bother with me, just keep them alive."

"What about Anjo and the rest?"

"Vivian will be fine, as for those fools, let them die."

There was no more response from Paula, but her actions spoke louder than words, beginning to heal the kobolds who got wounded, and while Vek was entering a transformation in itself, Mathias appeared next to Ilknoks, and sent an 'Eclipsing Rose' which made the monster looked even more crazed.

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 5652 damage to Iljnoks]

After that attack, Vek still continued on fighting Iljnoks even if the monstrosity struck back, wounding what was expected to a frail kobold, but his HP was lowered slowly, with attacks that only did 278-347 damage.

In just 15 seconds, Iljnoks was turned close to death, point where all the player's morale rose, beginning their last round of attacks. The Guardian used his charging attack which almost backfired, Anjo also salivated at the thought of how much EXP he would gain from killing the boss monster and even thought of Ninja Steal the loot since Mathias was most likely the one to receive the rewards, but because of the party system, if he kicked him now he probably would retaliate and PK everyone.

Vivian who contributed a lot for this fight, even being at the receiving end of Iljnoks crashing attacks, drew her bowstring to the limits, and sent her strongest attack.

Meanwhile, Mathias, who was the closest to Iljnoks noticed the monster getting darker and darker, inflating itself and giving off a heavier pressure, with dark lights around his body, building up.

'Self-destruction attack? Damn, it really is, he wants to kill everyone in this tunnel, as he would also die in the process. Wait, this is an undead monster, it for sure has some skills to heal himself from only 1 HP.'

A swift mind with only some signs taken from the state of the monster proposed a crazy plan the monster was intending on doing, but he prepared himself, asking Paula for a Mana Recovery spell, giving him enough to activate another skill in preparations for what was about to come. It didn't take long and Iljnoks released a deafening roar, where all the dark lights accumulating from his body started spewing, targeting everyone in the party.

Mathias sent a private message to Vivian before pulling Vek, and the rest of the kobolds next to him, before the burst of light was about to touch him like a gamma-ray burst.

'It should work on this attack. It has to.'

'Soul Spear - Destruction'

With a heavy spear form, he slashed at the dark ray of mana with Ragnius covered in his entire Red Energy resources, which deflected that ending attack from Iljnoks, moving back toward its originator, while Vivian did a 'Tracker's Leap' with Paula in her arms, escaping the 'Death Ray' before another ray of dark light came from Iljnoks with the intent of hitting her.

Anjo and MikeIron weren't as lucky to receive an escape plan from Mathias and got themselves incinerated on the spot, decaying into gray light fragments where both being at the second death, were logged out from the game.

Still, Vivian watched the ray of light come toward her and wanted to face the ending with a strong will, but then came Iljnoks roar and collapse, which was followed by the disappearance of the 'Death Ray'.

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Mathias could only bask at the huge number of damage his reflect spear technique did followed by the entire collapse of Iljnoks whose entire flesh started melting, before giving a nightmarish roar and turning into gray light fragments,

[You have dealt 10.425 damage to the target.]

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[Ding!] [World Achievement! Congratulations, your party has defeated the . As a participant in the challenge, you will gain the following rewards:]

[All party members received the title 'Menace Hunter']

[You have received 175.000 EXP.]

[You have acquired 500 Gold Coins.]

['Fallen Iljnoks Boots' has been acquired]

['Iljnoks Spine Bow' has been acquired.]

[Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stone (6) has been acquired.]

[Blessed Armor Enhancement Stone (6) has been acquired.]

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[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

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[Do you wish to announce to the world your achievement?]

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[You have declined.]

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Looking at the girls, while he dropped on his knees to get a breather from the tense moment he went through, he cleared out the notifications he gained from the defeat of Iljnoks, and when the notification about him announcing his achievement came about, he instantly declined, without a question asked.

Still, there was something unresolved, the kobolds behind him were agitated, and were talking in draconian, while from nowhere Vek released another draconic roar. The sound of something dropping to the ground echoed in the tunnel room, and after turning his body he could see Vek spasming on the ground, with his veins appearing all over his body.

"HUMAN LORD! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR BROTHER?" asked the kobolds panicked, not knowing what was happening to Vek.

Approaching the kobold who was struggling on the ground, while the other kobolds were constantly asking him to rescue Vek.

'Ahhh, little ones, how should I know what is happening? I am not a kobold or dragon? Dragon?'

At that moment he was contemplating on a way to be of help, he heard from inside his brain, like a telepathic link, an old man's voice, who sounded as if he woke himself up.

{Wuaa, quite a bad sleep after being getting myself dried like some fool done by prostitutes. Hmmm, what's this smell of mana? Dragons? Wait, there's no way a dragon will be in Gravelmark.}

'Oyyy, old ghost, did you woke up?'

{Ahh, right, I am now linked to this snob kid. Indeed, this great me has woken up, but I still need to sleep.}

'It doesn't matter, tell me do you know something about what's going on with the kobold?'

{The little dolls of the dragons? If I am not wrong he just awakened his latent dragon bloodline, and is running out control. Right, I am correct, how can I not be? I remember that fight with the kobold who moved like some thief in my territory.}

'I don't want to hear your story old man, tell me do you have a way to control that bloodline?'

{Hey, little snob, you are asking too much from this poor old man, who woke himself surrounded by a claustrophobic space. I've stayed trapped enough in those roots who sucked me dry. Fine, fine, I do have a way, but it might backfire, do you want to try?}

'Just tell me what I have to do.'

{Tsk, and I thought I will relax with my new young buddy. Kid, that Red Energy power I have given you comes from my bloodline. Similar to the dragon's blood that is imbued with magical powers. Now, don't interrupt me with stupid questions. There's still a difference between my blood and the ones of the dragons, mine was created after a long path of training myself and my body, while that of dragons comes from their shitty worldly gifts.}

{Regardless, use your Red Energy and infuse it inside the dragon, since it also has a soothing effect on other people, calming them and healing them.}

'That's it?'

Not getting an answer back from the old man, who was resting like some beggar, scratching his butt as if he looked at a TV, in his face instead was the view Mathias was seeing with his eyes, and with what else Red Energy Mathias had in his body, he started gathering in his hands, and pushing the kobolds away from Vek who was spasming and had blood on his mouth, later dropped down and touched the kobold's chest.

The old man who watched everything, smirked a bit while talking to himself.