Chapter 32: Golden Chariot? I’ll Slay It All the Same
Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Golden Chariot? I’ll Slay It All the Same
As the potion entered his mouth, an indescribable sourness and bitterness spread through it, making Jon’s face scrunch up.
"BLECH—this is disgusting!"
But he soon had no time to worry about such things.
A faint pain spreading from his abdomen forced him to grit his teeth.
At first, the pain wasn’t severe. It felt as if he were soaking in warm chili water, his skin and muscles tensing involuntarily.
But as the circulation-boosting effect of the Chu Blood Grass carried the toxins of the Sword-leaf Grass and White Bone Flower to every corner of his body, Jon felt his entire being was on fire!
His organs, his flesh, his skin, his bones—every part of him radiated a searing heat and a stabbing pain that threatened to drive him mad.
A notification then popped up in his status bar.
[You have consumed a Blood Exhaustion Potion. Life Value -254!]
[Status Gained: Blood Exhaustion Burst]
The Warrior, his skin flushed crimson, opened a pair of terrifying, bloodshot eyes and looked at his status bar.
His Life Value had plummeted to 167, but thanks to the replenishing effect of his [Heart of Balance], it recovered to 181—matching his Magic Power—and stabilized at a relatively safe 41%.
This very drop and subsequent rise brought a restorative effect, slightly alleviating the pain coursing through him. It allowed Jon to remain rational despite the agony.
He looked at the crimson icon in his status bar and let out a soft breath.
"Hah, this is enough—!"
[Blood Exhaustion Burst: Temporarily increases Power by 5. Duration: 12 minutes.]
His Power now reached 14, nearly matching his Constitution. The dual torment to his blood and flesh made him desperate to unleash this newfound strength.
And the perfect target was, of course, the Scorpion Mother relentlessly pursuing him from behind.
He charged forward again. After rounding a corner, Jon stopped abruptly. He gripped his blade with both hands, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
He focused on the rumbling sound mixed with the ringing in his ears, savoring the pain that tore at his body... Then, he sank into a state of suppressed calm, his breathing slowing.
He was waiting. He was listening.
Closer. And closer.
The sound of the Scorpion Mother’s scuttling legs was like a frantic drumbeat against his heart.
Though his eyes were shut, Jon could perfectly imagine the scene.
At the Scorpion Mother’s speed, it would take less than three seconds for it to reach the corner where he stood.
It would use its powerful legs to halt its charge, pivot, and then strike at him with the giant pincers that could easily shatter rock.
’And that is my chance!’
’A tank is most vulnerable when it’s slowing down to turn!’
SKITTER SKITTER SKITTER—!!!
’Closer! It’s here!’
’Now!’
The frenzied Warrior suddenly snapped open his crimson eyes and roared as he exhaled!
"STOP—!!"
[Frightening Roar], activated!
The Skill’s power was maximized in the enclosed terrain of the Abandoned Mine. Even an Elite Level monster, enhanced by some unknown treasure and possessing a natural Resistance to this sort of crowd-control Skill, was momentarily stunned, its charge brought to a dead stop.
And that momentary halt was exactly what Jon needed.
[Stance Correction] to recover his stamina!
Then, he raised his blade.
A crimson light, symbolizing the power of blood, began to condense on the pristine blade. Simultaneously, Jon unsparingly drew upon his body’s Magic Power, pouring it into the attack.
With his body’s power pushed to its absolute limit, he could feel his control over [Magic Mastery] reach a new level. He had quietly broken through the Skill’s restriction of "consume a maximum of 4 Magic Power for 20 bonus Magic Damage."
His Magic Power Value drained away as if a floodgate had been opened. Meanwhile, his [Heart of Balance] activated, consuming his Life to replenish the spent Magic Power.
This caused both values to drop in tandem, and the crimson and azure lights coiling around his blade seemed to begin merging.
Life and Magic Power.
Balance.
In that instant, Jon felt as if he had grasped something profound. A notification seemed to flash in the system.
But he had no time to think, no time to look. He followed his instincts and, as his Power crested to its absolute peak, he brought the blade down!
Time itself seemed to slow.
The Scorpion Mother seemed to recover from the effects of Frightening Roar. It raised its pincers, whether to block the attack or to meet it head-on was unclear.
But Jon, lying in wait, was a step faster.
His blade was fast and steady.
The tip of his blade, the point that delivered the most force in a chop, slipped deftly between the Golden Giant Scorpion’s pincers and came crashing down!
Jon’s Power was now at 14, nearly three times that of an Ordinary person. His Life Value had also dropped to a low of 165 due to the Blood Exhaustion Potion and Magic Mastery—a full 270 points below his maximum of 435!
This directly caused his [Desperate Strike] to add a full 270 points of bonus damage!
The Scorpion Mother’s carapace was tough, but before this strike, it was split open like tofu, without a hint of resistance.
[-1147 (Critical Hit! Fatal Blow!) -160 (Magic Bonus Damage)]
The Golden Giant Scorpion’s body froze stiff. Its massive pincers had nearly reached Jon; just a few more inches and they would have clamped down, crushing him like a stone.
But it never got the chance.
With its head split wide open, the Scorpion Mother’s massive, bull-sized body lost all control. It twitched weakly twice, then went still.
It even dropped a clean burst of experience.
[Defeated a higher-level monster. Gained 1500 (1000 base experience x 1.5 reward multiplier) combat Experience Points.]
At the same time, another notification flashed before Jon’s eyes.
[Final boss of the Abandoned Mine, the Scorpion Mother, has been defeated. Settle Dungeon results?]
Jon reached out a trembling hand, steadying himself against the rock wall to keep from collapsing from exhaustion.
He caught his breath, looked at the notification, and shook his head.
"No, don’t settle the results yet."
’Are you kidding me? The Dungeon isn’t fully cleared. If I settle now, the completion percentage will be low.’
’I already had to level up prematurely because I ran into the Scorpion Mother, which means I lost out on the bonus Experience Points for killing the Ordinary rock scorpions as a lower-level character. I’ll be damned if I don’t squeeze every last drop of value out of this Dungeon!’
’For a player, not making a profit is the same as taking a loss!’
’Besides, there’s something more important to do right now!’
After taking a few breaths to recover some of his strength, Jon stood up straight and turned his gaze toward the Scorpion Mother’s head—or more specifically, its mouthparts.
"Let’s see what kind of miracle potion it was that turned you, you beast, into a Super Saiyan Scorpion..."
He lifted his blade, lopped off the Scorpion Mother’s head, and then sliced open its gullet. A mess of rock fragments, digestive fluids, and other bodily liquids spilled onto the ground.
There, amidst the puddle of foul-smelling filth, a clear Yellow Gemstone the size of a baby’s fist shone brilliantly.
It was so extraordinary, so exquisite, that Jon’s pained expression from the stench began to relax.
He picked up the gemstone.
Instantly, a unique light bloomed on his status panel.
It was yellow, but not the dazzling gold of a Legend-rarity item. Instead, it was a deep, earthy yellow, like soil or stone.
[Blood of the Earth (Unique Accessory)]