Chapter 76: Dungeon 14: Another One

The final particles of Tyr fizzle away in front of Nineth Immortal. The reality of VRMMORPG hits hardest in moments like this. For a split second, she completely believed what just happened in front of her. The shock of Tyr dying permeated in the deepest parts of her mind. The feeling was a sea of emotion waves of grief, currents of rage and an expansive unending sea of relief. The heightened emotional state is part of the VRMMORPGs' that inescapable wash of feelings that can only be experienced safely in a simulated environment. She takes a breath controlling her breathing.

Tatiana ha managed to find a place to hide from the players that ambushed her team. The Northside of Red Iron island is already hard. She wouldn't be so mad if not for the fact this is so sudden. Right after the game announced the formation of their guild. They have been targeted by some power. The madness comes from her inability to preempt such a strike. The advantage that established powers have is vast. Tatiana believes wonders if the other nineteen teams that were declared are also suffering. Unsurprisingly Their team is only on Liguria to have achieved a top twenty finish. While she can't be exactly sure it seems to her at the very least there is one massive regional power. The way the attack is so widespread she can infer tentatively that it is a harmonious group. Meaning that they share the same goal while not necessarily being a single entity. Tatiana is extra wary of these powers because of the investigation she is launching. She hopes this has nothing to do with her scratching a very dangerous pit. 

The rest of the team who all got wiped out all already making their way back to her. Since the ambush team is hanging around the bodies. They released their bodies allowing them to respawn, Tatiana is really happy that some player managed this. All she has to do now is wait. She decides to look up what Medium Bunz is up to. The mention of a crazy has perked her interest. 

Nineth Immortal can wait anymore having centred herself the few moments of respite have left a pool of magic power vaguely shaped like the dragon. Nineth Mortal roars not really saying more than just a threatening growl. Her Dragon speak is getting better the more she uses it. The learning method is even better than high-value degrees that only need a mouth to properly incorporate itself into her mind. She didn't even feel any of the burdens that are usually associated with ICL-learning.

Like a vile bubble of vengeance climbing out of the primordial ooze. The dragon drags its battered body out of the muck. Even in this state, Nineth Immortal through some sort of passive draconic sense that is still developing can feel a dense pressure. Before it was like a massive wall threatening to crush her. NOw thou with her stat being that of a level fifty-four a quick glance at her stats makes her smile. 

---CHARACTER WINDOW---

Name: Nineth Immortal

Race: Arkania

Domain: N/A

Class: Tamer

Job: Armorer

Level: 18

Hp: 230

Strength - 38

Endurance -38

Dexterity - 119

Mp: 225

Intelligence - 119

Wisdom - 38

Willpower -38

Sp: 230

Power - 38

Force - 38

Balance - 119

---END OF WINDOW---

She hopes this could stay forever always having triple her stats will make a wrecking ball. She smiles ready to avenge her friends from this dragon menace. Unlike before she is much faster and her wings are also much stronger. The ability to swap between flight and combat mode is as simple as stretching to her. She arrives at the magic desolate dragon sparking an instinctual fear reaction that causes it to flip out. Her hardened wings are bashed by small claws unlike before they bounce off. Her high stat makes it so that she is artificially creating the level fifty barrier. This small usually inconsequential barrier is due to having a stat over one hundred. When a stat reaches one hundred they undergo a small upgrade. 

The dragon incensed at its own claws betraying it. Tries to bite no realising in its desperation that it has left itself wide open. Nineth Immortal begins as taught. She has seen an opening launching her bolts that land on the underside of the dragon. She follows that with a sharp uppercut. unlike humans, she actually cut so the uppercut is a move that uses the upper part f her wing to cut her enemy. The dragon looks around without its [False Lavaithen] skill it feels extremely exposed. 

Ninth Immortal continues her assault. The dragon is unable to really put up a fight anymore. Every blow is fast and powerful landing at vital areas. It's health quickly draining away. Nineth is relentless in her training giving her a solid attack pace. If only she had her pet already then she could truly show what an Arkenian Tamer can do.  The dragon like a punching bag folds and crumbles with each blow and bolt. 

At the last, Immortal is forced to jump back. A sharp stinging pulse had just forced her back. The almost lifeless dragon looks even more ferocious. Normally she wouldn't have jumped back not only does she outclass this dragon in raw power right now. She also has it at her mercy something in her thou just can't move forward. Her skin crawls with a terrible icky death scent. This dragon is truly special she can sense it is sacrificing something akin to all its knowledge to grasps life for a moment longer. 

[Willing Sacrifice] is a based skill and the dragon has lost. By sacrificing all its stats it got to roll a death die. The mad god known as Keefe left behind his essence in the world. Those who are able to access his essence gain the power to set back death however it is based on a role the die. The worst part is that it is a fifty eight-sided die and only six numbers have pure life-saving skills. 

The dragon laughs and accepts its fate after years of collecting skills to break out of this place ti has now finally lost at the one skill that always pulled it out the fire. [Willing Sacrifice] has transformed into death die skill number 33 [Final Bravado]. [Final Bravado] will allow it for ten seconds to attack without receiving any damage, any damage it deals is doubled and all vital bows are guaranteed criticals. If it wasn't such a coward the dragon would have been able to take full advantage of this skill. However Imer is afraid he has always been afraid born with multiple gifts he has always been hunted by his own kind seeking to drain him of his power. 

His entire body trembles years of sneaking and cunning ambushes have failed to save him. He can't help but quiver as this mighty being flies ever closer. A tear-filled with regret at never having lived at always having hidden falls from his eye. There is serine calm for him, the final flashes of his life are a painful reminder of all the time he ran. The times when he should have stood up with his salamander brothers to Urgin only to succumb to his fear. Every pivotal moment of his life he coward never once fulfilling his dragon potential. 

At the end, it is like the beginning he is alone and afraid. Nineth Immortal slashes down on the dragon leaving nothing but a dragon visage. His fear is alive even in death it consumes him stealing his soul. The area around her changes back to a deep pit cold lifeless. Nineth Immortal looks up remembering the story of the frog in a well. Her arm tingles it pulls at the dragons' corpse extracting its essence. 

She looks at her arm wondering what other wonders it holds. The first scale is still dim, she picks up the dragon egg and other floor material before trying to make her way up the sorrowful well. At the top Tyr, Rena, Lucinda and Amalya are rushing towards having come from eh respawn spot at the beginning of the dungeon. 

Lucinda says, "Amazing you actually beat it." Amalya looking a bit discontent at having been outshined stands the furthest back. The others are all patting Nineth Immortal on the shoulder. Tyr is especially happy facing a kluge is no easy thing. She will take the experience she learns from this help going forward. 

Nineth Immortal says, "With you'll guys sacrifice I wouldn't have defeated it." Truthfully she is happy she feels stronger, more determined and with seven more eggs to go she can feel something in her starting to change for the better. 

Tyr says, "It's only the beginning we still have a long way." Amalya shaking her head at herself for being silly finally manages to say something while she can't bring herself to congratulate Nineth Immortal. 

Amalya does say...