35 Book 3 Chapter 31

The wind cleared the smell of blood and poison in the air. It was only then Amara uncovered her nose. She rested a hand on her hip and voiced her opinion. "Are we gonna wait here?"

"Why not? He could have fought us after I healed him. That was his best chance." Roy was confident he made the right choice, so he was quick to defend himself.

Shenlong pulled out a stool from his inventory and sat down, his back straight. "Kresh was sincere. We wait."

Pursing her lips, Amara summoned a table with an outdoor umbrella and chairs. Carly took out two refreshing drinks and handed one over to her friend. Dubaku, Roy, Olivia, and Jason also made themselves comfortable. As experienced ascenders, they knew how important it was to relax when they could.

Not much time passed before Kresh reappeared in the distance as a dot. His figure was hard to miss, so Jason and the others quickly prepared themselves for what came next.

Minotaurs were known for their strength. Together with his height, he was able to cross thousands of feet in moments. Upon seeing Roy, Kresh let out a roar, though Jason and the others weren't able to tell it a happy one.

Kresh carried several monsters over his shoulders, and when he arrived at the cave, he carelessly dropped them on the ground. At first glance, it was clear Kresh heard Roy's request to keep them alive. The monster's limbs twisted this way and that. It was a pitiful sight.

(Mutant) Demonic Warwolf - Level 210

Health: 130,000/200,000

There were six monsters in total – all from different species. Instead of groveling at Kresh's feet, they growled threateningly. Even disabled, they were determined to fight to the death. It just so happened the warwolf landed near Kresh's leg. It opened wide and took a bite.

Seeing this, Kresh casually bent down and flicked the wolf's forehead. "Bad doggie!"

The wolf yelped as its head smacked against the ground, creating a small shockwave. All of its teeth shattered from the impact, effectively destroying its pride at the same time.

The casual flick of Kresh's finger had incredible strength. It wasn't unlike getting hit with a sledgehammer.

Kresh turned to Roy and grinned. "Little creature. I bring ten food. Maybe rune form."

"Ten?" Roy blinked and began to count the monsters again, but stopped midway. He didn't want to correct Kresh after seeing what happened to the wolf.

Kresh suddenly frowned as he stared at Roy. "Monsters strong. You weak. How kill?"

Roy broke into a cold sweat upon seeing Kresh frown, but he quickly relaxed after finding out why. He asked after a moment of thought, "Can you let us fight one at a time?"

"Ok. Three at time."

"I said on-," Roy quickly stopped himself. "Thanks."

(Mutant) Demonic Death Cobra - Level 220

Health: 120,000/150,000

Jason was level 180 after several months of hard work. His stats and skills soared after consuming the m-serum, yet even with all that, he felt cautious when facing the death cobra. First, it was a mutant. Second, it had three runes. Jason was unsure how to quantify the strength of such a creature, but it didn't matter. It was his job to step forward.

The cobra raised its head to Jason's eye level, weighing his strength. On other floors, this moment would have lasted longer, but not here. The snake's innate aggressiveness won over its cautiousness.

When the rune under its chin lit up, it pierced forward. Strangely, the rune covered its body, turning it into a two-pronged spear.

Jason could only see a blur as the snake collided with his shield. The force behind the impact sent him staggering backward, and he only stopped after taking three steps.

Sensing something, he moved his shield to the left. The snake, now a whip, smacked the shield and sent Jason rolling across the ground. By the time he recovered, the snake was already at his side. Still, it was as though his shield had a mind of its own. No matter what happened to Jason's body, his shield arm was always facing the snake.

Like this, Jason successfully defended against every attack levied against him. Unfortunately, the snake was so fast he could only stay passive. He wasn't able to make use of his battle skills and could only be smacked around like a ball in a pinball machine.

After several minutes, the snake once again transformed into a spear. It was a simple and powerful thrust, but that made it easy to predict. Just before the snake made contact with Jason, Shenlong appeared between them, his arm outstretched. The snake's mouth was open as Shenlong's spear went deeper and deeper into its body.

In that split moment, before the snake devoured Shenlong's arm, he activated one of his maxed out skills. Mana extended Shenlong's spear by thirty feet, skewering the snake from inside out. The snake dangled in place as warm blood poured out of its mouth. With a swipe of his spear, he tossed the thousand-pound monster aside.

Although such an attack would instantly kill a normal creature after the tower's change, the snake was exceptionally tough. It mustered its strength in preparation for another attack, only to shriek in pain.

Olivia appeared over the hole left by Shenlong. Her two daggers sunk into its flesh as she dragged down, tearing a line across its lower body. Only then did the snake still.

Its massive body dissipated, leaving behind a small semi-gaseous orb.

(Tier 3) Essence

Worth 10,000 essence.

Infuse with a concept to create a rune.

"It's tier 3!" Olivia announced as she picked up the item. A tier 3 essence was much more valuable than tier 1, and any monster that could drop it was far stronger than a top-tier ascender. If not for Shenlong fatally wounding the snake in one move, the fight wouldn't have ended so quickly.

Suddenly, Kresh's roar shook the air, "Demon!"

Everyone looked over and froze. Kresh's runes activated, transforming him into a war god. His muscles doubled, then tripled in size. A suit of black armor covered his body while a giant ax appeared in each of his hands. In this state, he was over forty feet tall.

Roy panicked as he screamed, "Wait, we aren't demons!"

Kresh paused, the bloodlust in his eyes diminishing. He hesitated. Seeing this, Roy pointed at his body and continued, "Look! I don't have a tail or black skin, see?"

Kresh lowered his axes, now unsure what to think. "Not demon?"

Roy hastily nodded with a forced smile. "We are humans. Demons are our enemies!"

The word 'enemies' was like a magic word. Kresh deactivated his runes, returning to his smaller form. His pure mind was easily convinced.

With a collective sigh of relief, the battles against the demonic monsters continued until all six died. In each, Jason tested the waters by fighting solo while his companions evaluated the monster's strengths and weaknesses. Their harvest was four tier 2 and two tier 3 essences.