Chapter 93: Blazing Confrontation

Chapter 93: Blazing Confrontation

I boost the spear with absorbed kinetic energy and stab right at the monster. Its disruptive field flares up and the spear becomes less dense, but the warg is unable to totally cancel out the fast stab, and the spear goes right into its chest.

A loud howl echoes through the surroundings as the spear in my hand, along with my left arm made out of mana, disappears.

But I already expected that.

I use the remaining energy I hold inside my body, which the monster wasn't able to absorb, to propel myself closer and kick the wound on its chest.

Another howl ensues, and I [Focus] as the monster attacks. I read its movement, its repositioning, where the warg looks, its open mouth, the twist of the neck.

I duck right under the bite and with my body strengthened by mana and constructs, I kick the wound again, this time with my knee.

Immediately, I fire up my [Disruption] and boost it with [Mana Surge] as much as I can, sending a pulse of disrupting energy against the monster's neck, using the moment of distraction as it howls in pain after my attack.

The field around the neck disappears, and my hand coated in oscillating mana cuts in, wreaking havoc on the monster's flesh. The warm blood spills on me, and I am forced to dash backward, stepping even further back.

The grass in a massive area stops moving and the wind quiets as I absorb all the energy while making a slow circle around the monster, having time on my side now that it's bleeding so much.

Slow breath in. Breath out.

Calmly, I force my heated body into a state of calmness as I wait, carefully observing the wounded monster.

Then, I reach out towards the sun and the warmth of its rays that fall to the ground, trying to absorb the thermal energy it provides.

I fail, and my hold on kinetic energy loosens. The grass starts swaying again, the wind blows again, and at the same moment, the monster attacks. The field of disrupting mana around it is already gone, replaced by smoke that slowly flows out of the monster's fur.

The smoke is dark black with tints of gray and it leaves a trail behind the monster as it dashes at me.

The moment it gets close, I send all the absorbed kinetic energy at its head which disappears, turning into smoke.

What the heck?

I absorb more and quickly move to the side. Two massive mana arms form from my back and push against the monster that turns its entire body into smoke.

[Disruption] fires up and the monster materializes again, to my left. Immediately, it attacks again, biting at me. I use [Disruption] quickly, followed by a stab with a spear made of mana.

Finally, the attack lands and the spear goes through its neck.

I continuously disrupt its mana and that continues to cancel the monster's attempts to attack or run. I shoot a cone of absorbed kinetic energy, exploding its head. The smoke disappears and the dead body falls to the ground.

[You have defeated an Ember-eye Warg - lvl 89]

[Disruption - lvl 8 > Disruption - lvl 9]

[Mana Surge - lvl 7 > Mana Surge - lvl 8]

At that moment, spikes elongate and one of them even reaches the corgi, stabbing its leg a tiny bit and drawing out a drop of blood, before quickly retracting while the hedgehog continues to hiss and jump on the spot.

The best doggo looks down at a drop of blood on its leg and then back at the hedgehog.

Oh boy.

Immediately, a cute small growl escapes Biscuit's maw and he barks. Five tentacles appear, growing from its back, quickly growing bigger while spinning wildly.

Even Biscuit's eyes seem to take on a bit of a purple glow, and he moves closer, thrashing the ground and the hedgehog, continuously pumping more and more mana into the tentacles, making them denser and bigger.

When he finally calms down, there is nothing left of the hedgehog and he looks towards me.

(Gone) I hear in my mind.

Yup, good job, you defeated it!

(Food Gone)

“...”

God damn it, Biscuit.

The monster I'm fighting now is slightly weaker than the warg I fought before, but it’s a monster that uses fire attacks.

I was able to ask Ruby to do it for me and she actually did so. I feel that I owe her once again. I truly appreciate the things she does for me. After spending some time together, we learned a bit more about each other's personalities and learned to respect them.

Ruby doesn't blabber that much about things I'm not interested in, and I try to entertain her a bit when she feels bored. I talk to her, and give her my opinions, feeling much more comfortable about our conversations now.

I cancel out these thoughts and focus back on the monster in front of me, still surprised by the variety of monsters from this place.

[Scorching Salamander - lvl ?]

I dodge its burst of fire, feeling the heat on my skin even though I'm protected by [Armament]. At the same time, I reach out towards the flames and try to absorb their energy. I [Focus] and try to apply everything I've learned up until now about redistribution and fire attacks.

I move my mana differently than when using [Kinetic Redistribution], all because of all the testing I've done, all the nights I didn’t sleep and kept practicing on the fireplace, on the flame radiating from the glowing mana crystal. All the tests I have done in the darkness of the tunnels.

I fail and my mana shatters in the air.

The salamander collects mana inside its body and then releases it all at once, molding it in a confusing way.

Instead of a fire attack, a strong flash of light comes into existence, blinding me and making me close my eyes and rely on [Perception].

I continue to track the monster's mana, its position, and the way it uses its skill, and I do it until the massive area around us is rid of grass and the ground glows as if it's made out of lava. The air wavers, showing how much heat there is.

And at that moment, I finally reach out towards the wisp of the monster’s attack and absorb it, hold it, mold it, and release it while my mind goes into overdrive.

Finally, a notification sounds in my mind.