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The entire area had been devastated with just one attack from the serpent.
"All my training and good grades actually paid off," Ivy said. "Good thing I sensed it earlier and was able to evade it, because even with my current armor, it would have done serious damage to me." She made another backflip onto a tree branch to get a better view of her surroundings.
"As expected, it's as big as I read in those books." She jumped down with her katana raised above her head, aiming straight for the back of the serpent's neck.
As she was about to plunge into it, the serpent moved swiftly, evading the strike, and immediately countered with its own attack, sending Ivy crashing into the trees.
"Dammit, I forgot what makes them so strong—their speed." She quickly stood up and ran towards the serpent to close the distance.
"Let's try this again," she said with a smirk. "When was the last time I used Aether Resonance?" The air pressure rose; everything around seemed to feel her Aether. Even the plants withered, losing their green.
In a single step, she vanished from her spot and reappeared at point-blank range. The serpent, famed for its speed, couldn't even register her movements. In one clean motion, she pierced her katana straight into its head.
"What the hell?" Alex muttered as he witnessed what Ivy just did. "Thank goodness I didn't try going against her earlier."
She wouldn't have killed you, but she would have done a lot of damage, Gemi said.
Exactly. If she wanted me dead, she would've done it the moment we met. She needs me to meet someone at the capital.
[INSPECT]
[IVY BELLADONNA]
[Tier: Elite]
[Swordsman]
[AETHER RESONANCE LVL: 6/14]
How high is 6 for Aether Resonance, Gemi? Alex asked.
It depends on the individual. For her, she's already almost halfway to her max Aether control, which is very good. And in general, level six is considered high, Gemi replied.
"That hit should have done a decent amount of damage to weaken the serpent," Ivy said as she pulled her katana free. The serpent grew more aggressive, thrashing about and destroying the landscape, then let out a hiss that sounded more like a roar.
It lunged at Ivy, faster than before.
"No you don't," she said, maneuvering out of the way before landing a clean, Aether-empowered strike on its neck. The blade severed it in one motion, and she landed gracefully on her feet.
"Well, that was easy." Ivy was about to sheath her katana, but suddenly, a larger serpent burst from the shadows. It struck her too fast for her to react, hurling her through several trees before she finally crashed to a stop. The new serpent then slithered over to inspect the corpse of the fallen one.
Alex rushed to Ivy's side.
I doubt she's still alive, he thought as he reached her.
"Ivy! Ivy!" Alex shook her. Her eyes were dim, life fading.
He quickly pulled out a healing potion from his bag and poured it into her mouth.
Alex, use Critical Inspect to see her condition.
[CRITICAL INSPECT]
[HP – 3%]
[Critical Damage Detected]
[Broken Rib]
[Fractured Leg]
"Damn, I'm screwed," Alex muttered, panicked. "What am I supposed to do now?"
'Evaluation: Ivy is in no condition to fight. Abandoning her is not advised. Why? Because you will face more battles like this, and it is better to have a companion. Carrying her on your back is also not advised—you would be too slow, and the serpent would catch you. Best course of action: retrieve Ivy's katana and tactically engage'.
"Ivy, why!" Alex shouted. He ran towards where the katana had fallen, but the serpent returned just as he reached for it.
[COMBAT ENCOUNTERED]
[Race – Great Giant Forest Serpent]
[Tier – Elite]
[Status – Enraged]
[Enraged Buff – 30% Stronger]
"Shit, I'm dead."
[WARNING]
[POWER LEVEL DIFFERENCE – 360%]
[OUTMATCHED]
[AUTO PRECAUTION]
[STAMINA AND DURABILITY BOOST POTION ACTIVATED]
[STATS]
Stamina – 8 [+10]
Durability – 11 [+10]
[AETHER RESONANCE ACTIVE]
[STATS]
Strength – 7 [+5]
Speed – 7 [+5]
Stamina – 8 [+10] [+5]
Agility – 7 [+5]
Durability – 11 [+10] [+5]
Alex immediately felt the effects. As the serpent's tail whipped toward him, he jumped and countered with a punch to its head.
Bang!
The blow sent the serpent staggering back. It didn't cause much damage, but it gave him an opening.
"Thanks to Ivy's fight earlier, I know its weak point. And I know its strength is its speed."
'I need that katana. It's the only way I can hurt this thing'.
The serpent lunged again, striking with its tail. Alex braced his arm to absorb some of the impact.
[HP – 78]
No kidding, this thing is insanely strong.
He scrambled to his feet and sprinted across the battlefield toward the corpse of the first serpent.
[BEAST CRYSTAL OBTAINED]
There has to be something I can do with this to help me…
You can absorb its Aether for permanent stat points, Gemi advised.
How?
Same as the INSPECT skill. It's preregistered as an ability—just activate it.
Thanks. Alex quickly absorbed the serpent crystal along with the one from the savage bear.
[SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED]
[AETHER RESONANCE INCREASE – UNKNOWN]
[+20 STAT POINTS]
That's a lot. Putting this into speed is useless—that's the serpent's strength. Durability or stamina won't matter, since it can still one-shot me. The best choice is to dump everything into strength.
[STATS]
Strength – 27 [+5]
I hope this was the right decision.
It was your best option, and I'll give you credit for figuring it out, Gemi said.
All this while, Alex dodged the serpent's relentless strikes.
Whoosh!
Its speed suddenly spiked, landing a devastating hit that sent Alex flying across the battlefield.
"Shit!" he screamed, the pain rattling his mind.
[CRITICAL DAMAGE]
[WARNING]
[HP – 26%]
[AUTO HEAL WITH AVAILABLE POTIONS IN INVENTORY]
[HP – 100%]
Alex staggered to his feet. Only seven healing potions left. Four in inventory, the rest in my bag with Ivy.
"What do I do now?" he said, panic setting in as the serpent charged again.
"There!" he shouted, spotting Ivy's katana on the ground. He dashed and grabbed it.
Ding!
It had been a while since he'd heard that sound, and it was always welcome.
[WEAPON EQUIPPED]
[Weapon Type: Black Beetle Katana]
[Tier: Elite]
[Condition: 78%]
[UMBRAL AETHER UNLOCKED]
"Huh? What the hell is Umbral Aether?"
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