Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Battle the Scorpion Mother

As the Scorpion Mother crushed the strange ore before her into smaller and smaller pieces, Jon’s heart began to pound.

If there really was something inside that rock, its true form would soon be revealed.

He checked his gear one last time, making sure everything was in order.

Then, he stepped forward slowly.

The CRUNCHING sound of the giant silver scorpion crushing the ore perfectly masked his footsteps.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Just as Jon reached the intersection of the passage leading to the Scorpion Mother, the massive creature stopped moving.

It hadn’t sensed Jon’s approach. Rather, it had found it—the thing that radiated an inexplicable allure, the thing it so desperately craved!

Jon saw it clearly. As the Scorpion Mother cracked a piece of ore, debris trickled down.

But the ore didn’t turn completely to dust. Instead, something was caught between its terrifying giant pincers!

As the debris continued to fall away, the object’s true form was gradually revealed.

It was a translucent Yellow Gemstone, as large as a baby’s fist, emitting a soft, warm glow!

But what kind of Ordinary gemstone glows on its own? It was even brighter than the torch in his hand!

”This has to be it!”

Jon was quite confident in his memory. He remembered everything he saw.

And he had never seen this gem before.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the item of Legend—the ’Unique’ that only the one who first cleared a Dungeon could obtain!

Seeing the treasure revealed, he stopped observing and burst forward, simultaneously drawing the Flying Nail hidden under his Arm Shield.

But he didn’t attack immediately. He waited until he was only three steps away from the Scorpion Mother before raising his arm!

Given the material of the Flying Nail and Jon’s own throwing strength, it would be difficult to penetrate the Scorpion Mother’s thick, silver carapace.

But with a Magic Power enhancement, everything changed!

At such a close distance, the bonus accuracy and power from the Magic Power enhancement wouldn’t diminish at all.

’Magic Mastery, activate!’

Four points of Magic Power were spent on the enhancement!

A faint blue energy flowed from Jon’s hand into the Flying Nail, overlaying the dark purple glint on its barbed tip with a faint glow.

”Go!”

The Flying Nail shot out, heading straight for the relatively soft part of the silver scorpion’s rear abdomen, exposed as it held its tail high!

[-37 (Hit) -20 (Magic Bonus Damage)]

’So tough,’ Jon sighed to himself.

The damage number was pitifully low. Without the boost from Magic Mastery, he had no doubt the attack wouldn’t have even broken through its defense!

But there are no ”what ifs” in battle.

The fact was, he had successfully driven a Poison-coated nail into the Scorpion Mother’s body!

The Scorpion Mother, still mesmerized by the temptation of the shiny ”little stone” before her, hadn’t noticed Jon’s approach at all.

But as the Flying Nail pierced its body, a sensation it had never before experienced in its entire scorpion life began to spread from the wound: pain.

Its massive body stiffened for a moment, then erupted in a landslide of fury!

”SKREEEEEE—!!!”

The ear-piercing shriek reverberated through the mine.

Its giant silver tail hammer, churning up rubble and dust, slammed wildly against the surrounding rock walls and floor.

Under this frenzied power, the hard rock shattered and crumbled like a brittle pastry!

Its giant pincers swept about wildly, sending the remaining ore fragments flying everywhere.

The Scorpion Mother was now a silver storm, unleashing her pure Power in the narrow space!

This mindless rampage lasted for several moments, until its simple, pain-seared senses finally located the human figure that was the source of its agony.

Its small compound eyes, somewhat degenerated from long-term existence in the dim environment, instantly locked onto Jon.

Instinct urged it to attack, to eliminate the threat.

And so, it moved.

Its massive body whirled around, hard legs digging into the ground, sending rubble flying!

Like a silver war machine coming to life, it charged, emitting a low, intimidating CLACKING as it moved with a surprising speed that defied its massive size, thundering toward the tiny creature that dared to harm it!

And that was exactly what Jon had been waiting for—for it to lock onto him.

’As for embracing the spirit of a Warrior and meeting it head-on?’

That was out of the question, unless his brain had been squeezed by the Scorpion Mother’s pincers.

Against a beast with such a ferocious frontal charge, the only strategy was to kite it!

He twisted at the waist and, without a moment’s hesitation, bolted back down the passage he came from!

Of course, the path wasn’t clear.

But the broken mine carts, splintered wooden beams, and scattered rockfalls... all of this was cover Jon could use.

The Scorpion Mother gave chase relentlessly, but Jon was like an agile fish, using every corner and obstacle for cover. He ducked, rolled, and slid past, narrowly avoiding the crushing pincer strikes and sweeping tail hammer that could shatter solid rock.

”WHOOSH—!”

A giant pincer sliced through the air, grazing Jon’s back before smashing into the stone wall. Rock fragments flew, and a deep crater was left behind.

Without looking back, Jon suddenly ducked mid-sprint and rolled behind a protruding boulder, swinging his arm as he moved!

The faint glow of Magic Mastery once again flickered in his palm. With a soft THWIP, the second poisoned Flying Nail precisely sank into the joint between the Scorpion Mother’s leg and torso—a spot made vulnerable by its charge!

[-28 (Hit) -20 (Magic Bonus Damage)]

The massive silver scorpion’s body staggered from the sharp pain and loss of balance, its charge slowing for a moment.

Just as it let out a sharper, more frenzied shriek and forced itself to correct its posture to lock onto him again, Jon had already used the terrain to create some distance and had completed his third throw!

This time, the Poison Nail struck a difficult target: the underside of the giant pincer it had raised to attack.

[-31 (Hit) -20 (Magic Bonus Damage)]

The system notifications flashing at the edge of his vision showed only negligible damage.

But Jon felt no anxiety.

He could already see the Scorpion Mother’s movements growing sluggish from the repeated poisoning.

It was proof his tactics were working.

However, things were not that simple.

The vibrations from the chase between Jon and the Scorpion Mother had stirred the entire Abandoned Mine, like a boulder dropped into a placid pond.

The remaining rock scorpions, drawn by the tremors, began to slowly gather and close in from all directions!

At first, it was just a few sporadic CLATTERS, but soon the dense sound of falling gravel and hard legs scraping against rock walls came from multiple directions. It was like a gathering tide of darkness, growing clearer and drawing nearer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jon saw the densely packed, swaying silhouettes of dark figures emerging from the darkness of the tunnel behind him, but his expression remained unchanged.

He even had the presence of mind to calculate how long he had before these agitated Ordinary rock scorpions formed a complete encirclement.

’It’s enough time!’

His resolve hardened, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

’As long as I deal with this big one, those little things are just bags of experience points!’

’All I need to do is use the last few dozen meters of this narrow passage to land the final two Poison Nails on this frenzied mother scorpion!’

’After that, it will be time to counterattack!’