Weapons of Mass Destruction

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 wasnʼt 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 monsterʼs 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 monsterʼs 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 itʼs 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 monsterʼs 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 monsterʼs 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]

Damn, these skills are getting more and more exotic.

Moreover, trying to absorb thermal energy from the sunʼs rays might not be a good idea. The difficulty seems to be too high for now.

But Iʼll get there. Soon, the power of the sun will be in the palm of my hand!

While catching my breath, I look around. The twins are already done with their monster. They seem to be using mental attacks to confuse the monster and then using their speed and amazing coordination to finish it. I wasnʼt able to catch much during my fight, but they seem to have a solid base.

But the most amazing is Kim. He continues to do what I call cheating and abusing his skills. First, he takes out a bunch of small orbs made of some durable metal, which seems to be basic for people with telekinesis here.

Whatʼs surprising is how skillfully he moves them around.

I donʼt know if itʼs inspired by me or if he did it before, but the orbs continue to spin around him. He seemingly anchors them to him in a similar way I do and then slings them at the monster with an accuracy that is much better than mine.

The monster he and Hadwin fight is already blind and there is a huge number of wounds on its neck.

Then the 15-year-old boy uses his second skill - [Gravity Well]. First, I feel him creating something I donʼt know what to call other than a tether that connects the orbs and the monsterʼs head.

Then he uses the skill on the orbs. They slow down and it seems to take more mana from him to move them.

Did he make them heavier?

The next moment, he does something that feels like turning a switch while releasing the orb. They get an insane boost in speed and fly right at the monster as if pulled by the tether connecting them to its head.

Hundreds of small orbs made of metal literally delete the monsterʼs head from existence and the level 46 Blood Troll dies.

Just from this short show, I can see how much effort he put in, all the training behind it, and the sleepless nights spent thinking about the best ways to utilize his skills.

”They arenʼt that bad, and you drifters have really weird ways to use your gifts,” Ruby joins me. Then she adds, “I did get one monster for Biscuit too.”

You what?

I quickly look around, finding Biscuit battling a level 10 hedgehog nearby.

What the heck?

”Don’t look at me like that, Nat, I am bored too.”

Donʼt bully the poor doggo only because you are bored!

Fortunately, Biscuit is putting on a good fight. Giving up on using arms, he made three tentacles out of purple mana that now seem to be darker than before and continues to attack the level 10 hedgehog.

The hedgehog just rolled into a ball, unnaturally sharp spikes sticking out; I even feel some mana on them.

Obviously, the best doggo on the second floor doesn’t give up and starts hitting the ground under the hedgehog, aiming to make it roll over instead of attacking its spikes.

Smart boy!

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 Biscuitʼs maw and he barks. Five tentacles appear, growing from its back, quickly growing bigger while spinning wildly.

Even Biscuitʼs 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 Iʼm 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 otherʼs personalities and learned to respect them.

Ruby doesnʼt blabber that much about things Iʼm 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 Iʼm 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 Iʼve 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 Iʼve 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 monsterʼs 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 itʼs 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.