Shadow of Blood (2)
I’ve thought of it before. When you are in a dedicated store, it seems that time outside of it flows slowly.
In fact, the 20-minute timer that appears in the notification window when I enter the dedicated store has been down to 14 minutes, but when I came back, the mass appearance was still just beginning to form.
I hurriedly activated my Surprise and Fairy Tale skills to the max power before I was noticed. I killed my presence enough to blend with the surroundings.
My skills are not perfect yet, but the three closest Werewolves who passed by me didn’t notice me at all.
It was hard for four Werewolves to fit in the aisle at the same time. The 2F has wider and taller passages than the 1F, but Werewolves are several times larger than a regular Goblin. Therefore, the number of Werewolves I would face simultaneously is no different from the number of Goblins I faced during the mass appearance. In that way, 2F was similar to 1F.
However, 1F didn’t have Battle Spiders crawling in the ceiling.
In total, there are seven monsters threatening me right now.
So, which one should I deal with first?
The answer is clear.
Werewolves.
The Werewolves wouldn’t be able to reach the spiders. On the other hand, the spider webs have a high probability of hitting the Werewolves below.
In other words, teamkills between monsters is possible.
The answer was straightforward. I ran straight to the wolves.
Since adapting to the Surprise skill, I have come up with a way to run without running. It wasn’t actually a new skill, but I found out that while having Surprise active, I have increased speed.
In order for this to be perfect, I have to completely remove my presence; the movements of the air around me as I run; the vibrations on the ground from my footsteps.
It was enough against the monsters in 2F.
The spiders on the ceiling crawled all over in search of me, and the wolves kept running around and sniffing the air, but they clearly could not detect me even as I run through them.
It was frightening to rush in the middle of three wolves, but I need to get closer to inflict greater damage.
I tried to calm myself as I lifted my new Blood Shadow.
You have Surprise. Your new weapon is sharp and extremely powerful. No need to be scared!
It won’t take long. Twist your body a little to the side. Aim for the wolf who is farthest from the others…
NOW!
I triggered a Power Attack, and the wolf on the farthest left didn’t notice me until my sword slashed his neck.
Blood Shadow vibrated violently on my hands as blood spurted out from the wolf’s neck.
I realized at that moment that the vibration meant increased critical damage when I attacked a vital point.
At that point, the other Werewolves noticed me. The Battle Spiders did, too, and started shooting off their spider webs at once.
I was expecting from the beginning that it would happen this way. I picked up a lot of blood from the Werewolf, poured it all over the Blood Shadow and watched it glow until it burst into flame. Then, I swung it.
The effect was awesome. Blood Shadow flame is more intense, accurate, and faster than a fireball.
The spider webs were all burned.
Soon after, I used Leap to jump over another Werewolf and landed my flaming sword into one of its eyes.
And Leap once again!
My target was the first Werewolf, who was bleeding badly, stumbling to hide behind the others.
I was faster. My Beast Charge made me a rocket that burst forward at him.
I need to reduce their numbers, one by one and use every possible chance to predate while fighting.
“Shhh!”
Bang!
The wolf’s neck was pierced by Blood Shadow, and I twisted the blade to fully cut off its head, before landing lightly to the ground.
[You gained 4,550 experience.]
[You acquired 2 silver 50 bronzes.]
I remembered about the 30% experience increase! It’s a pity it was not 50%, but at least I had it on for 5 hours.
From the beginning, I didn’t think that I would overcome this mass appearance in three hours, so the longer duration Today’s Luck had was welcome.
I paused to appreciate the amount of experience gained.
However, if I stayed still, I will be beaten by them. I soaked up my armor and sword with the Werewolf’s blood, grabbed the cut-off head, and quickly stepped back.
As I took a bite, I once again shot flame from my Blood Shadow. It’s annoying that the growth of the sword will be slow because of this, but the spider webs keep coming from all directions, so I had no choice.
[Beginner Flame Magic has become Lv7.]
“Aw wow wow!”
The Werewolves seemed to acknowledge that I was a powerful enemy, as one of theirs lay dead, and another had a serious eye injury.
However, they were not like Goblins. They were smarter, stronger, and now, they were aiming for me.
One of them struck my right arm holding his colleague’s head. At that very moment, I used Surprise and dodged his attack.
It was enough for him to get confused and hesitant.
“Kurung!”
When he turned away in a moment of embarrassment, my sword swung at him, striking deep into his neck, showering blood all over.
The next moment, another Werewolf attacked me, but he was hit by a spider web aimed at me. The wolf immediately fell to the ground, helpless, unable to move.
The shot was so perfect that it seemed as if the Battle Spider was on my side.
“Ow ow ow!”
“Kyaah!”
I threw the head I was holding, throwing it against the Werewolf stumbling with a bleeding neck. Then, with my whole weight, I lunged at the wolf tied up by the spider’s web and brought it down with a Power Attack and Black Lightning.
[You gained 4,800 experience.]
[You acquired 2 silver 50 bronze.]
The Battle Spider who ‘helped’ me panicked, moving its eight legs away, failing to realize that he had the perfect chance to attack me as I was focused on the helpless Werewolf.
In the meantime, I smiled as I took the tied-up Werewolf’s head and began gnawing it. Mana and health are being consumed in killing them. Predation was an essential element to keep the battle going.
It’s natural that the Werewolf to be helpless after being tied by a spider’s web, but it was not a battle Spider’s intentional teamkill.
It was their weakness that they are busy fighting each other than fighting jointly, and it was advantageous to me.
From the moment I entered the battle, my Lower Level Martial Arts skill was supporting me with making the right decisions and actions while in battle.
Enhanced further with the Ebon Heart, it produced results that I would never have imagined doing during the Goblin days in 1F.
“Kee-i-i-i!”
The spiders were angry and moved more aggressively, aiming at me and spewing out cobwebs.
The Werewolves were no different. They were already angry at the fact that their colleagues have been killed, and they approached me more warily, but with sharper movements.
I stood at the same spot, eating a wolf’s head while thinking about how to deal with them.
Spider webs that could not be avoided are burned; those that couldn’t be avoided or burned must be led to hit the wolves.
For wolf attacks, avoid what could be avoided, attack before you get hit, or if either is not possible, believe in your armor.
My Blood Iron Armor can still take their attacks. One day, I should reinforce it further with synthesis scrolls, but now is not the time to think about it.
By continuously cutting of wolf heads and limbs, and preying on them, I would be able to survive for hours.
Suddenly, the four Battle Spiders jumped off the ceiling, raising their forelimbs in a threatening manner.
They seem to be completely disregarding what would happen to them if they leave their safe spots.
However, the wolves didn’t seem to mind them. One of the wolves, with the injured eye, was prepared to die and was only waiting to take me with him. The others were snarling, seeking revenge for what happened to their colleagues.
Did they feel a singular crisis, a sympathy between them, so that they decided to join each other?
It was too perfect for a coincidence, and this alliance could be fatal.
However,
My trap has been completed.
The wolves began to attack me, but suddenly, they slipped and rolled to the floor.
Only
On the floor was a slippery puddle I have made.
I immediately attacked them with a Surprise attack. Hidden between the large wolves, the spiders missed my position, and one spider pierced a sharp forelimb into a wolf’s torso rather than mine.
[Beginner Trap Creation has become Lv2. The time needed to stay in position while the trap is created is slightly reduced. The power of the trap is increased.]
Certainly, anything that Rain suggests helps me.
I laughed as I saw that the notification window informing me of the skill level up.
It was the skill that was on Rain’s special offer.
Trap Creation.
Right now, the predator in this space was nobody else but me.
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