Y/n Pov
A few days had passed since Silva had talked with me, she allowed me to make the boundaries toward Ryuya, and not taking advantage of her kindness, I was rather fair. In the end, she was to only do her workload, never Ryuya's, especially if it was her day off. The only exception being if it was desperate and her boss asked, which Silva happily accepted, considering she worked most of the time.
She got me a tracksuit to show her appreciation, as well as show her support in my training. I of course thanked her and wore it anytime I did the Daily Quests, also keeping a few Repair Kits on hand. The rest of the time was spent practicing with my lightning magic, testing what I could do, and to see if I could adjust the mana cost, but so far, it was the same as usual.
With the practice I was able to refine how the lightning would be casted, increasing its speed or power at the cost of the other being reduced. 'Will have to test it out in a dungeon to see if it's useful. At least I'm getting a better grasp on magic.' I thought, taking a moment to relax before heading out for my run, but before I could, my phone buzzed, Silva calling me. "Hello?"
"Hey, Y/n. Just calling to tell you don't bother waiting for me. My boss needs me to stay a little late. A client just wants their project done much sooner." Her voice came over the phone, though she sounded a bit annoyed, which I couldn't blame her. "Let me guess, you were wanting to watch a movie tonight?" She sighed, saying I was right, and that it her favorite would be playing tonight. "Well I can stop by the video store to see if they have it?" I suggested, thinking she would like it, and it would help her relax.
Her answer was instant. "Really? That would be wonderful, but only if it's not a problem for you. I know how invested you are for your training." I smiled, telling her not to worry as I didn't mind, quickly adding I would make dinner for tonight as well. She was about to protest, but stopped herself, accepting my offer.
"Fine, just nothing too fancy, okay?" I chuckled, telling her not to worry before ending the call. With a plan made, I set out on my run, stopping by the store halfway to find her favorite film, which thankfully they had a copy. All was going well until I was faced with the bane of any worker or customer, the Karen.
"Excuse me young man, are you old enough for that film?" The woman asked, snapping her fingers to get my attention. Her voice was high pitched and annoying, and she was wearing the latest fashion trend, which looked horrendous on her. Hiding my annoyance, I kept a calm face as I replied. "Does it matter? It's a romcom, not a porno." She frowned, saying that the film was unsuitable regardless, and that I shouldn't watch such filth.
Ignoring her rambling, I wished her a good day and turned away, heading for the check out. "Young man, do not ignore me!" She snapped, stomping her foot like a child, but I blocked her out as I paid for the film. Seeing the cashier was a nice elderly woman, I gave a generous tip, bowing my head and wishing her a nice day. She returned the gesture, saying I was more mature than the Karen who was still rambling.
As I smiled at the lady, the Karen got annoyed and stormed over, attempting to snatch the film from me, but I jerked it away. "How dare you ignore me, you should listen to your elders." She spat, attempting once more but I stepped away from her. "First off, this is mine, so please stop. Second, I listen to elders who are polite, and you are neither." Her frown deepened, her eyes glaring daggers at me as she held her hand out, demanding I give her the film.
I shook my head, turning away from her as I bid the elderly woman a good day. Seeing the Karen was about to rant again, the lady spoke. "Could you please stop ma'am? Your disturbing the other customers." Her tone was calm and respectful, yet it the Karen turned her fury onto her. "How dare you interrupt me, old woman! Don't you know the customer is always right! I dema-"
Stopping her mid sentence, I raised my arm in front of her, glaring at her, releasing a bit of my mana. "In matters of taste, that is the full quote. And I don't need eyes to see yours are horrid." She gasped, clearly offended by my words, but she couldn't muster the words to bite back, her eyes showing the fear she felt. Without another word, I left the shop, the elderly woman wishing me a good day, which I returned.
After finishing my run and returning home, I set the film aside and finished the remaining exercises in a few minutes. The points I gained so far were placed into Agility, mostly so it didn't fall behind. 'Still got a lot of time, a quick dungeon should be a nice warm up. Plus I can finally see how this skills works.' Going into the backyard, making sure none of the neighbors could see, as I didn't know if what was about to happen would be visible to them or not.
"No time like the present. 'Create ID'." Following that, energy gathered before a dark portal appeared in front of me, swirling with energy crackling off it. The System screen appeared, showing several details.
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[Instant Dungeon - Lvl 1]
Rank: C+
Random setting will be selected upon Player's entrance. Examples: Insectoid, Beast, Undead, Etc. Dungeon layout will be random, regardless of the setting selected.
Player will not be allowed to leave unless the boss has been slain or a special item within the dungeon is used. Time moves faster within the dungeon.
Rewards can be earned if a specific goal is achieved.
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[Would you like to Enter?]
[Yes/No]
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'Well that confirms my suspicions about the first dungeon, even though I spent half a day in there, not much time passed at all. I wonder if this one will be the same, only one way to find out.' Without hesitation, I selected yes, the energy grew stronger as the portal expanded. Stepping through the portal, I was drenched immediately as it rained heavily, a loud rumble of thunder roared above.
"Great... the first thing that happens is a downpour..." I muttered, slicking my hair back as I took a look around. Lightning flashed, illuminating the area, showing trees and other greenery, old, ruined houses and structures littered the area, a small village long abandoned. Seeing what I could only guess to be the village church, I got to the top to get a better look of my surroundings.
It was mostly the same, only the buildings were far worse than the ones around me. 'I don't sense anything nearby, guess the monsters are hiding. I don't know what they are yet either, I would expect them to be a beast type, but given the layout is random they could be undead types.' I thought, scanning the area, the rain made it hard, and the constant flash of lightning didn't help much, but what it did help was reveal something hidden beneath the trees, the soft glow being the only giveaway.
My curiosity got the best of me as I jumped down, not wasting a moment as I sped off, weaving between the trees and crumbled structures. As I got closer, the glow became more prominent, revealing it to be a crystal, one of many that littered the area. They were a light purple, and the glow they gave off was bright enough to light the area. 'I can sense mana pulsing in them, but why are there so many here, and in an abandoned place like this?'
While looking around the area, I kept my senses sharp, not wanting to be caught in an ambush. While nothing seemed suspicious about the crystals, I had a gut feeling that told me something was wrong. The only difference was the size, a few small clusters here and there, while a majority were around my size, there was one about five times as large.
As I stepped back to fully see it, something cracked as I stepped on it, catching my attention. Looking down, my eyes widened partly, a bone lay broken under my foot. Drawing Monolith out of caution, I stepped away to see various bones scattered about, hidden by the bushes. Upon a closer look, I noticed small shards embedded, or more specifically fused into the bone, each one void of any glow.
With no information to go off, I used Observe on the scattered bones, hoping for some clue as to what they are.
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[Infected Remains]
[Rank: E-] [Item Type: Material]
Remains of a human who was infected with a parasitic organism. The infection spread rapidly, feeding off the hosts mana, either causing them to die or evolve into a monster.
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'Evolve into a monster?!' Snapping my attention back to the crystals that were scattered around, I noted the mana pulsed had a rhythm now. 'No way...' With Observe still active, my worst fears were confirmed as several screens appeared in front of each crystal, my eyes glancing over them all, each just saying the same thing.
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[Crystal Cocoon]
Rank: B
A cocoon holding a monster, absorbing the nearby mana to aid its growth. Heavily resistant to physical and magic attacks. If the cocoon is cracked open, the monster inside will be unleashed, though weaker than what is intended.
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I was stunned for a moment, seeing the sheer number of crystals, I knew I was in trouble. 'I don't even wanna imagine what the big one has.' Seeing each one was the same rank, I grabbed one of the smaller ones, which was about the size of my torso. 'Best see if I can at least break the damn things, maybe I can kill the monster as well. Hopefully this is two birds one stone.'
Setting the crystal down, a bit away from the others just in case they reacted in some way. Monolith now raised, a small surge of mana coated the blade, the edge glowing brightly as I brought it down with all my might. The impact caused a minor shockwave, shaking the nearby trees and a small crater. The crystal however remained intact, only a small dent formed on the surface.
"Damn..." I muttered, trying a few more times, each one only causing the dent to grow slightly. Knowing magic would have the same result, I decided to at least make it easier on myself, grabbing the smaller ones I threw them as far as I could. 'Don't know if they will come after me, but at least I'll have a good head start if the others hatch first.' Seeing no more smaller ones, I went to the closest building for some cover, from both the rain and crystals in case they hatched soon.
While waiting, I decided to use this time to browse the System shop, more specifically the skill section. 'Lot of these skills look useful, but since I don't know what I'm gonna face, best to play it safe.' I thought, scrolling back to the skill I saw earlier, I took another look at the details.
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[Available points]
Skill Points - 75
[Store]
-- [Perks]
-- [Skills]
[ ] Phantom
Allows the user to become invisible, completely hiding their presence. Can be detected if one has a high enough sensory ability.
Cost: 50 SKP
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'Fifty skill points, a bit steep, but I can afford it. I just wish it showed how much mana it uses up, for all I know it could be a thousand a second... ok, a bit overexaggerated, but at least show it System.' Sighing, I bought the skill, a moment or two later, the screen changed to show it now on my skill tab, my stat screen shown next to it.
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Y/n L/n
Level - 20
Hp - 4950
Mp - 3950
Str - 61
End - 56
Agi - 51
Int - 46
Wis - 51
Lck - 41
Sen - 41
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[Available points]
Stat points - 0
Skill Points - 25
Perk Points - 35
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[Skills]
Phantom - Lvl 1
Allows the user to become invisible, completely hiding their presence. Can be detected if one has a high enough sensory ability.
Mana cost: 200 on activation, 10 per second after
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'Not bad, makes it more versatile like my other skills. Just hope whatever I face doesn't sense me when I use it.' I thought, keeping an eye on the crystals, the glow slowly getting brighter.
Timeskip - Narrator Pov
An hour or so had passed, the rain and thunder grew stronger as Y/n remained in his spot. Though now his head was slumped forward, softly snoring as he slept soundly, but even in his slumber, his senses remained sharp. So when something happened, he would be ready, Monolith tightly gripped in his hand.
A few of the crystals began to shake, their glow fading slightly as the rain seemed to increase, nearly drowning out the sound. Yet the moment they cracked open, Y/n had vanished and was on the move. Putting his new skill to the test, he moved about swiftly, avoiding any twigs or shrubs that could give him away. Now roughly a dozen meters away, he kept an eye on the crystals as they were forced open, and the monsters crawled out.
As each one stood, Y/n's eyes narrowed, noting a few were unique while others looked like a mix of a few, some were insect like, others had fur, a few had scales. Some had several arms while some had none, a few even had no legs, only a serpentine body. The only thing they truly shared was the humanoid form and crystals that partly covered them like skin, some being larger, almost like armor.
Some let out a low growl, others clicked or hissed, their eyes glowing a dim blue, looking around on pure instinct. Y/n didn't care though, instead his eyes focused on each for a moment as he used Observe repeatedly, the System giving him a nice surprise.
[Observe has reached Lvl 2!]
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Crystalline Humanoid X 30
Rank: C-
The evolved form of a human after being infected with the parasitic organism known as a Crystalline Insect. Their appearance can vary greatly, but their abilities always remain the same. Being made of living mana crystal, they are resistant to physical and magical attacks, also can see the mana of other beings.
Weak point: Mana core
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'So repeated use can level my skills up, nice to know any weak points than. Glad I got this skill as well, if they sensed my mana, then I would have been screwed.' Y/n thought, watching as some split off, some in pairs, while others were alone, all heading in a different direction. Focusing on one left alone, he got his plan of attack ready, Monolith in hand as he focused mana into his legs, but he instinctively stopped it the next moment.
The Crystalline Humanoid he was focused snapped its head toward his direction, its eyes now glowing a brighter blue, focusing sharply on his area. 'Shit, that was close. Either Phantom doesn't apply when I use other skills, or these things are just that sensitive.' After a moment passed, its eyes dimmed and it looked away, continuing on its way, its back turned to him.
'Damn, I'm gonna have to be fast if I wanna kill these things.' Y/n thought, trying to come up with a plan to effectively kill them. While thinking, his eyes drifted over the crystal monster, observing each part of it intricately, noting the way it moved, small gaps appearing and disappearing with each step. 'Should have been obvious, their skin is literally crystal, of course they can't move normally. Just like how armor has joints and gaps to allow movement, they need it as well.'
With an idea formed, Y/n took the same stance as before, though he didn't channel his mana yet, instead his focus was solely on the monster. Once an opening was found, both Mana Infusion and Speed were activated, the sudden spike in mana caught the monster's attention, but by then, Y/n was already inches away. Lightning crackled along Monolith, a purple outline formed over the edge as he swung, aiming for the gap he saw.
[Physical Boost activated! +5 to Str and Agi]
A flash of light followed by a deafening crack echoed, the crystal monster now split in two as Y/n skidded to a stop, mana still surging through his body and Monolith. "That was close... and kinda cool." He muttered, seeing the monster crumble into several pieces, the mana crystal losing its glow, showing it had been slain. 'No doubt the other ones can sense me with this much mana, oh well, see how many I can kill before I run out.'
Without another word, he shot off, though he did remain invisible, the only hint of his path was the streaks of lightning, weaving through the trees. Along his path laid the remains of four Crystalline Humanoids, their bodies sliced in half, each having been slain in less than a second. The moment the fourth was killed, Y/n jumped into a tree just before his mana ran out, his form now becoming visible.
'Damn, that took a lot out of me. Least I got five of the bastards, shame they weren't enough to level up.' He thought, sensing the monsters nearby, trying to track him down, a small smirk tugged at his lips. 'Heh, guess they can't sense me now that my mana is so depleted. I'll be safe for a little while, wonder how much is needed before they sense me?'
While waiting for his mana to recover, he glanced to where he threw the small crystals, sensing a few had lost their power and whatever they held was scurrying about. 'Great, more monsters to deal with. Though they feel weak compared to the others, I counted at least fifty damn cocoons.' Y/n sighed, seeing about a quarter of his mana had recovered, noting the monsters hadn't detected him yet.
The next moment, however, proved him wrong as the tree he was hiding in was violently shook, the monster now having a firm grasp of his location. Y/n nearly fell out, grabbing hold of a branch, he glanced below, seeing the crystal monsters just beneath him. There were three, two dug their claws into the bark, trying to shake him out, the third kept an eye on him. 'Guess they can't climb with their weigh-'
Y/n was cut off by the third monster, which was the serpentine one, lunged toward him, grabbing his leg and dragged him down with it. "Oh, son of a bitch!" Y/n cursed, stabbing Monolith into the tree, freeing himself from the snake's grip, landing a short distance away. The other two quickly turned and pounced on him, their claws swiping at him wildly, while he narrowly dodged or blocked them with his sword.
The snake joined in, slipping between the other two and past his defense, trying to sink its claws into him. It nearly managed to, only for Y/n to grab it by the arm, focus his mana and slam his head into its own, shattering a small portion of its face as he groaned from the pain. As it recoiled, he punched his fist through its chest, mana core in his hand for a moment before crushing it.
[Physical Boost activated! +5 to Str and Agi]
"Fatality." He smirked as it crumbled apart, his gaze now on the other two, who were now far more cautious, circling him. "Smart choice, too bad you're facing me. Cuz I'm just getting started." Y/n taunted, rushing the closest, mana focused into Monolith. He hurled a lightning spear at the other, decreasing its speed in turn for a lot of power, and while it may have shattered against the monster's skin, the force was enough to stagger it long enough.
The monster he went for swung its claw at him, which he easily caught, smirking as he brough his blade down, slicing the arm clean off. A screech rang out, but was cut short as he sliced it in two, shattering the mana core within. As the other recovered, it saw Y/n was nowhere in sight. Trying to sense his location, it stopped as a large hole formed in its chest, Y/n turning visible behind it, Monolith pierced through its chest and core.
[You have Leveled up!]
"Well, that was fun." Y/n smirked, glancing behind him as he sensed the other monsters rushing in his direction. "Damn, I was hoping to rest for a bit, oh well." His eyes held a light blue glow, his mana once more flowing as he tore Monolith free, rushing toward the approaching monsters, a light blue aura surrounded him as he released his mana without thinking.
As he drew closer, his mana reacted to his killing intent, the aura turning dark for a moment before it spiked. Being as sensitive to mana as they were, several of the monsters recoiled in fear, others stopped and hissed, a few still charged ahead blindly. Y/n's smirk only grew as two screens appeared.
[New Skill acquired! Bloodlust!]
[Crystalline Humanoids have been inflicted with Fear!]
Focusing mana to both Monolith, he began to cleave the monsters apart, one by one, leaving no room for counterattack, each swing precise and accurate. He would switch between Monolith and his fists, striking them if they were too close, the mana infused punch causing cracks to form on their bodies. Having now killed six, injuring a further eight, his gaze snapped to the side, sensing a horde approach, though each were weak, his eyes widened slightly at the number.
"Time to see what those small ones had." He smirked, a small surge of lightning crackling off Monolith as he swung, releasing a lightning arc infused with mana, effectively chopping the trees down. Leaping over the fallen lumber, the horde revealed themselves, pincers snapping, wings unfurled as mandibles chittered, all focused on Y/n, their prey.
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Crystalline Insectoid X 100
Rank: D+
Evolved from the Crystalline Insect. If the parasite was unable to evolve the host, it would instead take root in their chest, continuing to feed on their mana, growing a cocoon within them.
Weak point: Mana core
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Y/n's eyes widened slightly, both at the number of them, but also understanding why there were so many bones scattered about before. 'I recall only fifty cocoons, unless each one had two in them, that's the only reason I can think of for so many.' Y/n thought, jumping away as a humanoid tried to attack him, lightning struck it in return. Holding his hand out, he unleashed a volley of lightning spears, sending some to the clouds, while the rest went down, striking as many of the insectoids as he could.
Nearly all of them were struck, some lost a wing or leg, others had cracks form on their exoskeleton, one or two nearly killed, their core still intact. 'They aren't as resistant as the others, only thing I have to worry about is their damn numbers.' Y/n thought as he landed on one, crushing it with ease. As the other insectoids swarmed followed by the humanoids, he rushed through the trees, using the surroundings to his advantage, rebounding of every surface, cutting their numbers down gradually.
[You have Leveled up!]
As Y/n fought, he glanced up a few times, following the occasional flash of thunder, a blue streak could be seen zipping around here and there, slowly growing larger. 'Maintaining them while fighting is harder than I thought.' Y/n thought, taking out the few talismans he had left, throwing one to the monsters behind him. A moment after, an explosion went off, killing a few while injuring others.
As the monsters recovered, some froze in place, looking upwards to the sky. Being as sensitive to mana as they were, they felt what was slowly growing within the clouds, despite it there being so little earlier, now it was steadily building up. Seeing them distracted, Y/n smiled before using his Bloodlust skill, cranking it to the max, hitting them like a tsunami, making them freeze, faced with the growing power above, and the strong foe in front of them.
With the time to he now had, Y/n reached into the System shop, taking out several mana potions before downing them all at once. 'Hopefully this works, if not, I'll regret not buying more skills.' Monolith in hand, he rushed toward them while they were stunned, building up momentum before stabbing it into the ground, in the middle of the horde. Using it like a step, he leapt high into the air, lightning crackled on the handle for a moment.
As the thunder roared above, a bolt of lightning descended, its size imposing as it crackled with the storm's fury. Y/n grit his teeth, the sheer power it held taking all he had to maintain its shape, let alone control it. With the little control he had, he knew it would either miss or take a small portion of the horde out. That would be the case, had he not set his backup plan in action.
"Eat this, fuckers!" Y/n shouted, throwing his hand down, the lightning bolt shot down with incredible speed, but what he planned came to fruition. With Monolith acting as a lightning rod, the bolt headed straight for it, the power of the storm erupting in a blinding light, swallowing both insectoids and humanoids. The force of the impact sent Y/n flying into a tree, the trunk splintered and cracked, but he was fine.
[You have Leveled up! X4]
[Lightning Magic has reached Lvl 2!]
[Dungeon goals achieved! Rewards will be granted shortly!]
As the dust settled, he got down and walked back to where the horde was, seeing some crystals scattered or in piles here and there, smiling slightly at his victory. 'Using the storm to amplify my magic was a gamble, I was glad that it paid off.' He reached a small crater, smoke rising from it. In the middle of it laid Monolith, undamaged but steam rose from the blade. Taking it by the handle, he noted how it only felt warm, not hot like he thought.
"Your description does you justice." Y/n muttered, climbing out of the crater before leaning against a tree, opening his stat screen to see his level was at 26 now. Below it he saw his health a third of what it was, and his mana fully depleted. 'Accept Status Recovery.' A green light surrounded, his health and mana returning almost instantly. Once it was, he let out a sigh, glancing to the side, he saw the part of the large crystal just over the trees, still pulsing with mana.
'Definitely had to be the boss, must be strong if it takes this long to hatch.' Sighing once more, he looked to the screen as the rewards the System promised appeared, a slight smile formed as he took a look.
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Dungeon goals Achieved:
[X] Defeat 100 monsters
[X] Defeat all monsters before the boss
[X] Defeat 20 monsters consecutively without taking damage
[X] Land 10 critical hits
Rewards: 30,000 G, Weapon Box, Escape Rune, Skill book, 20 Stat Points, 30 Skill/Perk Points, New item added to shop, Armor Recipe.
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"Nice." Y/n smiled, accepting the reward as he opened the shop, the item revealing itself to be 'Talismans', the same as the ones Suzaku gave him. 'Nice, I can select the ones I want to buy, and I get ten in one purchase, though it does cost a thousand each.' Closing the shop, he took the Skill Book out and opened it, a new skill showing itself alongside his other he acquired before.
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[Skills]
Bloodlust - Lvl 1
Allows the user to unleash their inner bloodlust, forcing fear on foes. Can be resisted depending on strength.
No Mana cost
Minor Telekinesis - Lvl 1
Gives the ability to move small objects with the mind. Will cause mental strain if the object exceeds the limit. Effective range: 50 meters
Mana Cost: 5 per second
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'That sounds useful, best test it on Monolith, just to get an idea of the limit.' Closing the screen, Y/n set the greatsword down, walking a few feet before holding his hand out, focusing the skill. The blade shook slightly, but it didn't budge an inch, focusing harder, Y/n began to sweat, feeling the mental strain. After a minute, he stopped, the blade didn't move even a centimeter, his head pounding. "Damn, least I know its limit now, though now I have another idea."
Retrieving his sword, he glanced to the side, seeing a pile of crystal as his target, aiming Monolith, he used Minor Telekinesis as he threw it. Instead of spinning like it would normally, the greastsword remained straight, Y/n guiding it like a missile, accurately hitting the target. It carried on however, Y/n guided it back to him, catching it with ease, his head no worse for wear.
"Haha, yeah! Worked better than I thought." Y/n smiled, putting it back in his inventory for now. He left the stat points for now, intending to use them once he has an idea of how strong the boss would be. Checking the armor recipe, he wasn't surprised to see what it was all crystal armor, the rank being the same as his current chestplate. 'After that slaughter, I easily have more than enough to make the whole set.'
Before he could think more, a wave of mana crashed over him, followed by a loud cracking sound. 'Shit, the boss is hatching!' His eyes snapped toward the source, seeing several crystal chunks were launched into the air, some coming his way. Quickly moving aside, the tree behind him was destroyed, leaving a sizable hole which could have been him.
"That would have hurt." Y/n muttered, jumping from branch to branch until he was clear of the tree line, his gaze now on the boss as it rose to its full height.
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Crystal Chimera
Rank: B
An evolved form of a crystallized monster. Feasting on its kin, the mana within them and their cores have merged, creating a chimera with abilities beyond that of the original species.
Weak point: Mana Core X 5
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