Bear Paw wore large gauntlets that clearly contained a boundless power within them. With a single punch, he forced the Lionman to the side and exchanged rapid attacks with it. Same went for Willow Steps. Unlike the brute strength on display by Bear Paw, Willow Steps, moved like a breeze of wind and appeared before a Lionman in an instant.
Although the creature was surprised by her speed, it still managed to react in time and directed a punch at her. But was futile as she dodged the punch and slashed at its figure with the dual short blades in her hand, forcing it back and wounding it.
As for Adele, she was indifferent to the battles happening around her and advanced her charge, taking on two more Lionmen. The three members of the party displayed a strong fighting prowess and left the other three without much work to do.
But not all was rosy though, as a Lionman managed to slip through the front three and charged at Astartes and the rest, whom it deemed as 'weaker' targets. However, its attack was intercepted by Oaken Shield immediately who bashed it with his shield and sent it flying!
It rose up to charge again but before it could move, a sharp icicle appeared before its eyes. The attack was so sudden that before the Lionman could move, the icicle pierced straight through its skull, killing it.
Behind Oaken Shield, Astartes had his right index and middle fingers outstretched. Oaken Shield realized he that was the one who made the move earlier and gave him a thumbs up.
Adele who had been paying attention to Astartes all this while, grinned and said, "Good timing, Infinity! Keep it up."
Astartes nodded his head in response. The Icicle Blast skill was a magic skill that used up one's Spirit Attribute. But even after he used it, he did not feel any drain to his spirit at all. He wondered if it was because of the Infinite Cast effect.
Only time would tell if that was the case.
After the first batch of Lionmen were wiped out, without any casualties, they proceeded deeper into the first floor. They encountered more and more Lionmen but with good teamwork and an excellent display of strength from Adele, the party was able to move quickly. Occasionally those who suffered light injuries were quickly healed by Autumn Leaf who possessed the [Lighter Heal] skill. With that the team was always in a peak state, ready to move.
The dead Lionmen left cores on them. It was either a strength, agility, vitality or spirit core. By absorbing them, one could increase their attributes and grow stronger. They placed the cores within their backpacks and continued advancing.
What intrigued everyone was that as they began to experience more battles, Astartes began to show his potential. He showed great understanding of the battlefield and his use of the [Icicle Blast] was superb.
In battles, he targeted his icicles at the eyes of the Lionmen, killing them in a single go. Some stronger Lionmen got blinded slightly or were able to dodge, but all the same that provided the other warriors the chance to land killing blows and this made their progress very swift.
Moreover, despite being a newly awakened ranker, Astartes was able to use the [Icicle Blast] skill many times than he was supposed to shocking everyone.
Ordinarily, after two or three uses, a newly awakened ranker such as him should have felt spiritual exhaustion. However, he had already used the skill more than ten times!
The other members of the team were overjoyed by this development! For too long they had suffered from the absence of a ranker that could play a mage-like role in the team. Now, they could feel their power as a party growing steadily with August's inclusion.
Adele was the most proud. Although she did not show it, she was happy that her gamble on Astartes had paid off. The lad was going to become a talented ranker at this rate. That boded well for her party for sure.
They soon cleared the first floor and descended into the second floor. The Lionmen Catacomb was made up of three floors and for a long time, Adele and her party had not managed to make it past the second floor.
Entering into the second floor, they were immediately ambushed by the Lionmen. This time instead of attacking from the front, they began hurling stone spears from afar while other Lionmen rushed out to flank them. This change of approach was very problematic and left many parties without a rankers with long-ranged skills unable to dominate the battle, forcing them into a passive state and eventual defeat.
Things were different this time though. When a Lionman threw a rock spear at them, revealing its position, it was suddenly shot in the eyes by Astartes' Icicle Blast killing it. The rock spear was blocked by Oaken Shield and this allowed Astartes to move with a lot more freedom.
As he targeted the ranged Lionmen, the others were able to advance. In the past, despite being a Class E Ranker, Adele was forced to sustain a barrage of rock spears from numerous Lionmen and although she managed to kill them all, she sustained heavy wounds in the process and was forced to retreat.
This time, with Astartes providing 'cover fire' she was like a demon on the battlefield, reaping lives with a single strike. As for Astartes, he was calm and composed, aiming his icicles with incredible patience and precision. Over time he understood deeply what function the Infinite Caster Inherent skill served.
Any skill placed within the available slot could be used infinitely! For now Astartes discovered that the Icicle Blast which relied on his spirit attribute to activate, did not deplete for even a slightest bit. He was beginning to wonder if the same would apply to other attribute based skills.
For example, if he used a skill that depleted his vitality, would he be able to use it infinitely too? Or if a skill required a certain amount of strength or agility or both, could he be able to use it indefinitely as well?
Despite his many ideas, Astartes was extremely focused on the battle and did not let down his guard. Aside Adele, he was the one that had the most kill rate in the team.
As they advanced deeper into the second floor, the Lionmen began to focus their attacks of Astartes who had been identified as the main threat in the team.
All the rock spears were now aimed at him in an attempt to limit his influence of the battle. But it was at this time that Oaken Shield displayed his prowess.
"Greater Earth Barrier!" he shouted as he activated his defensive skill for the first time. It was a large yellowish barrier that expanded to shield Astartes from the barrage of spears.
Astartes did not take this opportunity for granted and also made his move. With the continuous use of the [Icicle Blast] skill, his proficiency with it also grew.
Skill proficiency was categorized from 0 to 100. Every 25 points indicated a skill reaching a Basic( 0-24), Great(25-50), Expert(51-75), Master(76-99) and Complete(100) level of proficiency in that order. As Astartes' gaze fell on his status panel, a faint smile appeared on his face.
SKILL: ICICLE BLAST (F)(25)
After dishing out over 30 to 40 Icicle Blasts since entering the catacomb, his skill proficiency just entered the Great level.
In an instant, five icicles appeared before him. They were longer and sharper than they were at first. Astartes aimed the icicles at five Lionmen that just attacked and they pierced through their skulls with pinpoint accuracy!
After taking cover from another barrage of rock spears, Astartes killed off another five Lionmen Rangers with his attack once more.
He took out ten Lionmen in a minute!
The entire party was truly stunned at this point.
Who was this monster of the ranker before them!
At this point, Astartes could not be judged with common sense! He was a special talent that would even be coveted by the Ranker Association!
After Astartes' monstrous display of power, with his killing speed not inferior to the Adele, whose power was a class higher than his, the party was able to clear the second floor with record speed!
Adele was really delighted with Astartes' performance and was increasingly confident in being able to clear the Lionmen Catacomb this time!
"Good work, Infinity! You have surprised us greatly. At this rate, we should be able to clear the Lionmen Catacomb today!" Oaken Shield patted Astartes on his back while smiling.
Even Autumn Leaf and Willow Steps altered their behaviour around him more and their gazes were now filled with deep seated admiration and delight. Who did not want a strong member to emerge within their party?
Although the battle was successful, Bear Paw and Willow Steps still suffered many injuries and had to receive treatment from the healer within the team. The rested and recovered to their peak condition after an hour and then made their way into the third and final floor where the Catacomb Lord dwelt!