CHAPTER 16: | CALM BEFORE THE STORM
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[You have slain.]
• S: 1 | T: 5 | Level 17 | Abyssal Phantom Whark [4★]
• S: 1 | T: 2 | Emerald Phantom Whark [2★] x11
• S: 1 | T: 1 | Jungle Stalker Whark [2★] x26
[You have gained.]
[1,350,000 - EXP.]
[You have gained a level.] x14
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[You have devoured.]
• S: 1 | T: 5 | Level 17 | Abyssal Phantom Whark [4★]
[You have gained.]
[+ 56 - Health.]
[+ 110 - Stamina.]
[+ 95 - Mana.]
[+ 1.25 - Physique.]
[+ 1.00 Mystique.]
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[Skills Devoured.]
• Absolute Silence [Tier 6]
• Reality Tremor [Tier 4]
• Void Step [Tier 9]
• Void-Shifting Nexus [Tier 8]
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[Grotesque Physique would like to devour these skills.]
• Absolute Silence [Tier 6]
• Reality Tremor [Tier 4]
• Void Step [Tier 9]
• Void-Shifting Nexus [Tier 8]
[Yes] / [No]
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Absolute Silence [Passive | ▪︎]
The Whark's movements are utterly soundless and ripple-free, allowing it to traverse any environment—be it water, air, or solid ground—with no discernible trace. It is a true ghost, undetectable by even the most sensitive auditory or vibrational senses.
Reality Tremor [Active | 25 - Stamina | ▪︎]
The Whark emits a focused, high-frequency screech that causes intense spatial disorientation and mental dread in targets. This disorienting attack can cause victims to lose their balance, perceive illusions, and become paralyzed with primal fear, leaving them utterly vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
Void Step [Active | 20 - Stamina | ▪︎]
The Whark teleports short distances with instantaneous speed, appearing and disappearing as a streak of violet light. This allows for unmatched mobility in combat, enabling it to flank enemies, escape impossible situations, and close distances with bewildering rapidity.
Void-Shifting Nexus [Passive | ▪︎]
A swirling vortex of pure shadow energy deep within the Phantom, this core fuels its reality-bending evasion and speed by refining ambient darkness and dimensional resonance. If ruptured, it implodes into a localized singularity, annihilating the Whark and distorting the immediate area with unstable shadow.
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Good.
Three more skills to fuse.
A sharp pang of frustration shot through me as I realized the unleashed magma had done its job too well.
The battlefield was now covered in hissing, bubbling pools, the acrid tang of sulfur burning my nostrils.
Not a single recognizable carcass remained, just steaming, viscous residue where the others had fallen, their forms consumed by the scorching, molten rock.
Still, this should suffice, right?
I could feel the subtle shifts within my being, that a dense and unyielding pressure was building beneath my scales.
My muscles, already taut and powerful, felt like they were pushing against an invisible barrier.
My physique was nearing its racial limit of 10.00.
A familiar disappointment, cold and heavy, settled in my gut, since there was no further inherent growth that would be possible beyond that point.
It was quite sad that even my race was limiting the growth of my stats, still...
I could still use Passive skills to enhance my muscles and bones, to truly unleash my strength.
Without those, I would have already struggled to adjust to my stats' growth.
It was understandable for me to seek more muscle-enhancing Ascension skills.
This way, I could truly utilize my body's mass, wasting neither strength nor energy.
But obtaining them right now was difficult, as this place was filled with 'Obsidian Hulk' and 'Jungle Stalker' variants.
The 'Obsidian Hulks', variants of three stars and beyond, with their heavy, thudding gait and flickering arcane glow, were clearly mage-types.
Meanwhile, the Stalkers moved with a hushing, unseen swiftness, like assassins of the shadows.
Occasionally, I'd stumble upon a 'Granite Clad.'
Their stone-like hides felt rough under my touch, and their growls reverberated through the sparse water, reminiscent of that first chilling encounter with the 'Abyssal Phantom.'
But they were rare, their presence an anomaly in the scorched, silent expanse of this region.
I let out a sigh, a faint puff of warm air escaping my maw, and couldn't help but chuckle.
As I gazed at the fusion table before me, it glowed with a soft, ethereal luminescence.
Its intricate symbols hummed faintly, as if anticipating my choice.
As it displayed its splendor.
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[Would you fuse these skills?]
• Absolute Silence + Silent Stride
• Reality Tremor + Territorial Roar
• Void Step + Dimensional Flicker
[Yes] / [No]
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[You have gained.]
• Phantom Stride [Ascension I]
• Quantum Displacement [Ascension I]
• World-Rending Scream [Ascension I]
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Phantom Stride [Passive | Ascension I | ▪︎]
The Whark's movements become utterly soundless and ripple-free, allowing it to traverse any environment—be it water, air, or solid ground—with no discernible trace. It is a true ghost, undetectable by even the most sensitive auditory or vibrational senses, moving with an unnerving silence that makes it impossible to pinpoint.
Quantum Displacement [Active | 30 Stamina | Ascension I | ▪︎]
The Whark's movements transcend physical space, allowing it to vanish and reappear as a mere streak of violet light. This Quantum Displacement grants unparalleled mobility in combat, enabling it to instantaneously flank enemies, escape seemingly impossible situations, close distances with bewildering rapidity, or reposition for a devastating ambush.
World-Rending Scream [Active | 35 Stamina | Ascension I | ▪︎]
The Whark unleashes a terrifying, focused scream that doesn't just vibrate through the earth but tears at the very fabric of reality. This high-frequency assault causes extreme spatial disorientation, overwhelming mental dread, and vivid, terrifying illusions in targets. Victims are often paralyzed with primal fear, lose all balance, and become utterly vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Lesser creatures within a wide radius are intimidated into fleeing or submission.
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Good.
These skills are useful.
Now, with this combo of mine, using 'Quantum Displacement' with the Passive skill 'Phantom Stride' to close in on enemies.
Then, I could follow up with 'Quaking Pounce' to dodge or tackle, 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath' to incinerate them in one go, or even 'Neuro-Corrosive Barrage' to weaken them before pouncing.
These combos offered tens of variations that could catch an opponent off guard.
I could choose whether to toy with them or incinerate them.
'Quantum Displacement' was truly a top-tier skill, I could flicker in and out without a sound.
Whether in a tight spot, cornered, or about to be hit.
But the only downside was its Stamina consumption, perhaps too much to sustain a prolonged fight.
And the unpredictability and speed of my opponents, along with their reaction time, could render it useless.
I knew that some opponents could predict or track my form with ease, easily counterattacking and making 'Quantum Displacement' dangerous to use.
I could try to incinerate them, but would they stand still and let the molten magma devour them?
No, with their abnormal or beyond-normal reaction speed, they would easily dodge my 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath' in a split second.
And even if I used 'World-Rending Scream,' it would be ineffective, as their sheer mental strength would block it.
So, what I needed was extreme speed and the ability to bypass or negate their sight and instinct.
Crackle! The ground shook!
Speak of the devil.
Here we go again.
A crushing weight descended, pressing the very debris beneath me deeper into the ground.
My scales prickled with a raw warning as I laid eyes on it, a being too immense to fully comprehend.
Its body, a gargantuan mosaic of dark sediments, jagged granite, gleaming adamantine, and dull mithril, seemed to absorb the scant light around it.
As its cloaca slowly, wetly opened, its gargantuan eyes, like twin pools of ancient shadow, flicked and fixed their unblinking gaze on me.
A cold, paralyzing chill ran through my spine as a deep, rattling cackle echoed, vibrating through the ground, into my very bones.
Oh, here we go again.