The Sand Dragon was flying towards Brand with a very high speed and let out a shattering roar. He felt the earth beneath him tremble following the dragon's roar. Fear coursed through his veins, and he found his leg began to grow numb.
"The dragon was using Dragon Roar, Brand." Seraphine was hovering around him, acting as a live commentator, describing the skills the dragon used. "If the target fears the dragon, they will become paralyzed."
"The best counter to this skill was to 'not be afraid'!" Seraphine exclaimed.
"Easier said than done…" He was running for his life now, as the dragon was charging him as if it wanted to crush him to death.
The dragon leaped towards him, snapping its jaw tight. Even though it narrowly missed him, the dragon's bite still had an effect on him. There were lightning sparks emitted from the snap that constantly zapped him. He must escape quickly, even though he is paralyzed!
"That's Lightning Snap," Seraphine whispered to Brand.
"Can you cut it out? I'm focusing here!" Brand yelled, unable to shake the absurdity of this situation. He was trying to escape with all his might.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Seraphine fought back. "Why did you only run? This was a combat tutorial, remember?"
While running ahead, Brand took a moment to contemplate his options before making a decision. The angel probably wouldn't give him an impossible trial, considering that she mentioned that this was a 'tutorial.'
If so, the task must still be manageable. But how?
As Brand sprinted through the scorching sands, he started to memorize the terrain around him. He also recalls the tutorial earlier; there were skills he could use.
"Use the skills with stat enhancements!" Seraphine hinted at him.
He took in a deep breath, clearing his mind, and channeled his mana within his body. He could feel the mana running through his veins and started to guide the flow of mana into his legs.
He felt a surge of strength in his calf muscle, and the sand beneath his feet started to sink in deeper. Strangely, he felt he could control his body better now.
He pivoted his foot and turned around at a sharp angle while running. The dragon, which was heavier and had higher inertia, couldn't make its maneuver move in time, resulting in a bigger gap between them.
"Haste."
[Haste – Increase AGI by 25% for 3 minutes.]
Seraphine spoke for Brand. She enjoyed the chase between the humans and the dragon and made her own commentary.
The dragon snarled, baring its teeth, displaying an immense rage. The dragon takes it as a challenge from a human, which it deems a lower species in its eyes.
The dragon shook off the sands on its body and took flight again, charging in his direction once again.
"Brand, you're doing great!" Seraphine cheered. "Remember to throw some debuff cubes as well!"
Brand grunted at Seraphine's lighthearted tone even though he was on a run, trying to survive. But he took her advice seriously.
He extended his hands and conjured mana on top of them. Light cubes began to manifest and hover in the air.
"Debuff cubes." This time, he took the initiative and stole Seraphine's line. He felt oddly satisfied, as the little angel was making some scoffing sound.
"Come, dragon." He waged a war with the baby dragon in front of him. "You need discipline."
He threw the debuff cubes onto the dragon, and they attached to it. The dragon tried to shake it off but was unable to. The skill effect activated after more cubes had covered it.
The dragon's movement started to sway, and it crashed on the sand dunes. The sudden loss of stats disrupted its balance, resulting in losing control of its flight.
"It was still inexperience after all," Seraphine talked to herself. "You're such a bully, Brand."
Brand ignored her and prepared his next course of action.
"Might."
[Might - Increase STR by 25% for 3 minutes.]
He felt strength surge in his body; his blood was pumping with energy.
With his still enhanced speed, he dashed toward the dragon and punched its nose. The dragon felt a sudden irritation and sneezed involuntarily.
"Wow…" Seraphine gasped. Even she was surprised with this sudden move.
This caused the sands to fly outwards and drift around in the air, creating a sand veil that inhibited the dragon's vision. The dragon thrashed around, but it didn't affect Brand at all.
Brand still had his vision intact as GHOST started to overlay his sight, filtering out the sand from it.
He had memorized a predetermined route of escape that he thought of when he was gazing around the desert earlier.
Brand's gaze landed on a cluster of rocks, as big as three-story buildings. That was the route he picked.
He began to rush towards the rock formation. This was his last chance to take shelter from the dragon.
The dragon's furious roar echoed behind him, and Brand felt the rush of wind as it lunged. It was now just inches behind his back, but he was reaching the rock formation as well.
"GHOST Mode."
[GHOST Mode – Increase all stats by 25% and activate stealth for 10 seconds.]
[Haste – Increase AGI by 25% for 3 minutes.]
After activating GHOST Mode, he used Haste once again to further boost his speed.
He had stealth and an enhanced AGI of over 50% when both abilities were combined!
He had a ten-second opening to escape and hide his presence.
He narrowly dodged the dragon's grasp and dove into the gap in the rock formation. He was checking the dragon from the small gap while praying for the dragon to fly away.
The dragon would crush him unknowingly if it vented out its anger on the giant rocks.
Luckily, the sand dragon lost interest in him, scoffing before flying away.