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….
'Ding! Ding!'
[Skill Leveled Up!]
[Sword Mastery - LVL 3 (40%):]
[Passive: You are becoming one with the blade.]
[Effect: +15% Damage when wielding swords.]
The chime distracted Percy for a split second, a fatal mistake in a boss fight. He faltered in his deadly dance, glancing around to realize the battlefield had gone quiet.
The remaining skeletons weren't attacking. They were dissolving, turning into streams of white smoke that funneled toward the balcony.
Percy spun around. Zed was standing at the edge of the railing, his arms spread wide, inhaling the essence of his fallen minions.
The red armor began to glow with a blinding, malevolent light. The air pressure in the room dropped, making Percy's ears pop.
"RAAAAA!"
Zed roared, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling. He leaped from the balcony, landing on the stage with a force that cracked the wood and sent a shockwave rippling through the theater.
He straightened up, towering over Percy. His greatsword, previously heavy and cumbersome, was now held in one hand like a toothpick.
"Now you die!" Zed bellowed, pointing the blade at Percy's chest. "And I shall feast on your bones!"
Percy hopped back, creating distance, and frantically tapped the air.
'Observe!'
[Zedukal (Extreme Mode)]
[LVL: 15]
[HP: 1200/3000]
[MP: 500/600]
[Race: Human (Dark Magic Augmented)]
[Stats:]
[STR: 4000]
[VIT: 5]
[DEX: 2]
[INT: 34]
[WIS: 2]
[LUC: 0]
[Description: Zed has absorbed the souls of his army, sacrificing defense for pure, unadulterated power. His Strength has increased one hundredfold. Warning: One hit will result in immediate death.]
[Kill Reward: 10,000 EXP]
Percy felt the blood drain from his face.
Four. Thousand. Strength.
That wasn't a boss stat. That was a glitch. That was a cheat code. If that sword even grazed him, Percy wouldn't just die; he would be turned into a fine red mist.
"Okay," Percy breathed, sweat stinging his eyes. "Don't get hit. Easy. Just... don't get hit."
He analyzed the stats frantically. Zed was a glass cannon, all power, no brain. He had high INT, meaning he knew facts about magic, but his WIS was a pitiful 2. He had no common sense. No intuition.
Percy needed a Hail Mary.
He opened his inventory and dumped everything. Every remaining water bottle he had scavenged from the recycling bin appeared in his arms. With a desperate heave, he hurled them all at the red giant.
Zed, with his abysmal Dexterity, didn't even try to dodge. He simply swung his massive sword in a lazy arc.
SLASH.
The blade cut through the plastic bottles effortlessly. Water exploded outward, drenching Zed from head to toe in a sudden, localized rainstorm.
Zed paused, dripping wet. He looked at his soaked armor, then at Percy, and laughed. "Pathetic! I know the rules of magic, boy! You cannot manipulate water without physical contact! I am too smart for your parlor tricks!"
Percy raised an eyebrow. He thinks I need to touch it? It was a logical assumption for a wizard who read books but never went outside. Water benders usually needed a connection.
But Percy wasn't a wizard. He was the Son of the Sea God. The water didn't obey him because of a spell; it obeyed him because it wanted to.
Percy smirked, raising his hand. "You might be book smart, Zed, but you have no common sense."
He clenched his fist. "Water Control: Spikes."
The water pooling around Zed's boots obeyed instantly. It didn't ripple; it hardened. Three jagged spears of pressurized liquid shot upward, piercing through the gaps in Zed's leg armor and slamming into his chest plate.
[MP: 100/125]
Zed howled in fury, staggering back.
[HP: 600/3000]
He's still standing, Percy thought, panic rising. He's too tanky.
With a roar that sounded less like a man and more like a beast, Zed flexed. The sheer force of his muscles shattered the water spikes like glass. He ignored the holes in his armor and locked his glowing red eyes on Percy.
"ENOUGH!"
Zed launched himself forward. He was slow, but his stride was massive.
Percy saw his opening. He unslung the heavy bronze shield from his back and spun, using his entire body weight to hurl it like a discus.
The shield sailed through the air and slammed into Zed's helmet with a resounding CLANG.
[Critical Hit!]
[-300 HP]
Zed's head snapped back, but he didn't stop. He shook off the daze and swung his greatsword in a horizontal cleave that spanned the entire width of the stage.
Percy couldn't block it. Blocking 4000 Strength with a sword was suicide. He threw himself backward, diving into a roll.
The red blade missed him by inches.
But the wind pressure didn't.
The sheer displacement of air from the swing hit Percy like a physical wall. It lifted him off his feet and hurled him backward. He smashed into the wooden floorboards, tumbling end over end until he slammed into the back wall of the stage.
A deep gash opened on his chest just from the air pressure of the blade passing near him.
Percy coughed, tasting copper. His vision blurred, swimming in and out of focus.
[HP: 5/250]
[MP: 100/125]
[Status: Critical Injury. Bleeding.]
Get up, his mind screamed. Move.
But his body wouldn't listen. His limbs felt like lead. He looked down to see a pool of his own blood spreading rapidly across the wooden planks, staining his torn hoodie.
Zed was walking toward him. Thud. Thud. Thud. The red sword dragged behind him, carving a groove into the stage.
"You fought well, boy," Zed rumbled, his voice distorted by the dented helmet. "A worthy challenge. But in the end, strength is absolute."
Percy forced a grin, his teeth stained red. "Shut it... you acne-covered mama's boy."
Zed stopped five feet away. He raised the massive blade high above his head for the execution strike. "Stubborn to the bitter end. Any last words?"
Percy looked at the red giant. Then he looked down at the pool of blood he was lying in.
"Yeah," Percy rasped, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, ancient light. "Did you know that blood is ninety percent water, asshole?"
He shoved his remaining mana into the liquid beneath him.
"Blood Control: Spike!"
Zed's eyes widened behind his visor. He tried to bring the sword down, but he was too slow.
The blood pooling around Percy didn't splash. It shot forward like a crimson lance. It bypassed Zed's armor entirely, aiming for the one exposed spot Percy had created earlier, the gap in the neck guard where the shield had dented the helmet.
SHLICK.
The spike of hardened blood pierced Zed's throat and exited through the back of his skull.
The giant froze. The red sword clattered to the floor, missing Percy's legs by an inch. Zed gurgled once, then collapsed into a heap of red armor and dust.
Percy let his head fall back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I win."
'Ding!'
[Skill Evolved via Unique Usage!]
[Hydrokinesis - LVL 7 (1%):]
[Cost: 15 MP per minute]
[New Ability: Blood Control (Forbidden) - Cost: 50 MP per minute.]
'Ding!'
[For utilizing a creative and scientifically accurate solution to a magical problem, you have gained +1 WIS!]
'Ding!'
[Physical Endurance has leveled up thrice!]
[Physical Endurance (Passive) - LVL 6 (78%):]
[Effect: You have survived a near-death experience.]
[- 18% damage taken from physical attacks.]
'Ding!'
[New Title Acquired: Deadman]
[Effect: When HP drops below 20%, all stats are boosted by +40.]
'Ding!'
[Quest Completed!]
[Boss Battle: The Red Death]
[Rewards: +3 Stat Points, New Title.]
[Total EXP Calculation:]
[Skeletons: 145 x 25 = 3,625 EXP]
[Zed (Extreme Mode): 10,000 EXP]
[Total: 13,625 EXP]
'Ding! Ding!'
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
….
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016