-Vol 6: Dusk Of An Era-

-Renewing The Contract(9)-

“It's not coming out!” Kenshin muttered with boredom. He had been sitting in that place for what seemed like an hour, but the guardian had yet to appear. He was getting bored sitting there this long, and he even purchased a powerful sword with good attributes while waiting.

His new sword, like the one before this, was also a longsword. But unlike Blackmoon Beheader, it wasn’t absurdly long. Its length was about 100 to 110 cm with weight around 2kgs. This sword came with a scythe, and unlike Black moon beheader, it didn’t have a name. But its attributes far surpasses that of the former.

[Steltar Longsword]

[Rank: C+]

[ATK: 800]

[DUR: 500/500]

[Options]

50% increase in attack power when going against an opponent of different species. 60% increase in attack power when going against an opponent of the same species. Learns the active skill, “Flashing Cut.” Learns Passive skill, “Sword Heart.” Recovers Durability by seeping on enemy’s blood(or any bodily fluids)

Four options, but all were useful and powerful nonetheless. But what made this sword most expensive in the store was the two skills that come with it. Those were what made it expensive.

[Flashing Cut]

At the cost of 10 durabilities, it was possible to increase the base attacking power of the sword by 5 times for 1 second and give the opponent 50% of their DEF as extra damage.

[Sword Heart]

+5% of HP and MP restoration for every time an enemy meets its doom with this sword.

One was an active skill, while the other was passive. But both were very useful skills nonetheless. The only downside of this sword was compared to other weapons of this category, its durability was extremely low, only 500. But that was evened out with its DUR regain function at the cost of enemy blood.

[Roar!!!!!]

It's at this time a very soul curling roar was heard, which even shook his very soul.

[Dragon sense gained experience]

It was just a roar, but it made his dragon sense skill started to rapidly gain exps, which had reached a very high-level thanks to his run-in with Core and that kid of Sylph race.

“What was that? It increased dragon sense’s EXP by 10% with just a single roar that came from god knows where…” Kenshin stood up and muttered, looking back from where the sound came from.

Boom!!!

But he got no time to be distracted, as the ground tore open with fissures. A claw made purely of green gasses emerged as it rapidly took a bipedal shape. The shape vaguely resembled the one he slaughtered just now, the Boss but a lot bigger.

[Guardian of Dunegion, Stalker Beast has emerged.]

“Finally, huh!” the guardian of the dungeon appeared in all its gaseous glory. It didn’t have a physical form and was made of green gases that were probably a higher form of curse taken physical form.

Monsters take many shapes and forms. Some have physical bodies while some don’t. Generally, monsters like this one that didn’t have a physical form didn’t appear anywhere other than a dungeon or places that were hard to reach, like deep inside the ocean or inside a volcano. To deal with such monsters, either magic or WIL was necessary as physical attacks have no effect on them.

Kenshin held his sword tightly as the blade slowly coated in an unsteady zagged aura. Although he was practicing quite hard, he still hadn't reached the stage where he could coat his weapons with pure WIL or Intent without letting it fully manifest.

Letting fully manifest his Intent would cause drain on his WIL, which was pretty annoying if it falls below a certain level. But if he could coat his weapons and even his bare body ith WIL without letting his Intent fully manifest, it would help in saving a lot of WIL from draining and wasting. MP potions could restore magic, HP potions could restore health, but there was nothing else to restore WIL. He could only let his [Passive regeneration] to do its job while he physically rests.

[Stalker Beast][Lv 150]

[HP: 5,000,00][MP: 10,000]

[P.ATK: 4][M.ATK: 4000][INT: 5000][WIS: 400]

[Skills]

Poison Mist Lv 9

AoE attack that causes 50 poison DAM/sec till the duration until the target is inside the mist.

Corrosivity Lv 10

The gas that physically corrodes the target; has a 50% chance to ignore the natural DEF of the target.

Lockdown Lv 5

Creates a domain for 5 seconds that stops the target from healing or receive healing from an outer source.

Cooldown time: 10 seconds.

Summon minions Lv 5[Can’t be copied] Create Dunegion Lv 5[Can’t be copied]

[Hint: Use fire and magic abilities only]

“Wow, that's a stat that could only belong to a guardian. That absurd INT but low WIS… and those skills! I am so gonna take a few of them… haha” giggling, Kenshin activated Replication and got Corrosivity and Lockdown on the first try. Corrosivity was due to its 50% chance of ignoring the target’s DEF, while Lockdown was due to its property to stop the target from healing. Those two skills would come in handy while dealing with troublesome targets that knew how to heal or hunters with a healer amidst them. He was a little sad that he couldn’t get Summon minions and Create Dunegion skill, but well, that’s why he was here in the first place.

While he finished copying the skill, the beast fully took the form of a 20-meter tall bipedal beast vaguely resembling the Boss when it was in its initial form.

Kenshin didn’t feel that much pressure from it. For one, he had leveled up once and had an increase in all his ability due to Job bonus. Two, magic was his forte as he had way too many skills that could cause a high amount of magic damage than physical ones. And thus he started his assault.

First, he enveloped it in the Exploding domain. Since he didn’t know the properties comprised of the poison, he ignited the air instead… more specifically, the carbon particles of carbon dioxide. Exploding domain was a skill that transmutes everything the user perceives into an explosive, given the user knows about the target he or she wants to transmute. A little study on the internet was all it took for him to understand various things surrounding him. Basically, Kenshin focussed on the 'air’ around him while making a study.

The atmosphere was nigh-omnipotent, at least wherever he decides to fight, the atmosphere must be there without exception. With his skills like Exploding Domain and Opposites, he could turn that very atmosphere into a lethal weapon against his enemies. While it wouldn’t be obvious against exceptionally powerful beasts, against other humans, it was more than just effective.

Kenshin started a series of explosions as soon as he enveloped his target. Unlike the Boss, this one had only 5 million HP, not that hard to drain it. Then he started making fire swords, harpoons, and various other weapons by shaping the fire generated from his Flame Manipulation skill and spammed them on the creature that made purely out of gas.

With each time a successful attack lands, damage no less than 5k would float on its head. The beast tried to attack him with its attacks, but it ate loss as soon as Kenshin transmuted them to explosives with his skill and detonated them right in front of the beast.

Fifteen minutes later…

[Ding! You have killed the guardian. Seek the core that resides in the dungeon and reforge the contract that you have lost.]

The gaseous monster dissipated into thin air, giving him 50k experience points and nothing else. But since it was the guardian, Kenshin didn’t mind much as 80% of the work was done, only the final pice was left to do.