I slide down the smooth surface of the crater straight towards the [Lightning Maiden]. The vaguely armored humanoid seems to have a defensive formation against my attack. I don’t know if it can understand tactics, but I go in anyway.

I swing Flash Gordon at the creature, and it easily dodges. It was kept out of range by a hair's length. The residual energy of being near an elemental would damage me if I did not have such a hefty resistance. It strikes back at me with lightning speed. I can’t dodge the blows.

This is when Rob comes to the rescue.

-30

The damage Rob dealt with his shovel was surprisingly weak. I expected more from him. Good thing he wasn’t going for damaging blows but disruptive ones.

With the maiden momentarily distracted, I swing again.

-216

Two of these attacks are enough to kill a typical lightning elemental, but it seems that this one is still healthy.

Usually, when Rob attacks someone, they immediately retaliate, causing him to reassemble himself for the rest of the fight. The maiden ignores Rob and strikes me once again.

-89

Its lance manages to pierce my torso and deliver a shock to my organs. I ignore the cooked blood in my stomach and go to attack its head.

The maiden zips away before I can blink and prepares to charge back into the fight. I prepare myself as well. With the rate at which this fight is going, I will need a new plan.

The Lightning Maiden charges at me with its lance extended. For just a split second, the maiden goes numb as it slows down enough for me to tumble out of the way. In my mind, I hear the most beautiful voice. Duchess speaks to me.

[Thiss one’s magic can affect this elemental. The only magic that thisss one is in range for is [Interferance], but thisss one’s mana can only sustain it for a few more short bursts.]

What a beautiful snake that I have. The maiden scatters when impacting the glassy walls of the crater. It reforms itself and seems shaken. I quickly throw Rob closer as he opens fire with a barrage of broken fingers.

-5

-5

-5

Critical Hit!

-10

Most of the [Bone shots] deal little to no damage. But the most peculiar critical hit accrued. Elementals usually don’t have a vital point. They are amalgamations of an element, not a biological creature.

The Fragment!

That must be it. It's using the strange fragment like a golem uses its core.

I have to wait for the perfect time to deal a finishing blow to this creature. It isn’t even half-dead yet, so more struggle will have to be done. The maiden zips back in front of me instead of building up momentum with a charge. A flurry of blows attacks my body as I heal it.

I reuse [Bolster Resistance] and strike back with Flash Gordon. Either the Maiden stops its onslaught, or it takes the blow.

It doesn’t dodge in time. Duchess’ [Interferance] kept it from the correct timing to doge it. Another heavy blow strikes the creature’s head.

-230

It recoils in pain. I didn’t even know it could feel pain. I use my sneakers to kick it away from me, but it doesn’t budge.

I back off from it as it floats up into the air. I prepared for whatever happened, but I didn’t expect it to instantly bird dive me. Its lightning body goes straight through my heart and out the other side. It leaves no holes, but I almost go into cardiac arrest.

-389

I fully believe that if it wasn’t for my gui promoting cardio-vascular health, I would have had a heart attack from that attack. I use 100 mana to heal 300 health and steady my breathing.

I’m running low on mana. I have to find an opening faster.

Health Points 352/650

Mana Points 33/310

The creature stabs me through the back, and I see the lance jut out of my chest. I turn and do a backhand swing with Flash Gordon in my hand. The core of this creature seems only to be tangible when it attacks using the lance.

I activated [Donkey Punch] and my tanto that was on my waist to [Sacrifice Health]

-100

Critical Hit!

-756!

CRACK

The [Lightning Maiden] gets knocked to the ground from the blow. The lance starts jittering, and it disperses into energy. The maiden starts to jitter in the same unstable way.

Defiance fills the maiden. I can tell that this creature does not want to die here. Before I can strike her one more time, she screams to the heavens. A foreboding feeling shudders up my spine as my hair starts to rise.

HOLY SHIT, this bitch is summoning a fucking lightning bolt to strike me down. I slam Flash Gordon one last time against her skull, and she shatters into a million sparks. I look up with dread.

The angry clouds above me start to drift down and coalesce right above my head. My hair rises further as I come up with any way to survive.

I run away from the crater, but the clouds follow me around the mountain top.

A brilliant idea to keep me alive comes to my mind. A pull out the [Champion’s Helmet] and summon Rob using [Master’s Whistle].

He was not that far from me, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I summon him in a way that makes him appear with his head already in the helmet. Without warning, I use all my strength to throw him at heaven.

[Throw levels up!]

[Throw E lv3 > lv4

Thrown attacks deal 12.5 percent more damage

2.5% more per skill level]

A lightning bolt larger than my body strikes Rob as the world goes white.

*KABOOM*

~

…

[Wake up…]

…

[Master, wake up…]

…

Something hits my charred face, and the pain jolts me into consciousness. I see Duchess’ on my chest, looking at my grievous wounds. I must have been blown back from where I was initially standing. I don't see Rob or Flash Gordon anywhere.

“How long was I out?”

[Around 8 hours. No elementals came up here.]

I start healing my wounds. My skin cracks and pops as new fresh skin takes the place of the dead cells. I feel like a snake sheddings its skin.

“Where are the others?”

[The one named Flashed Gordon is safely stashed away in the bag. They took considerable damage, but way less than you. Thisss one had to administer what was remaining of Rob's potions after the blast. You were on Death's door.]

“Thank you, Duchess.”

[Without thisss one on standby, you most likely have died on this rock. Thisss one could not find any trace of the skeleton.]

For the second time today, dread fills my heart. I hope to the Gods that I did not just vaporize my little buddy. With shaky hands, I activate [Master’s Whistle] and try to summon Rob.

The only thing that appears is a tiny bone shard, completely charred black and flecked with scrapped iron. It looks like the helmet didn’t survive the blast either. I start channeling mana, but I stop. I instead tuck what's left of Rob inside my pocket. I can make him better once we depart this god-forsaken place. I should apologize to him in a better place.

My legs shake as I get on my feet. The only clothing on my body is my gui. My boots were destroyed in the blast.

I pull the charred skin off my body as I walk to where I killed the lightning maiden. The only thing left is the fragment of metal, undamaged from the giant lightning bolt.

I check my [Status] and the system notifications.

[New Title Gained: Baptised by Lightning]

[Baptized by Lightning D

Lightning has poorly purged your system of impurities.

+10 Spirit

+10 Agility]

[Title Upgrade!]

[Fell the Mighty grows slightly in power.]

~

Name: Ellis Vincere. Race: Human

Nickname: The Last Winner.

Level: 35 32/100,000

Class: Master (Rank C)

Titles: Proud Owner of a Rock, Butcher A, On the Edge B, Prey on the Weak B, etc.

Health Points 200/720 (28%)

Mana Points 50/360

Armor Points: 0

~

Might: 57 > 67 + 5

Agility: 57 + 15

Vigor: 50 > 57 +15

Mind: 62 > 72

Spirit: 80 + 10

Perception: 15 > 20

Luck: 2

Unused: 38 > 6

The rewards aren’t that good, considering that I almost died. Now four of my seven stats are harmonized. My entire body and mind are in perfect sync, but Spirit is still very bloated. I wonder what would happen if all my stats get in sync.

Do the hidden stats also give this feeling when synced with all the other stats? Luck would be a hard one to keep consistently up. I also don't feel like spending 10 levels of free stats into one stat just to see if a hunch is correct.

At least I will get more experience from higher leveled creatures. From my earlier investigation, the piece of metal is a fragment of something much bigger. I don't know if there are more pieces in this place, but I decided to go and collect them. I risk my life, and if this is the only thing that dropped, it's mine.

My fingers reach for the metal before it can touch lightning arcs off of it and touch my hand. My lightning resistance is now 80, but it still hurts quite a bit. I only need to grab it for a second, but if the electricity keeps my hands from unclenching, that will be a problem. I pull my gui’s sleeve over my hand and go to pick up the piece of metal.

My brilliant strategy to put the fragment into a bag using my sleeve went horribly wrong. As soon as I touched the electrified scrap metal. My vision went entirely white.