Breathe in, breathe out—concentrate
I focus on the atmospheric mana around me, isolating the black particles and erasing the rest.
「Your attribute 'Absorption' is activating」
The black particles gravitate around me, seeping into my skin and getting absorbed by my mana circuits. All of the particles gravitate towards my Core to be collected and purified.
「Your attribute 'Assimilation' is activating」
My Core automatically purifies the mana, prompted or perhaps influenced by my attribute. I let out a slow breath.
This should be enough…
Deep in the shadows of the labyrinth, I project the mana inside of me. A translucent barrier appears in response, barely visible despite the considerable amount mana used to conjure it.
Focus…
The barrier then decreases viscosity, wrapping around me in a familiar embrace. Instead of being absorbed into my skin like usual, the dark attribute mana seeps on the golden runes lining the dark-blue coat. The mana then spreads inward, eventually coating the outside of the coat in dark attribute mana.
I can do this
I focus to my front, my eyes tracing every movement of my target.
Breathe in, breathe out—concentrate
The beast shifts, coiling around itself. The numerous legs that it possessed produced sounds akin to more than a dozen Night Beast's marching into battle, albeit a lot more sinister.
The beast moves it's disgusting face over my way, and I waste not a single moment to leap to another shadow.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
The beast rampages, crashing and smashing against the walls. Eventually, the cave that served as our battlefield began to shake, but I was not worried about that. Something like that was the least of my concerns, especially in the presence of the centipede monster.
The Centurion, a beast that burrowed the ground with earth magic and possessed a trunk that was more than 30 feet in length. Each of it's numerous legs was around the size of my arm, give or take, so getting hit by them could be detrimental. Not to mention the ridiculous sensory abilities of it displayed.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Once again, the beast's head turns my way, charging in without care. The centipede had tough, thick plates, easily able to fens off my blade—something I learned the hard way.
I move to yet another shadow, following the centipede's every move.
My mind raced to it's absolute limits, trying to think of a way to disable it's annoying ability. Luckily, the Centurion's magic seemed to be only useful for burrowing the ground, and thus unable to use it for offense. Sometimes the Centurion would use it to create shortcuts or try to hide, but the sound of it burrowing the ground a clear giveaway, so I can immediately spot it. Other than that, the Centurion relied mostly on blunt force, using it's tough scales and enormous body as a ram, along with it's sensory ability — which I have not determined as a skill, spell, attribute, or something else — to find me.
I could lessen the accuracy of it's sensory ability somewhat with my own spell, but other than that, I could not really do anything el—Oh crap!
Barely dodging the Centurion's vicious tackle, I leap to the side. The Centurion continuous it's rampage.
This is bad… really bad
At the rate that this is going, I will lose. The cave that we are in is barely intact, if this goes on for long, there might be a cave-in. If that happens, it would mean instant death.
"Go for it's underbelly!" A familiar voice resounded from somewhere.
「Skill 'Quick Step' is activating」
Without any more delay, I burst forward. The beast reacts just the same, rushing towards me immediately.
—Focus
I disperse the black particles from my coat and pour them into my blade. The steel turns ebony-black immediately, the edges sharpened and the blade reinforced.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Leaping to the side and dodging the Centurion's plethora of strikes completely was still beyond me, and so I instead focused on reinforcing my blade.
*clang*
The mana-imbued steel resists the Centurion's blow, though the shock that came afterward was like a truck crashing against my shoulder. I suck in a breath, focusing mana on my right arm.
*kreeeeee*
The Centurion lets out a cry as I parry it's legs away, sending it flying a couple of feet back.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
The rest of it's long trunk tries to grab me, but I immediately rush forward, right into the beast's exposed underbelly.
—Focus
My mind sinks deeper as I push forward, ignoring any and all disturbances.
—The world faded away
I draw my sword in a large arc, cutting the Centurion's exposed flesh. It's digestive juices flew everywhere, singing the ground and my sword. I quickly get rid of it with a quick sweep.
*kreeeeee*
The Centurion cries once more, this time much louder and higher pitched. It's antennae vibrated vigorously, and the ground beneath it started crumbling.
It's trying to escape…
Dammit! Using 「Quick Step」 to maneuver around it, I aim for another exposed spot that I can use to kill it. Unfortunately, the beast is now on the defensive, with my concealment spell now deactivated, the beast can easily counter any attack I throw at it.
If only I could dampen or maybe even get rid of it's sensory ability… huh?
It was then that I noticed something odd. The beast was coiled in on itself, the hard shell that served as it's defense was in front of me, ready to push or crush me should I get near. It's weak spot was hidden within, safe and protected. It's head, however, was fully in view.
Based on the Centurion's behavioral pattern, that should not be the case. That only meant one thing…
It needs to be out, to use one of it's abilities…!!
The Centurion was vicious and unrelenting, but once it was damaged, the beast immediately folded. To show such a vulnerable part of it meant that it NEEDED to be out.
Focusing mana on my legs, I leap forward, using the fallen rubble as footholds.
*kreeeeee*
The beast immediately noticed what I was up to and wrapped around itself, though the antennae on it's head remained outside.
…Now
I jump off the fallen rubble, my sword ready to slice.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
It tried to wrap around and catch me, but I dodge it with ease, bringing my blade across it's exposed antennae. My blade cuts it with ease.
*kreeeeeeeee*
The Centurion cried once more, this time wrapping and convulsing. It would seem that it's antennae was a much more important weak spot than I realized.
This is my chance…
While the beast writhed in agony, I quickly slice it's exposed flesh repeatedly. The beast tried to retaliate, but it's movements were much more dull, and I dodged them all with ease, slicing it even more.
「You have leveled up」
「Your attribute 'Absorption' is activating」
「No applicable skills can be obtained from the target」
Tch, again…
Ever since my recent evolution, the amount of skills that I could absorb with my attribute has gone down. I needed to get stronger, and skills were an integral part of that.
"Hey!" The witch shouted. "Once you're done looking at that thing, come over here."
I shook my head, I have better things to worry about.
"Oh, done already? Good job." The witch said with a grin on her face.
It would have been much faster if you had helped
The witch ignored my gaze and looked up, whistling an admired tune. I could not blame her.
In front of us was a set large, concrete double doors supported by two marble pillars that towered over the tow of us. Various runes and images were carved onto it, and judging by the cracks on it's frame, it was most likely years—maybe even decades old.
The witch took a step forward.
"Welcome to the Guardian's Lair."