The potency of skills could be measured through two parameters, one of which was skill quality.
This delineated into nine tiers ranging from low to high: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, to SSS. For instance, the fireball spell sat at the F-level, the Fire Serpent spell was categorized under B-level, while the Dragonfire spell triumphed with an S-level status.
In addition to this, enhancing these abilities could be achieved through raising proficiency or directly expending skill points to augment their effects.
The initial form of the fire dragon bore a power intrinsically tied to the level of the spellcaster.
However, with the new upgrade, it surpassed Howard — the spellcaster — by 5 levels, reaching a formidable level 13 status, and birthed a fresh capability: the Fiery Ring.
This served as one of the fire dragon's arsenals for assaulting the foes, holding its ground amid other techniques such as Exploding Fireballs, Scorching Firelines, and Fire Rain Meteor.
Yet for Howard, this marked a beginning rather than an end.
"Upgrade!"
[Ding! Awakened Howard, do you wish to use 2 skill points to enhance the S-level skill — Dragonfire spell?]
"Yes, upgrade it now!"
[Ding! Dragonfire spell successfully upgraded to level 3. Please check the details yourself.]
Without sparing a glance at the alterations to the Dragonfire spell, Howard was acutely aware that a powerful adversary was close at hand.
Capitalizing on the momentary standoff between the Red Phosphorus Serpent King and the fire dragon, he had to swiftly elevate his strength; any hesitation bore the path to demise.
"Keep upgrading!"
[Ding! Awakened Howard, do you wish to use 4 skill points to enhance the S-level skill — Dragonfire spell?]
"Stop dawdling, upgrade it!"
[Ding! Dragonfire spell successfully upgraded to level 4. Please check the details yourself.]
Investing all his 7 skill points into the Dragonfire spell, a technique that had now become his defining asset, Howard finally began to see a rich harvest of his gamble.
[Dragonfire spell]
[Tier: S]
[Attributes: Conjures a fire dragon whose level surpasses the spellcaster's by 15 levels. The fire dragon can unleash attacks such as Burning Ground Flames, Scorching Firelines, Exploding Fireballs, Fire Rain Meteor, Fiery Ring, Inferno Pulse, and Meteor Shower. It is capable of engaging in close combat with enemies. The fire dragon can endure for a maximum duration of 60 minutes.]
[Cooldown: 45 minutes]
[Mana consumption: 300 points per second]
[Proficiency: 0/100]
[After spending 7 skill points, the fire dragon's level will be 15 levels higher than the spellcaster's.]
At present, with Howard at level 8, the fire dragon he could summon would attain a formidable level of 23.
While still slightly beneath the Red Phosphorus Serpent King, the gap between them had substantially narrowed.
Furthermore, the fire dragon possessed the newfound abilities to deploy Inferno Pulse and Meteor Shower attacks.
A pivotal enhancement was the extended duration of the fire dragon's existence, now stretching to a monumental 60 minutes, far surpassing its cooldown time.
This implied that as long as Howard was willing, and as long as sufficient mana remained at his disposal, the Dragonfire spell could be activated at any moment.
The Red Phosphorus Serpent King was far from a fool to simply watch as Howard augmented the fire dragon's potency.
Every time the Dragonfire spell leveled up, the aura enveloping the fire dragon escalated tremendously, with even the flame-forged scales becoming increasingly vivid, lifelike, and palpably real, akin to a living entity.
Sensing the precarious turn of events, the Serpent King immediately resorted to launching a stealth attack on Howard, discharging a torrent of crimson venom directly at him.
However, Howard, having dared to upgrade his skills right in the face of the Serpent King, had anticipated such an assault.
Instantaneously, the Enchanted Boar, summoned forth by Howard, courageously charged forward, shielding Howard from the venomous strike with its own body, thus bearing the brunt of the assault.
[Ding! Alerting awakened Howard, your summoned entity 'Enchanted Boar' has been slain by the Silver boss — Red Phosphorus Serpent King. You will be able to summon it again after 24 hours...]
The crimson ray of venomous fluid descended upon the Enchanted Boar, causing an instantaneous decay of flesh and leaving stark white bones exposed before it collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.
This scene left Howard with his eyes widened in shock, his heart throbbing in a state of panic.
He couldn't help but contemplate the horrific fate he would have suffered had that strike landed on him — a tragic end with not a whole corpse left to mourn.
The mere thought of his potential "grisly demise" fueled Howard's rage.
In a heartbeat, he commandeered his fire dragon to engage the Red Phosphorus Serpent King in a ferocious battle.
The level 23 fire dragon, with its robust form, bore a striking resemblance to a true dragon.
Its formidable strength was evident as it unleashed Exploding Fireballs as large as water jars from its maw.
The flame beams it ejected morphed from an orange-red to a faint blue, with a temperature that had more than doubled.
Furthermore, it conjured Fiery Rings that spiraled toward the Serpent King, swirling gracefully in the air, refusing to fall.
As the Red Phosphorus Serpent King endeavored to dodge an Exploding Fireball, it momentarily lost its momentum, a vulnerability that the dragon seized to loop a Fiery Ring around its neck.
"Hiss! Hiss hiss! Hiss hiss!"
The intense heat of the Fiery Ring singed the Serpent King, forcing agonized shrieks from it as its skin burned, scales shedding in large swaths to reveal the bloody flesh underneath.
It wasn't long before the exposed, scaleless flesh carbonized under the scorching temperature, inflicting severe secondary damages to the King.
Yet, the battle did not relent for the Serpent King's anguish; the fire dragon's onslaught continued unabated, each attack raining down relentlessly.
The sky was aflame with Exploding Fireballs creating havoc through detonation, Scorching Firelines slashing furiously, Fiery Rings exercising control, and a blazing onslaught delivering crushing blows — each skill that found its mark eroded a significant chunk of the Serpent King's HP.
"Hiss hiss! Hiss hiss hiss!"
With its bearings lost due to the relentless attacks from the fire dragon, the Red Phosphorus Serpent King let out agonized hisses, a heart-wrenching symphony of pain that carried even a trace of weeping and pleading.
However, no amount of begging could temper Howard's resolve.
Following the ruthless mantra of 'strike while the enemy is weak,' his assault only intensified.
"Come forth! Meteor Shower, deliver the final blow, let it perish in agony!"
Howard uttered with a cruel streak in his voice, his lips curling into a cold sneer as he observed the Serpent King's health plummet below 20%.
In the distant sky, a speck of red light emerged, growing steadily larger as seconds ticked away.
What started as a tiny grain expanded exponentially, evolving into the size of a ping pong ball, a volleyball, a football, until finally, a meteorite with a diameter of over ten meters loomed ominously within the Serpent King's line of sight.
Constrained by the Fiery Ring with no avenue for escape, a tear of regret welled up in its eye as it beheld the incoming cataclysm, its mind filled with thoughts of lamentation.
"Why did I leave the burrow over a few lost offspring?"
It despaired, realizing that while it could have borne more children, there would be no replacing its own life now on the brink of extinguishment.
"If only I could start over, I would never leave the mine, even if beaten to death."
Engulfed in regret, the Serpent King met its demise as the meteor shower crashed down upon it.
Its immense head was obliterated, poisonous brains splattered everywhere as it contorted in extreme agony, twitching muscles attempting futile efforts to wriggle free from the crushing force of the meteorite, only to exacerbate its injuries.
"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"
The ground corroded into a pockmarked terrain, victim to the Serpent King's venom.
The incessant 'sizzle' reverberated, a disturbing symphony echoing nonstop.
Although the Red Phosphorus Serpent King hadn't succumbed entirely, the 'strike while the enemy is weak' philosophy continued to dictate the actions on the battlefield as the fire dragon unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks — Exploding Fireballs, Scorching Firelines, Burning Ground Flames, Inferno Pulse... one after another, they hammered down without mercy.
At last, in Howard's ears rang the long-anticipated system notification, a symphony of victory and relief after a fierce battle steeped in ruthlessness and desperation.
[Ding dong! Congratulations awakened Howard, you have successfully slain the lv27 Silver boss — Red Phosphorus Serpent King, earning 4500 experience points!]
A whopping 4500 experience points, which was more than twice as much as what he gained from defeating the Enchanted Boar King.
However, compared to the 12800 points required to level up, there still remained a significant gap.
Howard looked at the attribute panel where it displayed 'lv8 (8913/12800)' and couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration.
This gap in experience points truly instilled a sense of powerlessness.
But while the experience points yield was somewhat unsatisfactory, the equipment, items, materials, and gold coins dropped by the Red Phosphorus Serpent King were enough to make Howard's eyes sparkle.
One particular item was shimmering in golden light, leaving Howard dazzled and bursting with excitement.
[You acquired: gold coin x27!]
[You acquired: Red Phosphorus Serpent Fang x2]
[You acquired: Red Phosphorus Serpent Scales x39]
[You acquired: Perfect Red Phosphorus Serpent Skin x1]
[You acquired: Crimson Inferno Robe (Gold)]
[You acquired: Red Arena Gloves (Silver)]
[You acquired: Cruel Blaze Wand (Silver)]
[You acquired: 'Shadow Cloak' skill book]
Twenty-seven gold coins equated to 270 thousand dollars.
The Red Phosphorus Serpent Fangs could be used to craft high-level arrows or forge equipment like daggers, short swords, and spearheads.
Red Phosphorus Serpent Scales could be embedded into protective gear to enhance defense and magic resistance.
Moreover, the Perfect Red Phosphorus Serpent Skin was a top-tier material for crafting fine leather armor.
If handled by a skilled tailor, it could at least yield a silver-grade leather armor.