Ramiel took a confident step toward the mysterious-looking plant. His eyes, dark as a bottomless abyss, scanned the area for potential enemies, and his senses were strained to the limit.
He was skeptical of such easy loot. It seemed too good to be true to him. Throughout his life, he had never gotten anything for free. He had always had to pay sternly for it or to tire himself out solidly.
A great example is his new weapon, which he still hasn't named yet. To get it, he had to defeat a pepper mutant with stats comparable to a rank hunter: Medium-Low, almost dying in the process.
Something that was served on a golden platter stank a mile away, and his sixth sense screamed, informing him that something was wrong, definitely wrong.
Before Ramiel could set foot on the enchanted ground, the little fairy pulled at his hair in a panic, trying to stop the impending disaster.
' Stop! You can't! You should know what it is! Do you really want to meet the grim reaper so soon? If so, tell Asme and Caera, these two will surely send you to meet him if they find out what you are doing.
Ramiel's shoulders slumped nonchalantly, and his mouth twisted into an ugly grimace at his little bond's exaggerated reaction.
Why does everyone take me for an idiot...
A quiet sigh left his tired lips, and his head moved gently from side to side.
" Ow! For what? " Avi rubbed her red forehead. The corners of her violet eyes became wet, and her lips were pulled down in a straight line. Moments earlier, Ramiel had given Avi a flick on the forehead. The fairy didn't expect such a vicious attack, under which she slumped backward.
" This is for taking me for an idiot. I'm not stupid enough to walk into an obvious trap. Secondly, I still have marks from the last bite. " Ramiel paused, thinking about something. After a few seconds, he added with a roguish smile.
" All in all... that was the main reason. I was just looking for... "
Avi didn't let him finish. With deadly intent, she lunged at his exposed neck, sinking two rows of snow-white teeth into it.
" 'Tsk... I must finally inoculate you from rabies... "
' Be careful that I'm the one who doesn't inoculate you ! '
A gentle smile appeared on Ramiel's face. If you're wondering if he did it deliberately, the answer is yes. He loved to tease Avi. That way, he was able to retain the last part of his old personality. Being sullen and angry all the time didn't suit him.
As Ramiel's foot was about to touch the tainted ground, a thin layer of pitch-black ice appeared beneath it. With each step, more platforms materialized where Ramiel wanted to place his foot.
An arrogant voice filled with mockery resounded in Avi's mind, being the culprit of the wrinkles on her face.
' What are you doing?!? You want to meet the grim reaper so badly! '
' ... ' Avi clenched her jaw tighter under the influence of Ramiel's mockery.
If I can't win by cleverness, I'll do it by force!
The little fairy's approach was interesting. She believed that if violence doesn't solve all problems, then it is definitely used too little. At least, this was the case with Ramiel. Toward him, not a shred of mercy can be shown. Otherwise, he will seize every opportunity for revenge.
Ramiel leaned over the precious tree, plucking exceptional nuts from it. He was sure he would get burned, but when he came into contact with the first of the fruits, he was pleasantly surprised. What was supposed to be smoldering flames turned out to be mana, rich with an element of darkness.
When half of the fruit disappeared from the plant, Ramiel's face became serious. His muscles tensed, ready to attack at any moment.
' Avi, hide in my jacket and don't come out until I tell you. '
Before Ramiel could finish, the little fairy hid in the inside pocket of Ramiel's tattered jacket. It was the only place that wasn't damaged in any way. The man's clothes didn't have an easy life...
' Sarron. '
" SSS, ssss, SS sss " (I know what to do.)
A white snake wrapped itself around Ramiel's right arm, hiding in something that once resembled a sleeve. Its reptile eyes carefully mirrored its surroundings in search of hidden danger.
' Do you remember our bet? '
' The one about the chips? '
' I hope you will share one... '
As if Ramiel had summoned a wolf from the forest, huge amounts of mana gathered around him.
" Fuck "
At the spot where Ramiel recently stood, two rock walls collided. The ground trembled with a huge bang, and clouds of rock dust floated into the air.
Crackle
A huge paw emerged from the cloud of raised dust, covered with ashen gray fur on the surface of which brown and glowing runes were formed.
" Didn't you whine recently that you would eat a harubi jelly? " The corners of Ramiel's mouth turned up, giving his dirty face a slight smile.
His words struck Avi like a freight train carrying an overloaded wagon at breakneck speed.
The fairy's eyebrows furrowed while she tried to recall the past few days.
Indeed, I asked him this... but what's the connection ?!!!?!?!
' Dark Grizli !?!!?! '
Avi was right. The monster that took an interest in the tasty snack was the Dark Grizli. It had had its eye on the Dark Essence Tree for some time, and more specifically, on the tasty fruits that grew on it.
' But what does this have to do with me... ' Avi tilted the top of her head, trying to spot the mountain ruler while trying to understand Ramiel's reasoning. She couldn't fathom the twisted way in which delicious, sweet, and gummy jelly beans were connected to a hideous and smelly pile of meat whose menacing gaze made her shudder.
' Have you heard of the saying, Don't call the wolf out of the woods? '
" ... " - Avi
" Weren't you supposed to be careful by any chance... not to alarm anyone?
Ramiel snorted at the sharp words of the insolent fairy. After a moment's thought, he added.
" I was careful and didn't touch it. We were just unlucky. Our little friend must have passed in the area.
" ^_^ " - Ramiel
" -_- " - Avi
' You could be serious for once... '
' Huh? What do you mean? I'm damn serious. Don't you feel it? '
Avi froze. This perverted battle maniac was excited to the extreme. The thoughts and emotions inside him swirled around the strong opponent he would face. At that moment, she realized a fact that caused her shock and disbelief. Ramiel couldn't be treated as if he were a normal and sane person.
The fairy didn't believe what she saw. Any person in their right mind would have tried to escape or avoid the fight, but Ramiel? Of course, Ramiel had to be an exception. Instead of fleeing, he prepared to fight to the death.
' You !!! You really want to fight it! '
Unfortunately for Avi, Ramiel no longer listened to her. A pleasant thrill of putting his life on the line ran through his body. Under the influence of pulsating adrenaline and accumulating emotions, a loud hum echoed in his ears.
Ramiel's attitude radiated unbridled self-confidence. A hint of a chilling aura leaked from his body, alerting the dark Grizzly.
The monster instinctively felt the difference in their stats, but his sixth sense screamed not to underestimate the tasty snack, whose arrogant gaze sent him into a frenzy. As the ruler of the mountains, he couldn't take an insult from the first better insect. His pride as a predator wouldn't allow it.
" Grrr... " The monster growled under Ramiel's provocation, showing the world rows of yellow and broken teeth. Disgusting trickles of saliva dripped from its mouth onto its powerful and muscular paws, armed with five shiny and hard steel claws.
Ramiel was sure of one thing: one swipe from the Dark Grizzly would be enough to turn him into bloody mush. Viewed with an objective eye, Ramiel was at a loss. Whether in terms of stature, physique, and surroundings. Everything worked against him.
Although his status window presented satisfactory results, he was still no match for a hunter at the low- intermediate level. Unlike the monster, who ate such hunters for dinner.
| Status |
| Strength 31 > 35 |
| Stamina 28 > 33 |
| Vitality 22 > 25 |
| Agility 30 > 35 |
| Defense 40 > 42 |
< Ice element resistance 30% >
| Mana 47 > 60 |
| Enriched mana 0 |
| Intelligence 50 > 52 |
The only statistic worth noting is mana. Thanks to the technique of increasing its reserves, its level was at a decent level, thus allowing Ramiel to challenge opponents stronger than him.
His new weapons shouldn't be forgotten, either. A pair of mystical-looking swords shone with a dark red glow, emitted by runes carved on the blade's surface that was black as night. The handle, made of an unfamiliar material, fit perfectly in Ramiel's rough hand.
" Shall we dance? " Ramiel's tone, filled with mockery, acted like a fuse detonating an explosive charge. The Dark Gryzzli didn't understand human language and didn't need to understand it. He didn't need it to know how the victim, who should be begging for a quick death, was brazenly mocking him.
" GRUAAAAAAA!!! " With a loud roar, a dome formed around Ramiel, consisting entirely of mana saturated with the element of darkness. Its surface, dark as night and smooth as worked jade, seemed impenetrable. No matter how hard the trapped victim tried, it still wouldn't escape the spell's influence.
The only way to regain freedom was to kill the caster or interfere with the structural structure of the dome, but that required a huge expenditure of mana, especially if the attacker Ramiel was facing was stronger than he was.
" Heh, so this is how you want to play? We'll see which of us comes out the worse for it. "
The spell that the monster used in the hunting community was called the Zone of Dominance. It was a rather specific and interesting spell that often proved to be a double-edged sword. Not only did it encase the target in a dome eight meters in diameter, but it also weakened the creature with less knowledge of the element of darkness.
In this particular case, the Dark Grizzly couldn't have fared worse. The familiarity with the element of darkness that Ramiel possessed was the greatest of all hunters on Earth. In this aspect, he had no equal with him.
Ramiel moved ahead without showing an ounce of fear. The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed in the massive beast's ears, bringing a bit of anxiety and fear into its heart. Unwittingly, under the man's pressure and aura, the wild monster took a step back.
Its sixth sense tried in every possible way to knock some of the sense into it, forcing it to retreat, but the creature's pride negated all. As the first signs of escape appeared as if by the touch of a magic wand, the attitude of the Dark Grizzly changed dramatically.
The ashen fur on his skin grew moody, and a thin layer of rocks gathered around his body, forming something like armor.
Ramiel hissed in displeasure. This definitely made it harder for him to kill the monster. If he wanted to inflict any harm on it, he had to aim for the bends of its joints or its eyes. Otherwise, his weapon wouldn't penetrate the mana-assisted rock layer, making it even harder to activate Leach.
There was always a second option, riskier than direct combat. Ramiel could bombard the Dark Grizzly with spells at a distance. But if, by some miracle, the monster survived the massive attack, Ramiel would become a free snack. The man without mana was no challenge to the Dark Grizzly.
The two figures stopped three meters apart, staring into each other's eyes. On one side stood Ramiel, ready to attack at any moment. On the other, the Dark Grizzly was waiting for the slightest mistake on the man's part.
Although the monster was a ferocious creature, it surpassed most monsters in intelligence. For this reason, he feared a direct confrontation with Ramiel, knowing he wouldn't come out of it unscathed.
Standing at an impasse for another five minutes, Ramiel decided to break it. All the while, he hoped to counterattack or take advantage of his opponent's mistake, but it didn't look like the Dark Grizzly would make the first move.
Worst of all, despite his experience, Ramiel couldn't see many holes in the monster's stance. The matter would have been different if its body, wasn't covered in rock armor, but that made things difficult. Unluckily for him, this armor could last for hours.
Using the Second Blade, he imbued the twin swords with the elements of darkness, space, and lightning. They were covered with a thin layer of darkness that enveloped them like an ethereal blanket. In addition, lone bolts of lightning danced on the surface of the impenetrable darkness, with breathtaking space nebulae interspersed among them.
Ramiel's plan wasn't complicated, nor did it include any underhanded games. If possible, he wanted to finish everything in one move. Despite such skills as Leach or Cursed Condemnation, he had the strange feeling that a battle of attrition wasn't a good choice.
Without keeping his opponent in suspense any longer, he kicked the ground, shortening the distance between them.