[You have slain an E-rank Sea Black Dragon.]
'Huh? Wait, what?'Ingrit frowned, his eyes narrowing as the notification echoed in his mind.
Ingrit's mom stood frozen, her wide blue eyes locked on him in shock. Her lips parted slightly as if searching for words, her voice trembling with disbelief.
"What just happened? You… you've gotten stronger, Ingrit?!"
Ingrit was equally stunned. He stared at his hands, flexing them slightly as if testing his newfound strength. He let out a slow sigh, turning his head to the side as he struggled to find the right response.
"Yeah," he said simply, his tone almost unsure.
'I used one of Casper's abilities—super strength,' he thought, his mind racing. 'I figured I'd struggle a bit even though it's an E-rank sea beast.'
But as the realization of his victory sank in, a spark of excitement flickered across his face.
'Man, I'm really getting stronger! Who would've thought I'd reach the point where I could take down a sea beast this easily—even if it's just an E-rank.'
Before he could relish the moment, his mom's voice snapped him back to reality.
"There's more!" she shouted, her tone sharp with urgency.
Ingrit's gaze shot forward, his expression hardening as he saw them: ten more Sea Black Dragons coming, their black scales shimmering ominously, their glowing red eyes locked on him and his mom.
"There's MORE?!" he exclaimed, his frustration boiling over as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What gives?!"
"It's rare to see amphibian-type sea beasts, especially attacking a cloud state," Miss Clodines said, her brows furrowing as she analyzed the situation. "Something's driving them here. But no matter the reason, you won't be able to take on all of them alone."
Her expression grew serious, her blue eyes now sharp and focused. "So let's work together," she said, her voice firm and resolute.
Ingrit clenched his right fist tightly, his gaze fixed on the advancing black dragons. His black hair turned white and eyes black to purple.
His eyes narrowed as he thought,
'She's right. I can't take them all on. Besides…'
His senses sharpened, scanning the magical energies radiating from the creatures. Their auras were dense and chaotic, fluctuating at a distance of roughly 65 centimeters diagonally.
'They're all close to D-rank—stronger than the last one,' he thought, his jaw tightening.
"Yeah, let's do this," he said, side-glancing at his mom, his voice calm but resolute.
With that, Ingrit extended his right palm in front of him. A purple energy began to swirl and gyrate around his hand, flickering like flames caught in a storm.
But before he could act, a sudden, blistering force tore through the air with unimaginable speed. The shockwave alone made Ingrit shudder, the sheer power causing his breath to hitch.
Before he could process what had happened, one of the black dragons was flung backward, its body crashing violently into the ground. And then another. And another. Each of the creatures fell in quick succession, their black-scaled forms slamming into the ground with resounding force.
By the time the chaos subsided, every single one of the dragons lay motionless, unconscious in a heap.
From behind the fallen beasts, a figure stepped into view—Ingrit's mother. Her sharp blue eyes glowed faintly as she stood before the defeated creatures, her stance firm and unyielding.
That made Ingrit his jaw drop, his gyrating purple energy on his palm dissapeared as he thought with great surprise and realization:
'Sometime I forget that my mom used be a S rank diver.'
As his mom's hair danced wildly in the gusting wind, she turned her head with a calm, almost detached expression. "Well. That was too easy," she said nonchalantly, her voice cutting through the tense silence.
"Shouldn't you finish them off while they're still unconscious?" Ingrit asked, pointing toward the fallen dragons sprawled behind her.
"Yeah," she replied, turning her attention to the creatures without a hint of urgency.
But as she reached out her hand, something unexpected began to unfold.
The bodies of the fallen dragons, including the one Ingrit had slain, started glowing with an ominous black energy. The light pulsed and flickered, and then, one by one, the dragons' forms dissolved into shadowy, spiritual beings. The dark, ethereal figures began merging, swirling together at a single point as if drawn by some unseen force.
"What?!" Ingrit's voice broke the stunned silence as both he and his mother watched, wide-eyed with shock.
Ingrit's mom quickly reacted, raising her right hand and aiming it at the dark gathering spot. A radiant blue energy coalesced around her palm, and as she pointed, an orb of shimmering light began to form, encircling the mass of merging spirits.
But just as the orb took shape, a sudden jolt—like a surge of electricity—struck her. Her body shuddered violently, and the magic dissipated.
"It disabled my magic?!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with disbelief.
In the next moment, the spiritual energy burst upward in a violent explosion, tearing through the clouds above.
"Haaaaaaaah!"
Thick steam engulfed the area, rising from the epicenter of the blast. A massive silhouette loomed within the haze, casting an imposing shadow over the two.
"That doesn't look good," Ingrit muttered, his brows furrowing as he instinctively took a step back.
As the steam slowly dissipated, the merged dragon revealed itself in its full, monstrous form.
It was now a towering 12 meters long, its presence suffocating. The creature's features were mostly unchanged, save for a few grotesque enhancements: instead of two horns, it now had four, curved and jagged, framing its head like a dark crown. Its muscular frame was bulked up, veins bulging beneath its black scales, and its mouth was lined with oversized skeletal teeth that gleamed like polished obsidian.
"Aaaaaaah!"
The dragon let out a deafening roar, the sheer force of its cry pushing Ingrit and his mother back several steps.
Ingrit's sharp gaze flicked to the creature's aura, now vastly larger and more potent than before.
'It's a C-rank now,' he thought grimly.
The dragon lifted its massive right hand, dark energy rapidly coalescing in its clawed grip. Within seconds, the energy morphed into a black rod with a circular tip. The rod hummed ominously as the creature pointed it toward Ingrit.
A vortex of water began to whirl within the circle, growing sharper and more focused with every passing second. Then, with a violent surge, the cone-shaped blast of water shot toward Ingrit at breakneck speed.
There was no time to dodge.
The attack struck the ground with earth-shaking force, sending a shockwave rippling outward. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the spot where Ingrit had stood.
The dragon's glowing red eyes narrowed in confusion. It scanned the area, its gaze darting around until it finally locked onto a figure hovering in midair.
It was Ingrit, surrounded by a radiant blue energy, suspended above the battlefield.
Even Ingrit looked startled, his expression puzzled. It wasn't his doing.
"Alright! I made it in time," his mother said, a tone of relief in her voice. Her outstretched right hand glowed brightly with the same blue energy enveloping Ingrit.
With her other hand, she turned her focus back to the dragon. Blue light burst from her palm, striking the beast with a concussive force that sent it stumbling backward, the impact reverberating through the ground.
She then lowered Ingrit gently to the ground, her gaze never leaving the dragon.
As she turned back to face the creature, her expression hardened into a glare. She raised her right hand again, and as she did, the massive dragon began to rise, its giant body lifted into the air by the blue energy .
As Ingrit's mom held the dragon suspended in midair, her fingers curled into a tight fist.
In response, the dragon's massive body began to compress, its frame contorting unnaturally as though it were being forced into a tight ball.
The beast thrashed violently, its claws flailing in defiance. But its resistance was futile. No matter how fiercely it struggled, the blue force continued to constrict it. Its black scales began to crack under the pressure, and dark red blood sprayed from its ruptured body, painting the air and ground in grim streaks.
Ingrit let out a weary sigh, his purple eyes filled with pity as he watched the inevitable.
'Yeah, it's over for the poor thing. A C-rank beast is no match for Mom. She's an S-rank—it's just too big of a gap.'
Meanwhile, her sharp blue eyes widened slightly as her hand trembled, still locked on the dragon.
'It's resisting harder than I expected. Am I really struggling to finish off a C-rank?' she thought, a flicker of doubt creeping into her mind. 'Have I… lost my touch?'
Steeling herself, her expression hardened with determination. She clenched her hand even tighter, her aura intensifying.
The dragon let out a bloodcurdling roar. "Aaaaaaaaaah!" Its cry was filled with pain and despair as its body collapsed under the immense force. Blood burst from every fissure in its scales, raining aimlessly onto the ground below.
Finally, the beast's form gave way entirely, leaving behind nothing but silence and crimson-stained ground.
"Phew. It's over," Ingrit mumbled, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Relief washed over him.
'To be honest, I'm lucky Mom was here. If I had to face a C-rank beast alone, I wouldn't have stood a chance.'
Ingrit's mom lowered her hand with a calm but firm demeanor, then turned toward her son. A warm smile softened her sharp features.
"Let's go. We're done here," she said.
"Yeah," Ingrit replied, stepping toward her with a relaxed gait, the tension easing from his shoulders.
But before he could reach her, an unfamiliar voice echoed across the battlefield—a soft yet commanding voice, laced with an air of elegance.
"You have done well, humen."
Startled, Ingrit froze, his eyes widening in alarm as he snapped his head forward. His mother mirrored his reaction, her gaze narrowing as she instinctively moved in front of him.
A figure approaching, her movements graceful and deliberate.
She was a young woman with long blue hair cascading down her back in a sleek ponytail. Her piercing blue eyes glimmered like jewels, exuding a sense of authority. She wore a dress fashioned from shimmering blue scales that caught the faintest light, paired with a pristine white cape that flowed behind her. Small triangular earrings adorned her ears, hinting at her noble heritage. In her hand, she held a golden trident that seemed almost alive, its surface pulsing faintly with an otherworldly glow.