35 Book 3 Chapter 31 (2/2)
The cobra raised its head to Jason's eye level, weighing his strength. On other floors, this moment would have lasted longer, but not here. The snake's innate aggressiveness won over its cautiousness.
When the rune under its chin lit up, it pierced forward. Strangely, the rune covered its body, turning it into a two-pronged spear.
Jason could only see a blur as the snake collided with his shield. The force behind the impact sent him staggering backward, and he only stopped after taking three steps.
Sensing something, he moved his shield to the left. The snake, now a whip, smacked the shield and sent Jason rolling across the ground. By the time he recovered, the snake was already at his side. Still, it was as though his shield had a mind of its own. No matter what happened to Jason's body, his shield arm was always facing the snake.
Like this, Jason successfully defended against every attack levied against him. Unfortunately, the snake was so fast he could only stay passive. He wasn't able to make use of his battle skills and could only be smacked around like a ball in a pinball machine.
After several minutes, the snake once again transformed into a spear. It was a simple and powerful thrust, but that made it easy to predict. Just before the snake made contact with Jason, Shenlong appeared between them, his arm outstretched. The snake's mouth was open as Shenlong's spear went deeper and deeper into its body.
In that split moment, before the snake devoured Shenlong's arm, he activated one of his maxed out skills. Mana extended Shenlong's spear by thirty feet, skewering the snake from inside out. The snake dangled in place as warm blood poured out of its mouth. With a swipe of his spear, he tossed the thousand-pound monster aside.
Although such an attack would instantly kill a normal creature after the tower's change, the snake was exceptionally tough. It mustered its strength in preparation for another attack, only to shriek in pain.
Olivia appeared over the hole left by Shenlong. Her two daggers sunk into its flesh as she dragged down, tearing a line across its lower body. Only then did the snake still.
Its massive body dissipated, leaving behind a small semi-gaseous orb.
(Tier 3) Essence
Worth 10,000 essence.
Infuse with a concept to create a rune.
”It's tier 3!” Olivia announced as she picked up the item. A tier 3 essence was much more valuable than tier 1, and any monster that could drop it was far stronger than a top-tier ascender. If not for Shenlong fatally wounding the snake in one move, the fight wouldn't have ended so quickly.
Suddenly, Kresh's roar shook the air, ”Demon!”
Everyone looked over and froze. Kresh's runes activated, transforming him into a war god. His muscles doubled, then tripled in size. A suit of black armor covered his body while a giant ax appeared in each of his hands. In this state, he was over forty feet tall.
Roy panicked as he screamed, ”Wait, we aren't demons!”
Kresh paused, the bloodlust in his eyes diminishing. He hesitated. Seeing this, Roy pointed at his body and continued, ”Look! I don't have a tail or black skin, see?”
Kresh lowered his axes, now unsure what to think. ”Not demon?”
Roy hastily nodded with a forced smile. ”We are humans. Demons are our enemies!”
The word 'enemies' was like a magic word. Kresh deactivated his runes, returning to his smaller form. His pure mind was easily convinced.
With a collective sigh of relief, the battles against the demonic monsters continued until all six died. In each, Jason tested the waters by fighting solo while his companions evaluated the monster's strengths and weaknesses. Their harvest was four tier 2 and two tier 3 essences.