I looked at these fumbling alligators below me and decided to get started. This time around, I won't be stopping. I'll bulldoze through everything with as much power as I can without worrying too much
I didn't even start off like usual by casting the skills gradually while watching these monsters die. A [Miniature Tornado] appeared at the center of the alligators, and then another two appeared to their left and right, and they kept on increasing
The rotating forces of the [Miniature Tornado] shredded the hard scales of the alligators as if they were paper and turned them to mincemeat, very quickly turning the scene below into a mixture of blood and gore
The first barrier was released and more alligators were rushing where I was, but I would not wait for them. I commanded my body to fly forward, testing the speed of the skill for the first time. The result? Fast. How fast I didn't know as I didn't even know how to measure myself, but I was able to get to the point where the first barrier disappeared in a few seconds just as the new alligators were rushing in. If I could put it into words then just as fast as a car speeding down a highway, if not faster
[Miniature Tornado] was cast once again, as multiple swirling vortexes appeared and shredded everything on site. The next minutes passed like this, with me flying around the [Mangrove Swamp] casting [Miniature Tornado] on every beast that I saw.
It wasn't long before the last barrier was broken and the huge slumbering TITAN rose up. What met it were constantly replenishing [Miniature Tornado], where a new one would appear the moment one disappeared
ROAR!!!
The large rank B beast that required multiple rank B hunters to hunt it could put up no defenses or cast any skills on the face of multiple and never-ending disastrous tornadoes, quickly letting out a roar before dying.
...I breathed out loudly as I controlled my breathing to calm down. This was how I would start to do things from now on. I won't care too much about the thoughts of others and their reactions, not if I continue with such rapid progress. This whole dungeon took me what, 30 minutes or slightly more? I wouldn't let it go this time around
I had already been collecting the rank B [Core]s as the monsters fell, and I did the same when the huge TITAN was shredded and dropped more of them and a rank B skill book. I recalled how [Solael's Castle] had a chance to drop a higher rank skill even though it was a rank C dungeon, and wondered how many times I had to repeat the rank B dungeon [Mangrove Swamp] before a rank A skill book dropped
My eyes shined with excitement as I looked forward to this while I stayed in the air and absorbed the rank B cores right away.
The skill book dropped this time around was [Curse of Slowness], a curse type skill I haven't come across before that majorly slowed down the speed of the enemy it hit. I didn't know when I would use this but I absorbed it anyway. I would take in all that I can and think later.
As soon as the [Core]s dropped in the dungeon were absorbed, I reached out to the green crystal that had risen and was transferred outside the monolith with [Stealth] still active. The [Core]s from one dungeon run were nowhere enough to have me reach the peak of rank B [Vitality] and [Strength] attribute without diving a few times even if I was doing it solo
The higher you rose, the more cores of equivalent rank you needed to raise your attributes. The [Focus] cores that weren't useful to me would all be sold later
I went towards one of the square doors of the monolith as I disappeared inside once again. This time, I will continue to dive into this dungeon even after the sun sets
Chapter 32 - A Challenge
My dungeon diving that was filled with vigor continued for the next few hours. On the 10th dungeon run, I had maxed out my [Vitality] and [Strength] attributes by absorbing all of the cores that dropped, bringing me to the peak of rank B
I only dived 3 more times after that before calling it a night. I was lucky enough to receive an [Item] or [Skill Book] on every single one of those 13 runs, with all of them being rank B. Even though everything randomly dropped, I was able to pick up one defensive skill similar to [Arcanist's Sphere of Protection] that was called [Golden Halo], which when cast would form a halo of light around my body that rejected any attacks directed at it
One was an offensive Mage skill called [Doom Bolt], which called forth a dark red lightning bolt that had even higher damage than [Miniature Tornado] as it could stun the TITAN of [Mangrove Swamp] with one hit. The only downside was that it was a single target skill
There were 3 skills that required specific weapons to be cast so they would be left out to be exchanged later, and the remaining 5 skills were support skills that buffed me in all sorts of ways. [Light Foot] and [Windrider] both collectively increased my speed by 100%, increasing how quickly I moved and flew to an insane degree.
[Rigorous] increased the effects of all defensive skills by 50% and [Shadow Veil] was another skill similar to [Stealth] and [Camouflage] that I was confident once I had this activated, only rank A hunters would have a chance of noticing me. The last skill that came out in these first 13 runs, [Wild Heart] was my favorite as it increased the damage all my skills dealt by 50%, continuing to make the damage of my skills even deadlier and causing rank D skills to still be somewhat usable even at this point
Not a single rank A skill was in sight even after these 13 dives, disappointing me but also making me even more expectant for when one actually drops.
There were 3 [Item]s that dropped along with the skills, 2 of them being [Scale Armor] and a [Fanged Sword]. [Scale Armor] was a rank B item that had vastly better defenses than the rank C [Igneous Armor], so I changed those right away
[Noah Osmont][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 250+40]
[Focus: - ]
[Strength: 250+60]
[Skill(s): [F][E](D-Flames of Torment-100)(D-Safeguard-57)(D-Danger Sense-100)(D-Rough Skin-100)(D-Fleeting-100)(C-Arcanist's Sphere of Protection-100) (C-Camouflage-100) (C-Aura of Haste-100)(C-Explosive Rune-100)(C-Life Essence-100)(C-Increased Penetration-100) (C-Regeneration-88) (C-Whirlwind-89) (C-Smite-95) (C-Gracefulness-100) (C-Precision-100) (C-Adamant-100) (C-Sharpen-100)(C-War Cry-100) (C-Retaliation-100)(C-Kings Rage-100)(C-Military Tactics-100) (C-Unpredictable-100) (C-Elemental Damage-100)(B-Giant's Strength-75) (B-Stealth-67) (B-Miniature Tornado-23)*(B-Golden Halo-13)*(B-Doom Bolt-7)*(B-Lightfoot-12)*(B-Windrider-12)*(B-Rigorous-11)*(B-Shadow Veil-11)*(B-Wild Heart-10)*(A-Flight-5)*]
[Equipment: (3x C-Ring of Storage)(C-Fiery Boots)(C-Fiery Helm)(B-Scale Armor)*]
My panel looked vastly different from a few days ago, and something I hadn't focused on caught my eye. Without my knowledge, my [Strength] attribute had already exceeded the common standard of rank A. The [Core]s dropping from rank A dungeons could bring your attributes all the way to 300. Because I always kept a few skills that added attributes active, I gained a bonus that most people have temporarily and made it permanent
Because of this, my [Vitality] attribute already neared the 300 cap and [Strength] already passed it with 310 even before I absorbed any rank A [Core]s. Just the thought of this was thrilling, as I was already catching up to the rank A hunters, even if I barely had any rank A skills and items
The disappointment of not gaining any rank A skills from the first day of rushing through the dungeon lifted as I felt the increased force and strength of my body.
I transferred out of the dungeon for the third time today while not hidden, and received a standing ovation from soldiers that had begun gathering the moment I cleared it alone and 'came out' 2 hours later.
It was a big deal to the army as these were things only those standing as rank A hunters could attempt, and they had just effectively sided with such a person. Vice Admiral Magnar came out from the throngs of soldiers and look at me with a hard to read expression and then said
"I underestimated you, I apologize"
I laughed off the Vice Admiral's apology and pulled out the extra [Scale Armor] and [Fanged Sword], along with one of the rank B skill books I didn
't use that dropped in the dungeon
"I was unlucky enough to receive loot that didn't fit me at all in these three dungeon runs" I kept the lie going and was planning on selling these to the military, or better yet exchange them for skills that I wanted from their inventory
The Vice Admiral looked at the items and skill with a thankful expression before his face turned dark
"I'm thankful that you came to our city and are already contributing to the cause as much as you can, but it seems we might have just brought trouble to you."
I was surprised at the Vice Admiral's words and asked "What happened?"
He looked at me briefly before sighing and continuing "A Death Match has been issued and confirmed between you and Hunter Andrei Nikolaev. Tomorrow is the set date for the match."
What?!
This was a complete surprise, as this was something I had never thought to find myself associated with. Death Matches were set up between high ranked hunters that had irreconcilable differences. The Empire didn't want it to be a habit for its peak hunters to kill one another, so deathmatches were instituted if two hunters found themselves at a point where the only way to solve their issues was to fight
The matter was to be taken seriously though, so before the match could be issued both the hunters had to agree to put their lives on the line. Only then would the match be confirmed.
So why the hell was a match involving me that I had no idea about confirmed?
Seeing my angry expression, the Vice Admiral seemed to have confirmed something. "I heard what happened at The Coliseum today, the issue seems to have arisen from there. Andrei, the son of The Blessed Empire's Admiral Chekhov, was next in line to be receiving the rank A skill that Lightning Hand was transferring"
Things quickly began clicking after hearing all of this. I was still irked and asked, "So because he's the son of an Admiral, he can target someone else entirely, call for a match, and just get to bypass the rules of Death Matches?"
The general looked down with an apologetic tone as he continued "They cannot touch Lightning Hand for his actions unless they want to cause a fight between the peak powers of the Empire, so targeting you was the easiest thing for them. This is why I have to apologize to you, me bringing you to Star City indirectly put you in the middle of this"
I thought about this new situation and then asked "So what happens if I attend that deathmatch tomorrow and the other guy ends up dead?"
I was fairly confident in my strength and didn't plan on losing to someone who should have yet to be rank A, what I was worried about were the repercussions from it. There was a difficult expression on the Vice Admiral's face as he said nothing
I looked at this and at the soldiers around me that were listening in and saw the anger and resignation on their faces. To them, I was a strong hunter that just began clearing [Mangrove Swamp] by himself multiple times a day. This meant there would be more resources flowing into their department
Yet, this hunter was now about to be taken away. Nobody had to say what would happen if the son of the Admiral of the Empire were to be killed in broad daylight, even if it was in an arena match. None of them saw a way for me to come out of this. The Vice Admiral's voice rang out again, "I've made multiple calls to friends and higher-ups, but nothing worked. Admiral Chekhov has many people among the higher-ups and his pull is strong. The match cannot be rescinded. The one who doesn't show up will also be blacklisted"
I nodded at this and laughed to ease the tension, "Haha, there's no need for all that gloominess. We still don't know who will still be alive tomorrow. Tell me about this Andrei Nikolaev"
---
Attributes: Vitality 250 +30 from Life Essence,+10 from Military Tactics=290. Strength 250, +50 from Giant's Strength, + 10 from Military Tactics = 250+50+10=310
Chapter 33 - An Approaching Disaster
The Vice Admiral dispersed the gathering of soldiers and took me back to his office to continue discussing the matter. Andrei Nikolaev was the son of one of The Empire's Admirals. He was following his father's footsteps and neared rank A in power, having 2 rank A skills and needing just one more to be qualified and listed as rank A
So the ticket he was expecting to receive to become one of the peak powers of the world was given to someone else and now he was using his connections to get it back.
I had no qualms fighting and even taking the guy out, as this would even mean I get to receive one of his rank A skills when he goes down, but I couldn't stop thinking of the consequences thereafter. I looked to the frowning general that seemed to be using every last brain cell to think and asked "What are the possible fallouts in the case that Andrei Nikolaev dies tomorrow"
His head shot up as he heard this question from me and said "The full rage of Admiral Chekhov who has thousands of soldiers under him, and he himself is a rank A Hunter"
I listened to this and asked again "Or?"
"As we need to be conserving our strength and increase our battle power with the threat of beasts coming down on us, the strength of rank A hunters is important and there cannot be a confrontation between them"
I nodded my head as I heard this and replied with a smile "Then it isn't a problem, as long as I have power rivaling rank A, I can take care of anything that comes my way"
I looked to the Vice Admiral in front of me as his eyes glowed when he heard this. He seemed to think before replying "If that's the case, then there's another call I can make that can handle the fall out happening tomorrow"
With the discussion being over, I left the office holding a folder that held more information on Andrei Nikolaev as I made my way to the living quarters. There was only food for me to enjoy this time around as I had to focus on understanding the skills I just gained today and prepare for something momentous tomorrow
I wasn't fearful of what would happen when the son of an Admiral died. This thought passed in my mind, making me realize just how far I had grown in such a short span of time. Admirals were at the top of the food chain in the Empire, and now I was in a position where I could be facing one sometime soon
I was eating the exemplary food on the table as I ran simulations in my head for the battle to come. Because of keeping skills that drained a huge amount of energy but gave a great momentary boost in power active all the time, my attributes already met those in the A rank category
That wasn't to mention all the skills that increased my overall defense, speed, casting and attack speed, evasion, and overall damage by huge percentages. These skills layered on top of active defense skills like [Arcanist's Sphere of Protection] and the recently acquired [Golden Halo] made me realize just how strong I currently was
Even though nothing was tested, I doubt a single rank B could get through my defenses, and maybe I would be injured from the attacks of a rank A hunter. The classification of having three rank A skills before being coined a genuine rank A hunter was to satisfy the high pedestal that rank signified
Only those that were truly strong could be considered in that rank, and having the versatility of using 3 rank A skills affirmed that.
Possible plans continued forming in my head as to how this whole thing would end and soon I felt confident enough to face whatever came at me these next few days. I wouldn't sacrifice my sleep because of it though and wrapped myself up in the silk bed sheets and fell asleep
---
In the skies above the Empire.
A dashing woman with golden hair was comfortably lying on top of a huge flying beast. She held a bewitching smile on her face as words dripping with honey left her lips. "Little Magnar is redeeming his one favor for a rising hunter...just who could you be to catch the eyes of one of the few sane men in the Empire?"
She was a veteran rank A hunter that was just below the renowned Steel Mikhail. Her flowing golden hair and the huge beast she flew on would cause mischief anywhere she went. She was now heading to Star City
---
Morning of the next day.
News had spread all
over Star City of a main event Death Match that would be occurring in The Coliseum during the day. The two hunters participating each held rank A skills, making them on the cusp of breaking through to the exclusive position of a rank A hunter
The one coming out of it alive would most likely be the newly born rank A hunter to appear in Star City
The excitement was palpitating as all the seats had already been reserved and taken in a few hours, packing the Coliseum to its limits. Those who couldn't watch were left with turning on their TVs and watching the commentators describe the two figures that would be fighting as the main event
One was a known hunter in the Empire, the son of one of its Admirals and a peak hunter that was bound to be given the rank A title in no time, Andrei Nikolaev. The other was a rising rookie with an empty track record, becoming known just recently by winning a free for all match against other rank B hunters, Noah Osmont. New information came in that this character is able to dive and complete rank B dungeons alone, but this news was not yet verified
There were a few friends watching the live feed of the packed arena and listening to the commentators when one spoke with a bored expression
"Why are you guys even looking at this match as something exciting? This is obviously just another show of power from those assholes at the top, bullying that rising hunter to get what they want" (Friend #1)
"Hey! You didn't get to see the free for all match yesterday, that new guy blew away the Golden Tank and the Flaming Witch as if it was nothing!" (Friend #2)
"Haha, no way a random nobody will even touch a hair on Andrei, we're just gonna watch another bloody fight today. I just hope he lasts long enough and the match isn't cut short!" (Friend #3)
The bored friend listened to this as he shook his head despondently while thinking, 'Nothing has changed at all since the advent of the apocalypse'
The fight was set to be happening in a few hours. Figures were alerted around the Empire of this impending match. Some didn't care, others were angry at the loss of a potential rank A hunter that would be happening for no reason. Others were just carefully waiting to see what new waves would be made from this fight
Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse c1-705 Page 17
