Chapter 186: [186] How Not To Get Killed By An Elder

"Fimbulörmr! Defensive formation!"

With one massive beat of its wings, the wind all around him seemed to still. The monster’s scales all stood straight, and then a heavy gust of wind blew out of them with so much intensity that a shield of wind appeared.

All the attacks bounced helplessly against the shield, just before Ark’s summons were blown away into the sky.

The only attack that managed to land was Cleopatra’s. The slash dug into its wing, spilling the first drop of blood they had seen that day.

But this only went to piss off the wyvern even more. It locked those large, green eyes on Ark and then snarled, the air rippling with heat.

Ark raced down towards the trees, hoping to use them to create some distance between them. But the wyvern was faster.

Just as he was an inch away from the leaves, its claws came at his back. Ark gritted his teeth as he did a barrel roll in the air, narrowly escaping its claws.

And then crashed into the forest so hard that his body jerked and he crashed onto the floor. But he was not privileged to rest. The wyvern had landed as well.

Ark was already flying through the forest when...

Slash!

One swipe of its claws and the trees were torn apart like twigs, tree trunks flying into the air.

The monster’s head tore through the foliage, about to lock around his torso, while its rider roared with laughter.

The world seemed to slow down, just like it did when Ark found himself in the face of death.

The wyvern... it had been more than he could have ever imagined. Its scales were tough enough to take some of his more powerful spells, reducing them to nothing.

And even if he decided to use his more powerful abilities, the goblin’s annoying shield would get in the way.

Still, saving his S-Rank spells had been a good idea, because now, Ark knew exactly what he needed to do.

He would never break through with anything less than A-Rank.

If he wanted to win, then he needed to release everything, all at once!

Ark burst out of the forest, and while flying backwards, he faced the monster.

"[Chain Of Pulverising Light]."

Multiple beams of light appeared around him, and one by one, the bombardment began, as they came down like lightning.

The wyvern grabbed a tree, uprooted it from the soil and launched it at the beams of light, shattering the first one, but there were more...

Ark stared at the monster coldly and pointed his hand at its hulking frame.

"[Curse Gacha]."

He had used it once already. This was the only use he had left. If he was lucky, then he would be able to weaken the monster at the very least...

The golden skull appeared right above their heads, just before sinking in like a parasite.

Once the wyvern reached for the next tree, it suddenly froze, and then it screamed out in what sounded like panic as it reached blindly through the forest.

’Don’t tell me?!’

Curse of blindness!

The goblin rider, on the other hand, gasped, likely feeling the effects of the Curse of Weakness.

"You... you bastard, what did you do?"

BOOOM!

The goblin rider formed a shield, and the light spell exploded against it, rocking the entire forest floor.

’This is my chance!’

Ark had one minute before that monster was back on its feet. He had to conclude the battle during that time. But first, he had to deal with the goblin!

He summoned another mana potion and chugged it down. The maximum amount of potions a player could take without risking death was seven...

Ark had already consumed three health potions and five mana potions, making a total of eight. But he would die either way if he didn’t win.

"Fuck it!"

Ark chugged down one more.

BANG!

The shield flickered with sparks, and then finally, a large hole was ripped right into its surface.

On one hand, Ark summoned his Poison Ash, and on the second, Dark Lightning cracked like caged chaos.

Ark brought the two hands together and deactivated his eyes.

He needed the ash to be something like the lightning, slim enough to traverse the distance, and powerful enough to tear through flesh and bone.

Ark’s fingers trembled, cracks formed on his bones as he vied for the impossible.

If he did not do it, if he could not do it... then he would die.

The goblin rider tried to counterattack, but Ark’s summons threw their bodies at him, losing their lives one by one as they tried to keep him at bay.

Until there were none of them left.

Ark moved his trembling hands slowly in the air, reshaping his spell. His head was pounding, and he felt his consciousness slipping with each passing second as the mana reflux set in.

Red dust poured out of his skull and chest.

But he pushed on...

The space around him darkened as the two dark spells merged into one, an incarnation of darkness...

"You will pay for your insolence!" the high goblin snarled.

His staff trembled with currents of piercing wind. The air around him condensed, shaping itself in the form of a harrowing arrow.

SWOOOOOSH!

With a wave of his staff, he sent the wind rippling forward at blinding speeds.

Ark could not see it because he had deactivated his eyes, all so that he could have utmost focus.

But he could hear it, and by hearing, he saw.

Still, despite the approaching death, he was not concerned, because he had finally achieved his goal.

He smiled internally.

...Lightning and Ash.

He could no longer differentiate between them. The streaks of lightning blended perfectly with the steamy, poisonous mess, turning into something that was neither lightning nor ash, but bore the properties of both.

It was enough.

[Your comprehension over Poison Ash has improved!]

[Your spell grows stronger!]

[Your comprehension over Malformed Devourer has improved!]

[Your spell grows stronger!]

[You have awakened a new spell! Dark Seeker (S-Rank)!]

"How unfortunate," Ark said, his eye sockets still dark, inactive. "It seems this is as far as you go, my friend."

Dark Seeker streaked down the sky, blackening it like a fallen angel, just before bringing calamity upon the rider.

His wind spell parted like paper, and the spell tore a hole right through his chest, just before the poison corroded his body.

"Kek~" Blood gushed out of his mouth as dark pits formed in his vision, the strength flooding out of his body.

"H-how can I?? Be... defeated by an..." His arms blackened, the corruption climbing up to his face. "A-ant?!"

He fell forward, and the moment his body landed, it crumbled to dust.

And then another screen appeared before Ark, causing him to grow still.

—

[Conditions met!]

Reach level 20 (20/20)

Mana: 1000MP (1000/1000)

Advance two Dark Spells (2/2)

[HOST WILL NOW UNDERGO EVOLUTION!]