Chapter 309

Red and Haster immediately adjusted their posture. They drew in a slow, measured breath through their noses and exhaled out their mouths.

A thick, white mist began to steadily pour from their lips, curling into the grey air. As [Genesis Breath] activated, their cooldown reductions and resource limits stabilized perfectly.

"I love our Guildmaster," Red said, drawing his rapiers. The blades hummed with energy. "I feel like I could punch a mountain."

"Keep your guard up," Haster warned, gripping his spear in his left hand and his sword in his right. "The monsters here get the damage buff too."

They pushed deeper into the grey wasteland. The ash grew thicker, covering the ruins of old stone houses and collapsed watchtowers. Viper stayed carefully positioned between the two combatants, keeping his eyes on the ground for any hidden drops or rare materials.

A low growl echoed from the ruins of a blacksmith shop to their right.

Three Ash-Wolves stepped out of the grey mist. They were massive, heavily mutated beasts with patches of raw, red muscle showing through their charred fur. Their eyes burned with a sickly violet light.

[Ash-Wolf (Lv. 375)]

"Three hundred and seventy five," Red grinned. "Perfect. I want to test something."

Red didn't wait for Haster to set a defensive line. He kicked off the ash-covered ground, launching himself directly at the lead wolf.

"Swift Barrage!" Red shouted.

[Swift Barrage has been activated.]

His rapier became a streak of silver. Fueled by a sixty percent boost to his Agility and Strength, his speed was entirely overwhelming. The blade tore straight through the thick, charred hide and out the back of the beast's neck before the wolf could even track his movement.

As it died, the wolf thrashed violently, its heavy claws blindly scraping across Red's shoulder.

[You have suffered 3,100 damage.] 

[Ashfall penalty applied: Damage received increased by 20%.]

Red stepped back as the monster dissolved into grey pixels. He rubbed his shoulder, watching his health bar instantly refill from the 50% improved regeneration buff.

"Wow," Red muttered, sounding genuinely surprised. "That was just a dying twitch and it still bit right through my armor." He exhaled another cloud of white steam. "If we didn't have Boss's food boosting our stats, fighting level 375 mobs with a damage penalty would actually be a miserable grind."

The other two wolves lunged. One of them charged straight for Viper.

Haster stepped into the gap.

"Fire Dance."

[Fire Dance has been activated.]

A sudden, sharp burst of magical fire erupted from Haster's position, slamming into the right wolf and throwing it completely off balance and burning it. The older player didn't pause. Utilizing his tri-weaving combat arts, he swung the sword in his right hand, cleanly severing the unbalanced wolf's front leg. As the beast howled, he drove the spear forward with his left hand, burying the blade deep into its chest.

The third wolf tried to circle around, running past a shallow, bubbling pool of highly corrosive liquid ash.

Haster saw it coming. He didn't try to pull his spear free from the first wolf. Instead, he used the embedded weapon as a fulcrum. He gripped the wooden shaft tightly, threw his weight forward, and vaulted his entire body over the pool of corrosive ash.

He landed cleanly on the other side, ripped the spear free with a sharp twist, and brought his sword down on the third wolf's skull in one fluid, heavy motion.

Thwack.

The beast collapsed into the grey dirt.

Viper walked over and picked up a piece of charred wolf hide. He brushed the ash off it, inspecting the grain.

"Stay close," Haster told Red, wiping his sword blade on his boot. "The food makes us faster and stronger, but the 25% damage penalty is still active. If we pull a boss in this zone and you take a clean hit, it will still send you straight back to Stormbreak."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Red grumbled, adjusting his grip on his rapiers.

Viper tucked the hide into his inventory. He pulled out the tarnished medallion Fenner had given him. The silver surface felt cold in his hand.

"We have a long walk ahead of us," Viper said, looking out at the endless expanse of grey ruins. "Let's keep moving."

Two weeks of walking through falling ash and smelling burnt sulfur would normally break a person. The Ashfall Region was a wasteland where the air itself tried to slowly drain your health bar, and the monsters hit noticeably harder than anywhere else in the rot-choked kingdom.

Red ducked under the heavy, swinging claw of a mutated Ash-Bear. He didn't look tired at all. A wide, excited grin stretched across his face.

"Twin Fang," Red said.

[Twin Fang has been activated.] 

[You have dealt 22,400 damage to the target.]

His twin rapiers blurred, striking the bear’s throat twice in rapid succession. The massive beast let out a choked noise and dissolved into a cloud of gray pixels, leaving a charred bone on the slippery ground.

Viper watched from the center of the clearing. The tailor wore a heavy leather travel coat and a cloth mask to keep the gray dust out of his lungs. A stray, ash-covered goblin tried to circle around the back of the fight to rush him.

Haster saw it coming.

The older player exhaled a steady stream of white mist, keeping his [Genesis Breath] rhythm unbroken. Utilizing his tri-weaving combat arts, he fired a quick, sharp burst of wind magic from his left hand to knock the goblin off balance. In the same fluid motion, he swung the sword in his right hand to sever its arm, then smoothly shifted his grip and drove his spear straight through the creature's chest, pinning it to the dirt.

"You good, Viper?" Haster asked. He pulled his spear free and stepped back into a defensive stance near the tailor.

"I'm fine," Viper said, handing Haster a wooden canteen of water from his inventory. "Your left flank was open for a second there."

"Slipped on the ash," Haster grunted, taking a drink. He gave Viper an appreciative nod.