Chapter 326: Evolution! [POWER STONE BONUS]

Sarah turned her attention back toward her companions, noticing how much everyone had improved recently. Frank could withstand powerful attacks, Joseph had excellent combat experience, and Emma had become considerably more dangerous after obtaining her new Skill.

Meanwhile, Sarah couldn’t help feeling that she was falling behind. She was technically one of the group’s attackers, but that was mostly because Yulia hadn’t fully recovered her strength yet.

’What exactly am I good at?’ Sarah wondered, tightening her grip around her spear. She could attack monsters, but there was nothing particularly special about her abilities, and she felt that almost anyone could replace her.

The realization frustrated her more than she wanted to admit. When she had first awakened in Hell Difficulty, all she had wanted was to return home, especially since she had accidentally selected the difficulty while drunk.

However, after everything she had experienced with the group, that feeling had gradually changed. Watching her companions improve made Sarah realize that she no longer wanted to run away whenever something dangerous appeared.

She wanted to become stronger, someone who could stand beside the others without feeling inferior. More than that, she wanted to accomplish something impressive through her own efforts.

’Let’s do better,’ Sarah thought, finally making a promise to herself. ’For my first goal, I’ll surpass Alex.’

It was a ridiculous goal, considering how far ahead Alex had already progressed, but Sarah didn’t particularly care. If she was going to set a goal for herself, she might as well choose something worth struggling toward.

The frustration in her heart gradually faded, and a faint smile appeared on her face as she dashed forward again. She wasn’t reckless like Yulia, who could exchange injuries with monsters, nor was she a genius like Alex, who seemed capable of improving during every battle.

She also lacked Joseph’s experience, but none of those things meant she couldn’t improve through practice. Instead of dwelling on what she lacked, Sarah decided to concentrate on what she could accomplish right now.

She approached the Kraken’s head again and thrust her spear forward, this time aiming directly for one of its eyes. The weapon pierced through, and before the monster could react, Sarah swung her spear sideways, cutting across its other eye as well.

The Kraken roared in pain, wildly swinging its tentacles while its damaged eyes began regenerating. Sarah immediately ducked beneath the nearest tentacle, retreating before the monster could catch her.

Just then, a mana-infused arrow flew past Sarah and exploded directly against the Kraken’s face, destroying its eyes again before they could finish recovering. Seeing the opportunity, Sarah immediately raised her voice.

"Petra! Joseph! Now!" Sarah shouted, immediately retreating from the Kraken’s head to give the others enough space to attack.

Petra was already holding an enormous stone in the air using her Blessing, while Joseph stood beside her, preparing to release the kinetic energy he had accumulated throughout the battle.

The two had been waiting for an opportunity like this, and with the Kraken temporarily blinded, there was no reason to hold back.

Joseph channeled nearly all his stored kinetic energy into the stone while Petra used her Blessing to propel it forward.

The enormous projectile accelerated rapidly, covering the distance between them and the Kraken in barely an instant. The impact produced a massive explosion that shook the surrounding corridor, nearly tearing apart the monster’s entire front body.

Flesh and blood scattered everywhere, and for a moment, the damage was so severe that Sarah thought the attack might have killed it outright. However, the Kraken was still alive, and its damaged body immediately began regenerating, recovering at a frightening speed.

But Sarah had noticed something during the brief moment when its body was almost completely destroyed. Deep inside the monster’s flesh, she had caught a glimpse of something familiar.

’The Elemental Stone!’ Sarah realized, immediately understanding what she needed to do.

Before the Kraken could regenerate enough to defend itself, she dashed forward, rapidly closing the distance between them. Upon reaching the exposed area, she thrust her spear toward the location where she had seen the stone, using her modified Piercing Punch technique.

The force traveled through the monster’s flesh, bypassing the surrounding tissue before striking something solid deep inside its body. Sarah felt a distinct cracking sensation through her spear, followed by the sudden release of Origin Energy from within the Kraken.

The monster immediately let out an agonized roar, forcing Sarah to retreat before its remaining tentacles could strike her. However, as she backed away, she noticed that something had changed.

The Kraken’s regeneration had stopped completely, and its enormous body was beginning to deteriorate rather than recover. Without the Elemental Stone supplying the energy necessary to sustain it, the monster could no longer maintain its massive body.

Within seconds, its movements weakened considerably, and the remaining tentacles collapsed against the ground.

The High Rank Species Kraken finally stopped moving, bringing their battle to an end.

...

Alex had been watching the battle from a distance while continuously using Minor Heal Spell to repair his injuries. He had considered intervening several times, but seeing how well everyone was cooperating, he decided to let them finish the fight themselves.

When the Kraken finally collapsed, he smiled. His group had improved considerably. Then, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes. Alex quickly glanced through them, noticing that several of his Spells had improved considerably during the fight.

[Level 6 Kraken (High Rank Species) killed.]

[Level 16 Kraken (Mid Rank Species) killed.]

[Level 16 Kraken (Mid Rank...]

[Level 15...]

[...]

[You have leveled up. Level 16 → Level 17.]

[Superior Body Reinforcement Spell has leveled up. Level 6 → Level 7.]

[Minor Heal Spell has leveled up. Level 5 → Level 6.]

[Minor Tumor Growth Spell has leveled up. Level 4 → Level 6.]

[Advanced Blood Vitalization Spell has leveled up. Level 1 → Level 2.]

[Disruption Mana Blade Spell has leveled up. Level 9 → Level 10.]

[Disruption Mana Blade Spell has reached Max Level.]

[Disruption Mana Blade Spell can now evolve. Choose an evolution...]

..

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