The ground beneath Kael's feet turned to sludge, melting into molten rock. The temperature skyrocketed.
From the pool of magma ahead, a head emerged. It was serpentine, covered in obsidian scales that dripped with liquid fire. The Pyroclastic Wyrm didn't have eyes; it had sensory pits that glowed like dying stars.
SSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!
The sound was like a teakettle screaming in a cathedral. The Wyrm uncoiled, its body twenty meters long, radiating a heat haze that distorted the air.
SYSTEM WARNINGTARGET: PYROCLASTIC WYRM
RANK: B+ (HIGH)
LEVEL: 75
THREAT: CRITICAL.
WEAKNESS: COOLANT/HEAD.
Kael gripped the handles of his Traced blades. "Big guy. Ugly but tasty."
The Wyrm struck.
It was deceptively fast for its size. It lunged forward, jaws snapping shut where Kael had been standing a millisecond before.
BOOM!
The stone floor shattered. Molten rock sprayed everywhere.
Kael was already in the air. He flipped backward, landing lightly on a stalagmite.
"Trace: Barrage."
He held out his left hand. Three spears of bone materialized in the air behind him.
"Fire."
THWIP. THWIP. THWIP.
The spears shot toward the Wyrm's neck. They struck the obsidian scales and shattered instantly, doing nothing but leaving white scratches.
"Hard shell," Kael muttered. "Let's crack it."
The Wyrm whipped its tail around. The massive, club-like appendage smashed through the stalagmite Kael was standing on.
PAM!
Kael jumped, riding the debris. He sprinted up the falling rubble, launching himself at the Wyrm's head.
"Lightning Edge!"
He slashed his blue wakizashi across the Wyrm's snout.
SCREEEEECH!
The lightning sparked, conducting through the magma saliva on the beast's face. It roared in annoyance, shaking its head.
Kael landed on its back. He stabbed the Dragon Bone Katana into a gap in the scales.
"Got a hold!"
The Wyrm thrashed, rolling across the cavern floor, trying to crush him.
PAM! PAM!
Kael held on, using Strength Enhancement to keep from being pulped. His Health bar ticked down.
HEALTH: 85%
"System, analyze the shell density!"
DENSITY: 8.0 G/CM3.
IMPACT REQUIRED: 5 TONS.
"I can do that."
Kael pulled the sword free and leaped off the beast's back just as it rolled over a sharp outcrop.
He skidded to a stop. He needed a bigger weapon.
"Infinite Blade Arts," Kael whispered.
He poured mana into the ground.
MANA COST: 200.
The air around him shimmered. Ten swords materialized behind him—five of white bone, five of crackling lightning. They hovered like the feathers of a peacock, tips pointing at the enemy.
The Wyrm recovered, turning its blind face toward him. It sensed the spike in mana. It opened its mouth, inhaling air. The fire in its throat glowed brighter.
"Incoming!"
The Wyrm unleashed a torrent of liquid fire.
FWOOOOOSH!
It was a river of magma.
Kael didn't dodge.
"Dragon's Bloodline: Activate."
His eyes turned to slits. He felt the fire in his own veins answer the call.
He took a deep breath.
"Dragon's Breath!"
Kael exhaled a stream of white-hot fire directly into the river of magma.
BOOOOM!
The two fire attacks collided, creating a massive explosion of steam and smoke. The cavern became a blinding fog.
Through the smoke, Kael sprinted.
"Fire!"
The ten floating swords launched.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
They didn't aim for the armor. They aimed for the joints, the eyes, the soft underbelly. The Wyrm screeched as the lightning blades found their mark, searing flesh.
Kael burst through the smoke, a new sword in his hand—a heavy, two-handed greatsword made of condensed telekinetic force.
"Trace: Executioner."
He jumped, bringing the massive blade down on the Wyrm's skull.
CRACK!
This time, the scale didn't just scratch. It fractured.
The Wyrm recoiled, screaming. It swung its tail blindly.
PAM!
It caught Kael in the chest.
"Urk!"
Kael flew backward, slamming into the wall. He coughed blood.
HEALTH: 50%
RIBS: FRACTURED.
He slid down the wall, gasping. The Wyrm was injured, leaking magma blood from its cracked skull. It was angry.
It coiled, preparing to strike the killing blow.
Kael grinned, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Took you long enough."
He reached into his inventory. He pulled out the Tier 3 Plasma Rifle he had looted earlier. It was damaged, cracked, the core unstable.
He primed the grenade.
"Overload."
He poured lightning mana into the gun. The core whined, vibrating violently.
He threw it.
The Wyrm snapped at the object instinctively.
KA-BOOOOM!
The explosion inside its mouth was devastating. Combined with the lightning overload, it blew the beast's jaw clean off.
The Wyrm writhed in agony, thrashing wildly.
Kael stood up, his bones cracking as they healed.
"Now... the feast."
He walked toward the thrashing beast. He didn't run. He walked with the calm certainty of a reaper.
He climbed onto the beast's head, right above the shattered skull.
He placed his hand on the brain matter.
DEVOUR INITIATED
WARNING: TARGET MANA LEVEL EXCEEDS HOST.PROCESSING...
The Wyrm stiffened. Its thrashing slowed. Its life force—its draconic rage, its fire, its years of survival—drained into Kael.
Kael threw his head back and roared.
AAAAAHHHHHH!
His skin split. New scales, harder and blacker than before, covered his arms and chest. His claws extended.
CONSUMPTION COMPLETE
MANA ABSORBED: 800
XP GAINED: 2500
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL 45 → 48
LEVEL 48 → 50
RANK EVOLUTION: C → C (PEAK)
ABILITY ROLL: 30%ROLLING...
ROLL SUCCESS!ABILITY ACQUIRED: [MAGMA SKIN] (GRADE: C)DESCRIPTION: PASSIVE. SKIN BECOMES RESISTANT TO EXTREME HEAT. ATTACKS INFLICT BURN DAMAGE.
BLOODLINE UPDATE:DRACONIC HYBRID (EVOLVED): [FIRE IMMUNITY 80%] [VOLCANIC DOMAIN]
Kael stepped off the pile of ash that remained.
He felt heavy. He felt invincible.
LOOT GENERATED:1x [WYRM'S HEART] (RARE MATERIAL)1x [MAGMA JEWEL] (TIER 4 ACCESSORY)1x [SKILL BOOK: LAVA SWIM]
Kael picked up the Magma Jewel. It was a fiery red gem.
[MAGMA JEWEL]EFFECT: INTELLIGENCE +50. FIRE SKILL POWER +20%.
He equipped it immediately.
He opened his status screen.
HOST: KAEL
LEVEL: 50 (C-RANK PEAK)
MANA: 3500/3500
Halfway to B-Rank, he thought. And I have the Draconic bloodline fully awakened.
He looked deeper into the dungeon. He could feel the presence of his brother getting closer.
"System," Kael asked. "How far to the Heart Chamber?"
DISTANCE: 2 KM.
ESTIMATED TIME TO INTERCEPT: 30 MINUTES.
Kael smiled.
Kael traced a new pair of swords—black, jagged blades of obsidian.
"Let's go say hello."