Chương 70: Chapter 60

The movement around him seemed to slow as Astrid appeared beside him. She zigzagged around the target, her daggers flashing at her sides, drawing blood wherever they passed. As troublesome as the hunters were, Astrid swirled around them gracefully, blood spurting everywhere. And with every drop of blood, she grew stronger. The crimson hue formed by Blood Fury empowered her, yet she consumed it and converted it into a burst of power.

Accelerating, Astrid transformed into a deadly beauty, her daggers raking across the hunter's neck. She suffered a fierce blow to her side, which Hakon couldn't block perfectly with [Mana Shield] either, but he arrived before the hunter and released [Discharge] at full power. The next moment, Crusher's blunt side cracked bones. The hunter collapsed to the ground, battered, his throat slit. But he did not give up. Even when the Barbarian was on the ground, he scrambled to his feet, shaking off [Discharge]'s effect.

If not for Crusher descending a second time, its blunt side infused with mana and coated with [Reinforcement], he would have succeeded. Unfortunately, Hakon knew better than to underestimate a Barbarian's recovery, especially those at the 2nd Ascension. He only believed his enemy was dead when he stopped moving. And the hunter certainly didn't look like he was about to stop moving anytime soon. A spike of danger caught Hakon by surprise.

He glanced to the side for a fraction of a moment, expecting the other hunters to strike, but they were busy clashing with Taskur's young warriors. Instead, the danger came from ahead. The injured hunter stopped bleeding. His body expanded and his hand shot upward to block Crusher's descent with raw power and unfiltered willpower. Crusher impacted with tremendous force, snapping the Barbarian's massive, paw-like hand. A cacophony of cracking noises and wet snaps echoed in Hakon's ears, but he did not flinch.

He didn't even bat an eye at the disfigured hand and instead studied the half-dead Barbarian. The hunter ought to be dead, yet he felt more dangerous than before. His skin burst and his bleeding only seemed to get worse. He lost so much blood, it would make sense if he was growing weaker as a result. Hell, he should have been dead within a dozen heartbeats, yet power rocketed through his body.

"Berserk." Hakon cursed as the hunter shot forward. He was faster, stronger, and more resilient than before. His weapon clattered uselessly to the ground as he forsook all thoughts of defending. He reached for Crusher with his unscathed hand instead and effortlessly disarmed Hakon. Truth be told, Hakon let go of Crusher to escape the hunter's wrath. Next up, he unsheathed his longsword while conjuring a series of [Mana Bolt]s.

A glistening light materialized between them, yet rather than blinding and slowing the hunter, it only seemed to enrage him more. How long can you go on like that? Crusher flung through the air like the deadly projectile it was, forcing Hakon to dive to the side. His back crashed into small, jagged stones, sending waves of pain through his body, but he rolled over the ground and smoothly returned to his feet.

Just in time, because the hunter was already upon him, his strength and speed still rising as his wounds worsened. Bolts of mana tore through the air. Most splashed uselessly against the berserk hunter's skin, but one found purchase in one of many gaping wounds, and another pierced his right eye. Next, the hunter arrived before Hakon, who thrust his longsword deep into his foe's stomach, but he got pummeled. The berserk hunter couldn't feel the pain even as the mana-infused blade tore through him.

He probably didn't even realize what was happening when mana rocketed through him or when Hakon twisted the blade, tearing it sideways. He certainly did not notice his intestines spilling out as he punched Hakon in the chest. Something in Hakon's chest cracked at the first punch, and he certainly didn't feel better when the second and third punches landed. His ribs cracked, and breathing was a challenge all of a sudden, yet the more he endured, the less it hurt.

It was not only [Pain Tolerance]'s effect, which was now incorporated into his new Skill, but something else. It was likely his body was growing more resilient to the force of the impacts. The blunt punches still hurt, and they wreaked havoc on his body; however, it was also rewarding. Hoard Impact was charging, enhancing him ever so slightly with every bit of energy it hoarded, and [Adaptive Resilience] awakened. It flared to life and helped him adapt.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Hakon twisted his body sideways, escaping the worst damage without getting steamrolled by the berserk hunter. Then, he analyzed the hunter's condition and movement with a glance. There was no more thought behind the Barbarian's actions. Wild instincts were all that prevailed, and they created predictable movements. Patterns that Hakon imprinted on his mind as soon as he recognized them.

As soon as he did, the fight was over. It didn't end for quite a while, but Hakon recovered even as the hunter at the 2nd Ascension tried to tear through him. He even charged Hoard Impact until his chest burned from his Major Runeskin rather than from his broken ribs, while also pushing [Adaptive Resilience] to new heights. Hakon would have continued, his Ancient Power only augmenting his desire to understand more about his new passive Skill, but the battle ended prematurely.

The hunter shrunk again, his Runeskin was out of lifeforce to burn, and collapsed a second time. And this time he did not get back up. Hakon maintained [Natural Regeneration] and started to meditate as he turned, triggering [Aether Spiral]. It was nowhere near as effective as it should have been with all the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but the vortex in his Core absorbed enough mana to offset some of the energy needed to recover. I need to be better.

He gritted his teeth, half his mind focused on recovering and the other half on his new Skill and the chaos unfurling around him. Clearly, [Adaptive Resilience] did not only amp up the resistances he'd put into the fusion. It enhanced his resistances to physical damage as well. Not by a lot, but enough to make a difference. Could have applied [Reinforcement] on myself. Hakon chided himself as a stray thought came to him.

He could have fought far more efficiently, wasting less mana and sustaining fewer severe wounds. Sure, he fought a 2nd Ascension hunter with little support from Astrid, but his frustration knew no bounds. Still, it was fine. He was alive. Even the pain ravaging his body was fine. It was a sign of his growing strength and endurance. The others were still fighting. Astrid was upon the other hunter, her left arm hanging limply down from her shoulder.

Several bad cuts marred her body, yet she was still fighting fiercely. Her opponent was stronger, faster, and far more durable; however, it did not look like he was on the winning side. If anything, Hakon was confident in Astrid's victory. Because, while she took the brunt of most attacks, she was not alone. Eren conjured a brilliant light right behind Astrid, blinding the hunter. When he regained vision, blood was all he saw. Astrid was nowhere to be seen, but she left behind a trail of blood and pain.

The three 1st Ascension Barbarians of Pearot felt that firsthand. Hakon had no idea where the three Barbarians popped out from – they were just there – but it hardly mattered. They writhed on the ground, one with a severed hand and a hole in his chest, another was gutted like a fish. The third wasn't even writhing anymore. Björn's great axe was lodged in her neck, splitting it wide open. Another flare of light illuminated the surroundings, and Eren dashed forward.

He burst through the dazzling light alongside several fellow Barbarians and attacked Pearot's hunter in a pack. The Lightcaller, just like everyone else, had improved greatly. His Ancient Power had yet to be used in a more versatile way, but Hakon was confident in Eren. It was only a matter of time before the Lightcaller created a personalized fighting style. The young warriors' greatest weaknesses didn't appear as glaring as they used to be, ensuring their survival. Well, almost.

Unleashing his Ancient Power and two Runeskins near-simultaneously, the wounded hunter retaliated. He slowed one moment, and accelerated to top speed and beyond in the next moment, fiery tendrils pouring out of his fists. He punched through three reinforced mana shields without slowing. If anything, more power erupted from the hunter as his fist tore through a Bloodbearer's chest. A heartbeat later, Astrid and Hakon emerged to the hunter's side, eyes burning with hatred.

Their weapons flashed dangerously, [Bleeding] and [River of Blood] triggered. His longsword arced through the air, sharpened by mana, and it carved through the enemy's arm like butter. The hunter's skin and flesh tore apart and ruptured at [Bleeding]'s effect, but this was just the beginning. Astrid twisted her upper body and swirled around to reach Hakon's side, her blades digging deep into the gash.

The hunter gritted his teeth, his bloodlust potent enough to nearly manifest, but Hakon was seeing red on his own already. His free hand shot toward his hand-axe, and he pumped it full of mana before cleaving the Barbarian's arm, cutting it off. His axe didn't survive, but maybe the Bloodbearer would. As long as they killed the hunter and removed the flame-wreathed hand stuck in the Bloodbearer's chest, he could survive. Maybe, with a lot of luck and even more mana.

What Hakon failed to notice was that his danger sense never stopped tingling. It only grew more intense the longer the battle lasted. Even when Björn joined the battlefield, war axes tearing through the hunter's neck, his danger sense didn't fade.