Chương 125: Chapter 109 (B2-ch3) – The Third Lord

Earl remained crouched near the treeline, his eyes locked on the enormous hermit crab feeding in the center of the destroyed camp.

"Cade," he whispered, voice tight.

"You know Lords of the Swamp ain't nothing to be fucked with, man. They're boss monsters. I'm positive the System only put them here so when humanity started grouping up they'd have something big and tough to kill. There is no way us two can take that thing on." Cade's gaze stayed on Kharvaxis. Earl swallowed.

"In the whole month we've been in this Tutorial, only two of the eight Lords have been killed. Two. I don't know who managed that, but it had to be a coordinated group. Probably dozens of people working together. And that was before the System sent out a message saying the Lords had grown stronger." Cade's brow twitched and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. So no one else has killed a Lord while I was in the dungeon.

"You're wrong about a couple of things there Earl. We aren't going to fight it. You are going to stay here," Cade said as he tossed the Primordial Bead Dewdrop toward Earl who caught it on instinct.

"Hold it for me, I don't want to drop it during the fight and these sweatpants don't have pockets." Earl stared at the item in his hand before looking back up in disbelief.

"You're actually gonna fight that thing?"

"Yeah." Cade rolled his shoulders as he felt his essence circulate through his channels.

"I need to add a third Lord to my quest log." Earl blinked.

"Wait, what?" But before Earl had a chance to say anything else, Cade had already stepped out from the treeline and broke into a run. The camp spread before him. Blood-soaked and silent save for the wet crunching of Kharvaxis feeding on corpses. As Cade crossed the open ground, his mind quickly worked through the details. The crab's highest Attribute was Dexterity, which meant it was likely far faster than its size suggested.

Its shell and legs looked heavily armored, and he wasn't entirely sure whether the obsidian flake in his axe could bite cleanly through plating that thick. He could probably dissolve it. A focused blast of his [Mantle of Dissolution] would likely reduce even a Lord of the Swamp to ash if he poured enough essence through it. But that felt too easy. Kharvaxis was the first real opponent he'd faced since returning to the Tutorial. Richard and his shadows had barely counted as a warm-up. Cade wanted to test himself.

To see how far he had come. To see how far his new Core could take him. The hermit crab noticed his approach. Kharvaxis' grotesque head lifted and the corpse it was gnawing on fell from its serrated mouthparts. Its entire body shifted with startling speed as armored legs dug into the blood-soaked earth. Both massive claws rose and aimed directly at Cade. Cade's steps slowed for half a heartbeat.

"What are you—" Both bulbous claws recoiled one after another. Immediately after, Cade heard two thunderous booms tear across the clearing. Cade's eyes widened as a pair of massive stone projectiles hurtled toward him, spinning fast enough to blur the air around them.

"Holy shit," Cade muttered, throwing himself sideways.

"A crab with cannons?" The first projectile screamed past him and obliterated a tree behind him in a spray of splinters. Cade twisted mid-step as the second shot tore through the space where his chest had been a fraction of a second earlier. He landed hard, bare feet skidding in the mud.

"Who the hell puts that in a Tutorial?" Another stone projectile screamed after him. The boulder tore through the air before crashing into the treeline behind him. Trees exploded into splinters as the projectile punched straight through half a dozen trunks before finally coming to a stop. Fuck, I hope Earl got out of there. He planted a hand against the dirt and launched himself back to his feet, his reforged body moving the instant his brain sent the signal. Boom! The left claw fired again.

Cade twisted sideways, the spinning stone missing his shoulder by less than an inch before plowing a trench into the ground behind him. Boom! The right claw answered its twin's call. He ducked beneath it as the projectile skimmed over his head. The wind from its passage tugged at the ash of his cloak before another deafening crash erupted somewhere behind him. Kharvaxis wasn't giving him a moment to breathe, let alone advance any further.

The massive hermit crab alternated between its claws with frightening precision, one firing just as the other finished recoiling. The rhythm left almost no openings, forcing Cade into a constant dance of dives, sidesteps, and sudden changes in direction. His feet barely touched the ground before another shot screamed toward him. I need to get closer if I want any chance at taking this Lord out. Could the mantle stop one of its blasts?

He could harden the ash around himself into a solid barrier, but he had no idea how much force those projectiles carried. The mantle might harden enough to stop and dissolve the stone before it reached him—or the projectile might have enough momentum to punch straight through. He hadn't tried stopping something so fast before and if he guessed wrong, he wasn't entirely sure his natural Toughness would be enough to survive being struck by what was essentially a cannonball.

He threw himself into a roll as another projectile barely missed its target. Every dodge seemed just a little closer than the last. The giant hermit crab Lord was adjusting. Learning to predict where Cade would move next. And despite all his evasive maneuvers, he'd barely advanced a few meters since the Lord spotted him. If something didn't change he'd spend the rest of the day dodging rocks without being able to close the gap between them. Maybe the Lord of the Swamp would grow tired.

Maybe it would eventually run out of projectiles. But Cade had another idea about how he could break the stalemate he found himself in. A grin spread across his face. As he moved, Earl's battle against the Razorback Snapper flashed through his mind. The man had flooded his body with Stamina, which made him faster and more explosive. If excess Stamina can strengthen the body, then why can't pure essence?

Cade reached inward to the black-and-white Core nestled against the root of his Law Sprout of Inviolable Self and willed more essence into his channels. Stolen novel; please report. The Core responded instantly and pure essence surged from it like a river bursting through a broken dam. Essence flooded every pathway in his body in quantities he had never before been capable of sustaining. Rather than cycling the excess back into his Core as he normally would, Cade seized it with his will.

He forced the essence into every muscle, tendon, nerve, and bone until the sensation became painful. His entire body tightened as dense essence saturated his flesh. Strength filled his limbs until it felt as though they might split apart under the pressure. Another projectile screamed toward him and Cade barely sidestepped in time to avoid it. The stone clipped the edge of his cloak before pulverizing the ground behind him. The next moment he felt the Primordial Heartwood Rhizome stir.

The countless roots woven throughout his body drank deeply from the excess essence now filling his channels. He had tried something similar before while still within Cynthia's Legacy. Back then, he had attempted to enhance just one part of his body with pure essence, but the rhizome had simply redistributed the pooled up essence throughout his body until the concentration dwindled to little more than a trickle. This time was different.

Cade had already spread essence throughout himself until every fiber of his body had become saturated. Yet his Core continued pouring more into his channels. Good. That was exactly what he wanted. Another cannon shot roared toward him. He pivoted around it, feeling the displaced air buffet against his side. With his body saturated, he moved his focus to the rhizome lining his channels. He commanded it to drink deeply of the essence as he set his intent.

Take the essence, transform it, use it to make me faster and stronger. A tiny crimson spark danced across the back of his hand. Then another. Tiny arcs of lightning crackled beneath his skin, racing along the paths he had carved during his time with the Stormsap Crucible. Even through Kharvaxis' constant bombardment, part of his mind remained focused on controlling his essence. Feeding it into both his body and the rhizome. Willing for both to work together to enhance him.

Convert that river of pure essence into raw physical power. The rhizome responded with streaks of crimson, amber, and golden lightning that arced throughout his body. Across his arms. Through his chest. Down his legs. The crackling currents intensified with every heartbeat until tri-colored arcs danced openly across the surface of his skin. Ding! Congratulations! You have created the [Essence Overload] skill.

[Essence Overload (rare)] – Flood your body and the Primordial Heartwood Rhizome with pure essence, causing it to generate primordial lightning that enhances Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance by 20%. Additional essence may be supplied to further amplify these Attributes beyond this threshold, but doing so risks damaging both your body and the rhizome. Continuously consumes essence while active. Cade quickly skimmed through the notification in his mind and a grin spread across his face. I knew it.

The idea had been there ever since Cynthia's Legacy. Watching Earl's fight with the Razorback Snapper had only reminded him of it. Back in the dungeon he had lacked enough essence to force it into reality. Before connecting himself to the Dungeon Core, every attempt to reinforce his body had failed because he didn't have enough essence. But now his Core poured essence into him faster than he could use it. Another cannon boomed and his body moved. The stone projectile tore past his shoulder, missing by over a foot.

That dodge had been effortless. He pivoted around the next shot before it even reached him, already planting his foot exactly where he needed to be for the projectile after that. The difference with his new skill active was immediately apparent. His body responded with a crispness it hadn't possessed moments earlier. Every muscle contracted faster. Every step covered more ground. Even his footing felt surer as the red, orange, and yellow lightning danced along his skin. This feels incredible.

He could feel the rhizome continuously converting the excess essence flooding through his channels into strengthening currents that raced throughout his body. Boom! Kharvaxis fired again. Cade shifted a single step to the left and let the spinning boulder slide past his body. Another shot followed immediately. Then another. Each dodge flowed seamlessly into the next. Every step carried him just beyond the path of the incoming projectile while simultaneously advancing him toward the massive hermit crab.

The movements felt almost effortless now. The primordial lightning racing through his body sharpened every instinct and quickened every response, allowing him to slip through the barrage with inches to spare. The distance steadily disappeared as shot after shot rang over the destroyed encampment. One hundred meters. Fifty. Twenty. Boulders cratered the ground behind him, blasting dirt and mud and splintered timber into the air. Cade danced through the devastation.

Whenever Kharvaxis forced him to angle away from a shot, Cade stole two more steps forward before the next projectile arrived. The Lord's barrage grew noticeably more frantic. The measured rhythm Cade had identified earlier collapsed as both cannon claws began firing almost simultaneously, trying to blanket the battlefield in stone instead of predicting his movements. Lightning crackled brighter over Cade's skin with every heartbeat as essence poured from his Core and into the Primordial Heartwood Rhizome.

His white cloak streamed behind him while his pace continued to build. When Cade was within 10 meters Kharvaxis suddenly abandoned its bombardment. The colossal hermit crab planted its rear legs deep into the blood-soaked earth, bracing its immense body. Its right claw swept upward before crashing down with enough force to shatter stone. A grin spread across Cade's face. How could he resist such an opening?

He drove one foot into a destroyed wooden hut, pulping the planks beneath him as red, orange, and yellow lightning erupted across his body. In a blur of pearlescent white and crackling primordial lightning, he launched himself upward to meet the descending claw head-on. His fingers tightened around the haft of his axe as every thread of his will converged into a single strike.

The obsidian edge flared in the sunlight, and Cade swung with every ounce of strength his newly created skill could provide, bringing the axe crashing up into the descending claw.

"Quiet." Sasesh's voice cut cleanly through the low murmur filling the underground chamber and instantly the bunker fell silent. Slowly, Sasesh closed his eyes. Something was moving above them. He pressed one hand against the packed earth above him, activating [Stonebound Sentry]. His awareness spread outward through the surrounding stone and soil as countless vibrations flowed into his senses, each carrying its own distinct frequency.

Then the entire bunker trembled as something extraordinarily powerful impacted the ground above. Amanda flinched.

"Is Richard back? I thought you said he left."

"Quiet." Sasesh kept his eyes closed as he focused on his skill. The tremors continued in rapid succession, sending heavy pulses through the earth which were far heavier than any human should have been capable of producing. Whatever's up there is enormous. But he felt something else between the pulses. His brow furrowed.

"... There's something else up there. I detect two distinct patterns." Amanda blinked.

"What?"

"A second creature." He concentrated harder, filtering the countless vibrations until only the strongest remained. The larger presence barely moved, but it sent nearly constant reverberating waves through the earth. The second, however, never seemed to stop. It darted back and forth in rapid bursts, changing direction so quickly that its movements almost blurred together. Every time it moved, another impact hit the ground around it. Every second another impact rippled through with an almost rhythmic cadence.

"It sounds like..." Sasesh murmured.

"What?" Amanda asked. He slowly opened his eyes.

"I think something big is launching projectiles." Silence settled over the room as realization spread across the gathered survivors. Nadean spoke first.

"Kharvaxis." Professor Sanders' face lost what little color remained. Sasesh gave a slow nod.

"I think so. The larger tremors fit the impacts I'd expect from its cannons."

"You said there were two?" Amanda asked. Sasesh closed his eyes once more and extended his senses back into the earth.

"I think the second one is human."

"A human?" Professor Sanders repeated.

"Fighting Kharvaxis alone?" No one else spoke. The only sound was the distant series of impacts continuing somewhere above them. Sasesh focused on the smaller presence, following its movements as it weaved unpredictably around the battlefield. Whoever it was moved far faster than Richard ever had. More importantly, Sasesh couldn't detect the scattered tremors created by Richard's shadow monsters. He slowly shook his head.

"It isn't Richard. I'm sure of it." Nadean leaned forward.

"You haven't sensed Richard since earlier this morning. He's probably gone." She rose to her feet, determination hardening her expression.

"We should help whoever is above." Professor Sanders looked at her as though she'd completely lost her mind.

"Help? We barely escaped Richard before he slaughtered everyone else. Now you want to go up there just to be killed by a Lord of the Swamp?"

"I'm saying whoever's up there is fighting it alone," Nadean replied.

"They may need our help. Besides, we can't stay buried here forever. Eventually we'll have to leave this bunker." Silence settled over the chamber once more as every pair of eyes turned toward Sasesh. He let out a slow breath.

"My mana's nearly exhausted," he admitted.

"But I can reinforce a tunnel leading to one of the air vents near the edge of the forest. We'll see what's happening first. Then we'll decide whether that person needs our help or whether we're even capable of helping."