Chapter 25: Fight Or Flight
Fight or Flight.
Those are the two responses that humans could give in a precarious situation.
Once you're rushing with adrenaline, your body automatically wishes to protect itself, so it gives you those two choices.
Fight... to survive and overcome the threat.
Or
Flight... to escape and live to fight another day.
However, there was one other response the body could give to an overwhelming stimulus of danger.
... Paralyzing stillness!
The body being unable to move despite the overpowering danger that was currently in front of you.
That was the kind of position that Rey was in.
His body refused to listen to him as he watched the Kobold Boss raise his hand and bring it down.
~SWOOOSHH!~
The sharp claws gleamed as they sliced through the air, ready to make contact with Rey's flesh and dice his skin.
At that point, despite being unable to move, Rey desperately sought out answers within himself.
'I don't want to die! I don't want to die!'
With this, his brain went into overdrive, barely giving him enough time to think before his body would be turned to mincemeat.
As the claw neared him—a mere inch from his face— a switch clicked.
"[Greater Warrior's Mantle]!"
~CLANG!~
The claw of the Boss was sent flying back as a result of the resistance it got from its target.
"G-GURR..?!" Recoiling from the failed attack, the Boss Monster glared at Rey in confusion.
That strike just now was supposed to have ended it all.
Yet... yet...
"GUUUURRRRR!!!"
... Why was its prey still alive?!
~WHOOOOM!~
Rey swiftly dashed forward, his body now gleaming with blue energy as sparks of lightning-like energy coated his body.
As he launched his body, a blur trailed after him, and he could feel the rush of wind on his face.
He was moving really fast, and he enjoyed every moment of it!
~WHOOSH!~
He was able to close his distance with the stumbling Boss, clenching his fist as he sent it towards the raging beast.
The result was inevitable.
~BOOOM!!~
The Kobold Boss was sent flying backwards, despite being twice as large as Rey.
It crashed upon the wall, shattering the Mana Crystals that were growing there.
"G-Gurrr...?!"
The Boss let out whimpers of confusion, but Rey was hardly focusing on that now.
He stared at his hands, watching as lightning danced on his skin and the blue energy coiled around his body.
It was a strange sensation.
'I feel much more powerful than before. That was really a close one.'
Rey smiled to himself in relief.
'How could I have forgotten about my Buff Category?'
Some Buff Skills didn't require Mana, since they were useful for improving one's Mana and other Stats for a limited period.
Instead, they had duration and cooldown periods, and the cooldown periods only got shorter the more adept one was at using the Skills, or how long the Skill was utilized.
'[Greater Warrior's Mantle] focuses more on defense and mobility. Since it's a B-Tier Skill, the Kobold Boss couldn't penetrate the energy armor around me.'
If it wasn't for that, he would be dead.
'I better end this quickly. I don't know when the Duration ends.'
The Kobold Boss was already getting up from its slumped state, with the Mana Crystals around it crumbling as it rose.
He made a low growl, difficult for Rey to decipher.
Inasmuch as the massive creature showed rage towards Rey, there was an element of fear... of caution.
It didn't see Rey as just prey anymore, but as a threat.
A threat that had to be eliminated!
"ROOOOAAARRRRR!!!"
The sudden roar of the Kobold Boss shook the space they occupied, causing the ground to rattle and even the ceiling to tremble.
The Boss' eyes began to glow crimson, and a red aura stuck to its body.
'It's also Buffing itself! This is bad!'
Right now, Rey had the advantage because he was buffed up. If the Boss did the same, who was to say the scales wouldn't he tilted?
'I have to hurry!'
The best way to really do that was to utilize yet another Buff.
"[Greater Mana Boost]."
With this Skill, his Mana Level shot up like crazy, and he felt himself overflowing with power.
The blue energy around his body radically increased, and so did the numerous sparks of lightning.
He was now ready.
'I didn't want to use this, but I have to be sure the Boss dies after my attack.'
That meant he couldn't be considerate or pull his punches.
"Fire Magic: Flame Explosion!" Stretching out both of his hands, Rey called out the name of his Spell.
At this point, the berserk Kobold Boss was smacking the ground, causing a quake around it.
It drooled endlessly as it snorted, both gazes fixated on Rey.
~BOOM!~
The ground around it shattered as it rushed towards Rey, both claws now having a blood-red glow about them.
Its hands were outstretched, and they had one purpose alone—dicing the opponent into a million pieces.
As for Rey, something was already forming in front of his stretched out hands.
It seemed like a swirling mass of flames, and it kept rotating at a swift rate.
~WHOOOSSSHH!!~
The more it rotated, the more powerful it became, growing hotter and hotter while amplifying its mass.
The Kobold Boss grew nearer, and Rey realized he wouldn't be able to complete the process before he was attacked.
'Ah... screw it!'
The swirling bundle of flames was still forming, but Rey didn't want to take his chances.
'I've had enough of this.' He aimed his outstretched hands towards the fast approaching beast.
He just wanted it to end.
'Go!'
~WHUUUUUUMMMMM!!!~
The fierce hum of the rotating flames as they shot towards the target caused the air around it to tremble.
In a blur much faster than the Kobold Boss could muster, the burst of flames landed on the designated target, causing it to roar in pain.
However, this was only the start.
'Erupt!' Rey thought with a wide grin.
And with that, the swirling flames finally expanded and revealed its true nature.
~BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!~
The Kobold Boss was immersed in the flames, covered from head to toe as it screamed—probably begging for mercy.
It was too late for that, though, and the caster of the Spell was not very forgiving.
Rey simply watched as his enemy roasted, having a smile of approval on his face as he witnessed the process from beginning to end.
The eruption rose in both height and width, forcing Rey to take multiple steps back not to be caught in it.
The flames rose to the ceiling, licking it with their scorching display.
Until finally... it died down.
"Haaaaaa..." Rey smiled, collapsing to the ground while huffing his biggest sigh of relief yet.
"Sixth Floor Subjugation... complete."
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[A/N]
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