Alicar’s mind raced as he stared at the Darkfang Stalker, its massive form pressing against the cave’s barricade with growing determination.
The creature was easily the size of a small horse, with dark fur that seemed to absorb the moonlight and fangs that glistened with saliva.
Its yellow eyes locked onto Alicar, and a low growl rumbled from deep within its chest.
He knew he couldn’t let it enter the cave, not with everyone sleeping, but fighting a level 7 monster alone at his current level was practically suicide.
Alicar took a step back, his hand already gathering mana as he prepared to launch an attack.
He launched a fireball at the creature, the flames illuminating the darkness as they struck its shoulder.
The Darkfang Stalker roared in pain and anger, but the attack only seemed to enrage it further.
It slammed its body against the barricade with even more force, the wood and stone splintering under the impact.
Alicar launched a waterball, then an ice spike, then a lightning strike, but the creature was too focused on breaking through.
It only took a few seconds, but the barricade shattered, and the Darkfang Stalker burst through the entrance, its massive form filling the cave opening.
Alicar stumbled backward, his heart pounding as the creature prepared to lunge.
Fwash!
It lunged toward him, and Alicar, learning from his mistake against the vine bear, jumped to the side, avoiding the attack.
The commotion should have woken someone, but no one stirred for some reason, their exhaustion clearly running deeper than he had realized.
’How the fuck did Leon, Sera and Darian survive all this time if they can’t even get up for this?!’ Alicar thought bitterly, frustration boiling inside him.
He launched another fireball, striking the creature’s face and momentarily blinding it.
But the monster recovered quickly, its yellow eyes burning with rage as it lunged again.
Alicar was forced to dodge once more, his body moving on pure instinct as he avoided the deadly claws.
He couldn’t keep this up forever, and he knew that eventually, the creature would land a hit.
’Think, damn it,’ he told himself, his mind racing for a solution. ’I need something that actually hurts it.’
The attacks he had been using were hurting the monster, but in a battle of attrition, a mage like him would inevitably run out of mana at some point.
He needed something more, something that could bypass its thick hide and deal real damage.
And then, an idea struck him, a thought so simple yet so brilliant that he couldn’t believe he or Iris hadn’t considered it before.
Most mages were usually proficient in only one element, or two if they were lucky with their classes, allowing them to master them to their peak potential.
But for someone like Alicar and Iris, who had six elements to use, couldn’t they just use several of them at once?
He gathered mana into his palm, focusing on two elements simultaneously: water and lightning.
He felt his mana reserves growing low enough that Alicar knew this would be his final stand.
The combination was difficult, requiring immense concentration to keep both elements stable.
But Alicar pushed through the strain, feeling the power building within him.
Water formed around his hand, crackling with electrical energy as the lightning interwove with it.
The Darkfang Stalker lunged forward, its massive jaws open wide as it aimed for his throat.
And at that exact moment, Alicar unleashed everything he had.
A torrent of electrified water shot forward, striking the Darkfang Stalker square in the side.
The creature roared in agony, its body convulsing as the electricity coursed through its system.
The water carried the lightning deeper into its flesh, bypassing its thick hide and hitting its vulnerable insides.
The Darkfang Stalker stumbled, its movements becoming erratic and uncontrolled as the electricity overwhelmed its nervous system.
The Darkfang Stalker let out one final, pained roar before collapsing to the ground, its body going still.
Silence filled the cave as Alicar stood over the fallen monster, his chest heaving with exertion.
And then, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
Ding!
[You have killed Lv.7 Darkfang Stalker.]
[You have levelled up to Level 5!]
[You have gained one point in every attribute, and two free attribute points.]
Alicar felt the surge of power course through his body, the familiar sensation of leveling up washing over him.
He had done it, he had actually managed to kill a monster three levels higher than himself completely alone.
And more than anything, it made him realize what he needed to do more than anything to get out of this place.
’Level 10,’ Alicar thought, his mind sharpening with clarity. ’That’s my only way. If I can manage to master my skills more, perhaps we could escape.’
The combination of water and lightning had been effective, far more than he had anticipated.
He stood there for a moment, catching his breath as the adrenaline slowly faded from his system.
[Attribute Points: 4.]
’Right, I still have those attribute points from reaching Level 4.’
He allocated three free attribute points to Spirit, and another one to Agility, feeling his mana reserves expand as the power settled into his body.
[Spirit: 16 → 19]
[Agility: 10 → 11]
And only then did some of the other people in the cave stir, with Iris being the first one to get up.
She approached Alicar cautiously, her eyes still heavy with sleep, and after glancing at the monster’s corpse before him, her eyes widened in shock.
"This is..." she mumbled, her voice trailing off as she processed what she was seeing.
"I think I might have a thing or two to teach you about our skills," Alicar grinned widely, a rare moment of genuine pride crossing his face.
Iris stared at the fallen Darkfang Stalker, then back at Alicar, her expression a mixture of disbelief and admiration.
"You killed this... by yourself?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
...
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