NOVEL FROG Chapter 36: Blood Fusion
With the addition of his mana, Zyrus was able to control the poisonous fog to a greater extent. He didn't possess even a fraction of the mana he used to have, but still, his control over it was second to none.
The bluish fog permeated the ground Instead of dissipating in the air. In an instant, the ground was poisoned in a hundred feet radius.
Of course, this wasn’t enough to kill the rats.
Nowhere near it.
*Fuuuaa*
Zyrus once again used the skill at the cost of 500 vitality. If not for his lack of mana he would have used it one more time.
Unlike before, the fog didn’t spread in the horizontal direction. By using twice the amount of mana, Zyrus made the poisonous fog seep into the ground.
He waited with bated breath and recovered his mana. Zyrus knew that this fight would be far more difficult than the field boss raid.
The rats had low offense and defense, but their numbers more than made up for it. None of his skills would work against them.
Arcane lance could at most pierce two of them at once. Even by using the skill four times, he could at most kill a hundred of them.
His once reliable spearmanship was now lackluster compared to his equipment and mana-related skills. There was no such thing as an absolute power in the sanctuary.
By his estimate, the rats should have around 500 members. Five times more than his troops. Even if he and Jacob managed to kill 200 of them, there was no way the goblin riders could handle the rest.
But Zyrus was able to conquer entire continents for a reason. Every general has their distinct fighting style, and he was the same.
So what if their skills were countered? He just had to change the environment to suit his troops.
This was the reason he liked the Zubry Solleret as well. Equipment that had a terraforming ability was best suited for someone like him who didn’t lack the raw offensive power.
An hour went by while Zyrus was busy recovering his mana. The rats had undoubtedly noticed the anomaly by now.
The poison had spread deep inside the land. Although it didn’t damage them directly, the toxins in the air were corroding their vitality.
It wasn’t enough to harm them; however, the feeling was similar to being poked by a needle hundreds of times.
The rats were able to notice the mana and bloodline that Zyrus had. They were wary of him from the start, but as time went on, their cautiousness was being eroded by their anger and greed.
Just like Zyrus could get strong by devouring others' bloodlines, the opposite was true as well.
Another hour went by before Zyrus fully regained his mana. Without wasting any more time, he used Arcane lance.
*Kachak*
Ten holes were dug in the ground as the lances made of mana exploded. As if on cue, the blue fog poured down into the pits like a flood.
*Squeak*
-100,-100,-50,-100,-150,-75,-10,-200,….
A string of damage numbers filled his vision as he got ready for battle. Despite their timid nature, the rats were sure to retaliate after this.
And his guess was right on the mark.
*Squee*
*Hiiss*
Hundreds of rats popped out of the ground at the same time. Although he had expected as such, Zyrus was still shocked with fright upon seeing the foot-long rats creep towards him.
*Sweep*
-89,-178,-50,-89
Exp +500
Exp +500
Zyrus wasn’t pleased despite killing two rats with a single blow. The sawtooth rats were the fastest among them, and they had already surrounded him from all sides.
They were twice as big compared to the other rats. Their golden fur gleamed in the sunlight as they stared at Zryus with red eyes.
As their name suggested they had numerous jagged blades across their tiny hands and feet. They looked harmless compared to their sharp teeth, but Zyrus knew better than to underestimate them.
*Swissh*
*Sweep*
-378,-89,-178
Exp +500
Exp +500
.
.
He swung his spear in a wild dance as countless rats lunged at him. Despite their small stature, they were able to jump over him with ease.
‘My tail is doing much better than my spear at this point,’ Zyrus wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at his predicament.
On one hand, he had underestimated the rat's intelligence. He thought that all 3 rat clans would attack him at once.
He would be having an easier time in that case as only sawtooth rats posed a significant threat to him.
On the positive side, he had underestimated his scales' defense as well. Even with their spikes which were able to scrap steel, the rats were unable to penetrate the scales of Sylvarix.
Surprisingly, his tail was able to fling them away with a sweep.
‘Is there something like a tail skill? I should really look into that,’
Although it was a bit awkward to use his tail in a fight, it was a small price to pay in order to get stronger.
‘Besides, I think it looks cool!’
*Sweep*
*Swish*
-378,-176,-100
Exp +500
.
.
.
Zyrus was able to sustain the single-digit damage he received with his monstrous vitality. However, he knew that the situation would deteriorate if this kept up.
He had killed dozens of sawtooth rats by now. The rats weren’t ones to be underestimated either. He had also lost 300 hp at their hands.
Bit by bit, His hp was draining below 50% since he didn’t have a regenerative skill.
“NOW Jacob,”
Noticing the impending peril, Zyrus called Jacob and immediately used the poison breath afterward.
*Fuuuuu*
-400,-400,-100,-250,-300,
-150,-400,-200….
Exp +500
Exp +500
.
..
He didn’t even bother with the surging exp. Left with only 750 HP, Zyrus activated the Zubry Solleret’s skill.
[Infernal Tread]
Scorching heat emanated from his body as the black shoes emitted a red aura. Soon, a meter-long ring formed beneath his feet.
Zyrus didn’t have the luxury to admire the skill’s effect. He resolutely spent 5 SP on agility and started running.
He had been saving his SP for times like these. Sanctuary was a cruel place where even a tiny miscalculation could lead to one’s demise.
Instead of using his spear, he swiped his claws and swung his tail as he barged into the swarm of rats.
At the same time, Jacob also revealed himself a hundred feet away. As always, he started his attack with a barrage of fireballs.
The battlefield was transformed into a fiery hell with both of their skills. Unlike the sawtooth rats, the scavenger rats were smaller in stature.
They had black metallic fur that boasted high defense. Due to this, neither side was able to harm the other in a short while.
Zyrus scanned the burning land with his yellow eyes as he searched for his targets, the burrow rats.
He had more than fulfilled his role in the battle. Now, it was time for him to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
As Zyrus ran away from the center of the battlefield, Jacob was doing the exact opposite. He spread the flame across the wide area and dealt splash damage to everyone.
The lava on the earth, coupled with his fireballs, dealt continuous damage to the sawtooth rats and the scavenger rats.
The duo killed 50 rats while inflicting severe burns on dozens more. Despite that though, Zyrus’s frustration grew as he was unable to accomplish his goal.
His target, the burrow rats, were too hard to kill.
They had the smallest stature. With brown silky fur and beady honey-colored eyes, they were easy to spot. But as expected from their concealment and earth movement traits, they slipped through his claws like sand.
The poison and the lava did nothing to hinder their movement as they were able to traverse dozens of feet underground.
Thankfully, Zyrus had already predicted such an outcome.
The three rat clans had an impeccable synergy. Scouting, resource gathering, and combat. They had all three aspects covered.
But just like Zyrus, their powers weren’t perfect either. Since he knew about his own weakness, there was no way he wouldn’t know about theirs either.
He deliberately slowed down his movements as Jacob led the hoard of sawtooth rats away. Instead of using his flames to deal damage, Jacob used them to create obstacles in their path.
All the while taunting more and more of them.
In the span of a couple more breaths, more than a hundred rats were hot on his tail.
On the other side, Zyrus’s speed was halved as he panted for breath with every move. His HP had long since reached below 500.
The rats made a ‘Clever’ decision as they sent the healthy and powerful sawtooth rats after Jacob. In their eyes, he was more dangerous than Zyrus as he had killed dozens of them on his own.
Compared to Zyrus’s damage over time tactic, Jacob's fireballs which decimated their kin with a single blow, were far more threatening.
Sawtooth rats kept Zyrus busy while the scavenger rats encircled him in a ten-meter radius. With his ‘slow’ speed, Zyrus was unable to bridge the gap between them.
In the next instance, the chance Zyrus was waiting for arrived.
As if waiting for this exact scenario, a three-meter-wide hole appeared inside the rat's encirclement ring.
Three rats, no, Rat kings emerged from the hole.
It was an excellent strategy on their part. Zyrus wouldn’t be able to handle their combined assault with his depleted vitality.
Alas, they had underestimated their enemy.
“Got you,” Zyrus smirked with cold eyes and took out his bloodspine spear.
Although he didn’t have a regeneration skill, he had something far more practical to recover his vitality.
[Blood Fusion]
A red light flashed in his eyes, and a bloody mist erupted from the fallen corpses.