NOVEL FROG Chapter 77: Numen
While most yearned to survive the nightmare, there were those who dreamed to conquer it as well.
[Shackles of Nihility]
Hundreds of black chains erupted from the ground. Zyrus’s mana and source of origin had grown stronger than before, and as a result, he could exert more power with his authority.
-250,-250,-250,-250,-250
-250,-250,-250…..
....
..
Blue shackles formed with the laws of void pierced Camazotz’s wings and throat. Forget about using a skill, the bat couldn’t even scream in pain.
*Bang*
The ophidian warriors exploded at the same time. Their blood formed a black ring around the campsite. It was in stark contrast to the white dome formed by the totem's power.
“Finish the bats,”
*ROOOAR*
*Grrowl*
*Huup*
Hordes of monsters answered Zyrus’s call. Compared to Aiden, they were more willing to follow someone like Zyrus.
‘Elsid is enough to deal with the iguanas,’
Zyrus let go of his reservations and channeled all his power. Even shackles of nihility couldn’t bind the field boss forever.
Nonetheless, it was a power of his authority. 13 curses of void allowed him to use the power of origin without being noticed by the eternal.
Although it wasn’t the strongest form of the void laws, the curse of nothingness had its own advantage.
Everything could be erased by the power of void. And the field boss that hovered above him was no exception.
Just like in his fight against the scorpion king, he didn’t have to erase everything. Heart, Brain, Muscles, tendons… just erasing the smallest sections of Camazotz was enough.
*BOOOOM*
-1000,-1000,-1000
-175,-52,-568….
…..
Exp +750
[Level up!]
[+2 Strength]
[+1 Agility]
[+1 Mana]
The gigantic bat fell from the sky and crushed the iguanas and bats below. Zyrus ignored the rows and rows of damage numbers and activated Zubry Solleret.
Time seemed to slow down as he activated the eyes of annihilation as well. At this moment, only the field boss remained in his vision.
Two tigers cannot occupy the same mountain. It was unlikely that there was another monster as strong as Camazotz on this island.
Zyrus’s scales shivered in thrill as he jumped on the field boss. Its HP was already below 50%. Thus, it was only a matter of seconds before it went into the second phase.
‘Or it would, if the opponent was someone else,’
*Sizzzle*
Infernal tread was activated on the incapacitated Camazotz. The damage it dealt was nowhere enough to harm someone at its level, but it was painful enough to drive it crazy.
The corruption of abyss, the laws of void that erased its body parts, and now the blazing wounds inflicted by Zyrus’s steps.
And if that was insufficient to bring it down, there were still specter scorpions who stung Camaztoz. The soul poison was like a straw that broke the camel's neck.
Even the players pitied the field boss at the moment.
‘Let me see who you really are,’
Zyrus stopped at the monsters’ heart and channeled the last dregs of his power. He wasn’t torturing Camazotz because he liked it.
He could see his enemies’ source of origin with his eyes of annihilation. In theory, was akin to reading them like an open book.
And although he wasn’t at a level to do such a thing, reading their mana flow was within his capabilities.
Every place he stepped on was a junction where mana gathered. The meter-long ring beneath his feet wasn’t strong enough to damage someone like Camazotz, but it could disrupt its mana flow.
“I’m flattered,” Zyrus replied to Anansi without moving his eyes.
“I have no interest in your games,”
Zyrus blasted his fist forward with the remaining mana. Camazotz’s heart was shredded like tofu under his hand.
-2500
Exp +1000
.
He ignored the following messages and focused on his source of origin. And just like in his fight against Tauranox, he shattered Camazotz’s core of existence.
‘Rest in peace,’
Zyrus saw the path it had taken in that instant.
…
Primitive humanoids had carved thousands of stone statues on a planet. They depicted the animals and natural disasters that threatened their survival.
They were made to warn the young and train them for the future. However, they lost their purpose in the tides of time.
Eras passed by on the planet. Some statues were destroyed by nature while some were preserved as ancient heritage. And among those hundreds of statues that witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, there was one that was known to all.
The stone carving of a gigantic bat was located in the empire’s capital. No matter who won or lost the war, even if the cities fell and millions died, no one dared to touch the bat’s statue.
It was treated as a holy object in war. There was a legend that one could gain unparalleled power after giving a sacrifice to the statue.
The bat represented night and death. It didn’t matter whether the rulers believed in the myths or not. Common folks believed in the bat, and thus, whoever controlled the bat was deemed their ruler.
It didn’t take long before their superstition became a tradition.
And even myths can become a reality if people will it to be.
Zyrus witnessed billions of aliens invade that planet. It was much bigger than Earth, but still, it was covered by insectoid lifeforms in a day.
And on that fateful day when everyone was thinking of death, the bat awoke.
The manifestation of death raised its claws at the invaders. Nothing could survive against its roar, and no sun could shine under its wings.
A massacre unfolded that dyed the planet red. The deity of death slaughtered the invaders, but the natives weren’t spared from its claws either.
And at last, only the bat remained in the fallen world. It was born from people’s will, and it was destined to die without their beliefs.
It was a grim end that suited its diabolical existence.
…
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Zyrus replied to Kyle with groggy eyes.
“Though it looks cool, don’t just sit on the corpse! Everyone is waiting for the loot,”
Lauren's words were more effective than Kyle's. The word ‘loot’ was enough to focus Zyrus's messy thoughts. He jumped down from Camazotz’s corpse and looked at the flood of notifications.
Anansi and the ship were nowhere to be seen, but what was supposed to vanish didn’t. The field boss should’ve been turned into particles. The corpse was like an empty husk after he shattered Camazotz’s core of existence.
‘I guess I’ll know once I go through this,’
[Congratulations! You have killed the field boss “Camazotz”]
[You are the first players to have killed a field boss in the flag march]
[+3 SP, 10% increased Exp gain on occupied territories]
The general rewards were somewhat lackluster in Zyrus’s opinion. All the players got were 1000 exp and 3 SP for a near-death experience.
‘Maybe the good rewards will come after we finish the mobs,’
Zyrus consoled himself on behalf of the players and looked at his personal rewards.
[You have dealt the most damage to the field boss!]
[You have dealt the final blow to the field boss!]
[+5 SP]
Exp +500
[Level up!]
[+2 Strength]
[+1 Agility]
[+1 Mana]
[You have obtained the Achievement: Slayer of Camazotz (C+)]
[+20 HP recovery/sec in Boss fights, Blood Element affinity (F)]
“Finish them off already, do I have to do everything by myself?” Zyrus roared at the innocent monsters who were dealing with the remnant bats.
“Why the sour face? Check this out if you’re done with the fight,” Franken beckoned him over to the pile of gathered materials.
“All I got is a piss poor F rank affinity, not even a decent equipment after all this hassle,”
“Only you'd call any affinity ‘piss poor,’”
“That’s not the point,” Zyrus grumbled as he made his way to the camp. There was no such thing as unfair rewards in the sanctuary.
The players were sure to receive what they deserved.
‘I wanted a magical weapon, but whatever…,’
Zyrus decided to put aside his thoughts and waited for the fight to finish. Only after repelling the monsters would the flag tier up.
It had many convenient functions such as inventory and territory buffs.
“By the way, I have a task for you,” Zyrus gave the rare scroll fragment to Franken and continued,
“Use Aiden’s equipment to power it up,”
“How? And why are you giving it to me?”
“Don’t play dumb, you should know something like overdrive,” Zyrus gave the one-eyed reindeer a knowing glance.
He was unable to see his companion's status for some reason, but even without the systems' help he knew that Franken wasn’t a simple existence. Not just anyone could casually chat with an administrator.
“I’m a proud reindeer, not a sacrificial lamb,”
“Ahem, you just have to be a decoy later on,”
Zyrus realized that it wasn’t always good to have someone who understood your schemes. While the two discussed about the aliens on Earth, the players finally killed the remaining bats and iguanas.
This battle was a roller-coaster ride where things could’ve gone wrong at any turn. But thanks to that, they could now conquer this island without any major obstacles.
<{Congratulations! You have killed the monsters who were attacking your camp}>
<{Your Flag’s Tier has risen to ‘2’}>
<{Congratulations! You have killed the ruler of this island}>
<{HP recovery potion x 3, Night’s blessing x 1, to all participants}>
Zyrus skipped past the flag and equipment tabs and looked at the last reward. It was something that even he hadn’t expected.
<{Congratulations! You have met the qualifications to generate unique authority}>
<{The authority “Numen” will be applied to your flag!}>